There are a lot of reasons this game killed the franchise. Basically, EA wanted to force more action and multiplayer into the game. The levels definitely only feel balanced around co-op. Playing them solo is dumb. 10+ vents in every room, making it impossible to defend yourself in a corner. That said, the redeeming qualities are the weapon crafting system, once you collect all of the parts, and, co-op actually is fun and enhances the gameplay.

Yes, of course that makes sense but I presumed choosing 'Casual' play over 'Normal' would of at least had some kind of impact on the intensity of attacks. Now I'm thinking the different levels are really nothing more scaled hit points with different drop rates rather than the amount of enemy? So, anyways, am now on my 2nd play through on 'Normal' (as with the DS1 and DS2) and having a better understanding of weapon mechanics and crafting... the 2nd play through is far more enjoyable, not as chaotic.

Got it on sale as well for 3€, and I seriously don't understand the hate this game got back in the day. It's not DS1 or DS2, sure, but I feel like it's a solid game at least. Maybe I just feel that way because I played co-op with a buddy, but we played on Hard and we didn't feel the game to be difficult, we were always swimming in ammo and health, and by the time e got to end game our plasma cutters were so overpowered it didn't even matter what came at us.
We are currently playing through Pure Survival, and it's a much more pleasant and challenging experience, not knowing if your resources are going to last you until the next bench.

Overall I like this game, kinda sad it got so many bad reviews.