PS3 Review – Resistance 3
Resistance: Fall of Man launched alongside the PS3 in November of 2006, and remained among the best the console had to offer for a very long time. Two years later Resistance 2 released, but wasn’t as well received as the original. To ensure their third offering fared better, Insomniac Games ditched their franchise alternating, bi-annual release schedule and decided to put an extra year of development time into Resistance 3. Was it worth waiting for?
I’ll start this review with a bold statement: Forget everything you know about Resistance. If it weren’t for the Chimeran invasion timeline and setting, and Insomniac’s signature weaponry, this could have been a brand new game or franchise all on its own. The tone, the pacing, the depth; it’s all so different. But in the best way possible.
Resistance never took itself too seriously. Earth was under attack, and the human race was being exterminated by Chimeran forces. Yet Nathan Hale and his companions never seemed to be at all worried. In fact, they would simply charge their way through what should have been insurmountable odds, all without a scratch. Nathan Hale was a Superhuman, and the games played as such.
In Resistance 3, you take on the role of Joseph Capelli, the now discharged SRPA Sentinel that fought alongside Hale in Resistance 2, who ultimately pulled the trigger ending Hale’s life. Like many Resistance fans, I questioned the Insomniac’s reasoning behind killing off Nathan Hale. Why turn the franchise over to the hands of a nobody, when Nathan Hale, although mostly silent and pompous, was such a badass. But that’s what the series needed. Joseph Capelli isn’t this Superhuman creation, he’s human. He bleeds. He hurts. He cares about his family and their survival. He has fear. Yet, he knows that if he doesn’t act, the human race doesn’t stand a chance.
“I want nothing more than to provide for my wife and son. Whatever it takes.”
―Joseph Capelli
Through Joseph Capelli, the various settings, the music, and non-playable characters, a bleak tone is set. The human race is at the verge of extinction. Families are forced into hiding underground like rats, while Chimera death fleets hunt them down with ferocity. This isn’t a happy place. It’s fight or die for many. Hide or die for the rest. It’s no way to live. A perfect example of how this general feeling of sadness and desperation resonates throughout the game is when you can overhear a conversation between two NPCs. One man tells another that his wife is pregnant. The second man congratulates him in excitement, but the first man has disappointment in his voice. He says “the last thing this town needs is another mouth to feed”. Living in this Chimera-occupied world is more pain and suffering than actually living.
This same tone is apparent during all aspects of the game. The odds against Capelli are overwhelming at all times. The pacing is grueling, there isn’t time to breathe. Capelli goes from one deadly encounter to the next, narrowly escaping with his life. Some of his companions aren’t so lucky. Although, most of the game is spent by your lonesome.
In the first two games, the gameplay was boilerplate FPS. Find yourself in an open area with plenty of cover. Shoot from behind the safety of the cover until group of enemies are killed. Move on to next area. Rinse, repeat. This is Resistance 3‘s biggest triumph: The entire time the gameplay is fresh. Every area is different, and you need a different approach to succeed. Sometimes you’re defending an attack, other times you’re sneaking, hoping to remain unnoticed. You’re rarely running-and-gunning your way through an area – if you try to, you will die.
Your only hope in survival is to utilize the bevy of varied weapons in your arsenal. The weapons have always been a strong point in Resistance, or any Insomniac-developed game. But this time, not only is the assortment more varied than before, but as you use each weapon they upgrade, becoming more powerful and useful. The Bullseye, which is your main weapon throughout the game (humans are almost extinct; they aren’t making Carbines for combat, they’re hiding or dead) features an upgrade to the “tag” secondary fire: if you miss your target, the tag splits and ricochets. Using the right weapon for the right situation is the key to taking out the hordes of Chimera.
Enemy types haven’t changed much. There are a few new Chimera breeds like the Goliath and Long-Legs. There’s also a big surprise later in the game. The biggest distinction between Chimera types are the militarized, hive-mind Chimera and feral Chimera. The feral Chimera are unpredictable, and at times will attack other Chimera. Boss fights are intense and intimidating. Most of the time during a boss fight is spent running for your life and finding a safe place to fire your weapon, only to be spotted and have to flee again. As I said, the odds are overwhelming, and this tone of being at the brink of survival is apparent at all times.
