Not bad. A decent and entertaining shooter in general. Great for for fans of the Resistance franchise and world.
Following the events of the Chimeran invasion in New York in 1951, we take the role of fireman, Tom Riley, in helping the resistance fight the invasion. It is interesting to progress through the game and see the downfall of the States in the process, and the game really has that 50s feel to it, thanks to the informative cutscenes of radio broadcasts and propaganda videos.
Unlike other Resistance games, this one doesn't focus on the invasion as much as the country in crisis, so there will be more focus on protection camps, evacuations and military secrets instead of blow-up-Chimeran-strongholds missions. The game strays into a small arc about this madman and his mad plan (subtle, yeah), but that, I think, the game can do without. If it wants to be an all-and-all straight story about the invasion in general, then it shouldn't include a focused arc like that. Anyways, it allows you to go into a military hideout in Ellis Island, so I guess that's fine.
Riley is your typical blue-collar hero - he asks no question, leaves no man behind, and does more than talks more. If he feels lacking in character, that is just because he's like that. The game doesn't invest much in the characters, and just like the cutscenes, they just reflect the country at the time of the invasion. How much more basic can you get than having a fireman help people against aliens? The story takes a step back to dwell in a layman's view of the invasion. Big explosions then, are viewed from a more humble point of view instead of face-to-face.
While the story doesn't offer much emotional response, it contributes greatly to the world of Resistance, and for fans of the series, it definitely is a treat. The solo campaign is sadly short, but decent enough to provide hours of gun blasting joy through well-designed levels. None of the levels feel similar, and the abundant types of enemies, places and action helps keep the momentum flowing. One of the most entertaining chapters is when Riley goes on the partly-destroyed Brooklyn Bridge.
By far, the best and reason-for-playing factor of Burning Skies is the guns, oh boy, the guns. There's your usual slew of RPGs, machine guns, shotguns and snipers with secondary weapons attached. The Bullseye, Auger and Carbine are back as the basic guns, while newer guns adds to the mix. They feel tight and responsive with the dual analog sticks, they sound great, and they shoot like a Resistance gun should. One of the innovative, or interesting, gimmick is the use of touchscreen controls to control the secondary weapons. Tap an enemy to tag him with the Bullseye, swipe the screen for an Auger shield and so forth. It's entertaining, and it fits for the handheld. The particular loading of the explosive crossbow (attached to the shotgun) using the touchscreen never gets old. It kinda adds to the immersiveness of the gameplay.
Good things don't always come alone though, as more than often you'll find yourself tapping on all the wrong controls, launching a Carbine grenade instead of a normal one, tagging a door instead of opening it and getting killed during the confusion. But again, getting used to it comes naturally, and soon enough, the problems will decrease in frequency, thankfully.
The game also introduces loads of upgrades for the guns, allowing two use at once among the six choices. They provide variety for the gameplay, and you'll be coming back to the campaign to test them all out. Such upgrades include the choice for a scope on the Carbine, faster reload times, double-shots on the shotgun, drill shots on the Auger and more.
Graphics-wise, the game looks great! The textures give that overall console look to the game, and it feels like a Resistance game with its settings. It's not dull, not at the very least, because you can't expect an invasion to be all shiny. Again, this lends itself to the story's point-of-view. You'll be seeing concrete, lots of it, but it all feels natural. Sometimes, there will be annoying glitches, but it rarely comes, and it will fix itself soon enough anyways. The smooth cutscenes of Retribution will be missed, replaced by the awkward character faces so distinctive of the PS3's Resistance, and the animated cutscenes here are surprisingly, maybe purposely (but what for?), pixelated to a small extent. But the art style intrigues, and the Chimeras in-game never looked better on a handheld.
The music is good, it supports you through and through, and you won't feel the least bit annoyed by it. When you plug in the earphones, you'll definitely feel the gunshots kick in, and kick in nice. But the music isn't as memorable as others though.
In the end, Resistance: Burning Skies holds up as a decent FPS, the first indeed in the PSVita, and it is worth the cost. The guns are the reason you'll be replaying the campaign again, just to try to kill enemies in a different way, since one playthrough will not let you use all of them satisfyingly. That accounts to the short campaign, which is a definite letdown, but it's made up by the multiplayer, thankfully.
Not a standout among shooters, but this game sits comfortably among its brothers, and if you're a fan of the Resistance franchise and the world in particular, this is a must-get for all the content that's worth. As for gamers in general, this is what it is for the moment - it entertains, and I hope that is all that's needed for a shooter to work. Hopefully there will be DLCs to accompany, and that will surely be a great addition to this solid game.
It's not Retribution, but at least it's not begging for redemption in the end.