Resistance 3

The Resistance series has been the darker franchise for Insomniac, who are better known for their Ratchet and Clank games. While Resistance has been a strong series I never felt that it was special or achieving its potential the way Ratchet and Clank does. I was a bit underwhelmed by Resistance 2 despite its solid mechanics, as the game was just not all that memorable. Resistance 3 changes this trend, upping the production values of the series, improving on a technical and mechanical level, and being downright fun to play. 

Story has always been a weakness of the Resistance games. While the series has had an interesting lore and overarching setting, the actual characters and players in the game have been bland. Resistance 3 fixes this problem by spending time endearing the new main character, Joe Capelli, to us. Joe is fighting for his son to have a better future and to see his wife again. We see the plight of the human race from the first level as humans are reduced to living in hiding and fear from the alien Chimera who have at this stage conquered the Earth and effectively exterminated humanity. They are terraforming our planet, the war is already lost and their is no hope of victory. Its a bleak and dark setting and it works really well, but the addition of our attachment to Joe's plight makes it all the stronger. Some previous characters return and the ending is one that ties up the series nicely, though annoyingly it leaves some key questions about the motives of the Chimera unanswered. The game retells the story of the last games in a nice stylised looking cutscene at the start of the game so its completely feasible to play Resistance 3 without having touched any of the previous titles in the series. 

Visually there have been huge improvements made since Resistance 2. The most attractive part of the games looks is the lighting which is done superbly. The environments have small visual details that really make them stand out. For example, at the start of the game in the town of Haven the wind is blowing particles of plants, rubble and dust through the air. Its a small feature but it adds a lot to the appearance of the levels. The game does not have a very vibrant colour palette, though its no where near as brown as was feared from pre-release videos of the game. The game is very pale and beautiful, but this contrasts really well with the lighting and makes the game look distinctive, an important feature in a crowed fps market. Character models look good, though faces are not the best [ I think all game faces are going to look bad after L.A. Noire]. The way the chimera move in the game is incredible, especially the long legs and the huge lumbering foes you face. The animations are smooth and fluid and they look great. Its a pretty and grim game, and while its not as crisp as Killzone 3 or Infamous 2 it still looks great. 

Voice acting is really good in the game, with Joe Capelli being a surprisingly strong character. Its really easy to care about Joe's motives during the game and this is helped by his strong voice acting. His wife Susan is well voiced, as are all the cast. They are not exactly the deepest or most original characters, but voice acting is solid. The Chimera sound terrifyingly alien as is fitting for them. The sounds they make are excellent, and really adds to their role as the destroyers of mankind. The music in Resistance 3 is beautiful and chilling at times, reflecting the horror that humanity has suffered at the hands of the Chimera. The starting menu has sombre delicate music, and this attention to the sound track creates an unnerving atmosphere throughout parts of the game that successfully pulls at your emotions. The weapons in Resistance 3 sound great, and this is very good because they are a unique feature of this game. 

The weapon wheel from the first game makes its triumphant return, allowing you to carry every weapon simultaneously. This greatly multiplies your strategic options during any given encounter and sets the title apart from the other 2-weapon shooters out today. More importantly, the guns are just fun to use. Iconic firearms like the Bullseye and Auger return, and their novelty is somehow surpassed by new guns like the Mutator, which has some truly disgusting results on an enemy you fire it at. All guns level up as you use them, adding an element of strategy and an escalating feeling of power. Resistance 3 takes a brave decision and does not have health regenerate in any capacity. This means that you’ll be scrounging the battlefield for health pickups while desperately evading enemy fire, which is much more harrowing than hiding behind chest-high walls until your bullet holes magically close up. It makes it feel like a really old school game and adds a lot of tension to the combat. The incredible selection of weapons is complemented by the hectic and exciting combat to make quite a game play experience in Resistance 3. 

The game has a good variety of levels, with some very unexpected locations thrown into the mix. However the level design does leave something to be desired at times. The levels that are in Chimera buildings are dark corridor crawls that really should be better than they are. The game is also too dark a lot of the time in the indoor areas, and the enemy AI behaves oddly. While the Chimera are extremely accurate they can sometimes get stuck in walls or be tricked easily by the player. The waypoint system is also a mess, and I got lost in dark buildings more than once. Its a small gripe but it needs to be mentioned. 

The scale of the game has been toned back from the last one. There are no real boss fights against huge monsters or machines and set pieces are smaller. This is fine as it suits the context of the game and it also makes for a more intimate experience, but the game could have used a few more memorable moments. Having said that I do appreciate that they did not force a last boss into the game when it didn't need it, a mistake which games like Deus Ex have made recently. Multiplayer has also been scaled back but it still provides a good package, with Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch and Capture the Flag all making an appearance. I had some connection issues with the online, and there is an online pass for the game, but the level design and game play where both good. The campaign can also be played in co-op, and it can be split screen as well, always a welcome feature in my book. 

Resistance 3 is a linear game with less scale than its predecessor, but its makes a lot of improvements that I feel allow it to finally achieve its potential. The weapons are fantastic, the graphics and engine better than they have ever been, and it wraps up the Resistance story arch. It also runs at about 10 hours, a satisfying length. I would have preferred a more satisfying ending and more boss battles, but I think that Insomniac have done a brilliant job on what is probably their last PS3 exclusive. Resistance 3 is totally worth buying, and is one of my favourite games of the year so far.

 Pros:

• Weapon wheel allows you to carry all your weapons at once
• No regenerating health is a novelty these days
• Really excellent lighting
• Addition of new enemy types
• Some good level variety
• Very good sound track and solid voice acting
• Co-op multiplayer campaign

Cons:

• Sense of scale is not really present
• Poor waypoint system
• A lot of linear level design
• No real boss fights
• Plot does become a bit predictable
• Leaves some important questions unanswered at the end
• Online pass

Wtf:

• Bum wars in my Resistance game!

Score:

• 8/10

This is how a good sequel is done, Insomniac have done themselves proud. A really fun and intense game despite not being a technical marvel. Could have used some grand spectacle moments and better multiplayer.