Dead Space 3: Dislike Micro-Transactions? Exploit. Exploit. Exploit.

Can I just check something? Yeah... Yeah... my suit is definitely cooler than yours.

Recently 'Visceral Games' released Dead Space 3, and even more recently Game Front discovered a 'glitch' that can be used to farm precious materials needed for crafting. Yes, that's right. Crafting.

If you picked up the game, then good for you! 

With the latest title comes several new tweaks implemented in order to keep the mix interesting and worth the purchase. Whether it's as scary as the first title isn't for me to say since I haven't played it. However, one of these new tweaks - besides crafting - is 'micro-transactions'.

Now, personally I'm not a fan of this idea; I honestly believe that when a game is shipped it should be shipped with everything. The consumer should be able to achieve everything plausible, within said game, with the tools provided, without the need to buy anything further. 

If there is new material released after launch, then it should be vital to the game for me to want to purchase it. So, if like me you don't like this idea then this 'exploit' is for you. And you can see how to go about it here.

Now some of you out there will have a sense of nobility, nay, fairness about you and may possibly think that making use of the glitch will be short changing EA, tantamount to "stealing" - or unethical. So did the BBC News (Link).

As for those of you not wanting to sully your conscience, you needn't worry.

After the Game Front posted the video EA contacted them about the issue and gave this clear and concise statement:

“The resource-earning mechanic in Dead Space 3 is not a glitch. We have no plans to issue a patch to change this aspect of the game. We encourage players to explore the game and discover the areas where resources respawn for free. We’ve deliberately designed Dead Space 3 to allow players to harvest resources by playing through the game. For those that wish to accumulate upgrades instantly, we have enabled an optional system for them to buy the resources at a minimal cost ($1-$3).”

Well that settles it. Straight from the horse's mouth. The Word of God. It's not a glitch; it's an intentional piece of coding. Not the only one. More are available across the game's many levels; available to encourage gamers to exploit explore, explore, explore. 

Personally I never really got into series and don't really intend to - especially with my currently growing list of games I need to complete. Regardless, it's been a big hit for many, with each installment bringing something much needed life to the near lifeless corpse - (get it?) that is the horror genre.

The game itself has received some "generally favourable reviews" from major gaming websites but "mixed to average reviews" from users (Meta Critic).

So does this clarification from EA make you feel better about using these intentional 'respawn' points, or didn't you really care in the first place? Are you enjoying the third installment? Feel free to leave your thoughts and comments below.


By Rod-the-Pod, 11-Feb-2013