Resistance 3 Review
Resistance: Fall of Man was by far the most impressive PlayStation 3 launch title in 2006 and two years later, the sequel impressed a great many critics, even if some fans of the original considered it a step backwards. Now, the third installment is here and the competition has never been stiffer. To be frank, I had my reservations. I really did. I wasn’t overly impressed by what I had seen prior to starting the campaign. But after more than a few hours of play, I knew we had another stellar effort, one that is wonderfully designed, well paced, and loaded with tremendous imagery. I love it.
The graphics are bound to generate plenty of argument and discussion. In some ways, the visual presentation truly excels: artistically speaking, this is a highly accomplished production with unbelievable environments, fantastic enemy creation and animation, and an effective atmosphere. In other ways, we don’t see the extreme level of refined detail we may find in the upcoming Battlefield 3, and Killzone 3 has it beat in a few areas, too. Overall, though, the background Insomniac paints is the primary focus throughout, and we’re always on the edge of our seats. The effects are great, too, so prepare for an engrossing adventure.
While the visuals may reside at the absolute top of the technical ladder, the sound definitely ranks among other elite titles. The soundtrack is excellent; it always fits each and every situation, and the music is often single-handedly responsible for generating a faster pulse and a greater sense of urgency. The voice acting is actually quite good as well, which was a bit of a surprise. I like some of the weapon effects more than others, but there’s no denying the crispness and distinctness of each firearm, and intense battlefields will mercilessly attack your speakers. That’s a good thing, by the way. And if you have a pair of awesome headphones…ooooh…
Yeah, Resistance 3 is a FPS. It’s a straightforward shooter; you don’t take cover, there’s no blend that includes RPG-like elements, and there isn’t anything you haven’t seen before. Now that we’ve got that out of the way: the game is awesome. It plays so well and it’s so nicely balanced throughout, that you just have to keep playing. The control is rock solid, the collision detection is some of the best I’ve ever seen, upgradeable weapons are huge bonuses, and multiple enemy types keeps you on your toes. Even the story is decent and the characters are definitely likeable.
Nathan Hale is gone but the hero from past Resistance adventures gave humanity one last gift: a cure for the Chimeran virus. His blood was very special and a talented doctor was able to create a vaccine, which meant humanity finally had a chance against the growing invasion. Unfortunately, several years later, almost 90% of the earth has succumbed and the bomb Hale set off at the end of R2…? It sent a massive energy surge through Chimeran channels and now, a wormhole is open. On top of which, the invaders are actually terraforming Earth. I won’t continue but let’s just say you need to get to New York ASAP.
Everything is so well presented. There are a few positive aspects that continue to make the experience invigorating and exciting: first, there’s the health. In most all shooters these days, you just get into cover to regain energy; there’s no real health bar and the idea of health items is “old-fashioned.” Because I’m so used to that style, I had to question Insomniac’s move but you know, it works. It works even better than the new and “better” system, in some ways. It requires you to be more cautious because ducking into cover won’t save you, and it also encourages exploration. Finding those little green health packs is kind of a thrill.
Second, the weapons. Hands-down, this is my favorite assortment of firearms I’ve seen in a shooter this generation. Every single one is useful, they all perform exactly as they should, and I continually switch between them all because it’s fun. The diverse situations and numerous enemy types also require that you experiment, which adds to the depth and strategy. In most shooters, I just settle on one or two weapons that seem to function best in most scenarios but here, I wanna keep switching because they all rock. Plus, the new upgrade system kicks ass; new secondary abilities come in very, very handy when facing down particularly tough foes.
Third, the atmosphere. You start in Haven, one of the last remaining human towns that continues to survive amidst constant threat. People live the best way they can, and you sense that it’s a gritty survival situation; it’s almost frightening because it’s so depressing. Unfortunately, this sensation gives way to more standard action-oriented backdrops, and I would’ve liked to have seen more of that heartrending devastation. Still, those action parts are also freaky, due to the amazing use of music, terrifying enemy design, and environmental effect.
I should also mention the AI, which is more than competent. Some Chimera are just stupid and will blindly rush you, but most will flank, find cover, and tend to avoid standing out in the open. Considering their mobility, you’re forced to remain vigilant and accurate, and that’s all the more entertaining due to the aforementioned reasons. Oh, and let’s not forget those massive bosses for which this franchise is known; they’re better than ever and because they’re so bad-ass, I refuse to give anything away. Just trust me…they’ll scare the sh** out of you, and you’ll adore every second of the encounter. It’s almost a guarantee.
