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Dead Space 3 Awakened DLC review: Event horizon

Richard Mitchell — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 15:45:00 EST

Note: This review concerns events that happen after the ending of Dead Space 3. As such, it discusses elements that may spoil the story for those who haven't finished it. You have been warned.

Dead Space 3's "Awakened" DLC was pitched as a couple of different things. It was to serve as an epilogue to the game, presumably providing some clarity on the more nebulous plot points. It also promised to return players to the sort of horror that was more pronounced in the first two Dead Space games, a horror born of claustrophobia and psychosis.

Awakened delivers on these two points to a certain extent, but much more so on the former.

Gallery: Dead Space 3 'Awakened' DLC (03/07/2013)

Continue reading Dead Space 3 Awakened DLC review: Event horizon

Dead Space 3 Awakened DLC review: Event horizon originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 22 Mar 2013 15:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dead Space 3 adds microtransactions to series, demo out today

Alexander Sliwinski — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 12:00:00 EST

Dead Space 3 will scare up extra revenues through its microtransaction system. Eurogamer reports that crafting materials in the game can be picked up by the player, scavenged by bots or purchased through the in-game store. Apparently there are guards in place to prevent players from buying the best gun in the game right from the start.

Dead Space 3 associate producer Yara Khoury confirmed the feature, adding that purchases with real world money aren't required in the game. The in-game currency will be offered in different denominations, but there's currently no official details.

The game's demo is available now on Xbox 360 and later today for PS3, following the PSN udpate.

Dead Space 3 adds microtransactions to series, demo out today originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 22 Jan 2013 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Unlock N7 suits in Dead Space 3 with Mass Effect 3 save file

Alexander Sliwinski — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 14:15:00 EST

A variant of Commander Shepard's N7 armor will be available in Dead Space 3 for those with a Mass Effect 3 save file. To obtain the armor for Dead Space 3 heroes Isaac Clarke and John Carver, players will need to purchase the full game of Dead Space 3 and make sure they have a Mass Effect 3 save file on that same platform. The bonus suit is available on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC.

The Dead Space 3 demo should be generally available on Xbox 360 and PS3 tomorrow, January 22. Dead Space 3 will launch and cut up necromorphs on February 5 and 8 in North America and Europe, respectively.

A similar armor trade promotion was done last year between Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning and Mass Effect 3.

Unlock N7 suits in Dead Space 3 with Mass Effect 3 save file originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 21 Jan 2013 14:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Visceral Games may be working on a MOBA game

Richard Mitchell — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 13:30:00 EST

Visceral Games, best known for the Dead Space series, just might be working on a free-to-play multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) title, according to recent job listings discovered by IGN. Perhaps most telling is the listing for a Global Community Manager, who will work in the Play4Free division (EA's team focused on free-to-play titles) and is expected to have "an unhealthy passion for MOBA games."

The studio is also seeking a character designer with experience in "MOBA, Action RTS, Action RPG, or Related Genres." Finally, Visceral is looking for a character concept artist for "an upcoming PC action title." Alongside the portfolio requirement, it's noted that "highly stylized pieces with exaggerated proportions" are considered a plus. Given the typically larger number of playable characters in a MOBA, and the need to identify them from a distance, such exaggerated proportions are common among MOBA character designs.

Is Visceral developing a full-on MOBA? Given its recent history with Dead Space, it's possible the studio is working on a shooter with MOBA elements, perhaps something akin to Super Monday Night Combat (though probably much darker in design).

A third, much less likely but still tantalizing possibility: a Jack the Ripper MOBA.

Visceral Games may be working on a MOBA game originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 09 Oct 2012 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The quiet, solo side of Dead Space 3

Ben Gilbert — Wed, 25 Jul 2012 12:00:00 EST

Sitting in a brightly lit office above Times Square in the middle of the day made it easy not to be scared by Dead Space 3, even with bodies reanimating, spawning grotesque appendages, and chasing me down. Which isn't to say it isn't scary, just that my surroundings - not to mention two other human beings - rounded off the scary, sharp edges.

I didn't play co-op, and I wasn't outside on an ice planet. I piloted returning protagonist Isaac Clarke through much of what you'd expect from a Dead Space game: creepy, atmospheric spaceship corridors pocked with vile mutant humanoid creatures trying to eat my flesh. My mission was an optional side quest in Dead Space 3's flotilla section - a mess of once operational ships now relegated to graveyard duty. But despite the level's original Dead Space feel, executive producer Steve Papoutsis tells me the demo wasn't intended as a response to the mixed fan reaction garnered from the third entry's action-focused E3 2012 reveal.

