A couple weeks ago, we asked you for Dead Space 3 questions, which we’d forward along to Visceral Games for a future Q&A. Starting at 12:01AM Pacific time tonight, you’ll be able to download the game on PSN in North America, and it will be available at retail tomorrow, so we think now’s a good time to revisit that.

You mobilized and responded to our request in full force, so we had plenty to ask about when we tracked down John Calhoun, Associate Producer of Dead Space 3. When we finally caught up with him, we threatened dismemberment politely asked him a few of the questions you had, and he was happy to oblige. Read on to find out how Visceral kept co-op scary, what Isaac’s new locomotive abilities mean for the game, and what kinds of new horrors you’ll face when Dead Space 3 launches tomorrow.

Have a @deadspace 3 question? Tweet us, include the hashtag #DeadSpace3PS3 and we’ll pose your questions to @visceralgames in a future Q&A

— PlayStation (@PlayStation) January 15, 2013

Next February sees the release of the third main entry in EA’s critically lauded sci-fi survival horror series, Dead Space. While the first two games followed very similar templates, the latest installment really mixes things up by introducing full co-op play to the main campaign.

The optional drop-in, drop-out multiplayer lets a second player join in the story as new character Sergeant John Carver. While the game is fully playable as a solo experience, if you play with friend you’ll have an expanded story and get to experience a number of extra sequences and set-pieces.

We sat down with the game’s producer Steve Papoutsis to find out how – and why – developer Visceral Games has implemented this new system and what fans of the series can expect from reluctant hero Isaac Clarke’s latest adventure.

PlayStation.Blog: What goals did you set yourself when you first started work on Dead Space 3?
Steve Papoutsis, Producer of Dead Space 3: When we started work on Dead Space 3 we set a couple of things in front of the team. One of the things we talked about was how do we make the best game we’ve ever done? So, we came up with a weird saying: we want to make a AAAA game. Everybody says they want to make a AAA game. Well, we said ‘you know what? **** that, we’re going to make a AAAA game’. I know it sounds funny, but we needed to set a target for ourselves.

The other thing we set out to do was to really deliver on what the essence of a Dead Space game is. We’re really not into the stereotypes of ‘it’s an action game’ or ‘it’s a horror game’, and so on. It’s a Dead Space game. That means intense atmosphere, engaging narrative, thrilling action, horror, survival, tension. Those are the things a Dead Space game needs to have. Those are the blocks we’re building with.

PSB: You introduced competitive multiplayer in Dead Space 2 which had a mixed response from gamers. Do you think Dead Space 3’s co-op play is a better fit?
SP: We’re not doing competitive multiplayer this time – we’ve done that – but it was a big help in us understanding how to build an online game. With our co-op we wanted to make sure that whatever we did felt unique. We didn’t just want to have an AI bot follow the player around and then when you hit a button and someone starts controlling that guy. That wouldn’t feel like Dead Space.

The other challenge was creating a co-op mode that felt additive to the experience. You don’t have to play it – you can play Dead Space 3 in single player and it plays out in very similar way to what you’ve experienced in the past.

And we needed to create a character that fit into the universe and didn’t feel like a throw-away character. We first announced John Carver through a graphic novel, so he has his own unique personality and backstory. So when you get into the game he actually brings value to what’s going on. You learn about him and his own personal demons. That’s very different, and we feel it’s very innovative.

PSB: Many of the original Dead Space’s scares derived from the sense of solitude and loneliness. Won’t having another player at your shoulder dilute the horror?
SP: As for being alone and walking down a corridor on your own – you still have that in Dead Space 3. You can play the single player and you still have that. But now when you have another character in the scene with you, it’s a different approach to the horror – it’s more psychological. That’s a new feeling that you’ve never had in a Dead Space game. That’s how we’re injecting horror into the co-op.

“If you want to have the intense single player experience, you can still do that.”

I also think there’s a lot more to horror than things just popping out at you. There’s the atmosphere, the sound, the events, the things that you see in the environment – those all have different impacts on people. You can still have all that when you have two people walking around the environment.

Ultimately I think it will come down to who you’re playing with. I like to think of it like going to a movie. Say you and I go to a horror movie – we’ll sit there as horror fans and really get into it. We’re not going to talk during the movie, we’re going to sit on the edge of our seat, and be really into it.

But if you went with a different friend who doesn’t like horror, he or she might choose to talk through the movie or laugh at what’s going on. That’s going to impact how you enjoy the movie.

So, if you want to have the intense single player experience, you can still do that. And if you want to have an experience in co-op like that, I suggest you play with someone who likes to play that way. But if you just want to have fun like you’re at a popcorn movie, laughing and having a good time, play it with a friend who likes to play like that.

PSB: How hard is to make a game that’s genuinely scary?
SP: What’s interesting to me is that I’ll read a lot of the feedback to our game and it’s vastly different. Some people say ‘oh gosh, it’s the scariest thing I’ve ever played’ while others just say ‘bah, I wasn’t scared at all’.

So, yeah, I think it’s hard to say you’re going to scare people. It’s very subjective. We don’t have a magic formula. We take our best guess at what will resonate with players. For us, it’s usually things that are relatable. Look at the character design of the necromorphs – they’re humanoid. You can relate to a guy who doesn’t have a jaw and has weird spikes sticking out of his arm. You can imagine ‘Ooh, that would be terribly painful!’ You can react to that.

