Dead Space 3 has drop-in, drop-out co-op

The recently confirmed Dead Space 3 has drop-in, drop-out co-op.

Series star Isaac Clarke fights alongside a man with a scar on his face and who also wears an engineering suit, according to IGN. He's got glowing red eyes, too, apparently.

In single-player, this character is Isaac's guide and doesn't show up in some cut scenes. In co-op the story changes slightly to accommodate the new character. Certain traumatic events don't happen in co-op, for example.

Players work together using the new and improved telekinesis power to solve puzzles and interact with the environment. You can share ammo and heal your co-op partner, too. There's no revive system, though. If one player dies, both players reload from the last checkpoint.

Dead Space 3 was confirmed this week by EA during its 2012 financial report, and is out on PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 before the end of the current financial year - that is, before April 2013.

Story details had already leaked: Clarke is haunted by a secondary personality called Shadow Isaac, apparently. The game is set on a frozen planet called Tau Volantis, where Clarke flees to escape arrest.

IGN has further details, including information on changes made to weapons, the bench, Clarke and enemies.