"Every time we show something new, we understand that when it isn't what we've done in the past, people are gonna have questions and wanna know what the meaning of it is or how it all fits together," he says. At E3, Dead Space 3's co-op was revealed in an action-heavy scene that some fans felt wasn't representative of the series' past entries. Papoutsis directly addresses that concern.

Gallery: Dead Space 3 (7/25/12)

Continue reading The quiet, solo side of Dead Space 3

The quiet, solo side of Dead Space 3 originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 25 Jul 2012 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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All clues point to concept art for Visceral's canned Jack the Ripper title

Jessica Conditt — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 10:30:00 EST

The rumors began in 2009 -- whispers of a game from EA and Visceral based on one of the most notorious serial killers of all time, Jack the Ripper. Visceral was said to be seen hunched over its work table, working on its downloadable title The Ripper and laughing manically until some time in 2010, when the project faded away without a trace.

Finally, in 2012, we may have cracked The Ripper wide open. Former Visceral concept artist Joey Spiotto has a batch of concept art for an unnamed game on his website, and it leads to one obvious conclusion -- The Ripper. Spiotto lists work on his LinkedIn profile on an unannounced project for Visceral from 2008-2009, and directly after for EA, where he says the project was canceled in 2009.

The screens depict shadowy figures, bloody vampire-esque characters, acrobatics, a leading lady and a cane katana of some kind. Check out the full run of screens on Spiotto's website.

All clues point to concept art for Visceral's canned Jack the Ripper title originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 24 Feb 2012 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Visceral seeking multiplayer lead for 'bold new franchise'

Richard Mitchell — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 14:00:00 EST

Visceral is working on a "thrilling online action shooter" as part of a "bold new franchise which is a cornerstone" of the studio, according to an Electronic Arts job listing. The listing seeks a multiplayer lead, specifically someone with "architectural knowledge and experience making realistic world levels." That would seemingly preclude Dead Space 3 as a potential project, what with it being set in space and all. Then again, if rumors are true, EA may have a lot in store for the Dead Space franchise, so perhaps the ad is referring to realistic environments ... in space.

Beyond that, we can only assume Visceral will be tackling another epic poem. Beowulf X, anyone? Homer's Badass Road Trip? Only time will tell.

Visceral seeking multiplayer lead for 'bold new franchise' originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 23 Jan 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Pre-order Battlefield 3 on Origin, get Dead Space 2 for free

David Hinkle — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 17:20:00 EST

That free game that Origin is offering for a Battlefield 3 pre-order? It's totally Dead Space 2! So now on top of early beta access and a host of DLC, EA is offering even more incentive by offering a great game.

Of course, there's a catch: there's only a limited number of copies of Dead Space 2 available. It's really silly, considering the free copy is a download. What's the matter, EA? No more storage space in the old digital warehouse?

If you want to go with Origin, you've got until September 19 to pre-order Battlefield 3 for your free ticket to the nightmarish space-romp.

Pre-order Battlefield 3 on Origin, get Dead Space 2 for free originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 16 Sep 2011 17:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Demise of Dead Space 2's Franco Delille: How Visceral Killed a Man in One Minute

Ludwig Kietzmann — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 17:06:00 EST

Joystiq interviews Visceral Games and finds out how one gruesome minute of Dead Space 2 was made.

In the future, our starship captains won't be as blindly heroic as their television counterparts. Their years of virtual training -- inside holo-capsule games like Dead Space 13: Amputheater -- will impart every single reason to avoid stranded ships and suspect space colonies. Even here, in 2011, Dead Space 2 provides an uncomfortable glimpse at the scary doors, inadequate fluorescent lighting and snarling horrors that await us off-planet. And that's before you die and come back to vicious near-life as a necrotized bag of flesh, running around wildly with scissors for hands.

The inhospitable world of Dead Space 2 and the creatures that make a rickety existence within it hardly seem worthy of care or devotion, yet it's all you see in every fuggy, expertly lit scene. There's no better way to see the detail-driven efforts of developer Visceral Games than by narrowing your focus to just one minute of the game, in which you're forced to watch a man shed every semblance of humanity and transform into a grotesque mess of flesh.

