When word got out that Dead Space 3 was going to be a co-op experience. I panicked inside. Not only did I fear of loosing my favorite horror franchise, but I dreaded it possibly taking the Resident Evil 5 route with an AI partner. Thankfully that was not the case, Dead Space 3's Co-op is 100% optional right down to the characters presence in your game. No I do not mean that you can choose if you want an AI partner or not. If you play solo, your partner will be off on his own at some different location away from you. he will only appear during story moments. However, if you do play in co-op then the two of you will be together and the cutscenes will be changed as well as additional dialogue. it gives you more story in a unique and refreshing way. As usual, Dead Space starts you off in some sort of intense situation that takes about .5 nano seconds to get to right after the opening. it sets the backstory up nicely and pings at your interesting button from the first spoken word. I started my game on the Hard difficulty since the demo appeared far to easy for my taste. I want that edge of my seat, nerve wracking, sense tingling, adrenalin rush that I got from the first game. Thankfully, it gave me the proper fix on the difficulty. From the first moments to my current location in a ship grave with the planet Tao Volantis beneath me, everything about Dead Space 3 oozes atmosphere. The attention to detail and the variety of environments all encompass the things that we have felt in both older games. The claustrophobic halls of a derelict ship, and the populated city all strike a tone of familiar with you as you "cut off their limbs!" About 6 or so chapters into the game, you begin to get Side Missions. These optional objectives encase their own story that can be more effective than the overall narrative. The text and audio logs shine stand out as they tell their stories to great effect. How do you access these side objectives? Well, the world is open enough to give you a strange "sandbox" feel. You can go from ship to ship at will via a transport inconspicuously placed in open space... Lol punz! The more open approach is a very welcome change of pace to the linear corridor shooter and helps sell the overall atmosphere very well. I personally enjoying how unpredictable the Necro encounters can be. Just when you THINK that you know what is coming, it does not. Their placements are well placed to give you that "OH CRAP!" moment when you just want to move on. Though that feeling can be deterred a bit with the plentiful ammo and med packs. It seems like that spawn a majority of the time rather than a rare item. Just feels a bit to giving, like "oh hey don't die! We want you to finish the game A OK!" Voice acting and soundtrack all seem to be well done and better than before. Though you seem to be as connected to Issac as a pair of tits held on a wall with scotch tape. Some "OFFICIAL" reviews say that he is not relateable... Ok, how are we going to be relateable to a man whose mind is tied to magical markers that spawn mutated dead humans who just want to go all STABBY STABBY on you? Overall, my impressions on the game are positive. I am enjoying the open feeling and the familiar locations. I really dig the presentation on how it complements the atmosphere in such a way that it envelops itself around you. Dead Space 3 is in no way a bad game! The reviewers and gamers who are giving it 60s and below really REALLY need to get their facts in order.