I decided to purchase Dead Space 3 a few days ago. Both Origin and Greenman gaming (GMG) were selling the game on sale (amazing considering it has decent reviews and is only a few weeks old). Anyway, I purchased a copy from Origin then decided to purchase another copy as a present for a good friend of mine. Stupidly I didn't check to see if he had the game first. I'd assumed he didn't for reasons I wont go into here.
Anyway, I quickly discovered that he did have the game, so contacted GMG to get a refund because I'd already installed and activated the copy I'd purchased from Origin. I believe you have 14 days cool off period to return the digital goods so long as you haven't downloaded or used any registration codes from the purchase, which I hadn't (this is in the European Union not America). They refused a refund saying that it's their policy not to refund on digital media. They even say this on the web site, but I'm sure that even though they may say this they are bound by law to comply with EEC regulations ( that's if the media was sold to an EEC resident, which it was).
I wrote back to them telling them that by law I was entitled to a refund (stating the conditions that apply to a refund). I went into some discussion about how much I spend on digital games and that if they wouldn't comply we'd both lose out because I'd stop purchasing from them. I also explained that the code they sent me would still be saleable, so didn't understand the problem they had with giving me a refund. They said they woould think about it. 2 days later (this morning) i received another refusal.
Does anyone know whether it's true that in the European Union consumers of digital media have a 14 day cool off period under the conditions I quote in paragraph 2 above and would they know where I can find official documentation that quotes such a law?
I read about it on a forum a few weeks ago, but cannot remember the site. I've spent hours looking for it and am now exhausted I don't have any staying power any more; (partly due to the drugs I have to take). If anyone can help It would be really appreciated.
The other alternative would be to offer it up for sale. If anyone is interested in purchasing Dead Space 3 which was released in February 2013 pm me with a reasonable offer. I got the game with 20% off, paying £32. I would be happy accepting a lower amount so long as it's reasonable. (i'll post some info, images and video below).
At the moment you can purchase it from GreenManGaming for £34.99 (12% off) and from Origin and Gamersgate it's £39.99 (no discounts at the moment).
The official Dead Space 3 website can be found HERE and the wiki HERE (I've copied a lot of the Wiki below)
You can see video of Dead Space 3 game play HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE.
The Game:
Dead Space 3 pits player character Isaac Clarke against the Necromorphs, human corpses reanimated by the signal of an alien artifact known as the Marker. The Resource Integration Gear (RIG) suit returns, using holographic displays projected from the players' suit and weapons to display health and ammo count, respectively. In vacuum areas, a timer will appear on the player's right shoulder, indicating how much oxygen that character has left before they suffocate.
Isaac and Carver can roll and take cover to avoid attacks. This new ability was described by a Visceral Games developer as essential, as it "felt dumb/terrible not to have it" and that they have been "making Isaac more responsive", as they "want the horror to come from the terrible things that happen in the game; not from the horror that something is moving slowly towards you and you can't shoot it because the game controls like a piece of crap." The cover system is also described as "organic" in nature; for example, the player does not need to "walk up to certain tagged things and press the cover button; Clarke or Carver just does the action that is appropriate for the given situation."
Aside from the returning Necromorphs, Dead Space 3 features a large cast of new enemies. One example is the Waster, whose attacks change depending on how it is dismembered; while another is the Nexus, an insect-like giant that can crush or swallow people whole. Other obstacles in Dead Space 3 include a new human enemy, Unitologist soldiers; and environmental hazards like falling machinery and a giant mining drill
The bench weapon upgrade system from Dead Space and Dead Space 2 has been redesigned as a new upgrading system called the 'Weapons Bench'. Here, players are able to construct new weapons from parts gathered throughout the game. The bench provides two main frames to start with—a light one-hand frame and a heavy two-hand frame—and players can build new weapons and put two weapons together (for example, a plasma cutter and a flamethrower). Examples of weapon functions include an electric rivet gun and an incendiary buzzsaw launcher. If a player does not want to build a weapon from scratch, they can choose from ready-made blueprints, including classic Dead Space and Dead Space 2 weapons. Built weapons can also be shared in co-op mode.
