Dead Space writer: Dead Space 3's action focus is a "necessary evil"

Antony Johnston, the writer behind the original fright-filled Dead Space, spoke with NowGamer on the more action-heavy tone in the just-released Dead Space 3.

on the more action-heavy tone in the just-released Dead Space 3. Though he prefers fear over firepower, Johnston believes the increased action is "a necessary evil" to ensure growth of the series.

"I'm personally a big fan of old-school survival horror, and that was one of the main reasons I wanted to work on Dead Space," he says. "So the greater emphasis on big action in the sequels means they're not really for me."

Johnston states that expanding Dead Space 3's fan base through action sequences presents "a very difficult balancing act" for Visceral, and he commends the studio for "an admirable job of maintaining that balance" in the wake of concerns over the diminished fear factor and the inclusion of a co-op mode.

"I know the developers always wanted to go bigger, in terms of scope," Johnston says. "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. So to get that story told, to round out the universe, it was inevitable the settings and environments would open out a bit, become a bit more epic in scale. Otherwise, you'd just have the same game on a different ship each time, and that's pretty dull."

Read the full article at NowGamer, and let us know: does Dead Space 3's action mesh well with its more terrifying moments?