Resistance: Fall of Man First Look
We visit Insomniac to see how its first PlayStation 3 title is shaping up.
We talk to Insomniac Games' Marcus Smith and Josh Wall about this upcoming PS3 shooter.
Resistance: Fall of Man, from Southern California-based developer Insomniac, is an upcoming first-person shooter that's arguably the most scrutinized PlayStation 3 launch title. The game has garnered a fair share of attention after being one of the first games to be shown running on the PlayStation 3 at this year's Game Developers Conference. A positive showing at the Electronic Entertainment Expo continued to raise the game's profile, as word spread that the Ratchet and Clank developer was cooking up a tight first-person experience. However, despite the aforementioned showings, we've been anxious to find out more on the game, as info on its story, arsenal of weapons, and gameplay have been deliberately spare. After a visit to Insomniac's Burbank offices, we've finally had the chance to see what's going on with the promising title firsthand, thanks to some time spent with a work-in-progress version of the game.
Our look at the title began by sitting in on a weekly meeting, where members from the teams working on different aspects of Resistance showed off their current progress. The particular day we were there, the environmental-art leads showed off their handiwork on the cinematics and the character leads unveiled some human and Chimeran skins for multiplayer. The centerpiece to the meeting was a look at one of the later cinematics in the game, which gave us a better idea of the game's plot. Sadly, we can't go into too much detail on what we saw, but it helped put the conflict at the center of the game into better perspective.
What we can tell you is that Insomniac appears to be going the Bungie route and not saying much outside of the bare minimum when it comes to Resistance's story. What we know is that the story takes place in an alternate history, where WWII never happened and an alien species known as the Chimera have decided to make themselves at home on Earth, despite the planet's current occupants. You'll play as a US soldier named Nathan Hale who's been dispatched to help the UK repel the Chimera. Though Hale is something of a lone wolf, he'll rely on Rachel Parker, a member of British Intelligence who also serves as the game's narrator.
From what we've seen and heard, Resistance's story is shaping up to be one part X Files, one part Marvel Comics What If? (or for DC aficionados, Elseworlds), and one part Saving Private Ryan. The tale will unfold via the aforementioned cinematics, which will blend hi-res still art with traditional in-engine cinemas, all of which is tied together by Rachel's narrative. The end result in what we saw at Insomniac is a very moody, stylistic approach that helped set the game's unsettling tone. The game's story will also unfold in smaller ways, such as through radio messages you will receive as you play.
One of the highlights of our visit was checking out the latest work-in-progress version of the game. Thanks to a combination of hands-on time and Insomniac-led demos, we were able to check out several different areas in the game. Our first peek was at an updated version of the Manchester level shown at E3. The demo showed several different areas in the massive level. The first area we saw was a cathedral, where Hale and a small team were making their way to a rendezvous point to meet up with another team. We had just enough time to take in the surroundings and realize it was a prime locale for something horrible to happen when flocks of leapers (facehugger-like critters) came skittering down, looking for trouble. Thankfully, the cathedral had a fair amount of maneuvering room, so it was possible to put enough distance between Hale and the creatures to aim properly. Things were a little rougher for his comrades, but if you're mindful of their safety, they'll help you deal with enemies.
The level also showed off a new enemy, the leonine howler. The twisted creature was big and deadly and had an annoying penchant for ramming its targets. Worse still was its equally troublesome ability to live up to its namesake and call in reinforcements. Fortunately, there was a little something in your available arsenal of weapons in the demo that was just right for taking it out. After sending you through the assorted enemies in the cathedral, the level continues through a ruined part of the cathedral wall that lets you make your way to the streets. The street portion of the level offered up a different, claustrophobic feel and resembled a more traditional first-person shooter experience. We were then shown the open area seen in E3, where hell breaks loose as humans and Chimerans clash, and this scene has been polished up some since May. The action had been cranked up some, and there seemed to be a greater emphasis on using cover than we remember. For those keeping score at home, the cathedral and street portion of the level take place after the area seen at E3 and represent the middle portion of the level.
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- GameSpot Score8.6great
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Resistance: Fall of Man Review
Resistance successfully combines many of the best qualities from other great first-person shooters with spectacular visuals and a few novel twists.
- Nov 15, 2006
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- Release: Nov 14, 2006 »
- ESRB: Mature
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