Co-operative Gameplay:
Dead Space 3 has a drop-in/drop-out online co-op mode for its campaign, which was announced at Electronic Arts's E3 2012 press conference, stating that it will unlock "additional story details and gameplay mechanics only found when playing as the co-op character, EarthGov Sergeant John Carver." Each player will have alternate experiences as a result of their characters' dementia. For example, the player controlling Carver will find toy soldiers in a biology facility, while the player controlling Clarke will not see them. Co-op also puts the players in separate situations: for example, when Carver tries to open a door, he suddenly becomes trapped in his own mind (echoing a similar situation in Dead Space 2,) forcing Clarke to protect him from a sudden surge of Necromorphs until Carver can free himself.
A Visceral Games employee has confirmed it was "always intended to have co-op in Dead Space", citing co-op supporting game System Shock 2 as a source of inspiration for the Dead Space series. He also pointed out that if the player chooses to play alone, Carver "may appear at some points (as do other non-player characters) but for the most part he is not there."
Dead Space 3 includes three co-op only levels.
The Story:
The game opens on Tau Volantis, an ice-covered planet with an irregularly-shaped moon, where Sovereign Colonies Armed Forces (S.C.A.F.) Privates Tim Kaufman and Sam Ackerman are attempting to retrieve a mysterious object called the Codex for Dr. Earl Serrano. After fleeing Necromorphs and finding the codex, Ackerman dies in an avalanche, forcing Kaufman to report alone to his commanding officer, General Mahad. Mahad, being the only other survivor, executes Kaufman, purges the Codex data, and commits suicide.
Two hundred years later, and three years since the Sprawl incident, setting this game in the year 2514, Isaac Clarke and Ellie Langford have become romantically involved and then separated. Taking Isaac from his apartment located on the moon, Captain Robert Norton and Sergeant John Carver explain they are the last battalion of EarthGov, and they require Isaac's help to find Ellie and her missing team. Fleeing, the trio is attacked by Unitologist soldiers; during the escape, Unitologist contingent Jacob Danik activates a Marker near the colony, causing another Necromorph outbreak. Isaac, Carver, and Norton use this outbreak to their advantage, managing to escape aboard the USM Eudora.
Norton manages to trace Ellie's last transmission to Tau Volantis[18] and the 200-year-old ruins of its colony. The group tries to reach Ellie's SOS signal; however, the Eudora breaks apart due to mines left in orbit of the planet. Norton, Carver, and Isaac manage to escape the exploding Eudora, reaching the derelict CMS Roanoke, which is infested with Necromorphs. They succeed in rescuing the "Marker Team", consisting of Ellie, Jennifer Santos, and Austin Buckell, and Isaac learns about Ellie and Norton's new relationship. Isaac soon discovers that Tau Volantis is the Marker Home World, and that the expedition 200 years ago involved a Machine and the phrase "turn it off" and Carver starting to have hallucinations of his deceased wife and son. Despite Norton's protests that any such attempt would be a suicide mission, the team attempts to land on Tau Volantis; however, mines and debris tears the shuttle apart and separates Isaac and Carver from the rest of the crew.
Discovering Buckell, who helps them before dying from hypothermia, Isaac and Carver are able to locate The Marker Team, and plan to track down the Machine. Finding a recording from General Mahad, it's discovered that 200 years ago SCAF had discovered Necromorphs buried beneath on the planet and experimented on them, only for an outbreak to occur; as a result, Mahad's team murdered all survivors and destroyed all evidence to prevent further outbreak. Isaac frequently finds himself clashing with Norton, who sees Isaac as competition for Ellie's love; it's soon discovered that the Unitologists inexplicably followed them to Tau Volantis, before Norton explains he betrayed Isaac and plans to exchange him to Danik for a ship to return home. Danik, going against his deal, attempts to murder Norton along with Isaac and Carver; after the trio escapes following Necromorph interference, Norton attempts to murder Isaac, forcing him to kill Norton in self defense.
