Resistance: Fall of Man

"The PS3's prize FPS."

Launch titles on the PS3 were very skeptical. There wasn't very many games that either continued a series, or had a massive amount of hype. When the first people picked up their PS3, some people picked up the hidden gem that was Ratchet and Clank creator Insomniac Games's Resistance: Fall of Man. It was then that they realized, without a doubt, that this was one of the best PS3 launch titles, and today, 7 months later, still one of the PS3's best games.

GRAPHICS ----- 8/10

Good and clean but not stellar. The immense texture detail that you see going into other next-generation games just doesn't stick out here. Of course, with the right amount of poking and prodding around 1950's Britain, you'll notice the attention to detail in one way: when you get up close and personal. Many of the details drawn into this game are not visible from afar, therefore it doesn't look very impressive when viewed from the other side of the battlefield. But trust me, it's there.

Character models are clean and life-like. The Chimera all have a separate intricate design, depending on which string of the beasties you've decided to fill with lead. Your human allies have real-time facial expressions--not that you're seeing much of them anyways, since much of the game's campaign is performed solo. Weapons each have a different bullet design, most especially the Chimeran laser weapons, effectively letting you know which weapon just grazed by your head.

Although most of the game's cutscenes are shown in black-and-white stills, (effectively portraying a post-World War II era), there are quite a few, albight short, prerendered cutscenes between missions. Everything in these are modeled quite cleanly and quite next-gen. Unfortunately, these scenes contain some framerate issues. Luckily, none of these same issues are in the main game, which runs at a clean speed.

STORY ----- 9/10

Pretty in-depth story for a shooter. Basically, the Chimera (the aliens you will be shooting at) came from an unidentified virus in Russia, and have taken over most of Europe. You (Nathan Hale) are one of the last survivors of a U.S. platoon sent for defense against the Chimera in England. The story progresses along Hale's efforts to stop the Chimera, and his one man war against them. There are some plot twists and unsolved mysteries, but accordingly a sequel has been planned.

SOUND ----- 9/10

Music which came out of every other shooter, which isn't really a bad thing. Ambience stage music is good, and it pumps up when you step in on a gunfight. Sound effects are very well done and sound alien-like, and weapon-like. Each weapon has a corresponding sound to match with it.

Voice acting is top-notch. The voice you will hear the most often is the voice of Captain Parker, the narrator, who has a run-in with Hale near the beginning of the game. Chimeran voice acting is VERY good, unfortunately you can't hear them very clearly, since they are aliens (they have quite a colorful vocabulary when being shot at ^___^).

GAMEPLAY ----- 10/10

The game is really a trip back to classic FPS gameplay. Almost every shooter released lately has been more thoughtful and cover-based, but now we have a great, intense, fast-paced run 'n gun game. The main campaign pits you against 30 missions of alien-shooting action, which you can do with a wide variety of guns, some only unlocked on your second playthrough of the game. Many of the guns have a different purpose, and while some are useless, some are all-around great, and some are only useful at the wierdest times.

Since there is no cover system, you'll have to be on your toes to get your enemies before they can get you. This is what I think makes this game better than other shooters of late. With an interesting and innovative arsenal, you'll be able to find convenient ways to kill off your enemies.

There are some vehicles you will get to pilot on certain levels. A tank, a war Jeep, and even a Chimeran vehicle (the same type you blew up hours before) are playable to wreak some havoc in. Each has different weaponry capabilities and each is interesting to use.

CHALLENGE ----- 8/10 REPLAYABILITY ----- 10/10

In terms of shooters, this game is quite difficult. There are 4 difficulty modes, ranging from the easiest of Easy to the mind-bending Superhuman. With these four difficulties combined with the split-screen co-op, you've already got a lot of playtime in your hands with just Campaign.

Then, there's the multiplayer. You can play both online and offline games, but online is the real part that keeps you coming back to Resistance. With such a large userbase at this time, you will never have difficulty finding a game. You can play ranked and unranked matches, ranked increasing your experience and player level, and unranked being highly customizable. There are quite a variety of game types, from Deathmatch, to Capture the Flag, to the new concept Meltdown. Coupled with a buddy list and voice chat, you'll be online with friends all day (and likely all night).

FINAL SCORE ----- 9/10

Resistance is one of the most fun shooting games I've played, and if you've invested in a PS3 yet, this is definitely the game to buy, even if you don't like shooters. Campaign is fun and online is addictive. Unfortunately, there have been some rumors than Sony will have to ban Resistance because of a lawsuit from the church of England, saying that the church you shoot in looks like the real one. Hopefully it's just a rumor, but you might want to pick up a copy of this great shooter soon!

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 06/18/07