Resistance isn't futile
I bought a PS3 as my media center about 18 months ago, along with a few titles. most were games i already had for the 360, old enough that they were a bargain. overall, they seemed comparable (except that the tiny PS3 controller is a pain and not too ergonomic for larger hands. (i get PS3 "monkey claw").
well, the one game i really wanted to try was Resistance, so i bought both 1 and 2. 1 fascinated me with its drab palette and retro sci-fi story line. i really did enjoy it. 2 was good. far more action, but more generic in look and feel.
but now, onto 3. it's a good game, but that's it. the earnest storyline seems a bit out of whack with the fun splatter action, killing all manner of gooshy creatures. there is no doubt at all that 3 is more graphically advanced than the first two in the series, but it's not mind boggling either. here's a quick run down of my impressions...
SP: good, but short of great.
- overall satisfying, but not very memorable.
- lots of variety in missions - on foot, close quarters, sniping, inside, outside, on rails, in a boat in the fog, day, night. no complaints there.
- sound is average throughout.
- weapons are average. they feel alright but are not particularly memorable like the Lancer with chainsaw in Gears. they seems to lack a realistic heft, but i did kind of like the less-than- realistic weapon selector wheel. you have access to many weapons at a time, but be careful, ammo does run out and you'll be in some tense battles where you survive with one clip left in a less-than-ideal weapon. i found that added stress quite fun at times.
- story is a bit cornball. the background story of wife and baby depending on you to protect seemed like going through the motions, contrived to add heart. i didn't care about either of them, based on the stiff dialogue and character rendering. it's a bit clunky looking, robotic and unrealistic.
- SP clocked in at about 9 hours, i think.
- i completed this about 3 weeks ago, and can't really remember the ending. there are no stages that stand out in my mind - that i'm hankering to replay.
MP: ok, but limited.
- very few maps, but they're decently constructed.
- the first players to start on opening day very quickly outmatch any newcomers with their upgrades, making it difficult to compete for the recently-arrived.
- looks ok, sounds ok.
- my experience was laggy. the delay often results in an inexplicable death when you're sure you had the drop on the guy.
- there are many better MP experiences out there, IMO.
Summary:
- Resistance 3 shows small moments of greatness, but overall, it's just a good and fairly generic shooter experience.
- the PS3 needs a more memorable Tier 1 exclusive series. this game feels like a good B-Movie. that's not to say that i'm a GOW 3 fanboy, either, but head to head (it's also the 3rd and "final" game in an exclusive series), it does show a little more polish and blockbuster flare, while suffering from severe macho corn factor and too much on rails action.
- Resistance 3 seems like a 34.99 title to me. limited re-playability and so-so MP. if there's a 4, i'll wait till it's a bargain binner.