Resistance: A shooter made for shooter fans
Resistance is the game that everyone wishes will justify their PlayStation 3 purchase...whether you can get one or not. I'll consider myself lucky that I was able to grab one, and I eagerly anticipated playing Resistance, clearly the dominant launch title over all.
This game, above all, is a shooter that pays homage to shooter fans of old. When I remember playing games like Quake, the biggest thing that affected me was the speed that it required to play ie: your reaction with the mouse. It was something that required keen attention to what you're doing if you want to succeed or even "survive" in virtual terms. The tension of the situation in which you have the skill and initiative to either live on to the next mission or die horribly - this is what spawned the genre...that's what makes it fun.
So, on to Resistance. The single player campaign is very compelling overall... After the initial cutscene, which does a fine job describing the backdrop for the story, you're immediately thrusted into the action. The first sequences of action seem very familiar...locations that could be Stalingrad from Call of Duty 2 or something similar... but it took only minutes for interesting combat situations to show up. Withing the first 2 levels the scenery starts to change as you delve deeper into Chimeran territory. I won't give up the story to where it shall lead you, but I will say that the story is engaging overall... it has quality voice acting and the cutscenes in-engine are quite cool actually.. the end has some emotional moments and if you wait to the end past the credits there is a rather....humorous...surprise.
This game grasps perfectly the frenetic aspect of shooters... the tense moments that make you sit up or 'stand up' from your chair in an effort to slay your way through 200 enemies (literally) to victory and save yourself. On hard difficulty, this game will test your console shooting skills... some moments amount to frustration and being overwhelmed by sheer wave after wave of Chimeran onslaught... but it's exactly this onslaught that gives the game tension... you're fighting an army and you're WAY outnumbered.
In terms of graphics and sound it is excellent...especially in the INSANE firefights near the second half of the game. The partical effects are seriously nothing short of astounding.. Dozens and dozens of enemies...bullets everywhere..crazy chimera energy rifle bullets..rockets...explosions..glass shattering....it's intense the amount of stuff going on here.. It's not that this game has the flashiest graphics, rather it brings you into the experience... it makes you feel like you're there almost in a way only First Person Shooter can. When you get past the first levels and you see the huge battles...the physics...the grenades..bodies and chairs and crap flying everywhere... it is just solid solid solid. I have been a PC Graphics whore since the Riva TNT2 and I'm QUITE impressed on my TV. In fact, I'm such a PC gamer that being back on my couch is like a new experience in gaming again. [Be sure you have a proper display that supports 720p and HDMI ready..]
Overall... This game is excellent and extemely satisfying.. Remember... wait past the credits...
9 / 10 Stars