PSB: How much of the game will you miss out on if you’re only play the single player?
SP: You’re not missing out on anything. The multiplayer is additive. If you’re playing single player you’re choosing to have that solitary Isaac experience. If you’re interested in learning about Carver, you’re playing with a friend and you’re getting that additive information, but it’s not changing the end of the story. It’s impacting Carver’s story.

PSB: Isaac has had a pretty terrible time over the course of the first two games. Will he finally catch a few breaks in Dead Space 3?
SP: We’ll see! I can say that Isaac was not looking to get himself into an adventure in this game. We’ll leave it at that and see where it winds up.

Extraction takes place before we meet Issac Clarke aboard the Ishimura in Dead Space, and chronicles the discovery of the mysterious Marker, an arcane artifact that holds the key to the Necromorph infestation in the first game. Once the Necromorphs squirm onto the scene in Extraction, your investigation on Aegis VII is cut short and the fight for survival begins.

Dead Space: Extraction comes packed on a single Blu-ray with Dead Space 2: Limited Edition on January 25th.

Playing Dead Space: Extraction on PlayStation Move makes for a fine demonstration of the motion controller’s precision and versatility. Aiming is quick and accurate with virtually no discernible lag: small, subtle movements of your wrists translate precisely on-screen, giving you the feeling of aiming with a computer mouse. One nice touch is how you twist your wrist 90 degrees to the left or right to flip your Plasma Cutter’s firing plane from horizontal to vertical, which can help you find the ideal angle for snipping off arms, legs, tentacles, and other protrusions of the vile Necromorphs. There are other weapons, of course, including a Rivet Gun and a Force Gun. The “wrist twist” will activate these alternate fire modes as well.

Using the PlayStation Move, you fire your current weapon with the T button (aka the trigger). Pressing the Move button activates a quick Telekinesis blast, which you can use to pick up ammo and items hidden throughout the environments — or use to hurl objects at the marauding Necromorphs. It’s your choice! Melee attacks are gesture based: you press and hold Circle, then rapidly slash back and forth to fend off nearby Necromorphs. Melee isn’t much use for inflicting damage, so think of it more as a way to dissuade nearby enemies.

Dead Space: Extraction running on the PS3 looked extra sharp in HD, with moody dynamic-lighting effects and a rock-solid framerate. This build of Dead Space: Extraction primarily showed off the Challenge mode, a survival-type arena where players can battle ever-toughening hordes of Necromorph grotesqueries. Dead Space veterans already know that strategically dismembering the Necromorphs is a valuable tactic, and this is doubly true in the Challenge mode if you want to beat your partner’s score. If you don’t have a PlayStation Move, Dead Space: Extraction will be compatible with the DualShock 3 controller (for you old-school types) and will also feature optional support for the PlayStation Move navigation controller, though it’s not required.

Dead Space: Extraction will ship on the Dead Space 2: Limited Edition Blu-ray disc on January 25th, and will be available separately as a PSN download. Once we land back in the States, we’ll sync up with the Visceral Games team to get a deeper look at Dead Space: Extraction on the PS3. Including, hopefully, some luscious new video. Stay tuned!

That’s right, Dead Space 2 will offer its own unique take on multiplayer, which is intensely gruesome and completely grounded in the Dead Space universe and fiction. Dead Space 2 will feature four-versus-four gameplay with an objective based multiplayer, across five unique locations throughout the Sprawl.

Not only will players have the chance to play as the Sprawl Security Team, but they will have a chance to see the other side of the coin and play as the evil Necromorph forces. Players will be able to play as four different Necromorph characters, each with its own unique gameplay style: The Pack, The Lurker, The Spitter, and the newly famous Puker.

In DS2 MP, the Sprawl Security Team will have specific, unique objectives across five different maps which will be focused on eradicating the Necromorph forces and restoring safety across the Sprawl. On the other hand, the Necromorphs must stalk, trap, and devour the Sprawl Security Team and prevent them from completing their mission.

Dead Space 2 multiplayer will also feature an entire level progression metagame in which players will unlock new weapons, suit skins, weapon upgrades, as well as gameplay characteristics that will build on the core mechanics of each Necromorph.

The Dead Space 2 team is hard at work right now, and we’re focused on shipping a phenomenal multiplayer experience for all of the fans. We’re really looking forward to getting it in your hands on the 25th of January!

Thanks for your support!

In this interview from last week’s EA Showcase, Dead Space 2 Producer Rich Briggs answers your questions about Dead Space 2 and the PS3-exclusive HD edition of Dead Space Extraction, and details the forthcoming Dead Space Ignition (which will tie in to DS2).

Later on in the week, EA/Visceral Games made even more Dead Space-related announcements at Comic-Con. Here’s Dead Space 2 executive producer Steve Papoutsis with details for our readers:

Today is a very exciting day for the Dead Space franchise. I’m proud to announce 2 new fiction extensions for the Dead Space universe.

Dead Space Aftermath is our second animated feature. It tells the story of what happened after Isaac had his encounter with the red marker. We are working on this with Starz/Film Roman and will be released January 2011.

Dead Space Salvage is a new graphic novel featuring the talented artist Christopher Shy. It takes a peak at what happened to the Ishimura after Isaac departed.

Both of these additions will continue to expand the Dead Space fiction and we can’t wait to see what people think when they get to enjoy them.

If this stuff sounds cool please post a message and let us know. Thanks.