Isaac, Ellie, Carver, and Santos, now the only remaining survivors, make for an abandoned science facility on the side of a mountain. Santos has found records of a Codex there, created by someone named Rosetta. After Santos dies during the ascent, the team manages to reassemble a frozen Rosetta, who is found to be an alien. Experiencing a vision, Isaac discovers Tau Volantis is not the Marker Home World, but a homeworld of aliens who, like humanity, discovered the Markers and were consumed by it. The planet's moon is actually a Necromorph, and is the result of the Convergence event foretold by Unitology; before it could complete and consume all life in the galaxy, a Machine was built to freeze Tau Volantis and force the "Brethren Moon" into a state of dormancy. The command to "turn it off" is actually a command transmitted from the Markers themselves, who wish the Machine disabled to reawaken the Brother Moon. Isaac, acquiring the Codex, discovers Danik is holding Ellie and Carver hostage. Ellie, confessing her love for Isaac, sacrifices herself to allow Isaac and Carver to escape, and the two pursue Danik down into the planet to the Machine.
The duo then finds a video log from Serrano, who explains that with Codex, the Machine can either free the moon or destroy it. He and Carver regain control of the Codex, but are forced to surrender it to Danik when he reveals Ellie is still alive and he is holding her hostage. Danik shuts off the Machine, but he is killed by falling debris as Convergence restarts. Isaac puts Ellie aboard an escape craft, shares one final kiss with her, and then works with Carver to reconfigure the Machine and destroy the Brother Moon. The two succeed, and as the moon smashes down into the surface of Tau Volantis, destroying the Markers and the Necromorphs forever, Isaac and Carver are swept away. Ellie watches from space, and then tearfully turns her ship back towards Earth.
In a post-credits scene, Isaac is heard calling out to Ellie in a static filled voice. However in "Dead Space 3: Awakened", shows Isaac and Carver somehow survived and plans to go back to earth but shocked to learn that the necromorph threat didn't end and learned the other Brethren Moons have awakened.
Opinions about the game:
Dead Space 3 received generally positive reviews. Game Informer gave the game 9.75/10 saying, "Dead Space 3 evolves the winning formula into a title not only befitting of the fantastic series, but also one of the best games of this generation." Polygon gave the game 9.5/10 saying, "Visceral hasn't just avoided screwing up its game with co-op — it has made it feel natural and at home, and has done it without impacting the single-player experience in any negative way. That alone would be enough to make Dead Space 3 an achievement. But the new crafting system and bigger, more open level structure join co-op to make Dead Space 3 one of the best action games in years."
GameSpot gave the game 8/10 saying, "This is a game rife with options and flexibility, building on the strengths of the franchise with clever new ideas that let you tailor the experience to your liking. It hits a few sour notes in its story and struggles at times when it steps away from the core combat, but Dead Space 3 is a thrilling and worthwhile sequel." Hardcore Gamer gave it 4/5 saying, "Sure, it has a larger scope and a more intriguing storyline, but there are some questionable design choices mixed in with the thought of déjà vu. Regardless, Dead Space 3 retains its horror brilliance in offering a moody, atmospheric adventure full of exciting events." Destructoid gave the game 8/10, stating "Dead Space 3 could have been the best entry in the series, and in many ways, it still does provide some of the franchise's most energetic, thrilling, entertaining moments. The changes thrown into the game inevitably damage its charm, though, and make this a step down from its prequels." GamesTM had a list of pros and cons, summing up with "boss fights in Dead Space 3 are particularly forgettable, while the narrative occasionally lacks the courage of its convictions and the end-game reveal is a little too ludicrous to take seriously...where the new concepts work, they add to the solid core and are enhanced by Visceral’s excellent pacing and its impeccable audio and visual design work, not to mention what remains the best HUD design in all of video games."
