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Developer: Insomniac Games | Publisher: SCEA |
| Release Date: September 6, 2011 | Available On: PS3 |
Resistance 2 left us off with series hero Nathan Hale undergoing major changes due to the Chimeran virus. After saving the day yet again, Hale is shot in the head just as he is about to transform into a Chimera, leaving into question who would step into his place. The answer is disappointing: a shallow man from Oklahoma named Joseph that has a hard time putting his personal life aside to stop the Chimeran outbreak that threatens to eliminate all of mankind.
Resistance 3 proves to be a step backwards in terms of storytelling. The single-player and co-op experience are the same, so whether you play by yourself or with another person, you get to enjoy the same typical nobody-turned-hero storyline. However, before you even begin shooting, you are greeted with a 676MB update. After 40 minutes of game patches, you then have to install the game itself onto your hard drive. Always a good sign when what last generation would have been an average-sized game’s worth of content is required as an update just upon release!
The game starts off in Oklahoma where an underground community exists just below the watchful eye of the Chimera invaders. You learn that 90 percent of the human race has been completely wiped out. The Chimera are attempting to terraform Earth, reducing the global temperature to meet their needs, which is caused by a wormhole in New York City that apparently connects our world with theirs. Your goal in the game is to make sure that the wormhole gets shut before the Chimera completely overrun the planet.
If you have ever played a Resistance game before then you will feel right at home. Resistance 3 is essentially the same game with new levels and weapons like a mutator gun that transform enemies. Also new are PlayStation Move controls and stereoscopic 3D support. Overall, though, it feels very much like you have gone down this path before. I still enjoy the 50s charm (the game is set in an alternate history). However, St. Louis feels pretty familiar, as does the final level where you are inside of the Chimera terraformer. You can’t be completely unique when you release a sequel, but with three years of development, the single-player could have stood out a lot more.
While story is not the biggest loss when you are talking about a first-person shooter, annoying little glitches tend to add up. When playing co-op, Resistance 3 had a habit of making explosives disappear behind doors that you need to blow up. For whatever reason, I also had a difficult time climbing ladders and opening doors, too. At other parts of the game it seemed like there should have been audio coming from enemies. These kinds of issues should not happen with a $60 first-party game.
The weapons in Resistance 3 are still as fun as ever. This is of course Insomniac we are talking about, the makers of the Ratchet and Clank series. The game features a really sweet shotgun, marksman, and of course the auger, which can shoot through walls. Each weapon is upgradeable based on how much you use it, becoming more powerful as you progress. Secondary fire is especially cool, since you can get things like a grenade launcher and shield. Using the triangle button you can access your weapon inventory, which includes all guns that you picked up. This is a good thing since ammo can be rather limited and this game features health packs, unlike most other shooters these days that make use of regeneration.
As far as the online goes, you should be aware that this game uses a one-time use code to access the online component. Restricting access to content that is already on the disc should be frowned upon by everyone. If asinine companies want to target their own customers for punishment, I think that it is only fair for review writers to appropriately criticize publishers for reducing the game’s value to a consumer. It really calls into question Sony’s judgement after promoting PSN as a more open platform than Xbox Live.
The online game component disappointingly lacks the co-operative missions from Resistance 2 that were separate from the campaign story. I liked that mode a lot and played it quite a bit. It was a pretty unique mode that set it aside from other shooters. Instead, all you have is online co-op for the single-player story and competitive multi-player. This includes typical game modes such as Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, Capture the Flag, Breach and Chain Reaction. All of this requires the online pass, so do not buy this game used or rent it expecting to play online.
Resistance 3 had a lot of potential. It could have been a great shooter. It feels like they just made the game because they could make more money, not because it needed to be made. The story and main character are weak and disappointing. You can say the same about the uninspired and at times downright pathetic voice-acting. Topping things off, Sony went out of their way to burn customers by including a one-time use online code for the multi-player. On the positive side, fans of Resistance will find the same familiar gameplay. I have to say that the guns are the most satisfying part of the game by far. If you plan on keeping Resistance 3 for its multi-player alone, perhaps it would be worth a buy. Everyone else should just rent it for the single-player, which can be beaten in one sitting, and wait for the next Call of Duty to get their multi-player fix.
| Graphics: | 8 |
| Sound: | 7 |
| Gameplay: | 8.5 |
| Creativity: | 7.5 |
| Replay Value/Game Length: | 8 |
| Final: | 8 out of 10 |
| Written by Kyle Bell | Write a User Review |