Straight from the versatile developer that is Insomniac (Rachet and Clank series) comes Resistance: Fall of Man, a first-person shooter for the Sony PlayStation 3. Taking place in England in the mid-1900s, the game contradicts real world history in setting the player in a world where World War II never happened. In fact, replacing the historically-opposite Nazis are vicious monsters with electrical coils and tubes stemming from their backs. At first glance, Resistance contains many similarities that force it to be discussed with other FPS titles, but the constant, hostile environments is what sets this title apart from the usual shooter fray.
AMN was able to get a quick hands-on with the expected PS3 launch title after Sony’s E3 2006 keynote. Giving players the options of two different demos in two different game modes, we played through a very-familiar European town in the middle of an all-out assault against these unknown creatures. Amongst the pack, we were instantly brought within the heat of battle, as various forms of “energy†shots were shot towards our way. The attacking monsters, known as chimeras, are walking mutants that have coils sticking out of its back. Apparently, viruses plague the bodies of these chimera mutants, allowing them to multiply in number and spawn other forms of creatures. Another creature, similar to the face-huggers in the movie Aliens, crawls on the ground in large numbers hoping to leap towards its prey.
One of the coolest innovations in Resistance is the game’s “hero moments,†in which you’ll have to save your fellow soldiers from death at a precise time. These mini-events branch out the level even more, as the more hero moments you successfully complete, the more soldiers you’ll have on your side as the battle progresses. The end result of each save is certainly gratifying, especially when you land a direct shot on the chimera’s backs, which cause the coils to burst in chaos.
Resistance contains a multitude of weapons, some of which have never-ever been seen in a typical FPS before. First off, each weapon has a primary and secondary firing option, which include quick or short bursts for rifles, and even a specific weapon that allows you to shoot through walls (like the movie Eraser). The most touted weapon of the demo is the typical machine gun, with a simple all-out firing option, as well as a “tagging and trapping†system that allows you to tag a target with a shot, and then fire bullets towards that one specific tagged target. The result is a locking system that proves extraordinary, especially in a time-period as early as this. Combine the weapon arsenal with a default hand-grenade as well as a spiked-grenade, which explodes shrapnel around its vicinity. Although the weapons feel intuitive, I still can’t understand why Insomniac decided to negate blood in the game.
Still, the environments remain interactive, at least to the visible eye. Trash cans and debris fly in the air after grenade blasts, and windows break apart rather realistically. The level of physics, although simple at first, could hold more potential as Insomniac is sure to add more on-screen enemies as the project progresses. Running in 720p, the demo moved around from a solid 30-60fps rate, without any hints of slowdown even during the most intense of sequences. Even the zoom-in function (by using the R2 button) provided a much-needed, accurate aiming viewpoint.
The game will also include co-op play for two player and split-screen deathmatch. The max player count will be up to 32 players, certainly an impressive number for a console first-person shooter.
With so little shown, yet with so much potential as possibly being the premiere FPS for the PS3, Resistance: Fall of Man may have more than meets the eye. We’ll have a more extensive preview of the title soon.
Stay tuned.
