Resistance: Fall of Man

"An upgraded shooter from yesteryear."

Wow, the launch of the PS3 has already arrived! Sadly, the launch lineup is a bit on the disappointing side. My first choice in gaming was of course, Resistance: Fall of Man. It was excited to watch the opening of the game, and was mildly amused by the graphics. They're nothing on the level of the newly released Gears of War, but they are something to note. Anyways, enough with the blabbering, I'll get on with the review.

Graphics: Out of the few PS3 launch titles, R:FoM has probably the best graphics of the group. This is also one of the areas where the title shines. The environment is linear, but well-made. The graphics on your surroundings are highly detailed, and the textures are top-notch (there are some questionable areas in the game). Some specific things, such as glass, are very well done. The animations are also smooth and fluid.

Personally, I thought the Chimera (your enemies in the game), had kind of a lame design. They weren't too unique or spectacular. The rest of the game had a nice quirk, as it is set in the 50's (WWII era). This gives a unique clash of futuristic alien weaponry and classic old firearms.

Sound: The sound is pretty well done in R:FoM. The rifle sounds are accurate and powerful-sounding. There is some annoying soldiers who are constantly yelling things during the campaign, but the alien sounds are nothing new. I thought the music was a little old and boring. There is no spectacular soundtrack in this game, surprisingly. There's not much to say about the sound, I'd say it is above-average.

Gameplay: Bleh. Nothing new. While I must say the level-design is fun, the gameplay is just your run-of-the-mill shooter. The shootouts are pretty intense at moments, and the game has some level of difficulty of it, but it's the same old linear game. An outdated inventory system let's you hold enough guns for 20 men, but at least the weapons are fun to use. There is a weapon that can shoot through walls, which can be rather cheap however. The campaign is just the industry-standard, old shooter you've all seen. Go to a place, own a bunch of aliens by yourself (there are a few parts with some allies), and try and save humanity. Woohoo.

There's a driving part in a jeep that I laughed upon seeing, due to the blatant similarity to a little known shooter called Halo. These segments are pretty easy. There are a few enemy types, the standard small spider hatchling things that are the same as any other small creature in a shooter (ala Headcrabs, Flood Babies, GoW Howler Things, etc). They try and scare/overwhelm you, how surprising and original. The other soldiers are also a little on the cookie-cutter side. Other than some minor differences, the majority of creatures are some intelligent alien-soldiers. They use the same standard rifle and have some decent A.I. It's a little boring fighting them though.

Actually, the gameplay was kind of a more arcade-like version of Halo.

PSN Play: The 40-player matches were impressive at first, but further playtime revealed nothing special. While this is an achievement for console shooters, the gameplay is lacking. During my few hours experiencing the online play, I noticed that there was a lack of teamwork. Since the PS3 did not include a mic, barely anybody was using one. There was also a lack of strategy, as people circle-strafed and shot wildly at each other. There were a few smart people hiding behind cover, but the majority was just mindless mayhem. Nothing special here.

Overall: In conclusion, my recommendation would be to rent the game first. It is the superior launch title for PS3 this quarter, but that isn't saying much when it's put up against Gundam and Genji. The gameplay is rehashed and nothing new, just the same old shooter done last generation.

I would have actually given this game a 6.5 (rounds to 7 on the GameFAQs scale), but since I found myself saying how redone it is and the word 'average', I decided on the 6 as a final score. In the meantime, I think I'll wait for MGS4 or something.

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 11/21/06