Field Reports provide our first-hand experience with the latest games and expansion packs.

The dead don't stay dead in the Dead Space series. One of Dead Space 3's biggest problems was that its story stopped taking itself seriously in the last act and did double backflips over the pink megalodon in the room. Defying all logic, characters returned from the dead or survived impossible circumstances afforded by plot-holes big enough to pilot a deep-space mining frigate through. Before the final boss fight, supporting character and co-op buddy Sergeant John Carver unceremoniously exits stage-right to somewhere and isn't heard from again. Did he die? Who knows. The stinger at the end of the credits is a distress call from protagonist Isaac Clarke after he somehow survives floating in space with no helmet or air supply. That Awakened, the first downloadable add-on mission, is an epilogue to the main game's story only reinforces this disregard for plausibility. Narratively, it takes this deceit and runs.

Read more: Some SPOILERS ahead »

The adventures of Dead Space 3's Isaac Clark and John Carver will continue on March 12 when Electronic Arts launches the previously announced Awakened DLC, continuing the plot from the end of the game.

Read more: Escape the depths of space »

Dead Space 3 has been rather divisive amongst fans. Many lament the franchise's move to bigger action setpieces, and long for a more solitary experience akin to the first game. Antony Johnston, one of the writers for the first game, recently spoke about how the transition away from "old-school survival horror" was "inevitable" because of the universe Visceral Games had created.

"The developers always wanted to go bigger, in terms of scope," he explained. "And I've mentioned before that the universe we created was huge, with lots of elements, which simply didn't make it into the first game."

Read more: Action prevents franchise from getting 'dull' »

If you've been following Dead Space 3, you might have heard about a resource-mining glitch. By reentering and exiting a particular room, you can grab all the resources you want, thus circumventing any possible need for microtransactions. And you may have felt uneasy about exploiting the game, but don't worry. You have EA's blessing to farm till your heart's content.

Read more: 'We encourage players to explore the game' »

Garnett Lee is away at DICE this week, but never fear! Jeff Cannata, Jeff Mattas, Andrew Yoon, and Alex Albrecht convene for this week's spirited episode of Weekend Confirmed. Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time gets a glowing recommendation from Andrew, Mattas talks about his experience playing through Dead Space 3 twice in one week, and Alex opines about a big crop of past and present MMORPG's. Cannata also shares his very impressive, hands-on experience with Google Fiber, and an extra-strength dose of Finishing Moves puts the wrapping on this week's show.

Listen: Weekend Confirmed Episode 151 »

I felt skeptical when I first learned that Dead Space 3 would feature a co-op campaign. This is a horror franchise that's been built on facing grisly creations in claustrophobic, tight spaces--not typically an experience that's meant to be shared. As I played through co-op with Shacknews' Jeff Mattas, I did, in fact, notice that some of the campaign's more intense moments do feel compromised with a partner. However, Dead Space 3's co-op campaign isn't completely bereft of tension and features many adrenaline-pumping moments that help set it apart from its well-designed, single-player counterpart.

Read more: Working together has some issues »

Dead Space 3 executive producer Steve Papoutsis already dropped some vague hints about story-based downloadable content for the game. As it hits stores today, Visceral has decided this is the perfect time to share a few more details, including the name and launch window -- and not much else.

Read more: Coming in March for $9.99 »

I'm a pretty big fan of the first two Dead Space games. Despite some minor criticisms, the series' "strategic dismemberment" angle has proved to be mechanically much more interesting to me than the standard "blast everyone in the face" strategy encouraged by most shooters. The audio work in the Dead Space games has also been top notch from the beginning, combining with expertly-lit and visually impressive locations to create a palpably tense and oppressive atmosphere.

In my recent, solo playthrough of the Dead Space 3 campaign, I continued the horrific adventures of engineer Isaac Clarke, and was pleased to note that most of the changes and additions to the new entry one-up the tropes fleshed out in the first two games.

Read more: Dead Space, through and through »

The media machine is cranking for Dead Space 3 as we approach the launch of the game next week. A new trailer shows off a bit of the story as protagonist Isaac Clarke gets sent in to retrieve Ellie Langford and her team, and is led to Tau Volantis.

Read more: Fanatics and necromorphs »

At this point, no one should be surprised that a big-budget release like Dead Space 3 is going to get some downloadable content. Usually early bits of DLC include cosmetic items or extra weapons, so we expect DS3 to feature some microtransactions. But Visceral is apparently setting its sights on story content too, which will follow the game's release by only a few weeks.

Read more: 'Top secret additional story' coming 'in a few weeks' »

For a series that's been a risk from the beginning, Dead Space 3 is taking the biggest chances yet. Cooperative play, and adding human enemies as well as an environment that's extremely atypical for the franchise all have many gamers skeptical. Last June, it was reported the game would need to sell around 5 million copies for publisher Electronic Arts to continue investing in games like it. Executive Producer Steve Papoutsis knows this. But if he's worried, he hides it well.

"When you see people making assumptions about what it's going to be like, it can certainly be [what they're afraid of]. It depends on how you tailor your experience."

Read more: Killing humans and necromorphs »

Last week, a report suggested Dead Space 3 wasn't getting more than a bare-bones port for its PC release. While developer Visceral Games has rarely offered enhanced PC versions of its games, many other developers are taking advantage of DirectX 11 and new hardware to deliver a higher fidelity experience for PC gamers.

Even publisher Electronic Arts has been aggressively pushing PC development, with Battlefield 3 and Crysis 3 being notable examples. When asked about his decision to not make a PC optimized version of the game, executive producer Steve Papoutsis went on the defensive.

Read more: 'We want it to be great on all systems' »

The 'Take Down the Terror' title of Dead Space 3's launch trailer feels like a misnomer at first. It's not even scary, for one thing, let alone terrifying. But then the background music coalesces, stirs, and rises, and it hits you like a ravenous reanimated corpse: you've been listening to Phil Collins. We'll have nightmares for weeks, EA.

Watch: Spaceman vs. alien monster »

Those microtransactions in Dead Space 3 that you've grumbled and griped about? Don't worry, EA says, you won't need to use them to beat the game. Heck, they're not even meant for you! Supposedly the option to buy crafting materials was added so mobile gamers who, presumably on a whim, buy a console and a copy of the game will feel at home coughing up even more cash.

Read more: "We need to make sure we're expanding our audience" »

Dead Space 3 is getting a PC version, but it's reportedly lacking in bells and whistles. The PC version is said to be a straight-up port, which means no DirectX 11 support or high-res textures for your power machine.

Read more: A simple console port? »