As for the problems, they’re mostly minor and some are more subjective than others. For instance, it drives me a little crazy that moving the camera left-to-right is always faster than moving it up and down. I have no idea why I even noticed it (others probably won’t), but it just seemed to stand out. Also, I think each weapon levels up the same way; general use allows them to advance, thereby unlocking new and valuable upgrades. But the progression is just a little vague, because you basically just keep using a weapon until it levels up and there’s no real player customization.
I also need to mention a few small technical issues. The online isn’t operating at 100% just yet and I had the campaign freeze on me once, and almost froze on me a second time. I’m not used to seeing this in PS3 exclusives, so I was surprised. Again, it might just be me (I’m not implying that all your copies will freeze up at one point or another), but I can’t ignore such events. Lastly, getting back to the online play, I’m not sure it’ll be able to stand out. It’s refreshing because it doesn’t look or feel like the popular military shooters, and it may or may not have been a good idea to lower the max number of players from 60 to 16.
It’s a lot of fun but I’m not sure fans of the genre will flock to it; they may be more willing to jump online with one of the shooters that arrive this fall. But if you want to play with a friend, definitely try the co-op because that’s ridiculous fun. I went through R2 with a buddy and I still remember it; the R3 co-op is a huge plus and you just can’t pass up the opportunity. Above all else, you can tell that Insomniac went out of their way to create a game that puts the campaign center-stage. How much longer are we going to see that with shooters? Really? We should reward this plot-driven experience if we want more of them, shouldn’t we?
Resistance 3 does almost everything right. It hits you right between the eyes from the start and never lets up. The control is tight, the variety (fueled by different enemies, upgradeable weapons, and gigantic bosses) is absolutely essential, the atmosphere has a large impact, the story and characters are compelling, and the pacing and technical style is second-to-none. The online isn’t overly impressive in my eyes, I would’ve liked a bit more control in regards to weapon customization and progression, and I also wanted to see more of humanity's plight. But as I said at the start of this review: I love this game. It’s just oodles of fun.
The Good: Great artistic style and atmosphere. Excellent soundtrack. Smooth, reliable control. Awesome weapon assortment. Plenty of overall variety. Fantastic pacing. Solid AI. Memorable boss encounters.
The Bad: Graphics aren’t extremely sharp and refined. A few technical hangups. Lack of character customization.
The Ugly: “Okay, you gotta stop climbing ladders like that. It’s just plain weird.”
9/6/2011 Ben Dutka
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Comments (103 posts)
Ben Dutka PSXE [Administrator]
Tuesday, September 06, 2011 @ 8:51:54 PM
Reply
For that information, I do encourage you to read other reviews.
Last edited by Ben Dutka PSXE on 9/6/2011 8:52:21 PM
Alienange
Tuesday, September 06, 2011 @ 10:33:45 PM
SmokeyPSD
Tuesday, September 06, 2011 @ 11:18:32 PM
Gordo
Tuesday, September 06, 2011 @ 11:55:29 PM
bigrailer19
Tuesday, September 06, 2011 @ 9:42:08 PM
Reply
maxpontiac
Wednesday, September 07, 2011 @ 9:14:36 AM
ZettaiSeigi
Tuesday, September 06, 2011 @ 9:52:15 PM
Reply
And better yet, other sites are also giving good review scores for the game. Honestly speaking, I'm quite shocked! Not because I expected the game to be bad, but I know how terrible most reviewers are.
Dancemachine55
Tuesday, September 06, 2011 @ 10:05:38 PM
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After reading this and IGN's review of it, I am very VERY glad I held onto my preorder.
Now I just need to finish Resistance 2 and I can get started. This might take a while. :)
Lord carlos
Tuesday, September 06, 2011 @ 10:14:55 PM
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johnld
Wednesday, September 07, 2011 @ 1:09:52 AM
Nickjcal
Wednesday, September 07, 2011 @ 8:56:13 PM
WorldEndsWithMe
Tuesday, September 06, 2011 @ 10:32:51 PM
Reply
cLoudou
Tuesday, September 06, 2011 @ 10:53:47 PM
Temjin001
Wednesday, September 07, 2011 @ 12:37:53 AM
Beamboom
Wednesday, September 07, 2011 @ 2:51:02 AM
Alienange
Wednesday, September 07, 2011 @ 1:57:29 PM
DazeOfWar
Tuesday, September 06, 2011 @ 10:52:17 PM
Reply
Funny thing is I had this preordered at GS and ended up getting my money back to buy it at K-Mart since they were giving $20 gaming coupons for future purchase with purchase of R3. They are doing the same for Dead Island too so I'll be picking that up tomorrow. Then I can get the Team Ico collection for free.
