Well, Resistance arrived, and I popped it into my PS3 hoping for great things.
I wasn’t entirely disappointed. Again, I am not a huge fan of first-person shooters (on a console — on a PC, where you can freelook with a mouse, it’s a different story). But I’m playing my way through this one.
It’s much smoother than Call of Duty 3. The graphics are great, but you’re not going to lean back and utter gasps of disbelief at what the PS3 can do. This is an early foray into software development for Sony, and while the framerate is smooth and constant, it does not have breathtaking, groundbreaking graphics.
That being said, the key word for this game, again, is “smooth”. Everything moves smoothly. No slowdown when there are a lot of enemies on the screen. The computer’s AI is very advanced, and it’s noticeable. This is a fun game to play.
I’ve tried the online multiplayer modes just to test them — I’m not ready to really play yet, I haven’t got the controls down well enough — and I jumped into a quick game of Deathmatch (“Deathmatch“, for those of you who don’t know, is a FPS multiplayer mode where the sole goal is to kill as many of the people playing the game as you can — it’s a free-for all, there are no teams). Anyway, the game connected quickly, and, again, smoothly, and I was in a ranked game (with players of roughly my own ability) of Resistance in no time at all. It was fun, even if I did come in last and I can’t quite get the good ol‘ “circle-strafe” maneuver going with the PS3 controls yet.
All in all, a good game, worth the buy. I’d like to see some FPS games in the future try to use the Sixaxis system to aid in freelook, but, right now, every game out there for the PS3 is just basically throwing in a couple of token Sixaxis moves. In Resistance, for instance, you use it to shake off an enemy who grabs you. Which rarely happens.
The real games for the Playstation 3 are, again, about a year away. I do look forward to the port of Elder Scrolls: Oblivion in March, but other than that, the only other game right now I’m even considering is Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2007 (I love the Tiger golf games).
That’s all for now. Bottom line on Resistance: Fall of Man? If you’re a fan of first-person shooters, you should love it. If you’re not, it should still intrigue you. And while it looks very nice, don’t expect to be blown away by eye candy graphic advances in this one. But it’s worth, at the very least, a rental.