Since the PS3's inception in the US and Japan six months ago, Reistance has been something of a rallying point for early console adopters. Considering that it managed to maintain a higher attachment rate to consoles than Madden 07, that's no small feat. Since then, the game has taken on something of a cult status. The following on MyResistance.net, Insomniac's community-based site, has been quite strong, and clans have collectively kicked our teeth in during online games more times than we'd care to admit. After two updates that have added new content and balancing to the online game, Insomniac is dropping a new map pack for Resistance, and we visited the developer's offices in Southern California to take it for a test drive.
The two new maps, Westmorland and Camborne, are slated for release in the US (and likely Japan) at some point next week, as Insomniac has said that it intends to launch them at the end of May. They're currently in the approval process at Sony. According to SCEA's Alyssa Casella, "Insomniac has finished the content for the Map Pack and latest update. We're going through the final necessary certifications and still anticipate a May release. We'll have a firm release date to share with you early next week."
European territories should get them shortly after the US launch, although Sony Europe will likely make its own announcement. Besides the map packs, Resistance will be getting another big patch. Now that the PS3 is out worldwide, Insomniac is planning to globally unify the servers, which should bring some hefty population boosts to those forty-person matches.
We also got a good look at some of Insomniac's extensive patch notes for what you'll be able to expect from the new update. While we don't have the entire list handy, some of the highlights include an enhanced mute menu in multiplayer. You can now not only mute voice chat from some jackass, you'll also be able to drop a dime on cheaters and glitchers to an in-game moderator with the report option, who can spectate the game, watch said person, and take appropriate action.
PlayStation online gamers can also rejoice over another feature of Resistance's new patching. It looks like Insomniac is taking measures to punish plug-pulling gamers with a time penalty. If you repeatedly can't finish ranked games, either by disconnecting or quitting out, you'll be barred from joining another ranked match for a certain period of time. It starts at zero, but increases depending on your "did not finish" percentage, and can reach up to fifteen minutes.
Also, very importantly, look for some upgrades to team play. Teammates' names will be more distinguishable, so all of you human vs. human deathmatch players won't accidentally shoot at your own squadmates. Besides adjusting teammate names, Insomniac's online team is also incorporating more skins (and more distinct ones, to boot) so that again, you won't accidentally shoot at your own teammates, or worse, not shoot at an enemy who looks like he's on your squad, leading to the taste of armpit-flavored rifle butt. However, for those of you who enjoy ranked Chimera vs. Chimera team deathmatch insanity, get your jollies in during Memorial Day weekend, because that option is going out the window come patch time.
Patches and tweaks aside, our main reason for visiting Insomniac on a warm Thursday afternoon was to try out Westmorland and Camborne, and the maps didn't disappoint, although they're dramatically different from one another. One's a snow-driven maze of catwalks and Chimera turbines, and the other combines the wide-open killing fields that you've come to expect from online play with a claustrophobic maze of tunnels and tubes. We suspect that your love of the new maps will depend strongly on your play **** as well as the number of people you're hosting.
For those who haven't put in as much time on Resistance, part of the game's charm in multiplayer is the size and scope of its maps. While the game mixes and matches certain maps to party size, such as Thames and USS Lexington -- which are restricted to small groups and big brawls, respectively -- the new maps will carry the adjustable size and scope of anchor maps that shipped with the game, such as Manchester and Nottingham. That means that a game of thirty-two on Camborne might open up most of the verticality of the map, save for some of the catwalks, while a sixteen-person round will give you more tunnels than a barebones skirmish, but will lack terrestrial battle. Likewise, the action on Westmorland is fairly tight for small parties, but really shows a lot of range at forty people.
Given our play **** we liked the close quarters combat of eight-man deathmatch in Camborne the most, but maybe that's because some of us are "That Guy" when it comes to shotguns. However, once we set up a private match to explore the map in its full-fledged forty-player glory, we noticed the massive scope and scale of Insomniac's undertaking. The concepts driving Camborne's multiplayer design lend it to three-tiered combat (underground tunnels, ground combat, and catwalks for sniping) and a strategy that utilizes ground-level tunnel holes for both quick escapes from firefighting and subterranean launching pads for get-ups that are as quick as getaways. We're confident that Camborne is the sort of map that will be chaotic for straight-up deathmatch, deadly for medium-sized team deathmatch, and should work solidly for node-based match types, such as Breach and Meltdown.
On the other hand, Westmorland's snowy combat complements Camborne nicely. While Camborne's big map feels like it would be much too crazy for a 40-person deathmatch (not that you can't do it), Westmorland seems to be the sort of place where you'll never be at a loss for a firefight. While it's quite sprawling in nature, it's certainly not as jam-packed as the other map's triple-tiered action. Instead, Westmorland feels like a map with lots of nooks and crannies on the periphery and central combat points, but plenty of space for awesome kills. Members of the Resistance multiplayer team touted Westmorland as their new map for big team matches. We're going to agree with them.
Another new feature that you can look forward to on release day is the ability to purchase the content in-game. Not in the mood to go to the PlayStation Store when they drop? Insomniac has set it up so that you can buy from a section of the menu, although we're doubtful that you'll be able to play while you download. Mercifully, for many, you'll also be able to integrate your PSN pals into your Resistance buddy list. Trust us, we've had to scribble the crazier logins onto a note pad to enter them into our in-game buddy list; we're positive that this will come as a welcome relief to legions of (possibly lazy) gamers worldwide.
With that in mind, as we get into the hot summer months, traditionally a graveyard of movie tie-ins and kids' games, Resistance fans should have something to look forward to, between the extensive patches and new maps. We're excited about the sorely needed adjustments to the multiplayer experience, especially the integration of PlayStation Network buddy lists into the game, and the harsher penalties to quitters and disconnecters during ranked matches. Having said that, we'll likely be online with the new maps once they drop; be sure to look for us on PSN, and hopefully, hosting a round of Resistance for 'Spy Hunter sometime soon!
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