$20 Game of the Week: Resistance – Fall of Man (PS3)

Regardless of what anyone says, the Playstation 3 (along with its competition the Wii and the Xbox 360) is a very good system, and anyone who says that Sony, Nintendo, or Microsoft is dying anytime soon is an idiot. However, the problem with the system is is that when it was first released, there were hardly any games available for it. Scratch that, there were plenty of good games, but they were already available for Xbox 360, and in many cases, they had been available for the better part of the year prior to the system’s release. Even with new features, people weren’t exactly rushing out to pay $500 – $600 just to play a new version of Fight Night or Marvel Ultimate Alliance when they could already play them on Xbox 360, and the few exclusives that the PS3 had at system launch weren’t exactly anything to write home about. However, is there was one game that was worth the price of the new system, it’s this FPS classic from Insomniac. In fact, this game along almost makes it mandatory to own a PS3.

Resistance: Fall of Man takes place in an alternate reality 1951 where WWII never happened, which means no Hitler, Pearl Harbor, or Third Reich. However, that isn’t a good thing. For the past few decades, Earth has been ravaged by something much worse. An alien species known as the Chimera have invaded Earth. They have the ability to assimilate members of other races, absorbing their knowledge and abilities (keep this in mind, as it explains how the aliens became so adept at using Earth’s military tactics and weaponry). They have already taken over most of Asia, and Europe is steadily losing ground. You play as Nathan Hale, a U.S. soldier sent to assist the British. There is something odd about him that allows him to resist the Chimera’s conversion procedure.

In any FPS first person shooter game, the weapons make the game, and Resistance doesn’t disappoint. Resistance contains some of the coolest weaponry in the FPS genre. Along with the usual shotguns and machine guns, you have access to the Chimera’s weaponry. The bullseye gun allows you to attach a tag to an enemy, allowing shots to home in on them, with shots even traveling around corners. The auger can either fire shields, or better yet travel through walls to hit targets. These weapons change up the tactics players normally use, be it in single or multplayer. The multiplayer isn’t bad either. You have a choice of playing as either a soldier or a Chimera, both with their own perks and disadvantages.

Resistance is an action packed experience from one minute to the next, and I’m willing to go as far and say that it’s Sony’s equivalent to Halo. The brownish hue as well as the music makes the game feel like one of those old time war movies, except instead of fighting Nazis, you’re fighting against aliens. A sequel is out in stores now, so if you haven’t played the original, now is a good time to do so.