The guy at GS didn't want to give me my money back. He almost pissed me off. He's lucky I like the other employees there and he's new so he doesn't know I'm in there all the time.
Temjin001
Wednesday, September 07, 2011 @ 12:58:34 AM
johnld
Wednesday, September 07, 2011 @ 1:12:21 AM
LimitedVertigo
Tuesday, September 06, 2011 @ 11:13:46 PM
Reply
I'm currently playing the new BloodRayne game and it's really fun. I suggest you give it a look Ben, its style reminds of SOTN though not nearly as amazing as that game but lets be honest it's hard to duplicate perfection.
WorldEndsWithMe
Tuesday, September 06, 2011 @ 11:25:08 PM
LimitedVertigo
Tuesday, September 06, 2011 @ 11:27:23 PM
bigrailer19
Tuesday, September 06, 2011 @ 11:58:43 PM
LimitedVertigo
Wednesday, September 07, 2011 @ 12:05:50 AM
bigrailer19
Wednesday, September 07, 2011 @ 12:23:08 AM
Ben Dutka PSXE [Administrator]
Wednesday, September 07, 2011 @ 12:50:35 AM
LimitedVertigo
Wednesday, September 07, 2011 @ 1:33:42 AM
WorldEndsWithMe
Wednesday, September 07, 2011 @ 9:15:02 AM
YesterdysRising
Tuesday, September 06, 2011 @ 11:55:10 PM
Reply
Gordo
Tuesday, September 06, 2011 @ 11:59:31 PM
LimitedVertigo
Wednesday, September 07, 2011 @ 12:06:28 AM
bigrailer19
Wednesday, September 07, 2011 @ 12:07:39 AM
YesterdysRising
Wednesday, September 07, 2011 @ 1:29:15 AM
LimitedVertigo
Wednesday, September 07, 2011 @ 1:35:58 AM
YesterdysRising
Wednesday, September 07, 2011 @ 1:49:29 AM
Jed
Wednesday, September 07, 2011 @ 2:12:00 AM
telly
Wednesday, September 07, 2011 @ 9:10:21 AM
Snorge
Wednesday, September 07, 2011 @ 2:25:04 PM
I have to say I REALLY feel your pain. That same thing happened to me almost 2 years ago too. I lived on the 2nd floor of an apt. They appearently climbed in my front window(Remember 2nd floor and daytime at that) and stole my PS3, all but 4 of my games, my 360 and all but 3-5 of those games some games were in a different room) TWO 32in HDtvs, my Wii and my all my controllers.
At that time I DIDNT have renters insurance (OUCH). Didnt have any PS3, 360, or Wii (mii) info saved so I lost all that too. I hurt......bad. I even had the serials and the original boxes for everything including the TVs. Police said I was ahead of the game but nothing came out of it.
Luckily someone was watching over me becuase I actually came across a broke PS3 that I fixed (That I still use to this day) Same with my 360 (I fix things for a side hustle) and my father went to a swap meet and found a working Wii for $15 (no cords or controllers but thats better than nothing) and now we have a 40in HDTV and a 60in 3D tv and couldn't be happier. So in the long run I bounced back better than ever, and Karma will indeed pay them folks back someway or another.
Best of luck to you man and thank the stars you had insurance!
Last edited by Snorge on 9/7/2011 2:27:12 PM
YesterdysRising
Wednesday, September 07, 2011 @ 10:48:28 PM
BikerSaint
Wednesday, September 07, 2011 @ 11:25:28 PM
Hate to hear that,
I remember reading once long ago of a guy who was able to track down his stolen PS3's location(like some smart phones), just by the thieves turning it on & playing it for a while.
I'm not sure if he had some special program installed or not, but maybe you can call Sony with your stolen PS3's serial number & PSN Id, & maybe they can send you any info when it gets turned on & played again.
It's worth a shot to try.
Ben Dutka PSXE [Administrator]
Wednesday, September 07, 2011 @ 12:57:48 AM
Reply
Everything before and after that is very special. Still, the Leapers remain the cheesiest and most frustrating enemies of all time.
johnld
Wednesday, September 07, 2011 @ 1:07:05 AM
Reply
Last edited by johnld on 9/7/2011 1:07:38 AM
LimitedVertigo
Wednesday, September 07, 2011 @ 1:37:55 AM
Fox hounder
Wednesday, September 07, 2011 @ 2:18:44 AM
Bloodysilence19
Wednesday, September 07, 2011 @ 4:13:44 AM
Ben Dutka PSXE [Administrator]
Wednesday, September 07, 2011 @ 10:15:07 AM
johnld
Wednesday, September 07, 2011 @ 3:29:02 PM
Jed
Wednesday, September 07, 2011 @ 2:08:19 AM
Reply
I'm so ready to RESIST!!!
gustave154
Wednesday, September 07, 2011 @ 4:39:32 AM
gustave154
Wednesday, September 07, 2011 @ 4:38:46 AM
Reply
___________
Wednesday, September 07, 2011 @ 5:21:33 AM
Reply
im really surprised though that GI, GG and AUG gave this a 7,6.5 and 6 respectively.
especially GG they were massive fans of resistance 2!
oh well, looks like the impossible has happened.
insomniac have finally made a bad game!
