Resistance: Fall of Man (PS3) Review
Posted by David Redkey on 12.29.2006
Insomniac shows us a world where WW2 was only a pipe dream and something far sinister stirs.
What is it like to look in the mirror and see the enemy staring right at you? How does it feel knowing full well that each moment, each second that passes leaves a little bit of your humanity behind? What would you do? Would you run away? Would you end it all? Or would you be like Sergeant Hale and go out there and get the job done? Would one man offer resistance or will this be the Fall of Man?
Resistance: Fall of Man is the newest game from Insomniac Games. It’s the first FPS shooter from the company since 1997’s Disruptor. Since that time, Insomniac created Spyro and Ratchet and Clank series. Can almost a decade away from FPS cause a let down of epic proportions? Can R: FoM live up to the hype? Read on to find out!
America, (FUCK YEAH!)
Coming again, to save the motherfucking day, yeah!
Graphics
In one word: Progressive Beautiful.
R: FoM is just a very pretty game and exudes creepiness everywhere. Insomniac went to great lengths to show off the power of the Cell (and what games look like when Sony provides the tools to utilize the Cell). The models are great and you can really see the detail in everything. Take the games representation of glass for example, shooting a window allows it to act the same as real world. A shot may pass through the window with out shatter the surrounding glass or chucks of glass may fall off. No two panes of glass will react the same way. The fine details don’t stop there. The tubes on your Chimera enemies can be severed by bullets and the gasses they transport will hiss out. AWESOME.
Black leather=Sexy and Dangerous
Details like that would make you think that the game would stutter along? That couldn’t be further from the truth. The game engine is locked in at a healthy 30 fps. Even when the things get uber-hectic, you’d be hard pressed to find any slow down. The engine is very solid and conveys what it needs to. I give kudos to Insomniac for getting everything to run in a stable manner. The only strike is some clipping errors.
At first, it may seem like any other WW2 game with weapons. This will change very quickly. As the player progresses through the story, the graphics and art style begin to take on a more alien and other-worldly quality. I can really see the influence from the original designs of the game (back when it was called I-8). The locales become more alien and foreign. People who dismiss the game as WW2 with aliens have short-changed themselves and have experienced the full game.
For some reason, flash backs of prom night keep creeping back...hmmm
Gameplay
At first glance, R: FoM looks like Call of Duty with aliens. Playing a few minutes will show that its more akin to Half-Life 2 crossed with Ratchet and Clank (more on that later). The reason for this comparison is because the game has the same desolate atmosphere as Half-life. The gameplay is typical FPS through and through. You go from point “A” to point “B” killing everything in sight. The A.I. holds up well and the difficulty progresses nicely as the game goes along. The health system is similar to Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay. The character gets 4 health boxes that represent health. As the player is damaged, one of the boxes will get shorter until it becomes depleted. Depleted boxes must be replenished with health packs but if a box isn’t depleted, the box will regenerate (hence the similarities to Chronicles of Riddick). The campaign clocks in at anywhere from 10-16 hours depending on skill level and is moved along by a fairly tight story.
All things considered, the weapons are really the stars of the show (hence the Ratchet and Clank reference). Most of the 16 weapons, in total, have both a primary and secondary fire option. The Bull’s-eye, for example, allows you to mark enemies with a tracer and the rounds will “home-in” on the poor bastard. My favorite weapons, by far, is the Auger and the Hedgehog grenade. The Auger fires special rounds that pass through objects (the ripple effect before the round emerges is quite cool) and has a shield that protects you from everything but Auger rounds. The Hedgehog grenade, upon release, will land on the ground then levitate and explode. The subsequent explosion releases quills throughout the room. All and all, the weapsons are very cool, and you'll have a blast just using them.
Multiplayer is another aspect of this game that is awesome. There is an offline co-op campaign (no online support) and there is the online multiplayer. Online supports up to 40 players and each person can choose to be human or Chimera. Humans have the ability to use radar and a sprint button and Chimera have Rage mode which lets them see through walls and deal out more damage. The usual gamemodes are here as well: Capture the flag, deathmatch, and team deathmatch. There is also Meltdown, Breach, and Conversion for players to try their hands at. Meltdown plays like a form of siege mode but instead of capturing spawn points by staying in an area, the enemy must destroy nodes that allow a team to capture a spawn point. Conversion is like deathmatch with a twist. Everyone starts out as a human being. When a player dies, he or she will come back as a Chimera soldier. If they die again, they’ll switch to spectator mode ‘til the end of the round. Breach is a variation of Meltdown that is played on the largest map in the game. Players must capture nodes to allow them to attack the main reactor to win. Insomniac also throws in a ranking system and achievements that can be unlocked (since Sony doesn’t support a universal system akin to X-box live. It’s going to be on a game by game basis. Also, unlocking points actually mean something. Art work and other goodies can be unlocked).
The bigger they are...the more ammo it takes for them to go BOOOOM!
What can be viewed as a downside to this game is that it doesn’t do anything new. It’s a well put together game with an excellent story, but there isn’t a hook that really sets it apart besides the weapons. Even then, each weapon has been represented countless times (besides a few secondary functions and the hedgehog grenade). Much like the Halo series and Gears of War, it’s a sense of: “been there, done that.”
"I'll love 'im, and squeeze 'im, and I'll call 'im George"
Sound
The music sets the atmosphere perfectly. Combined with the desolate and war torn locales, the music sets the mood of dread and desperation that is akin to Half-Life 2. The music is a perfect mood setter (never instrusive or overblown). The voice acting is done very well and really adds to the experience over all. Some of the voice actors sound vaguely familiar, like the Phil Hartman-clone that voices your C.O. during the beginning of the game.
Lasting Appeal
This game has some serious legs to it. Co-op is excellent and the multiplayer is even better. Insomniac stated that they will provide upgrades to the game as well and new content (I can't wait!). If they play there cards right, this will be the online experience that sets the standards for the PS3. The only problem with online right now is that no one really communicates online. It creates a sense of playing a bunch of bots online.
"THIS IS MY BOOM-STICK!"
Fun Factor
One thing this game, above all else, is fun. Seriously, I spent so much time trying to mess around with the different weapons. I love seeing how each one is used and what they will do. Not every weapon is effective in taking out the enemy but it is sure as hell fun to try. In addition, the story line is very riveting. As opposed to no story (Gears of War) or too much story (Metal Gear Solid) forced upon the player, the developers went with a Metroid Prime-type story telling. I love it! The story feels very organic in the way that you decide how much of the story you’re going to experience. The basic storyline follows Sergeant Hale’s over three days and goes across various locales, but the deeper aspects of the story come from the Intel reports. These (sometimes difficult to find) reports really flesh out the bigger picture and what’s going on.
"Damnit, I missed!"
The 411
Initially, this game felt like Call of Duty, but as I progressed through the game, I found that there was substantially more. The game plays it by the numbers in many ways but its very polished and fun. The multiplayer will keep you occupied for months. Any PS3 owner will do themselves a disservice by not picking up this game.
Graphics
9.0
The models are great and the level of detail is awesome. Some Clipping errors knock this down a bit.
Gameplay
9.5
Doesn't re-invent the wheel, but it doesn't have too. This game is spit polished to shine like no-other.
Sound
10.0
From music to voice work, this is a treat to your ears.
Lasting Appeal
9.5
The single player game gives you 10-16 hours of enjoyment. Multiplayer is excellent and a player can unlock weapons, art work, or even more of the story on muliple playthroughs.
Fun Factor
10.0
Weapons are a joy and blasting people online can be orgasmic at times!