Even visually, the game is bleak. Buildings and other structures are destroyed, crumbling masses of rubble. Vegetation overgrows in areas, showing that humans haven’t been in control for ages. The atmosphere is dank and eerie, and many times, is downright spooky – a perfect setting for the tale Resistance 3 tells. The game’s sound effects and musical composition compliment the tone, the visual presentation, and the overall sensation of misery and desolation, while still remaining symphonic. The sound design is superb.
While story edges out the weapons as the star of the single-player campaign, weapons steal the show in multiplayer. Multiplayer, while well polished and a good time, is standard fare. It’s not as chaotic as the first two games. It’s more focused and intimate; you get to know your enemies and if you’re good enough, they’ll get to know you, too. There are plenty of perks and upgrades to buy as you rack up experience. Attributes change depending on if you’re playing as a human or Chimera.
Gone are the unique, objective-based online co-op missions found in Resistance 2. Instead, two players can play the single-player campaign cooperatively much like was found in Resistance: Fall of Man. The only difference is you’re not restricted to local play. You can choose to play with a friend on your own PS3, or you can invite a friend to join you online. The second player can drop into a campaign at any time.
Resistance 3 supports PlayStation Move, but the game is better off without it. Yes, it works. But you lose an advantage. It’s similar to Killzone 3 where turning is the same movement as aiming, meaning strafing while aiming simultaneously is difficult, leaving you vulnerable to attack. If you really must use the Move, you can tune the sensitivity and other settings, but I don’t feel the payoff is worth the time-sink tweaking it to get it to work well enough. The game also supports 3D. In other 3D titles, I’ve noticed that textures and resolution seems to appear washed out in a sort of trade-off to make 3D possible, but not in Resistance 3. The 3D really adds a level of depth and clarity that can help with aiming. Aside from that, it looks great. Plants, debris and explosions pop, while everything else helps give a depth of field effect that really brings everything to life. 3D is a major plus for anyone that has a 3DTV. PlayStation Move, however, is not, and feels tacked on.
Insomniac has used the extra year in the cooker to make Resistance 3 a game that has everything going for it. The multiplayer, while not the best on the market, is good enough to keep people interested for a long time. However, the single-player (and co-op) make for a game that can proudly stand next to Uncharted 2 as some of the best the PlayStation 3 has to offer. If only people turned off by the first two games give it the chance it deserves.
PlayStation LifeStyle’s Final Score
+Best Resistance yet… by far. +Dark, eerie setting and tone. Overwhelming odds. +Weapon design is genius. Using them correctly is key to victory. |  |
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29 Responses to “PS3 Review – Resistance 3”
Amazing Review Sev, I’m truly glad I stayed up long enough to read it (Though I must admit I wasn’t really expecting it I just happened to check PSLS one last time before I head to bed). It’s also good to hear that they used 3D well, too bad it sounds like I won’t be using the Move with this one. I was already extremely excited to pick up my copy tomorrow but now I’ll be even more impatient and it’s gonna be a b*tch staying focused at work. The only problem is I’m getting married this weekend so I really won’t be able to dive much into it until I get back from my honeymoon! I don’t know how I’m going to stand it…Just kidding!
I’ll have to stick with online play this week cuz I can’t start the story and take a 2 week pause in the middle. If anyone wants to play my PSN ID is brgjr_05
Congrats on getting married! Giving up Resistance 3 for your new wife – I hope she knows the sacrifice you are making for her. At least she’ll know you put her first
Have a great wedding and honeymoon!
giese095
Congratulation getting married, Oh boy, it’s seem you getting very limited of playing. Oh well enjoyed the honeymoon, atlease you can take your PSP with you if your wife accept that.
Me and my Girlfriend been together nearly seven years, I hoping i get married soon aswell
Again Congratulation.
Great review! Carnt wait… 9th carnt come soon enuff…! 3dtv – check! coin for game – check! Day booked off – check! + now online campain cooie
:):) win win win!
I’m skeptical about this game, it looks good but… I don’t know. I just can’t shake the feeling that if I lay down a whopping 50 euro on this thing I may find that it’s not worth the money.