It's probably not as painful as it looks, I found out, because the poor guy doesn't have a brain.

Continue reading The Demise of Dead Space 2's Franco Delille: How Visceral Killed a Man in One Minute

The Demise of Dead Space 2's Franco Delille: How Visceral Killed a Man in One Minute originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 21 Feb 2011 17:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Visceral on the believability of Dead Space's Isaac Clarke

Richard Mitchell — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 01:00:00 EST

In its continuing series on profiling character design in games, IndustryGamers has posted a chat with Visceral creative director Wright Bagwell on Dead Space 2 protagonist, Isaac Clarke. According to Bagwell, it was very important from the beginning that Dead Space's main character was a "normal everyday kind of guy" and that he made logical sense in the game's universe.

"We didn't want you to play a superhero, and we didn't want your character to be a space marine as well," said Bagwell, which led to the idea of an engineer sent to help an abandoned space ship. Not only did this help players identify with Isaac, but it also gave him "a lot of interesting things to do in this world as well."

Dead Space 2 presented new challenges, thanks to Isaac's newfound ability to speak. According to Bagwell, the team at Visceral tried to prevent Isaac's dialogue from pulling players out of the game. Thus the team "focused a lot on having him say things that [the team] thought were situationally appropriate." Speaking from personal experience, we can certainly identify with Isaac hurling expletives during the more shocking moments in Dead Space 2.

Head over to IndustryGamers to read the whole piece, which includes insights on the characters of Nicole and Stross, as well as Visceral's insistence on using creepy nursery rhymes.

Visceral on the believability of Dead Space's Isaac Clarke originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 18 Feb 2011 01:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Visceral Games hears disabled gamer, adding customizable controls to Dead Space 2

Mike Schramm — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 23:00:00 EST

Spooky cathedrals, fun technology and lots of slimy necromorphs to dismember at will -- is there anything else you could possibly want in Dead Space 2? Well, Gareth Garratt, a gamer living with cerebral palsy, would like to see customizable controls implemented in the game. Garratt is trying to play the horror sequel on PC, partly by pushing a mouse with his chin, and is unhappy that he can't assign the "walk forward" command to a mouse button. Plenty of games allow for customizable controls, he says, so why can't Dead Space 2?

Over 20,000 fellow players agree, and they've signed an online Internet petition asking video game publishers to make sure that all games offer customization for their controls. Here's the good news: Dead Space 2 dev Visceral Games has already heard them loud and clear. Executive Producer Steve Papoutsis tells Joystiq that a patch for the PC version of the game enabling full control remapping is on the way, and that "a number of folks on our team are so passionate about getting this fix done that they are currently working hard" on it. Papoutsis says the patch will fix a few other issues with the PC version, and that a release date will be announced "when the patch is fully tested." You can read his remarks in full after the break.

Continue reading Visceral Games hears disabled gamer, adding customizable controls to Dead Space 2

Visceral Games hears disabled gamer, adding customizable controls to Dead Space 2 originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 07 Feb 2011 23:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dog destroys Dead Space 2 disc, Visceral replaces with signed copy

Richard Mitchell — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 12:30:00 EST

There are lots of ways to get your favorite video game signed by the developers. You could win a contest, corner the developers at a conference and, of course, stalk them. Now, thanks to a Dead Space fan named Ashley, there's another method -- have your dog destroy the disc.

Whilst playing her brand new copy of Dead Space 2, it seems Ashley's dog knocked over her Xbox 360, irreparably damaging the disc. Naturally, Ashley did what anyone would do in that situation: She shared her woes on Twitter. Visceral art director Ian Milham spotted her tweets, asked for her address and sent her the goodies seen above. Yes, that is a hand-drawn picture of Isaac Clarke scolding Ashley's dog next to a (very) signed copy of Dead Space 2.

Truly, it's a heart-warming story about one of the most disgusting video games around -- and more tolerable as marketing than the "Your Mom Hates This" campaign. Now, if you'll excuse us, we have to go coat this Halo: Reach disc with peanut butter.

