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Being the developers of a lead game in a high profile console launch must be an unenviable position. Outside of the normal pressures of making a good game critics and consumers are looking to that title to define the value of the console as a whole.  With some console launches, the 360, the PS2, there’s no one standout game so everyone shares the responsibility. Halo on the original Xbox and now Resistance: Fall of Man for the PS3, share that other, more dubious honor, as lightning rods for all the speculation on the future success of the new system. Having said that this review of Resistance, is just that, only a review of Resistance, whether or not it’s a reason to buy what I consider to being an onerously priced system is between you, your tastes and your wallet.

I’m happy to say, though, that Resistance is the best first-person shooter since that glorious double whammy of Halo 2 and Half Life 2 way back in 2004.

What accounts for the standout quality of the game has become a hallmark of its developer, Insomniac Games. With the Ratchet and Clank series Insomniac demonstrated a command of pacing in videogames that has no equal, and it’s sublimely present in Resistance. The game combines large-scale battle scenarios reminiscent of Call of Duty 2, with tense corridor crawls a la Half-Life 2 and encounters with massive enemies that just make you wonder how you’re going to make it out alive. Each new scenario feels fresh and distinct from the previous; not just a retread of the same tropes with harder enemies. This combined with the constant addition of new weapons and creatures makes for a gaming experience that is very difficult to put down. In fact, when this coffee and game-tension addled reviewer had to go relieve himself during his two-day game reviewing marathon, he forced the urine out faster in order to get back and start playing sooner. You probably didn’t want to know that, but I thought I’d share anyway.

The game is set in an alternate 1950’s Europe that never saw World War II. Instead, a horrible race of creatures called the Chimera emerged out of the Soviet Union and within months decimated the continent. England is the last bastion of human survivors who form a rag-tag insurgency fighting desperately against the scourge. You play an American soldier who is part of a belated effort from the United Sates to deal with the problem.  Suffice to say you become “unique” and the central player in changing the course of the conflict.

The game is exclusively set in England but don’t expect just the war torn grandeur of  Dear Old Blighty. The Chimera have changed the terrain so much, that at times the landscape may very well be on an alien planet. This is balanced with smaller cities and prominent English landmarks that are used to excellent dramatic effect as a backdrop for the survival of mankind.  Despite some lackluster interior designs (apparently there are bars in every other room in England), Resistance creates a continuous dramatic mood through its aesthetic design that never lets you forget how dire your situation is.

It’s worth noting that these salient qualities are not fully on display in the very beginning of the game. In what I believe to be a deliberate stylistic choice the first couple of levels feel very much like a traditional run and gun WWII shooter with monsters instead of Nazis. This works in the collective whole of the game as you, as a soldier, are unaware of what’s really happening and only as you play and discover more does the gameplay evolve and change up into far more varied and sophisticated scenarios. Were this game not under such a microscope I would find it warranting any attention but this subtle beginning may turn off those expecting gaming transcendence at minute one. Resistance is a creative work, not a sales pitch for Sony.

Much of this creativity comes from the enemies you encounter, from the more humanoid hybrids to the creepy and emaciated steel jacks to the overwhelming titans and widowmakers, the game throws enemies at you that are surprising, and require some real thought to take down. The artificial intelligence is appropriate to each type and can be decidedly wicked and impressive. Thankfully their design and behavior doesn’t hew to the standard of , “here’s three types of enemies now just make increasingly tougher versions of each.”  While there are superior forms of some enemies it’s the clever implementation of all types that keeps you on your toes and maintains a remarkable state of both tension and fun throughout Resistance, it’s rare that’ll you’ll ever guess what’s around the corner.

Dealing with these nasties is another great part of the game and all Insomniac.  The weaponry, while not as loony as Ratchet, is similarly varied and proper usage is essential to survival. There are a couple traditional weapons, the machine gun and (surprisingly effective) shot gun, but things change up quickly. The Bullseye shoots ammunition rapidly and without great accuracy, but the alternate fire plants a homing tag so you can take down an enemy from around a corner, shooting blindly. The auger is another nasty invention that can shot through walls and enemies, gaining energy as it transverses objects. Used frequently by your enemies, your only warning is a growing field of energy on a surface to tell you to move away fast. These are only a couple examples of what you will find your first time playing and a second playthrough will open up even more. As using these weapons correctly is so key in the game choosing a new weapon pauses the action so you can make your choice wisely and safely, this allows for some insanely frenetic battles where you can go through several weapons in just one minute.

Now if that weren’t enough Resistance comes with a sizable mulitplayer component as well. Up to forty players can play at a time and even with some remarkably large levels, that’s a lot of people, especially for deathmatch. For the curious and less adept, the team games are a lot of fun. Team death match, which puts human against chimera, was more fun than usual, perhaps because the two sides are so different (chimera can move faster and see through walls but risk over heating when doing so, humans get radar and the ability to crouch).  There are two other variants that involve coolant nodes; in Meltdown you want too hold them all and in Breach you take control of them in a certain order to destroy the other team’s base. If you’re looking to expand the game with multiplayer, you can’t go wrong here.

Resistance is an exceptional example of what makes good games good, the synthesis of several well developed elements into one seamless whole that never distracts you from the action and excitement and doesn’t use up it’s bag of tricks early to just stick you with slight alteration for the remainder of  playing. Up until the very end I wanted to keep playing and see what was next, that is what next-gen gaming still needs to be about, not just one slick gimmick that couldn’t be done before. Insomniac has accomplished this in grand style. When I finally get around to getting a PS3 I will be playing it again without question. Simply put; this game is awesome.

Article by: Adam Sessler
Video produced by: Adam Sessler