” Forget everything you know about Resistance. If it weren’t for the Chimeran invasion timeline and setting, and Insomniac’s signature weaponry, this could have been a brand new game or franchise all on its own.”
That is why this game is just a rent and not a buy.
I don’t think this receives all the thumbs down votes it is getting…at least he is willing to give it a try and renting it. Some people would just brush it off completely. Hater, if you really liked the old formula you have every right to rent before you buy…not that you needed my permission.
They can thumb me down all they want. Still doesn’t change the fact that this game doesn’t play or feel like Resistance to me anymore. They only reason why I am renting this game is because I want to continue the story. I played the MP beta and HATED it
It’s a great game so far but I still have to try cooprative mode
Sounds excellent
What a excellent gaming PS3 year this has been
(+we got Uncharted 3 + R&C coming. . .) 
Well i guess this is a good single player buy/rental depends on money issues. But it sucks that the co-op missions are gone, Resistance 2 was well known for it and it was a awesome time with friends. Hopefully the next sequel will bring it back.
l liked those as well but l would rather have the co-op campaign back, l enjoyed it in the 1st resistance and l’m glad it’s back for R3
Agreed. I much preferred the campaign co-op, especially because whenever I tried the missions, people would quit in the middle and leave us helpless at the end.
Fantastic! This game is getting a LOT of good reviews. Looks like Insomniac really hit a home-run with this. I really hope that they decide to do Resistance 4 (if it even makes sense).
I now uncharted 3 is not out but, Anthony do you think this game has a shot at the crown? (game of the year)
or shooter of the year?
Probably
-Best Shooter
-Best PS3 Game of the Year
Was just over at IGN and apparently Insomniac already announced the first DLC for R3 due out on October 4th…it’s a new multiplayer mode, theme, and skins for $4.
I have to admit that action horror is not my favorite but this review sold me. I think RE2 was the last game of the genre I played but Uncharted 2 is by far my favorite game of this generation and to have it compared side by side I have to say I’ll be giving Resistance 3 a play-through. I have so much pre-ordered for the fall that I have to wait for a price cut. Come on Amazon…$39.99 next week and you have a deal.
Sounds like a excellent game. I played the online beta, and its fun and all but they should work on the damage system. An entire clip just to kill one guy. But I’ll buy
I wish I could buy this game blind, but after playing Resistance 2 and Killzone 2 I realized FPS don’t do it for me, even when I would grade Resistance 2 a solid 8/10 and the best FPS campaign I’ve played (in my limited FPS experience which includes RFOM, COD4 and KZ2). That’s why I really want to play part 3 and see how the story ends, but it would need to be a GREAT campaign for me to buy it, since I don’t care about MP.
Yes, I will hold off for a bit and maybe consider it when it gets cheaper/on sale. I will mainly play it for the campaign, I am curious how long it is?
Who the hell has been “thumbing” down almost every comment. Geez. Any who, amazing review Anthony.
imo its time to ditch the thumbs system or just have a thumbs up and no thumbs down , like the like feature of ign. its abused way too much on here , and people get thumbs down for no reason. as for this game i love it so far and am happy i picked it up.
My guess is either noob and his COD fetish or Necrophiliac_King
Great review, beat it on normal yesterday and i’m going for superhuman atm. This game has the atmosphere resistance should have and I love how they made it even more old school than resistance 1 by removing regenerating health entirely, having been playing on superhuman for alittle bit its obvious as mentioned in your review if you don’t know the ins and outs of each weapon and fail to use them effectively against the right enemies you get destroyed very quickly which also bring me to another thing I must praise which is the AI, they’re frustratingly good at pulling off coordinated flanks.
However if there is one thing i’m still a little disappointed on is the fact(SPOILER) That by the end of the game we still have absolutely no information on the origin of the chimera or what their purpose is. The upside to this is Insomniac has to follow this up and do more games, a Resistance 4 has to be done now
Just beat it on superhuman
10/10 easy, beats killzone 3s ass
only got it with anew ps3 the other day and only played first 3 levels but the atmosphere is definitely different to the other 2 games they felt like you were walking in the park and the return of multiple weapons and the weapon wheel are welcome returns and goota love the fact the devolpers used a bit of ratchet and clank upgrading weapons and when it happens the weapons dont change into different ones just look newer