Resistance 3 ultimately fails at what it set out to do: wrap up a superb series and improve vastly on its predecessor.
Pros:
+ Breath of fresh air that does not include regenerating health
+ Weapon wheel is back
+ Great variety of weapons and secondary fire modes
+ Mission design and variety are among the best in any FPS to date
+ Awesome boss fights and varieties of Chimera to kill
+ Fun trophies add replay value to the experience.
Cons:
- Cliché story
- Characters feel hollow throughout the story
- Some animation issues (ladder climbing and dead enemy "bouncing" particularly)
Resistance 3 promised a clean, tidy wrap-up to the Resistance universe. The infected super-soldiers are gone, and we are left with a war-grizzled grunt, Joe Capelli, that fought alongside Nathan Hale in the previous game. The game opens with the Chimera launching an all-out attack on the remaining humans. There is a giant freeze-ray in New York City that is oddly enough… freezing the earth so the Chimera can live here.
The freeze-ray is not the only cool contraption the Chimera have brought through the wormhole. Also present is a cool, floating, Chimeran space beam that hovers in the atmosphere and decimates anything and anyone it comes into contact with. This space beam is being used to destroy the underground human resistance hide-outs, which is where the story begins. Joe's hide-out has been discovered and is facing annihilation. The good doctor that created the vaccine to the Chimera virus convinces him to head to New York City to destroy the freeze-ray and thus end the Chimera invasion. Confused as to why these two things logically lead to one another? Yeah… me too, but he's pretty convinced it will work. Not the greatest setup in the world… but we'll go with it since that is pretty much the plot of the story.
If you think the setup will eventually round out into a great story, I wouldn't hold your breath. As the story is where the game ultimately falls flat. A host of hollow, stereotypical southern characters fill the cast. These hollow people pour out their dreams and despair to you in a manner that only serves to further to progression of your road trip to the Big Apple. If you put any sort of weight on the story of the game, this is where you will be most disappointed by Resistance 3. While the scenarios lead to amazing experiences in the gameplay and mission design, you never get the full closure promised by the developer. It feels more open-ended as opposed to the "tying up the loose ends from the previous two games" as Insomniac boasted prior to the launch.
Not all changes for this third installment are bad though (like the story). Resistance 3 offers the return of two pivotal elements that were stripped from the second entry of the series. These notable changes from the previous game are the return of the weapon wheel and the dismissal of the regenerating health feature. These are two things that made Resistance 2 feel a bit "flat" and "trendy" compared to the original. You are now able to carry approximately ten weapons and four different types of grenades to shoot, snipe, detonate, and vaporize the Chimera. Oh, and home is where the guns are. Literally… you find the bulk of your ammo in… well, houses. This makes sense since every American is now a gun-toting, rootin'-tootin' Chimera killing machine (/ sarcasm). Heck, even the women know how to pack some heat and toss around some powder kegs.
The great thing about the Resistance games has always been the guns, in particular their over-the-top, ridiculous secondary fire modes. With the amount of ammo that you will no doubt expend in the general direction of any yellow-eyed beast, you darn well better be strapped with at least ten guns. No more of this "choose two and go" deal!!! No, Joe's a REAL man and he wants them all, darn it!!! This allows you to experiment more than you normally would with each of the guns and their secondary fire. From flat out vaporizing made possible with a Chimera sniper rifle to a human scientist-made mutation device that makes the victim puke until they turn into a steaming pile of explosive goop, there is no end the type of fun that can be had at the enemies' expense.
Using each of the guns in new and unconventional ways is what makes the experience feel fresh. The developer also forces you to use the guns you don't particularly like by altering the availability of the ammo throughout the game. Tend to love the sniper rifles? Well, you best bet that will be the hardest ammo to find. Are you a grenade fiend? Better learn to use the Magnum H/E secondary fire. This forces the player to truly experience the use of each weapon for a portion of the game. Many players might even find out their favorite weapon ends up being the one they liked the least when they first acquired it. Oh, and you get a sledgehammer at one point. Finally, a game developer gets us. You can actually hit enemies in the face (or crotch) with a sledgehammer!!!
While Resistance 3 typically runs in a smooth, bug-free manner, there are minor technical issues with the game. Usually these issues are only experienced in moments that do not directly impact the gameplay or your overall experience. Such minor nuisances include the animation when you climb a ladder (it is pretty bad…), or you may notice some frame rate issues that occur when checkpoints are reached. Not major no-no's in terms of technical issues in this day and age, but these issues reek of "rush to market" tactics and industry pressures to meet deadlines. Resistance 3 has a better finish than most other games, but is definitely not at the top of the list either. These technical issues do not make or break the game at the end of the Chimera-infested day, but a few more coats of polyurethane could has improved the finish of the final product.
The one thing that Resistance 3 does better than most other games out there is to create a sense of tension while keeping an excellent pace. The game never feels dull, long, or rushed which is a true accomplishment in terms of pacing during this day and age. The situations are constantly changing, with the player being forced to adapt as Joe would have to do numerous times during his perilous journey. This allows the player to step into his shoes and actually feel similar emotions throughout the various missions and experiences.
In the end, Resistance 3 creates a tense, frantic, and invigorating experience from nearly the beginning to the end. There are only a few times you will find yourself nodding off, and most of those take place in the form of hollow character cut scenes where you are graced with their life stories. If you came looking for a refreshing and bulletproof story that ties up all of the loose ends that were created in the first two games, you will leave disappointed. The game falls short in this aspect, especially when compared to the story and character development in Resistance 2.
However, if you came to kill, maim, and blow up a slew of enemies with an armament that would make even Duke Nukem or Rambo blush then you'll feel right at home with Resistance 3. It offers a host of great missions and trophies that extend the campaign beyond a single playthrough. If that doesn't satiate your undying thirst for Chimeran blood – then you can get your fix in the multi-player modes where you can kill other people and Chimera in a fairly well balanced and rewarding experience online. There is nothing ground breaking about the multi-player experience, but it does offer another layer that adds to the staying power of the game. Resistance 3 has something for anyone and everyone, and should not be missed. While it has its share of misses, much like the Bullseye tracer gun… it hits the target more times than it misses.