Review: Resistance 3

Nathan Hale is dead. The man who lead the war against the Chimera has now fallen victim to the virus he fought so valiantly against. Now a new man must pick up the fight.

It’s an interesting way to kick off the third installment to a widely popular video game franchise; kill off the main character which people have grown to know and start fresh with someone new. Yet Insomniac has chosen to do just that in Resistance 3.

Earth has been over run by the Chimera. 90% of the planet’s population has been killed and those who remain live in hidden colonies scattered across the globe. Humans are getting used to their new way of life, but nothing has prepared them for the biggest change yet to come. The Chimera are slowly changing the Earth’s environment. Terraformers have been brought in to cool down the planet’s temperature to make it more hospitable for the invading species to live. The temperature is becoming unbearable for humans. Now Joseph Capelli must begrudgingly pick up the fight, leave his family, and risk his life to reclaim Earth.

Slight changes make the third installment a bit more like the original Resistance. The weapon wheel returns, making it easier to switch weapons on the fly. We also see the return of the health bar. Yes, a first person shooter where you have to gather health packs….imagine that. Fortunately there is plenty of health lying around just waiting to be picked up, that is if you know where to look.

While many of the classic weapons can be found and used in the game, Insomniac has introduced a few new firearms. The Mutator is a biological weapons which fires blobs of bacteria at your enemies which destroy Chimera flesh. Then there’s the Deadeye, a Chimeran sniper rifle ideal for picking off enemies at a distance. Each weapon also has a secondary fire option. The Mutator for example can also release a toxic cloud of diseased mist which can disorient large groups of enemies, rather than just target a single Chimera.

Once a weapon is acquired, you can switch to it at any time. You just have to ensure you have ammunition to use the particular weapon. This is great since it’s an absolute blast (pun not intended) to create devastating attacks by circulating through your weapon wheel. Nothing brings more joy than using three or four weapons in quick succession in close combat, waiting for the messy results.

Controls in Resistance 3 are clean and precise. I never questioned a death due to awkward controls or poor hit detection. The only real hiccup may be the re-introduced weapon wheel. You use your right analog stick to select which weapon on the wheel you would like to equip. There were times I had selected a weapon but when I went back into battle I noticed my old weapon was still in my hands. This usually happened when I tried to switch weapons too quickly.

Resistance 3 has a much bigger feel than previous titles in the franchise. A lot of that comes down to level design. The levels feel wide open, with a variety of paths to take to your ultimate goal. How you reach your goal is up to you. In fact it’s easy to get turned around and lost in some of the vast environments. Fortunately if you spend too much time roaming around a small icon will appear on the screen to guide you to your next objective.

The game itself is quite beautiful, especially the sprawling environments. One has to look no further than the level which puts you in the Pennsylvania woods at night to see the graphical power of the Playstation 3. Hybrid Snipers use the Deadeye sniper rifles to hunt you down. The air is filled with not only laser sites, but spotlights from Chimera air ships all working in unison to hunt you down. Add in a full moon and Insomniac has set the stage for one of the most beautiful levels ever seen in a game. It’s absolutely stunning.

On the downside the facial animations and expressions on characters you run into within the game itself are a bit more lack lustre. While cut scenes look great computer controlled characters feel a but automated. Some of the characters such as the father feeding his son repeat the same movement over and over again with no variation. While it takes away from the moment it does little to take away little from the overall experience.

Gamers will be happy to discover a high replay value for Resistance 3. Once you complete the game you will be rewarded with credits which can be used to unlock behind the scenes videos and art work. Cheats are also available for purchase which can reward players with everything from unlimited ammo to the ability to use even the most powerful weapons at the start of the game. Let’s not forget multi-player, online co-op and the ability to play in 3D or with the Playstation Move controller.

I found it interesting to see the direction Insomniac has taken Resistance. Despite it’s hardcore shooter outer shell, the game really targets player’s emotions by throwing a young family into emotional turmoil. A father forced to leave his wife and young child in an effort to save the planet so his son can grow-up without having to live in fear. Insomniac never resorts to using over-the-top gore or foul language which just goes to prove a good M rated game doesn’t require either. It’s a refreshing approach not many developers would be willing to take.

When you look at the big picture Resistance 3 is a shining example of what  first person shooter should be. The game play is well paced with fun weapons and smart enemy AI. Add to that some truly impressive graphics and the package becomes a solid experience that should not be missed. Resistance 3 is the most impressive entry in the franchise. Let’s hope Insomniac isn’t ready to throw in the towel on the series just yet.

The Good

Great story
Fun weapons
Vast environments
Solid graphics
Plenty of gameplay modes

The Bad

Stiff in-game character animations
Over-sensative weapon wheel