Anilrgowda

Well it was with much relief that I was recently admitted to the Sony next-generation club.
With the launch of any console, there is always a requirement for one 'killer' title to support that launch. Halo was that game for the Xbox. For PS3, Resistance is the title that all self-respecting gamers hankered after. It is in fact quite rare for a launch title to live up to the level of expectation that is built around it. So how does Resistance fare?
Resistance is a first person shooter set in the early 1950s in a Europe that did not suffer the misery of WWII. So you can all breathe a collective sigh of relief, this is definitely not a WWII FPS. A mysterious, hideous force of nasties have invaded western Europe from Russia and have decimated all in front of them. The Chimera appear to be an alien race intent on world domination with global genocide as a side order. The UK is the last surviving human outpost in Europe and even they are currently under threat of elimination.
The US finally decides to send in an armed force to help in their last ditch defence. Enter Sgt Nathan Hale, who we are introduced to when he is the one survivor of a Chimera bug attack. You play through the rest of the game as this one-man army.
The initial few missions are exactly what I said they couldn't be, WWII FPS style shoot outs. You are equipped with the standard machine gun up against an ultra-modern alien artillery. You link up with a small squad of British infantry and help them hold back the waves of kick-ass alien killing machines.
Two things stand out even at this stage about the AI. The enemy AI are pretty smart. They work together, they counterattack, then there is the allied AI. They are stoopid. I can't remember a battle where they lasted more than 30 seconds. Initially irritating, eventually you just ignore them.
This game is developed by Insomnia, famed particularly for its Ratchet and Clank series. Insomnia have imported their ingenuity in the area of weapon development to Resistance and the further into the game you get, the more original become the range of weapons.
Some of the best include the Augur which both shoots through walls and becomes more powerful the more walls it goes through or the Hedgehod grenade which releases a 360 degree burst of spikes. You naturally get the traditional weapons in the mix and you will realise that each weapon has its own strengths depending on the foe.
The graphics are very good although I do feel that Gears of War is still a step ahead. There are a huge range of environments from WWII style bleak cityscapes to some sci-fi settings later on. Unfortunately a lot of the environments are not interactive and some of the interior design is a bit cut-n-paste.
In terms of sound, we get a thunderous classical soundtrack supported by some first-rate sound effects (bar the footsteps which make it seem like your wearing wellies). There is very little if any dialogue from your character and indeed this ties in with the complete lack of character development which has the affect of making the game feel a bit mechanical.
Multiplayer is immense. The game allows up to 40 players in one game. And with very little slowdown. The game options are basically the standard fare with slight variations. But seriously intense fun. There is also co-op mode but only offline which is a shame.
Resistance is definitely a good launch game and I am eagerly anticipating Insomnia's next stage of development with the next-gen hardware.
The problem is that too much of the game plays like something or indeed bits of several things you've played before. The early missions are mostly unoriginal but it does improve throughout.
The vehicle missions are awkward and show up the limitations of the environment. Resistance does nearly everything well but just not in an original way.



Source:RTÉ.ie Entertainment: Resistance: Fall of Man (PS3)