Resistance 3

The PlayStation brand has grown immensely with new intellectual properties this generation, and it started early. Resistance: Fall of Man from Insomniac Games (Ratchet & Clank, Spyro series) was available right after the PlayStation 3 launch; a first person shooter that took us to the year 1951 in a reimagining of the history of mankind if it were invaded by aliens. Being considered one of the best titles for PlayStation 3 since launch, the development of the Resistance franchise has seen an extraordinary pace, as well as other original PlayStation series that premiered this generation. After some rumors and billboards circulated with the name of the game, Resistance 3 was finally confirmed in Gamescom 2010. The expectations could not be higher, as Insomniac had already won the confidence of players and Resistance was established as a major PlayStation powerhouse. However, it was quickly realized that Resistance 3 would be a different game from others.

In the role of protagonist is Joseph Capelli, not Nathan Hale who played that same role in both Resistance: Fall of Man and Resistance 2. Four years have passed since the end of Resistance 2, and Capelli is no longer a Sentinel. Capelli married, had a son and is now a responsible family man who cares about the welfare of those closest to him. It is with this love and affection for his family that motivates Capelli to travel to New York to try to stop the Chimera once again. The game starts in Oklahoma, where Joseph is forced to fight to protect his family, and in this course of events, Dr. Malikov arrives in town, asking you to protect him on a trip to New York. Although hesitant, Capelli ultimately agrees, and so the journey begins.

However, the trip will not be easy. The United States is a destroyed nation; majority of its cities are flooded and some completely fell apart. Danger lurks around every corner, but fortunately, we have a powerful arsenal to deal with these dangers and give Chimeras the treatment they deserve. The weapons continue to play an important role in Resistance 3 and we have some old friends back, such as the Bullseye, Magnum, Carbine, Auger, Rossmore and Marksman. In the new weapons Deadeye stands out, a sniper with incredible power, and Mutator, which contaminates enemies and make them explode.

All the featured weapons are very fun to use. The more we use a weapon, the more powerful will become. The maximum level that you can reach is level 3 for each weapon, which may seem minor, but it is not. If you want to reach the maximum level with each weapon, you will have to repeat the campaign several times and kill many Chimeras.

The campaign is full of twists and the trip to New York becomes increasingly difficult. Each time things are going well, the unexpected happens. It is always expected that something will go awry, but keep the player curious about what will happen and how Capelli will be able to get away. Overall, the campaign is solid and has some memorable moments. However, we cannot help feeling disappointed. The situation, created by Insomniac, is a trip to New York on a world completely destroyed when a man fighting against all odds. It was a campaign that generated more harm than good, and it would’ve be epic, phenomenal and amazing.

A little more drama and excitement of the campaign would raise Resistance 3 to another level. Somehow, Capelli always escapes unscathed by any situation, regardless of the time he falls, to be constantly under fire and other dangerous situations. There is a lack of credibility and gives the feeling we're not really fighting for our lives. It would be nice to see some blood, maybe a crack head, and limping slightly. The game gives you some emotional moments when Capelli remembers his family, but something is missing in the story hooks.

Despite that, the graphics are good and are clearly an improvement over Resistance 2. The strength is the attention given to weapon details (grenades included) and effects created by them. The Chimera army is also very well done. On the other hand, some environments are richer and have received more attention than others. The Oklahoma City where the game begins is undoubtedly one of the highlights. There are still things to improve in this area, but note that there was progress.

The campaign can be played cooperatively online or offline (split screen) with a friend. And when I say friend, you must really be a friend because the only way to play Resistance 3 cooperatively is inviting one of them. Insomniac could have easily included a matchmaking option for those who do not have a friend with the game.

The multiplayer is one of the best parts of Resistance 3. The only problem is that it is terribly unbalanced. Leveling up the first few levels will be difficult, and only then the fun begins to emerge. At the first level we are at the bottom of the food chain and we have no choice about our weapons and abilities. Gradually though, you gain new levels and we eventually could customize the multiplayer to our liking. There’s nothing really new to the modes, other than the standard Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, Chain Reaction (the goal is to dominate certain areas of the map), Breach (the mission is to destroy or defend the reactor) and Capture the Flag are our choices.

Knowing that Resistance 3 will be the last series produced by Insomniac, it would be nice to say that the studio ended with a bang. We can only say that ended in a good way, without risking a lot and staying close to the formula brought by Insomniac. For those who already followed Resistance from its beginning, this is definitely a must play.

Marco Cecilio, NoobFeed