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Resistance: Fall of Man review

Game: Resistance: Fall of Man
Platform: PlayStation 3
Genre: First-Person Shooter
Developer: Insomniac Games

Reader review by mrmiyamoto

October 14, 2008

A strange race of aliens infests continental Europe. You are Nathan Hale, an American soldier tasked with snuffing out the spread of this dangerous and powerful race.

With a plot like that, Resistance: Fall of Man could have been another tiresome first-person shooter; another entry into a genre that boils over with lackadaisical production values. But Resistance is anything but lackadaisical. Blistering combat, depressingly realistic visuals and superb pacing vault it right up there with the best in its class.

From the beginning, Resistance has you blasting Chimera and taking strategic cover, forcing you to use not only your environment, but your brain. Running out and carelessly flaunting your impressive array of weaponry will serve to ground you in a heartbeat. This is no run 'n gun campaign. The AI uses their wits while showering grenades and bullets upon you. Luckily, you have help in the form of other soldiers, but that hardly makes it okay to trudge onward with reckless abandon.

The cities are dotted with dead soldiers lying about the rubble and destruction of the Chimera. The air holds a certain sort of sullenness, leaving not a ray of sunshine to grace your presence. Crushed and downtrodden buildings provide cover from the onslaught of enemies, but you can't help but feel exposed amidst the sheer devastation. Certain guns and grenades are called for in particular situations and scenarios, providing scintillating gameplay rarely seen in FPS's. It is required that you steadily switch between guns not only to maximize effectiveness in the game's varying angles, but also to conserve ammunition in a slightly ammo-deprived affair. Not many games can make you feel like a genuine battle is taking place, but Resistance delivers, capturing the spirit of war. Hordes of Chimera pop in and out of cover, use weapons from a distance and even flank your position in the bat of an eye. It keeps you on your toes and makes the action plentiful and fun.

However, not everything revolves around on-foot mechanics, as the use of vehicles changes things up. Tanks, mechs, and cruisers are all present. While the driving mechanics are generally sound, it's not a perfect addition. It's pretty fun hopping into the driver's seat and letting your squad-mate throw down turret fire in the speeding cruiser, or even jumping into the turret yourself; but the action is a little less intense in the vehicles. Resistance shines in its flawless integration of the shoot, cover, switch weapons, move forward approach. The utilization of the weapons is facilitated by a perfect control scheme that allows you to either quickly switch your weapon to the next in line, or pause the game and be particular about which one you want. Never will you think twice about the hunk of plastic in your hands.

As you probe further and further into the Chimeran affairs, you realize just how vast their operation is. Underground tunnels connect to even more tunnels, and variations of enemies becomes stronger. Eggs with small, ankle-biting aliens hatch in front of you and wreak havoc. Stronger forms of the Chimera throw themselves at you, and this is where the weapons kick in. At any given moment you may see a horde of opposition, whip a hedgehog grenade (a ball of spikes that shoots outward) in their direction, then twirl around to the other side and mow down another batch with your sniper rifle that slows down time for easy headshots. You notice some more coming your way, so you crouch behind an expanse of crumbled rock, waiting for your health to recharge. The carbine is the next handy weapon that serves to swing the tide of this battle, providing medium-range precision and an alternate grenade launcher to clear out droves. The furious and brisk pace of combat is unparalleled, and the raw number of battles that take place like this is huge.

After clearing out an area, cutscenes and stills trigger to move the story forward. How the Chimera operate and the way in which they unravel their plans becomes the focal point. Unfortunately, they're not all that entertaining. Sure, the Chimeran derivations are interesting to see, but it's nothing that takes your breath away. If nothing else, the plot serves its purpose as an effective medium that moves you on to different locales. And each location boasts the same infectious gameplay, so that's an overall good thing.

After plodding through 10-15 hours of alien gore, the stellar campaign comes to an end. Fortunately, there's more in the form of online multiplayer, and it unquestionably adds its share of glamor to the package. Up to 40 can participate in the frag-fest and the best part about it all is the smoothness. No noticeable lag whatsoever. In the face of online lag in the majority of games, this is no simple feat. Players can play as the Chimera or even an alternate race known as the Cloven. The multiplayer is an excellent addition to a fantastic campaign, creating a game that simply cannot be missed if you have a Playstation 3.

Luscious visuals, inspired gameplay and a propensity to make your heart beat fast. This is FPS goodness.

Rating: 9/10

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