Don't expect any fancy-schmancy PC-exclusive features from Dead Space 3 when it ships next month.
Speaking to Games.on.net, Visceral Games revealed that the PC version will be a straight port of the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions. While there will be some graphical options, there won't be DirectX 11 support, no additional high-resolution textures or any other graphical enhancements beyond what you'll get from the PS3 and Xbox 360 game.
Not that Dead Space 3 is an ugly game. On the contrary, it looks like it will push the boundaries of what the current-gen consoles can push in terms of graphics. Of course, that's no comfort for the PC user base who are used to having extra effects and graphical enhancements grace their version of each game.
In more Dead Space 3 news, associate producer Yara Khoury recently spoke to OXM and detailed how some of Dead Space 3's "controversial" features will bring in "new kinds of horror."
Khoury speaks out on Tau Volanits — Dead Space 3's ice planet — and how they're using the environments to bring in new types of scares.
I think at this point we've mastered the art of doing closet scares, you know, necromorphs jumping out of vents, etc – and I think that's why it will be interesting to go to Tau Volantis – to see how we've been able to use the blizzard with its sensory tricks…You can't really see what's ahead of you, there's the snow that can, you know, hide some things. There's also all the noise – the blizzard is actually really loud, and we've really played with these things to trick the player and create new kinds of horror. The ice planet that worried players at first because it's an external environment, actually turns out to be one of our allies in terms of creating new ways to scare our players.
Additionally, she comments on one of Dead Space 3's most hated addition by fans, which is the inclusion of co-op multiplayer.
The other very interesting take that we've taken on horror is in co-op. We really explored the psychological horror that we had already kind of instigated in Dead Space 2, you know, through the dementia effects. In Dead Space 3 however, in co-op we can create nice co-op mechanics around it.
So one player is going to experience some things – he's going to have visions. The other player is not going to see them, and players are going to interact with each other, you know – "What's going on? What the hell?" Isaac is not going to see the same things Carver does, he's going to be like, you know, completely confused about what's going on, and that's how also we've furthered horror in Dead Space 3.
Are you okay with Visceral adding optional co-op to Dead Space 3 or do you think it will still somehow lessen the jump-scares even if you don't play with a buddy? Speaking of additions, Dead Space 3 will be the first game in the franchise to incorporate optional micro-transactions to help you craft weapons faster.
Dead Space 3 is set for a February 5 release on the PC, Xbox 360 and PS3.
