When I heard that Dead Space 3 would have an all-new co-op mode included, I was a tiny bit skeptical (not as crazed as some on the internet raging madly about it, however). Still, I trusted that Visceral Studios would not only deliver something memorable in terms of the scares and gore fans expect, the developer would also bring a bit of innovation to the gameplay simply because standard co-op play would have been too generic for a series known for giving the horror genre a nice kick in the pants. It turns out that my initial skepticism wasn’t even necessary as from what I played, players on either end of that Xbox Live or PSN connection are in for a total mind trip that’s different for both players.

In the small slice of the game I got to play, there was a lot going on, all of it impressive. The game looks spectacular and once again, everything is in-engine and flows seamlessly from cut-scene to gameplay (so much so that you may think something’s wrong after a cinema because the game is waiting for you to move forward after it’s over). I only played around a little with the new weapons crafting system and found it pretty well-done, but slightly daunting with so many potential options. Granted, you can play through the game without a single trip to that modification table, but I can see plenty of players diving in and going to town. Er, just make sure you’re actually good at the game as some of those new enemies are like clawed lightning throwing a tantrum. Between the creatures, the frozen planet you’re on and the superb sound effects and music score, this is shaping up to be a complete horror experience no fan of the franchise should miss.

The single player campaign is frightening enough with Necromorphs popping up to jump-scare poor Issac Clarke half to death before chomping him fully to assorted chunks.  However,  in co-op, you’ll be dealing with your partner seeing and experiencing some truly bizarre hallucinations you can’t see at all, a VERY crafty way for Visceral to get you to play through the campaign at least twice. While you don’t need previous experience with the franchise to fully enjoy this sequel, I’d say a nice cold weekend spent indoors hiding half under the covers with a controller in your hands and the first two installments (or three, if you happen to have a PS3 and a copy of the limited edition of Dead Space 2 that tosses in an HD update of the former Wii exclusive Dead Space Extraction as a cool bonus) should get you up to speed.Or scared out of your wits and afraid to get out from under the covers for a while…

As the game drops into stores in retail and digital form on February 5 with a bunch of pre-order options (if that’s your thing), it’s pretty safe to say EA and the team at Visceral are happy with the end result. Which means if you’re screaming and hiding under the couch at the right moments… everything’s going according to plan.