Top notch action launch title. Grab it if you like FPSs.
Resistance: Fall of Man isn't the next Half Life, nor is it the next Halo. Thankfully for PS3 owners though, it takes the best parts of Halo and Call of Duty to present an overall great FPS that will appeal to any action gamer.
Resistance's story takes place in 1951 in an alternate reality where WW2 never happened. Instead a bizarre monstrosity known only as the Chimera took over all of Europe and Asia. The Chimera's origins are only hinted at and overall the game feels like a short chapter in a larger story (similar to Halo 1). The player takes control of a US soldier sent to London to help liberate the country from the Chimera and attempt to stop their destruction of the human race. The charecter, Nathan Hale, is a two dimensional as they come, he rarely speaks and spends most of his time glaring at someone. Besides looking a lot like Jason "The Transporter" Stathan there's nothing special about him.
The gameplay is the focus here and thankfully it is excellent. Combat is tense, explosive and there's several large set piece battles, often involving large troop numbers on both sides. Vehciles and semi-destrcutive environments lend themselves well to the action. The first time enemy gun fire decimates a wall you're hiding behind reminds you that this is very much a next gen game. The vehcile's might as well have Halo trademarked on them, they're so similar but that isn't exactly a bad thing.
The game's levels remain exciting and enjoyable thanks largely to the diverse weapons. The game has a heavy arsenal of weapons and grenades. There's the default assault rifle, shotgun, rocket launch and frag grenade (no pistol though). But then there's also several newer types of weapons. An enemy rifle that can fire targeting drones that direct all your shots to one spot lets you shot enemies from behind cover. A sniper rifle with a very nifty bullet time zoom function is a joy to wield, you'll pop head shots with ease and style. Finally there's the Auger, a beefy assult that fires through any solid object. You'll see walls glow briefly in spots and know that you have only seconds to move before you get hit by a massive energy bolt. Also, there's the Air Fuel grenade, it's basically a massive fire bomb that can wreak carnage on the enemy.
There are several other types of firearms to be found and all up they make for a fun time, the feature of being able to carry everything at once is decidely "old skool" for a very next gen game, but this actually helps deal with the game's more challenging moments as you'll always have something useful to shot with.
Resistance has terrific production values. The PS3 is a powerful and complex machine that developers are still getting used to, but already Insomiac have created a game that looks great and runs super smoothly. Massive battles with gun fire, explosions, vehciles and large enemy forces are presented wonderfully, its a great indicator of what we can expect from the future of Sony's console. The Chimera also all look fantastic and are some of the scariest and most detailed monsters since Doom 3.
The sound is of equal calibre and gun shots, screams, explosions and a rousing musical score help move the game along. That being said, the sound doesn't stand out brilliantly, but its above adequate.
Overall Resistance is an excellent launch title and a great addition to a FPS fan's library. Multiplayer includes co-op and some excellent online games. Essentially if you own a PS3 and you can't wait for KillZone 2, buy this, it won't knock Halo 3 over, but Resistance 2 just might...