Resistance: Fall of Man

"An Unexpected and Very Welcomed Treat"

I do not own a Sony Playstation 3. In fact, I don't own a 360 or a Wii. I don't even care about them. I'm into older games. My college roommate recently bought himself a Playstation 3 and this game, and asked if I'd like to play cooperatively through the game with him. I figured, “Hey, I'm good at first-person shooting games. Sure, I'll try it.” After two all-nighters and several missed classes, we had beaten it. Together. Here's the breakdown as I see it:

Graphics:

We've had the technology to make 3D FPS's for a while now, so the impact of the graphics isn't immediately apparent. I implore you to duck down and examine the corpse of the first Chimera (the bad guys) you kill, to discover why I'm a fan of these graphics. Have you ever taken a dead cockroach and held it close to your eyes? Disgusting. Slimy. You're glad you've killed it. It's the same feeling in Resistance. For me it was a great introduction to the game. Now you'll eventually fight much, much larger things in much more unique places than building detritus, but they will most assuredly all be disgusting, slimy, and satisfying to kill. Why? Because the graphics give you the details necessary to hate them. They are portrayed as cockroaches. Name for me a game with more appropriately designed graphics. Jet Force Gemini? Yes, it tried, but two gaming generations later, we finally have it mastered.

Sound:

LOL Was there music? Yes? Ah… um… who cares. The only FPS soundtracks in my entire collection are Halo, Unreal Tournament and GunZ Online. One shouldn't expect good music from an FPS—if it happens to have it, it's only a bonus.

The sound effects? Brilliant. The roars, screeches, groaning and moaning, and courageous battle charges of the hundreds of moribund Chimera we killed were excellent ways of reminding us that we weren't playing something you sat back and took as it was. You have to move in this game. If you don't, you'll hear a growl behind you, followed by a claw swipe, a screen flash, and depleted health. The blasts of the larger Chimera are intense, and the sound intensifies it. The pops of the stealthy, small-ish Chimera are muted and jolting. It's very fitting.

Gameplay:

What set this game apart from other FPS's and kept me going were two things:

1) The unique enemy
2) The unique weaponry

First I'll address the enemy. As I mentioned before, you are not fighting humans, animals, or even aliens. I won't spoil the story, but you're fighting a rebellious creation of man. It's similar to the Matrix, only not nearly as out of control or as philosophical. Just kill them. Speaking of AI… Resistance's enemies are smart, and even more so on harder difficulties. A Chimera will go AROUND a box to reach you, it will throw grenades where it thinks you WILL walk, and it will shoot THROUGH something you're trying to duck behind. Although it is a fast-paced game, there's nothing you can eliminate without strategy.

The weaponry is very fitting (and balanced) for the game. You start out with an accurate but not very powerful gun, but it has a secondary fire that launches missiles. Later on you acquire Chimeran weaponry, among which we have dual pistols that can lock onto anything, a rocket launcher that can change directions mid-air, and a sniper rifle that allows you to slow down the action and focus on your target. You will find yourself frequently and frantically switching your weaponry based on what the situation calls for.

The missions are relatively short and are usually nothing during which you will need to stop halfway and take a break. The only objective you ever have is to “get to the stopping point for this mission,” and since it's never that clearly defined, the end is often a surprise. It's good organization.

Story:

The story didn't actually do much for me. The game tells you how the Chimera came to be, how it ended up taking over, the path it took, but even when you complete the game, you've only eliminated a small fraction of the Chimera in the world. (All the fighting takes place in one country...) I can't decide if it's either wide open for a sequel or just badly ended. The story is worth following, but it's your basic “you're the only one who can help us, so please do so” plot. If you skip every cut scene, you're not going to be confused. The only things that are practical to read are the weapon descriptions you get when you find a new one.

Controls:

Nothing sticks out. Just your basic controls here. They allow you to have a good grip on the game. As long as it's not Perfect Dark in C-Button aiming mode, I'm very, very happy……

Multiplayer:

I have tried Resistance both online and at a LAN get-together, and they were both very memorable experiences—for different reasons. Don't play online. Avoid it completely. No one takes competition seriously, everyone picks Chimera and spends their time flailing about, making themselves harder to hit while contributing no firepower of their own, and no one seems to know that if you run straight down a wide, open road, don't jump, and fire an inaccurate weapon at some one who already sees you, you're probably not going to emerge victorious. Ugh.

On the other hand, the LAN was superb. I suggest only playing with people who are in the same room or one room down from you. Don't even bother untangling the cables needed to connect to online play.

Play or Avoid:

I'd suggest playing, but since my roommate and I cleared the whole story in just two nights and the only replayability I found was to start over just to use the weapons we unlocked, you might want to rent, especially if you have other things to play. I guarantee against any cult following of this game, but it's still a good experience to have. Maybe when you're bedridden for a while or have a few days off school (or work), rent it. Enjoy yourself. You're in for a treat.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 02/21/07