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 Resistance
3 (Playstation 3)
This PS3 exclusive series has delivered two solidly entertaining previous
installments, now Insomniac Games has finished the trilogy in the form of
Resistance 3. The new game takes up where the last ended, and features a new
main character who isn’t that much different than the first. This time, you
begin in the center of the
US
and try and fight your way to
New York City
to defeat the Chimera once and for all. R3 doesn’t diverge too far from the
established formula, but adds some cool new weapons and some epic boss
battles to keep players interested. It’s a fairly solid shooter, but is that
enough to make it stand out from the pack? Look inside and find out |
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Taking place directly
after the events of Resistance 2, the latest installment focuses on a new
hero who takes the place of Nathan Hale, who sacrificed himself at the end
of the last game. Resistance 3 sheds the urban locales of the first two
games initially and begins in the
Midwest
with a small town facing off against the evil space invaders from the first
two titles. They haven’t changed much in appearance or attack forms, but
they seem a little more aggressive this time around. In addition to the
standard waves of attackers, there are some new ones who fly around and some
massive boss creatures as well. The storyline is typically apocalyptic and
sees the Chimera upping the ante with massive Earth terraforming devices and
huge stalkers that wipe out anything in their path. All this means that the
Chimera are apparently ready for the final stage of attack against the
remnants of humanity. This isn’t too far from what is expected and the
attackers haven’t really gained much in the way of subtlety. Once it becomes
apparent that anything in their way is about to be wiped out, the mission
becomes one of evacuation, and then the real journey through the country
begins. Stopping in
St. Louis
and other locations, your eventual goal is to defeat a huge tower in the
center of
New York,
which may end the Chimera invasion once and for all. You can’t really change
the course of the narrative during the single-player mode, which means this
is typical play through once action that doesn’t offer much variation,
except in terms of difficulty settings. Even then, the change in skill
needed isn’t very steep, so you might as well enjoy the cinematic approach
and play on the game’s medium setting. As far as FPS mechanics go,
Resistance 3 doesn’t stray very far from the previous games since its
controls don’t challenge and FPS conventions. In that way, the game is very
traditional, but there are a few twists in the formula to keep things
interesting.
While most FPS titles offer limited resources in the weapons and ammo they
give you, Resistance 3 gives players a huge arsenal to battle back against
the Chimera. This helps to set the game apart from the other titles on the
market. These weapons include the standard array of shotguns, rifles and
grenades. Some of these are more powerful than others. What’s cool about the
game’s system is that it allows you to switch between many different weapons
using a guide wheel, so you aren’t limited in your attacks. Each weapon has
both a standard fire and secondary mode. You can use them against the
Chimera as you wish, but some have specific abilities and some are more
effective at close range while others require a longer distance. One of the
most impressive guns in Resistance 3 is a device which includes an
auto-target feature. When you target a specific invader, it allows you to
trace an opponent’s movements and train your fire on them directly, which is
quite helpful in taking down some of the more aggressive enemies. Using
these gadgets at just the right moment is the key to survival and knowing
where ammo dumps lie also increases your odds. The chimera are relentless
and attack you in huge waves, so you’ll not only need skill in terms of shot
accuracy, but also plenty of endurance. If you feel overwhelmed at points,
you can duck behind an object such as a car or a crate which can give you
some shelter, but be careful since some of the chimera have weapons that can
shoot straight through your cover.. Another divergence from most recent FPS
titles, you don’t automatically regenerate health and need to find health
packs in order to boost your energy, which makes the game more challenging,
and occasionally frustrating. However, the real fun comes when you pick it
up and use it against them. Add in a cool vision mode that lets you see and
subsequently shoot through solid objects and you have quite an effective
weapon. Another weapon called the Bullseye lets you set up shields that
offer temporary protection against attacking foes. This is fairly cool but,
be warned, the AI is much smarter this time and the Chimera will easily
flank you, leaving you vulnerable to attacks. The game’s selection and
firing is excellent, and those who played the previous Resistance titles
will feel right at home this time around.
In terms of story and gameplay, Resistance 3’s overall pacing is a bit
uneven, certain points in the game create a dramatic cinematic effect, where
you feel like you’re in the center of an epic battle for your very survival.
Other sections feel claustrophobic and trimmed in, which makes for an
inconsistent experience. While there are some dramatic boss sequences, there
are many sections that feel like a slog, where your mission basically
consists of grinding through seemingly endless waves of look-alike enemies.
Notching up victories during battles earns you a few upgrades and abilities
here and there, but the game’s linear approach means you never get the
chance to go back and try the new skills out on easier sections. Shooting
waves of invaders can become tedious after awhile, but the game introduces
new enemies, such as drones and mutated Chimera to keep your interest level
high. You’ll also find scattered audio diaries, much as in Bioshock, that
help you understand the back story of the invasion and the humans’ response
to it better. These add some depth to the storyline, but not that much. Most
of the game involves shooting at foes on the ground, though there are some
sections where you can snipe at opponents and a few interesting sequences
where you’re on a moving object that help to break up the standard mission
structure. You can’t really see the big picture all the time, but the game
definitely opens up after a pretty dull midsection. The intensity definitely
ratchets up as you play through the game, and this increasing level of
challenge reaches it apex as you get closer to
New York.
Resistance 3 has a fairly decent look about it, with a realistic-looking
desolated landscape ravaged by the ongoing war and over-run by many smaller
bugs and creatures.
From an aesthetic point of view, Resistance 3 offers an interesting
approach, with its blend of 1950’s era landscapes and alien technology, it
really helps to make you feel like the odds are long and the deck is stacked
against you. Its visuals look fairly good and there’s a good consistency to
its environments. The game moves at a good frame rate throughout, with
nicely detailed animations and designs of the Chimera and their brethren.
The sound effects are effective in bringing the intensity of the invasion to
life, but the game’s voice-acting leaves something to be desired. The
characters feel a little bit under-developed, which makes it hard to
indentify with them. The plot is fairly simple as well, but is still
engaging. The game’s production values are in line with previous
installments. In addition to the standard FPS game, there are also several
multiplayer modes included and the game also supports the Move motion
controller, but these features are merely sideshows that distract from the
main experience. If you’re tired of these types of games, Resistance 3 will
do little to change your mind, but if you enjoy FPS titles, it’s a slick and
enjoyable title that delivers solid shooting action with an engaging plot
and some interesting weapons choices that keep things interesting.
-
Michael Palisano
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