DNF finally came out, LA Noire finally came out, diablo 3 is coming out, and now this.
....... i thought the end of the world was not suppose to be till next year!
bigrailer19
Wednesday, September 07, 2011 @ 9:55:01 AM
maxpontiac
Wednesday, September 07, 2011 @ 10:59:38 AM
BIGRED15
Wednesday, September 07, 2011 @ 12:00:21 PM
johnld
Wednesday, September 07, 2011 @ 3:30:50 PM
Lairfan
Wednesday, September 07, 2011 @ 5:48:50 PM
Could ya please stop flamebaiting blankey? Its getting annoying trying to inject sense into you.
BikerSaint
Wednesday, September 07, 2011 @ 11:32:43 PM
___________
Thursday, September 08, 2011 @ 9:57:45 AM
do me a favour folks, if your not going to add something to the conversation then dont post at all!
last time i checked thats the textbook definition of troll.
O, and just think about it for a second.
what do DNF, LA Noire and diablo 3 have in common?
hell, i even freaking wrote it!
learn to read everything, not just the parts you want.
my lord, the reading comprehension skills of people here never ceases to amaze me!
Last edited by ___________ on 9/8/2011 10:00:30 AM
Excelsior1
Wednesday, September 07, 2011 @ 5:27:41 AM
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i think this a very good game and is much improved over the last game that i did not like that much, this might be the first fps i have actually had an emotional reaction to in terms of story.
i also think the multiplayer benefited from lowering the player count. the mp in r2 was a hectic mess and was poorly set up. the mp in this game is by no means stellar, but it is pretty good.
Beamboom
Wednesday, September 07, 2011 @ 6:02:38 AM
So far in 2011 on *any* platform (handhelds/pc/consoles) there's only 7 titles that's got a metascore of 90+, two of them being PS exclusives: LBP2 and MLB 11. So that conspiracy is hardly backed by facts. Actually the PS3 is doing pretty good this year - we got every reason to be pleased :)
(Source: Gamerankings com)
Last edited by Beamboom on 9/7/2011 6:19:18 AM
Ben Dutka PSXE [Administrator]
Wednesday, September 07, 2011 @ 10:18:30 AM
You also need to understand the concept of statistical outliers. Any source that scores significantly differently than others is tossed out in statistical comparisons; Game Informer and a few other sources wouldn't count. They're the ones bringing the average way down, which isn't indicative of the overall reception.
Last edited by Ben Dutka PSXE on 9/7/2011 10:19:05 AM
Beamboom
Wednesday, September 07, 2011 @ 10:55:06 AM
But there seem to be one wii exclusive (Xenoblade Chronicles) this year breaking the 90 barrier.
If we widen the scope to last 12 months the 90+ increases to 15 with one of them being a xbox exclusive (Halo: Reach) and that's it, the rest are multiplats (in addition to the mentioned titles of course).
Last edited by Beamboom on 9/7/2011 11:03:17 AM
Excelsior1
Wednesday, September 07, 2011 @ 7:57:48 AM
Reply
thanks for info. i can now dismiss my ps3 exclusive conspiracy theory. i agree that 80+ games are usually excellent. i guess 90+ games would be considered elite. i forgot about lbp2 but i could of swore i remembered it getting lower review scores than the first game.
i was hoping r3 might crack the 90+ metascore since i've read claims there is a strong correlation between 90+ rated game and sales. this game is a rare example of a fps with quality sp experince. that's somewhat a dying breed this gen. btw it is way more satisfying than kz3's sp campign. it deserves some sales.
Beamboom
Wednesday, September 07, 2011 @ 8:33:16 AM
bigrailer19
Wednesday, September 07, 2011 @ 9:51:42 AM
Beamboom
Wednesday, September 07, 2011 @ 10:34:05 AM
But I can't recall that I have ever played a fps as railed as kz3. Seriously. I probably have, but they are long forgotten.
