#101 Resistance: Fall of Man



Game Info               

Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment America               
Developer: Insomniac Games
Platform:  PS3               
Genre(s): First-Person Shooter               
Players: 40               
ESRB Rating: M (Mature)               
Release Date: November 17, 2006

Intro:  
Players begin by learning the history of the war and the backstory of the Chimera.  The timeline is set as July 11th through July 14, 1951 and we learn that we will be following the background of Nathan Hale as we travel through this historical event.  

Getting Going:
Players may choose between three modes:  Campaign, Co-Op, or Multiplayer.  The date is July 11, 1951.  Players begin at Operation Deliverance running “The Gauntlet” in York, England.  The whole game has a very World War II feel to it.  There is a small element of confusion as you run around being told what to do by other NPC’s, but this is common in war games and adds to the “chaos of war” feel to the game.

Fun:
It’s odd, sometimes, that “Fun” comes before other elements on the DP Challenge list.  This is one of those times.  Resistance: Fall of Man is well-themed and everything from the environmental art to the sound design and storyline work together to create an engrossing game.  If, however, a war game isn’t your thing and you don’t like first-person shooters, it won’t be fun.  Perhaps I should clarify the first statement.  It’s odd, sometimes, that “Fun” is on the list of design elements in the DP Challenge.  While it is certainly an important aspect of any game, it’s subjective.  

Visuals:
The “Save” icon is a folder with a controller cut-out on it.  It’s a bit out of place and doesn’t fit the rest of a very well-themed game.  The distinctive look of the Chimerans distinguish them easily from humans, making them easy to spot.  Visuals include blood left behind and bullet holes in the windows, along with the accompanying cracks.  Documents are typed and have an old, tea-stained look to them, in keeping with the early 1950’s theme.  Everything is sort of a grayish-brown color that is so familiar to war games in general and historically-based games specifically.  All-in-all, the theme fits the game and story extremely well.  

Sound:  
Resistance: Fall of Man is narrated very clearly by an unidentified female voice.  The Chimerans also make a unique sound.  Sometimes they make themselves known, but sometimes they don’t.  Chimeran weapons sound different than the weapons of the humans and, of course, war sounds fill the ears of the players as they play.  

Intelligence:
Chimerans lie in wait.  They also come out in specific places and are impossible to bypass.  They have a one-hit kill if you get too close.  If you get pistol-whipped, you’re dead in one hit.  If you hit them, they also die in one hit, but a tie equals a death for both.  Chimeran weapons don’t seem to work as well against Chimerans, which goes to intelligence because weapons have different attributes besides looks and sound.  

Immersion:
Most of the game is so well-themed that players will genuinely feel the historical aspect of the game.  Playing a narrated game, however, does remind you that you are unfolding someone else’s story, that it has already happened, and that, although this is a first-person shooter, you are not really Nathan Hale.  Therefore, while Resistance: Fall of Man succeeds in being absorbing, it’s not a truly immersive game.

Rewards and Punishments:
.There are no health kits in the first mission but, once you get to the second mission, new creatures, called Leapers, will be introduced.  Killing them will result in dropped health.  Death takes you back to your last checkpoint.  Anything obtained during the run prior to death will be lost except for un-lock items such as documents.  It is a bit odd to have a save that doesn’t save new weapons and ammo, as well, but it’s the price you pay for dying.  There are plenty of new weapons and plenty of ammo to pick up throughout the environment which should keep Nathan, and the player, moving steadily through the game.  

Camera:
R3 zooms the camera in for targeting and allows the ability to shoot through very small holes in cover, such as the space between tires.  The camera controls easily, giving the player any views needed to spot the enemy.  However, it’s almost impossible to peek around a corner safely instead of exposing yourself to gunfire.  

Controls:
The tank doesn’t steer very well, but the majority of the controls are simple.  They’re easy to learn and easy to use in the heat of battle.  

Ideas:
Resistance: Fall of Man was a launch title for the PS3 and a breakout title for Insomniac.  Most of their games up to this point had been family-based games such as Spyro and the Ratchet and Clank franchise.  Even so, this departure into new IP worked well for them and they used their theme talents and art abilities to create a game with true grit.  It was a bold move and a brave statement for them.  So it is that, the main idea I take away from Resistance: Fall of Man is to draw from what you know to expand into new areas.  Resistance falls short of immersion simply because of the narration.  If the player had “been” Nathan Hale, it would have succeeded with little difference in play.  However, in using narration, they managed to keep cut-scenes to a minimum, which creates more immersive play.  Playing this also made me wonder: What would it be like to be Ratchet?  What would happen if Ratchet and Clank were a first-person shooter?

Memory:
I said in “Fun” that it’s not fun if you don’t like war games or first-person shooters.  I actually enjoy first-person shooters and I was interested enough in the story to want to play despite the fact that it’s a war game.  In the end, though, that wasn’t enough to make me want to keep playing.  Also, although this makes the list at #101, I played it so I reviewed it since something else may be so rare as to fall off of my list completely.