Dog destroys Dead Space 2 disc, Visceral replaces with signed copy originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 03 Feb 2011 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Visceral: 'A lot of discussion' over live-action Dead Space film

Griffin McElroy — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 16:40:00 EST

Though there are plenty of jollies to be had from the uber-gory Dead Space Aftermath animated feature, we've got a powerful desire in our heart-of-hearts to lay eyes upon a live-action film set in the Dead Space universe. We're not the only ones. In a recent interview with BBC News, Visceral Games art director Ian Milham explained, "We would love to have a live action film and we've had a lot of discussion. But one of the reasons Dead Space still exists and is popular is because we've made sure to do everything right. So we're doing the same with the film, not just a cheap cash-in but to do something really worthwhile, so we'll see."

We appreciate how much thought you're putting into this -- an unprecedented amount of thought, you might say -- though, really, we can't think of an easier game to adapt to film. Here's our simple plan for how we're gonna make this work:

Give the rights to adapt the game over to the guys who make the Saw movies.
Book two tickets on the 10 o' clock money train to Cashtown.

Visceral: 'A lot of discussion' over live-action Dead Space film originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 28 Jan 2011 16:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dead Space 2 preview: The reeducation of Isaac Clarke

Mike Schramm — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 00:03:00 EST

We've heard Isaac Clarke's voice, and it's deeper than you'd expect. It's also got an edge of fear that simply didn't manifest as he stomped through the Ishimura, saving the day with nary a whisper or whimper. If you're worried that a talkative Isaac Clarke might ruin Dead Space 2, though, you shouldn't be. "In terms of how much he talks, last game, zero," said executive producer Steve Papoutsis. "This game, he's somewhere between a two and a half and a three. He's not really wordy, he's not shooting off a bunch of one-liners, he's just speaking when it makes sense for the story."

Gallery: Dead Space 2 (1/5/11)

Continue reading Dead Space 2 preview: The reeducation of Isaac Clarke

Dead Space 2 preview: The reeducation of Isaac Clarke originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 06 Jan 2011 00:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Next Command and Conquer in production under Visceral label

Alexander Sliwinski — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Weird But True, Opinions, New In Pop Culture

Next time out, the Command & Conquer franchise will be more Visceral. Although the game, according to EA's Visceral Games label GM Nick Earl, is still "pretty far out," it will be part of the publisher's strategy to expand the Visceral studio as a brand. Earl detailed the multi-studio Visceral branding in a recent interview with Gamasutra, which would explain why the EA Redwood Shores studio that became Visceral has been working on several projects.

The Visceral label is a collaboration of EA in the States, the "art-focused" Shanghai studio, EA Montreal and a team in Melbourne, Australia. Earl said, "We're not outsourcing or insourcing -- we really look at it as collaborative development, where everyone is on equal playing ground." Dead Space 2 will be an indication of the result achieved through this new Visceral process.

Next Command and Conquer in production under Visceral label originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 18 Oct 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Visceral Games' Zach Mumbach on Visceral's development culture, autonomy within EA

Ben Gilbert — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 13:00:00 EST

Though we were shocked to hear it, the folks working on the Dead Space franchise at Visceral Games are apparently the same folks who developed Dante's Inferno. The seeming disparity in development ideals can be chocked up to two things, according to associate producer Zach Mumbach: different creative leads from project to project, and the studio's relative autonomy within EA. If it weren't for that autonomy, Dante's Inferno may have never come to be.

"There's always side teams that are maybe 10 or 15 people that are working on ideas. And honestly that's how Dante's Inferno came to exist. Jonathan Knight [executive producer] took a team of roughly seven dudes and they were like, 'Hey, this is cool, let's see if we can make this,'" Mumbach explained to us last week in the basement of a swanky midtown NYC club.

Continue reading Visceral Games' Zach Mumbach on Visceral's development culture, autonomy within EA

Visceral Games' Zach Mumbach on Visceral's development culture, autonomy within EA originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 12 Oct 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Watch our Dead Space 2 multiplayer preview

David Hinkle — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 15:30:00 EST

Some folks are playing the Dead Space 2 multiplayer beta on PS3 this very instant. Clearly, you're not one of them. Maybe you've just got it on pause. Or maybe you didn't get into the beta .... or have been simply too lazy to input the code to download it. Maybe you don't even own a PS3. Whatever your excuse, we invite you to check out our video preview of the game's multiplayer mode (captured from the beta) -- just past the break.

Remember: Knowledge is your best weapon against the Necromorph scourge. Plasma Cutters are a close second.

