Resistance 3 is developed by Insomniac Games and published by Sony Entertainment.
Game Introduction
The Chimera’s assault on earth continues in this third instalment from Insomniac Games. Is it the final curtain call for Planet Earth and it’s inhabitants, or does Joseph Capelli have different plans in store for the nasty Chimeran bastards? Let’s begin our Resistance 3 review.
The Story
Resistance 3 picks up right where the second one left off. You play as Joe Capelli; now a family man hiding underground from the full scale Chimera attacks and their subsequent takeover of Earth. No longer a part of the SRPA Task Force from the previous Resistance games Capelli is done fighting and just wants to enjoy what’s left of Earth with his wife and Son, Jack before the Chimera all but take it over. An unexpected visitor arrives and convinces Joe he cannot stand by and do nothing and he must continue to take the fight to the Chimera for his Wife and Son and all of Humanity.
Guns, Guns, Guns! An Amazing Arsenal of Weapons
While Resistance 2 was very Halo-esque because of it’s regenerating health and 2 weapon carrying limit Resistance 3 does away with those modern gaming conventions and goes back to the old school. Back to the old school, where shooters focused less on realism and more on fun, and fun is exactly what Resistance 3 is from start to finish. The Weapon Wheel from the first game makes it’s triumphant return and allows Joe to carry a huge assortment of guns at any time and switch them in and out depending on enemy and situation. The weapon wheel is a game changer folks. Having the ability to use any of the 12 fantastic guns on display here at any time is fucking incredible to put it mildly. I’ve played a ton of shooters over my lifetime and never have I had so much fun as I did playing through this game with it’s wild, varied and extremely fun to use arsenal of weapons. Each gun retains it’s secondary firing functions seen in the other games in the series, but also features an impressive levelling up system. The more each gun is used, the more powerful it becomes. Each weapon has three stages that add special treats with each upgrade stage. For example the traditional Rossmore shotgun becomes a cannon that spews fiery death after only the second stage of upgrades!
Graphics, Fun Factor and Overall Value
While the guns are easily the stars of the show, the story clips along at a surprisingly coherent and captivating pace also. In a time where story is pushed aside in favour of rampant action and wave after wave of enemies pushing you from one checkpoint to the next, Resistance 3 crafts a neatly woven, and exciting tale. Pockets of civilization are spread out all across the U.S., everyday people are banding together and fighting to survive in what appears to be a post apocalyptic wasteland, filled with horrific bloodthirsty alien invaders. While the Chimera had plans of enslavement in the last chapter, this time around they are only out to exterminate us. This game is the most violent, gruesome and bleak of all of the Resistance games thus far and is wonderfully effective at keeping the player engaged at all times. The Chimera look great and are varied and intelligent. They flank the player, rushing you from all sides if you turtle and aggressively pursue you if you run. Many of the kills were completely awesome to see, heads pop off like cherries and blood sprays up into the air like a water fountain when shot with the Fareye Sniper Rifle. The levels and environments are just as diverse and breathtaking. The levels are changed up from an old dusty Midwestern town, to snowy wilderness, to hot deserts, to underground sewers, swamps, jails, spaceships. It’s all here and it’s all gravy.
While not an overly long campaign (7.5 hours on first play through), Resistance’s campaign does offer a lot of value and fun for the asking price, and while all weapons are fully upgrade-able, a second play through is warranted to upgrade them all. Thankfully I was allowed to start up a new game and retain all of my upgrades for my guns when I found them again. There are hidden messages and voice transcripts hidden throughout the many locales, warranting for more exploration and time spent on the campaign the second time around to collect everything. The campaign was such a thrill to play, I immediately fired up a second play through as soon as the credits had finished rolling. While I completed the campaign solo, I should address the game also allows for full co-op campaign play with a friend via split-screen and over PSN. As soon as my buddy picks this up, I’ll be going through the campaign again for a third time!
There is a Multiplayer Suite Too
On top of it’s phenomenal single player experience, Resistance 3 also includes a robust and diverse competitive multiplayer experience. Gone are the huge 64 man battles from Resistance 2, taking their place is a more streamlined feature rich multiplayer suite that allows for xp gains, levelling up, customizable loadouts, killstreaks, perks (called Berserks) and more. Basically the online suite is CoD with a Resistance spin, which I am completely happy with. I haven’t spent a ton of time online as of writing this, but my time online has been enjoyable and problem free. While the multiplayer suite is great and features a lot of the old standby’s it’s not anything innovative or hugely additive enough to pull a player base away from juggernaut online FPS’ like the upcoming Battlefield 3.
Overall Thoughts
All in all, Resistance 3 is a terrific package and a very welcome addition to my PS3 library. The game was barely hyped this year and probably hasn’t registered as much of a blip on many PS3 gamers radar after the quality but disappointing Resistance 2. Hopefully this review will convince some of you to put your faith in Insomniac’s ability to create an amazingly fun experience Ala Ratchet and Clank in the Resistance world, Resistance 3 is one hell of a great FPS.
