Never underestimate humanity's will to survive
What better way to introduce a new console than with a new franchise? Resistance: Fall of Man is the first entry in the Resistance series and was a launch title for the PlayStation 3. It boasts the first serial number on the spine of the case, BCES-00001, which led me to think it was the first to enter the system of registered games, at least outside of Japan. The developer, Insomniac Games, is well known for the Spyro and Ratchet and Clank series and Resistance marked a big tonal shift from their recent titles.
The game creates an alternate timeline branching off in the early 1900s. We are led to believe a virus started spreading in Russia turning people into Alien-like creatures called Chimera, creatures with far too many eyes and far too many pointy teeth. This threat slowly bubbled until 1950 when the Chimera swept across Europe finally burrowing beneath the English Channel to make it to Great Britain (Sadly, they weren’t able to take the Channel Tunnel Train yet as it wasn’t due to be built for another 40 years). Fortunately the Americans decided to come over to save the Brits and Europe from the Chimerian threat and we find ourselves in control of Nathan Hale, a US Soldier.
With no re-release, remaster or even a port, Resistance: Fall of Man remains trapped on the PlayStation 3.
The gameplay is a typical FPS of that era. The chimera come in a few different varieties requiring different guns and tactics to defeat. Like most early PlayStation 3 titles, efforts were made to find a use for the controllers’ SixAxis function. Some of the Chimera like to sneak up on you and cling hold making you shake the controller to get them off. It’s certainly not the worst offender in the list of SixAxis integration but it’s not great either. There are a few horror-esq like moments such as navigating small dark places while being attacked by giant spider-like creatures that might deter some players.
Human Weapons
Carbine
This is your basic standard issue rifle. Fires slow but a reliable weapon.
Rossmore Shotgun
The shotgun is great for close range and packs a punch.
Dragon Flamethrower
Now we are having some serious fun. Set the world on fire with this weapon. It's secondary fire lets you expel a cloud of gas to build up for an explosion.
LAARK Rocket Launcher
This is an extremely powerful weapon but comes with limited ammo. You are most likely to pick it up in a boss or vehicle fight and do some serious damage.
Chimera Weapons
Bullseye
Not a very powerful weapon but it fires a shed load of plasma rounds very quickly.
Arc Charger
This curious weapon fires electricity surges but its effectiveness comes when you can chain that electricity to multiple enemies. Not my favourite to use.
Reaper
Dual weilding is always fun. Primary fire and alternate fire are just split between the guns meaning you have full control over your dual weapon weilding!
Auger Rifle
This Chimeran rifle is very powerful and can even fire rounds that penetrate through surfaces.
The developers Insomniac found themselves in hot water with the Church of England, who didn’t take too kindly to the replication of the Manchester Cathedral created in the game. The Church claimed it infringed on their copyright and that it was not appropriate for one of their churches to be associated with gun violence as it claimed Manchester was known for gun related crimes at the time.
Does the game hold up over time? Well it certainly isn’t the most visually dramatic PlayStation 3 game out there. The textures and models look a bit soft but the environments are well constructed and you certainly feel like you are in parts of England. I would assume given this is one of (if not possibly) the first games for the system there were no tools, no examples to copy from, and with a notoriously difficult architecture to work with, they probably struggled to get more from the game graphically. To me the game suffers on its presumably intentional choice of being very beige, the buildings are beige, the HUD elements are beige, the Chimera are beige. It helps fit with the feeling of despair of humanity’s last ditch attempt to subdue the Chimera but it also makes the game a bit of a blur masking some of the stand out moments. The story is pretty interesting and well told with enough unexpected twists and turns to keep it interesting. Coming in at around 5-8 hours for the campaign it is an absolute must play for PlayStation 3 fans as it is such an important title.