Continue reading Watch our Dead Space 2 multiplayer preview

Watch our Dead Space 2 multiplayer preview originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 05 Oct 2010 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dead Space 2 producer reflects on the changes and challenges of the sequel

Mike Schramm — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 20:00:00 EST

First on the agenda for my meeting with Dead Space 2 executive producer Steve Papoutsis at Comic-Con was an earnest request: better tutorials, please. After all, I had played through the entire first game without realizing that I could press a button to use a medkit -- that I didn't have to open up the onscreen inventory, while being attacked, to heal. "You're not alone," Papoutsis said laughing. "We're currently focus testing some of our tutorials, and believe you me, we've got two that remind you to do that, because you're not alone."

"That was a feature that we were in hot debate over," Papoutsis added, "and many of us, myself included, really pushed for it." Similar discussions have carried over into the development of the sequel, as Visceral Games continues to refine the gameplay. "We're taking it a step further," Papoutsis said of Dead Space 2, "so now, when you're not in combat or aim mode, you'll use one of your stasis recharge items. We've got health and stasis mapped" to a button.

Gallery: Dead Space 2 (7/21/10)

Continue reading Dead Space 2 producer reflects on the changes and challenges of the sequel

Dead Space 2 producer reflects on the changes and challenges of the sequel originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 26 Jul 2010 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dead Space 2 launches on January 25, 2011

Ludwig Kietzmann — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 17:41:00 EST

Filed under: Weird But True, Opinions, New In Pop Culture

Deftly avoiding the commercial kill zone of the holidays, Dead Space 2 is putting its foot down in the early 2011 window -- which, if it's anything like 2010, will eventually be stuffed with feet anyway. Horribly severed feet.

Launching on January 25, 2011 in North America (and January 28th in Europe), Dead Space 2 grants engineer-turned-monster-surgeon Isaac a new suit and sends him straight into a new environment, the dystopian and violent Sprawl. Visceral Games has also promised to lift up the metaphorical helmet and flesh out Isaac's tortured persona in the game. "My god, it's full of scars. Eww."

Dead Space 2 launches on January 25, 2011 originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 14 Jun 2010 17:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Metareview: Dante's Inferno

Alexander Sliwinski — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 14:30:00 EST

Dante's Inferno isn't the best damn game out there, but it's not a hellish experience either. The game, which re-imagines ... is loosely based upon ... has some ephemeral connection to the literature, still delivers entertainment, according to reviews. Perhaps the sequel will be a more heavenly experience?

Game Daily (80/100): "Rounding out this impressive package are a series of cut scenes (both 2-D animation and 3-D computer generated movies) ... Obviously, critics will obsessively compare Dante's Inferno to other games, or complain about the quick time events, but don't let those nitpicky issues prevent you from experiencing this imaginative and fun adventure. It's one Hell of a good time."
IGN (75/100): "Dante's Inferno takes a bold, visually impressive take on a literary classic and adds in an intriguing action focus to create a different kind of action title. Unfortunately, some derivative combat sequences and a shallow combo system prevent the title from becoming a truly great experience."
Eurogamer (60/100): "But you can't ignore the fact this is a God of War clone at its core, and many of the ideas here feel tired, familiar and dated. Nor can you ignore the fact that God of War III is nearly here. If it's a toss-up between that game and this one, as it probably will be for PS3 fans, you're best off waiting to see how Kratos' next adventure turns out."
1UP (C+): "The game is filled with lots of good and well-executed ideas, but they all seem to exist independently of one another. It's a popcorn movie that clearly took a good deal of talent to pull together, but comes up short of creating the grand adventure that it seems to be trying for."

Gallery: Dante's Inferno

Metareview: Dante's Inferno originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 04 Feb 2010 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hellacious marketing: Dante's Inferno is in the code

David Hinkle — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 12:30:00 EST

It seems the marketing team behind Dante's Inferno hasn't burnt out yet, with several ASCII art campaigns popping up in the source code for several popular websites. All direct to the same Dante's Inferno site.

The first image (above) appeared in digg's code, as noted by brentcsutoras, and other sites like IGN, GameSpot and Kotaku also had their source code altered to display Dante-related images. It's one of the cuter, somewhat classier approaches to this title's marketing, and that makes it oddly noteworthy.

If you're wondering why there's nothing in our source code (we're checking now just to make sure) ... we don't let anyone touch that. We consider it to be at least third base and you really have to get to know Joystiq before it's prepared to take the relationship to that level.