To use two other fps I've beat this year as comparison: Both Fear 3 and Crysis 2 felt way, waaaay less railed than kz3. They are not even in the same railleague (cool word!): Much larger maps and a lot more exploration - there are no exploration at all to speak of in kz3.
One can of course argue that there are only one main path through the maps in those games too, but the experience is completely different.
Killzone was a pure shooting gallery, while in both Crysis and Fear I spent a lot of time just enjoying and exploring the maps. I love that :)
There are two quotes from Bens review that made me convinced I will rate this game much higher than kz3: "the R3 co-op is a huge plus" and "it also encourages exploration". SOLD! :)
Last edited by Beamboom on 9/7/2011 10:42:19 AM
SolidFantasy
Wednesday, September 07, 2011 @ 8:46:16 AM
Reply
telly
Wednesday, September 07, 2011 @ 9:08:32 AM
Reply
jimmyhandsome
Wednesday, September 07, 2011 @ 10:24:11 AM
Reply
Ben Dutka PSXE [Administrator]
Wednesday, September 07, 2011 @ 10:46:00 AM
jimmyhandsome
Wednesday, September 07, 2011 @ 1:33:18 PM
johnld
Wednesday, September 07, 2011 @ 3:33:40 PM
Snorge
Wednesday, September 07, 2011 @ 3:47:31 PM
BikerSaint
Wednesday, September 07, 2011 @ 11:46:13 PM
Just an FYI,
I just found this new Move gun that actually flex's.
And at $29.99, it's $10 cheaper than the Sharpshooter.
http://www.flex-fire.com/
Sorry, money's too tight right now & I can't get it(I do want it though), so I can't say how good it actually is
Last edited by BikerSaint on 9/7/2011 11:53:39 PM
Chamoru_Warrior
Wednesday, September 07, 2011 @ 11:06:07 AM
Reply
All this being said, Resistance 3 is one of the very best looking fps games I've ever seen this generation of consoles. It may only be sub-HD, but this was done with good purpose. R3 is using many advanced shading and shadow effects, SS ambient occlusion, environmental manipulation and destruction effects in real time that are on par with nvidia PHysx effects you see in demanding high end PC games. So it's no wonder they had to cut the native resolution for the sake of performance. Current gen consoles may be powerful in their own right but they are still only equal to outdated gaming PCs when it comes to their graphical limitations.
Having top notch special effects and graphical versatility all the while supporting online co-op campaign and motion control came at the cost of native resolution (as compared to Resistance 2's 1280x704 native resolution but zero motion controls, no co-op main campaign and inferior graphical effects) and that's something I can live with. While the difference is there, it pales in comparison to what matters most. Resistance 3, as you so astutely put it, is "oodles of fun."
Ben Dutka PSXE [Administrator]
Wednesday, September 07, 2011 @ 11:54:32 AM
Temjin001
Wednesday, September 07, 2011 @ 9:06:08 PM
Last edited by Temjin001 on 9/7/2011 9:09:29 PM
Chamoru_Warrior
Wednesday, September 07, 2011 @ 11:32:11 AM
Reply
Snorge
Wednesday, September 07, 2011 @ 3:54:27 PM
JackDillinger89
Wednesday, September 07, 2011 @ 12:18:09 PM
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Beamboom
Wednesday, September 07, 2011 @ 2:26:29 PM
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For me personally this is the first time I can honestly say that I think non ps3 owners are missing out on something unique. This is GOOD stuff. A great achievement by Insomniac.
Last edited by Beamboom on 9/7/2011 2:30:29 PM
aaronisbla
Wednesday, September 07, 2011 @ 3:29:50 PM
Reply
Lairfan
Wednesday, September 07, 2011 @ 5:58:16 PM
Reply
BigD0207
Wednesday, September 07, 2011 @ 10:54:26 PM
Reply
bobbyb
Thursday, September 22, 2011 @ 12:04:48 PM
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individual11
Monday, October 10, 2011 @ 7:08:33 PM
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What a horrid finish to a fantastic series. I am seriously considering never buying Insomniac titles again; I am so angry about wasting 60 dollars on this absolute piece of garbage. Sony you need to reign in your developers and get ahold of this. What a sad, wasted effort.











PasteNuggs
Reply
Tuesday, September 06, 2011 @ 8:39:55 PM
You brought the explosiveness of R3 into your review. It was very easy to tell how much you love it.
I just started. I'm on chapter 3 and yes it is awesome. It's so great firing the Bullseye again and just being back in the Resistance universe.
Also, I agree on the ladders, I mean wow, are your arms like six inches long or something and your elbows can't leave your sides.