EA Research says Dead Space 1 & 2 were scary.

[mysterydriver]

And therefore we now have Co-op for the third one.

www.mcvuk.com/news/read/ea-research-said-dead-space-1-2-were-too-scary/099920

EA research said Dead Space 1&2 were too scary
by Ben Parfitt


The realisation that horror games Dead Space and Dead Space 2 are scary led to the decision to shift the focus away from scares in Dead Space 3, EA has told MCV.

Fans of the series took to the internet following the reveal of Dead Space 3 to bemoan its apparent shift from pure horror in favour of a more action-orientated approach.

But speaking to MCV, EA Games’ marketing boss Laura Miele says that the change of tone is a reaction to product research.

“We were doing research coming out of Dead Space 1 and 2 and we’re really proud of those products. We received feedback to understand how we can take the game out to even more consumers,” she stated.

“We were hearing feedback that they love the thriller game, but it was pretty scary, and the obvious next step was that they wanted to play with someone. So we introduced co-op into the game.

“The horror of Dead Space is still all there. It’s still true to its roots and no less scary, but people felt far more comfortable playing it with someone else than they did doing it on their own.

“Personally, I would rather go to scary movie with my husband rather than sit at home with the lights out watching one on my own. We’re looking for that to reach out to consumers that perhaps were not open to Dead Space 1 and 2.”

To read the full interview with Laura Miele, check out this week's edition of MCV Magazine (issue 697) in print, online

That's the best research ever. "Hmm...it appears our horror game...is scary. Well, we better change something immediately."

[Sektor]

I do want co op in horror games. Not to make them less scary (although that's bound to happen) but just so I have someone to be scared with. Especially with Dead Space.

[Koda, Master Crunchyroller]

Dead Space wasn't scary, though.

It was never a survival horror game, it was action horror from the very first game. Once you realized you had enough ammo to mow through the Necromorphs, and you could tell when the Necromorphs would appear the first game lost its scare factor. And the second game isn't scary either, just.....disturbing.

Disturbing and scary are not the same thing.

[Sektor]

Jul 20, 2012 10:54:29 GMT -5 Koda, Master Crunchyroller said:

Dead Space wasn't scary, though.

It was never a survival horror game, it was action horror from the very first game. Once you realized you had enough ammo to mow through the Necromorphs, and you could tell when the Necromorphs would appear the first game lost its scare factor. And the second game isn't scary either, just.....disturbing.

Disturbing and scary are not the same thing.

Well I only played the first 10 minutes, when the first Necro pops out and wastes everyone and chases after you. With a headset on, that scared the **** out of me.

[Koda, Master Crunchyroller]

Jul 20, 2012 11:00:25 GMT -5 Sektor said:

Jul 20, 2012 10:54:29 GMT -5 Koda, Master Crunchyroller said:

Dead Space wasn't scary, though.

It was never a survival horror game, it was action horror from the very first game. Once you realized you had enough ammo to mow through the Necromorphs, and you could tell when the Necromorphs would appear the first game lost its scare factor. And the second game isn't scary either, just.....disturbing.

Disturbing and scary are not the same thing.

Well I only played the first 10 minutes, when the first Necro pops out and wastes everyone and chases after you. With a headset on, that scared the **** out of me.

Oh the beginning of Dead Space IS scary the first time through, but after a few levels you'll realize, "This shit is going to get repetitive, isn't it?"

[mysterydriver]

I'm wondering the age-range of the research. I know I found the jump scare heavy remake of Nightmare on Elm Street very repetitive and downright stupid but know some who swear how scary and horrifying it is. Maybe it just comes down to experience with the genre.

I highly doubt those marking the "REALLY REALLY SCARY" bubbles have heard of some of the classic horror games from past consoles...then again, they might. Opinions are weird things that can catch you offguard like a Mike Tyson right hook.

And sadly films like Hostel made "disturbing" a trait for scary which, I agree, is ridiculous.

That's pretty much Dead Space. As a video game amateur who only plays maybe two or three games a year, it's repetition is very effective because it's a newer type for someone who isn't used to controller the character. You end up with those moments where you're at a room and you know it's perfect for jump...but not sure where...and you don't want to walk in there. That's the most effective parts of them.

...I'm rambling nonsense. I'll end this now.

[Michael Coello]

Wasn't their own marketing for 2 that basically moms would hate the movie over how scary it was?

[Yami Daimao]

Trying to attract that Resident Evil market I see.

[mysterydriver]

Jul 20, 2012 12:41:29 GMT -5 Michael Coello said:

Wasn't their own marketing for 2 that basically moms would hate the movie over how scary it was?

And this time, they'll probably run commercials telling you to hand mom a controller so she can help you through it.

...

Probably not as effective.

[darthalexander]

I didn't find them scary at all. I'm a sci-fi/horror fan anyways so this was really up my alley. I loved the creepy feel of it but I was never scared of it.

You can still play a single-player campaign, the co-op is optional (thank god).

I really loved this part of the first game:

[Koda, Master Crunchyroller]

Jul 21, 2012 0:04:16 GMT -5 darthalexander said:

I didn't find them scary at all. I'm a sci-fi/horror fan anyways so this was really up my alley. I loved the creepy feel of it but I was never scared of it.

You can still play a single-player campaign, the co-op is optional (thank god).

I really loved this part of the first game:

The co-op may be optional, but even the single-player campaign doesn't look that good. For one, it takes away a huge reason for the series' creep factor, the feeling of isolation caused by knowing you are just floating around in space. And the locations of the two previous games were pretty cramped. This game has at least a few parts out in the open.

So while the single-player may be creepier than the co-op, the game as a whole still looks they least creepy of the series, yes, even less creepy than the Wii game.

[Mr. Self-Destruct]

So it's like the FEAR series then... progressively less "Scary" and ending up more generic.

['Foretold' Joker]

I remain hopeful but co-op is really something I don't care about in video-games, multiplayer or team fights are fine but not co-op

[mysterydriver]

Jul 21, 2012 9:03:18 GMT -5 'Foretold' Joker said:

I remain hopeful but co-op is really something I don't care about in video-games, multiplayer or team fights are fine but not co-op

Not a big "Army of Two" fan, I assume

[Deleted]

Funk dat, Dead Space 1 was scary.

[CaptainFall]

"How can we take the game out to even more consumers"

The sentence says it all, we want to make money so we're sanitising it.

[Perpetual Nirvana]

A survival horror game is too scary...

There isn't a face palm pic in the world to express what I'm feeling.

I'm fine with co-op as long as the solo experience is just as good (don't have a many friends who are gamers you see) but that line of reasoning is nonsense.