Hellacious marketing: Dante's Inferno is in the code originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 04 Feb 2010 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dante's Inferno Trials of St. Lucia DLC confirmed

Justin McElroy — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 13:45:00 EST

We hate to ruin the surprise for you, but when you tear into your copy of Dante's Inferno you'll also be getting a sneak peek at what's next for the game. A packed-in trailer reveals the Trials of St. Lucia DLC with its player-created trials, online co-op in said trials and and a new playable character, the titular (pun-intended) St. Lucia. A Kotaku reader grabbed a shaky-cam version of the promo, which you can see right after the break.

It's a little early for us to be thinking about all that, what with the game still a week from hitting shelves. But it's nice to know that if we do have to go to hell, we'll have some company by April.

Continue reading Dante's Inferno Trials of St. Lucia DLC confirmed

Dante's Inferno Trials of St. Lucia DLC confirmed originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 02 Feb 2010 13:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Interview: Glen Schofield on Dead Space, Sledgehammer Games and the transition from EA to Activision

David Hinkle — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 16:00:00 EST

We don't have to tell you who Glen Schofield is. The guy's been cementing his name in the industry for years now, and considering his recent realignment from EA's banner to Activision's, starting a new studio in Sledgehammer Games, we all have a lot of questions. Let's get to it:

You were one of the individuals most responsible for bringing Dead Space to fruition -- one of Joystiq's best games of 2008. How difficult an endeavor was conceptualizing that game, and how willing -- in the way of providing resources -- was EA to create the game?

Dead Space was an idea I wanted to pursue for quite a few years while at EA. I brought the idea to the previous president when I believed the window was right for the game to fit within EA's portfolio. At the time, EA was largely leveraging licensed IPs, and getting support for a new IP concept was tough. I really appreciated the opportunity he gave us. Fortunately, we had a passionate team of developers who poured a ton of energy into converting our skeptics into believers. In the end, the critical response by fans and the press is something myself and the entire team are very proud of.

Visceral Games (formerly EA Redwood Shores) is still an EA studio, currently wrapping up Dante's Inferno. When you began Dead Space, Game Informer #174 -- the official unveiling -- called you guys a "renegade team." Who was on that team, and how did you earn that "renegade" status?

Continue reading Interview: Glen Schofield on Dead Space, Sledgehammer Games and the transition from EA to Activision

Interview: Glen Schofield on Dead Space, Sledgehammer Games and the transition from EA to Activision originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 07 Jan 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dead Space 2 announced for PC, PS3 and Xbox 360

Justin McElroy — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 09:20:00 EST

Not official art, actually

Do us a favor and read the following sentence really slowly -- seriously, savor it. It's been hinted and teased at enough to give the world's remaining necromorphs a heart attack, but Dead Space 2 has finally been officially announced for PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

Now, you might be wondering why you had to take your time with that easily understandable sentence. Well ... we don't really have anything else to tell you. It's still Visceral, it's still Isaac Clark, it's still the necromorph invasion. We don't even have a release window. The best thing EA has to say is, "Survival isn't the only thing on Isaac's mind in Dead Space 2 - this time, he calls the shots," which makes it sound like our engineer protagonist dumped his abusive boyfriend and moved to the big city to work in an office pool with Dolly Parton and Morgan Fairchild.

... Actually, that sounds pretty good.

Dead Space 2 announced for PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 07 Dec 2009 09:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rumor: OPM teases Dead Space reveal in December

Ludwig Kietzmann — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 18:00:00 EST

Considering the artwork depicted on the "next month" page of November's Official PlayStation Magazine, it requires only the slightest of hops to reach the conclusion that a new Dead Space announcement is lurking just around the corner. Allegedly snapped by GOONL!NE (as in the connectivity instruction, not the lineup of criminals), the artwork features a grotesque, tentacled creature viewed through what appears to be the iconic toaster visor of Dead Space protagonist Isaac Clarke. The site confidently suggests that the creature itself is derived from the original game's concept art.

Now's the time to strategically remember several job listings, which mentioned a Dead Space follow-up, along with EA CEO John Riccitiello's recently expressed desire to have EA focus on more profitable, safer games. What could be safer than an isolated spaceship sending out a distress call?

The November issue of Official PlayStation Magazine is on sale ~~behind youuuuu~~ in the UK right now.

[Via CVG]

Rumor: OPM teases Dead Space reveal in December originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 24 Nov 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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