"ASB (Mazoku)'s Resistance thoughts"

Resistance was a game that had the hype of a Halo killer attached to it before a single ounce of gameplay was shown to the public. That sort of stigma tends to flavor a review negatively before one even picks up the controller. However, for the pursuit of journalistic integrity- I decided to ignore what was said before, and concentrate on the matters at hand.

At its core, Resistance is a by-the-numbers FPS, albeit one with polished gameplay. If any element of this disc really caught my attention, it was the smooth, precise controls. Switching weapons was a snap, and although some may feel that the pause during the selection can take you out of the moment, I needed a chance to catch my breath. Finding the right weapon for the moment is part of what makes Resistance feel so tactical. I found myself switching between most weapons, although certain times- the game would prohibit the use of a gun despite me having it fully stocked with ammo. Why?

My favorite gameplay moment comes near the end when you must duck and jump through an entire minefield.

Much has been made of Resistance's visuals. I played through on a 61" DLP screen at the game's 720P resolution. I figured that I should see it in its best possible form.

For me, the design is inconsistent. Some levels may look gorgeous, yet be very small. Those that are humongous, will find themselves lacking the visuals to be competitive in today's market. It almost seems that either the PS3 is still suffering from some growing pains, or different teams worked on different levels. The answer is somewhere between the two. At its best, Resistance will have your jaw on the ground when the ground and sky fill with terrors. At its worst, it looks like a polished PS2 game with a smooth framerate. the inconsistency is that jarring.

Another slight complaint is that the same textures and level elements are used over an over. Seeing the same door fragment on the ground 20 times in London can get pretty annoying- especially when you're looking for Intelligence reports.

Further hurting the visual impact is lack of animation in the characters. Some enemies just don't look the best. The most common enemy suffers from this the most, which is a shame. The ragdoll physics are also pretty dated, with corpses landing in gravity defiant positions. It's worth noting, that I got tired of watching soldiers on my side getting killed by exploding cars with the exact identical animation. It just dates the game further.

The audio will give your speakers and subwoofer a real workout. The surround effects are excellent, although repetitive.

A few glitches hit me as I played. For no reason whatsoever, Hale would start spinning in a 360 until I hit the jump button. I never died from this, but it made me believe that aliens were somehow manipulating my controller.

The Skill Points are the vestigial remnants of Sony's aborted Achievement knock-offs. I'm glad they're here, and they added some incentive to playing. I just wish that they could be shown off outside the game. I wanted to earn them, and whenever I found a new weapon, I wanted to see how many gruesome deaths I could create just to unlock another secret.

The hidden Intelligence reports also add some extra incentive. However, by the end of the game, some of them really don't tell you anything new. The logic behind someone carry a particular fact about a situation that only just happened, breaks the reality of the game.

The story is decent. Not spectacular, but it gives the impression of a larger conflict. The whole Soviet cannibal mystery had piqued my interest, but sadly it was forgotten as the game makes you rush to save people- who will most likely only end up dead. It's almost like everyone around you is wearing one of those cursed red Star Trek shirts.

There is a small bit of cinema after the credits conclude, and although it says that new weapons are unlocked for the next play-through, nothing surface except for a another ring where weapons can be selected.

I cannot comment on the online play, because after a week's time, I have yet to find a match I can join. The situation looks bleak out there, but at least the single player mode is so solid. I'm hoping that a friend will find a system so I can at least try co-op.

In conclusion, I really like Resistance. The gameplay is as smooth as ice, and the story will keep you going. However there are many elements that remind me that I'm playing a game built using the engine of a last gen system. Unlike several other shooters that are dominating the market, I never was completely sucked in. I felt like a was playing a game at all times. It's just doesn't have the immersion factor. As a launch title, I'm happy with it. However, if they game came out a year after launch- I'd probably dock it down to a 7. It's enjoyable, but nothing ground-breaking.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 11/25/06