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>> Resistance is futile

by ERIK LEIJON

I fought the temptation to sell my work-ordered PS3 on eBay long enough over the break to delve into Resistance: Fall of Man (PS3/SCEA, Insomniac), the latest in Sony’s never-ending quest to usurp Halo as the predominant FPS for consoles. Known primarily for the Ratchet and Clank series, Insomniac Games has presented the perfect, sleek launch title that on the surface is a glossy glimpse into the PS3’s bright future. After actually sitting down and playing it, though, the sheen dulls somewhat and Resistance is exposed as being a merely serviceable shooter. Good enough to play if you have a PS3, not worth getting a PS3 for. It was actually Microsoft that surpassed their own mighty Halo last November, when Gears of War became the most played online game, finally ending Halo 2 multi-year dominance. Sony, which has been trying for years to convince you that Killzone, Timesplitters, Red Faction and a few less lustrous third party FPSs were worth your undivided attention, finally has the technological advantage that prevented the PS2 from going toe-to-toe with the Xbox. Insomniac have been doing their homework, and have included elements from Gears of War, in addition to some obvious Halo references.

Visually, Resistance is a hybrid between WWII shooters like Brothers in Arms and Call of Duty with alien sci-fi shooters (especially Prey). In an alternate universe, the pre-WWII Ruskies developed a megavirus that invaded all of continental Europe. The game is set in England, where humans battle it out with people/monsters afflicted by the virus, even though the baddies and their hyperbaric cocoons look more like aliens than infected humans. The game alternates between large open-ended areas, littered with dozens of friends and foes, and tight hallways where well-hidden enemies have the upper hand.

The control scheme is traditional, but with a few quirks. Similar to sniper-mode, pressing down the right analog will centre the gun on the screen and allow for easier aiming. You can walk in this mode and can even play exclusively with that view, but it’s better to alternate between it and regular-view frequently. Pressing L1 activates your gun’s second function. A particularly cool function creates a protective barrier that you can shoot through but your enemy cannot. Just as Halo reinvented grenade use with a simple control scheme, Resistance may have done the same with secondary functions.

The main problem with Resistance is that it is so by-the-book, it feels like many other FPSs you’ve played before. The best moments are the large, chaotic battles with countless characters and fully destructible environments. The online multiplayer is very basic and gamers can connect and get into ranked games in seconds. The typical multiplayer modes are present, and there’s a co-op split-screen mission-mode, which is no different from single-player. Resistance is an ideal launch title, but it really doesn’t exceed expectations in any way.

Cars and Drivers

A free demo of Gran Turismo HD on the PS3 was released on Christmas Eve, and it goes without saying that PS3 owners would be wise to download it. In addition to proving the Playstation Store can finally bring Sony on par with Xbox Live’s available content, GTHD has 10 licensed cars (including one rally car) and a nice looking course in the Alps that can be raced in both directions. The only modes are time-trial and drift-mode (which you unlock after beating the time trial with all 10 cars) but all your times are instantly uploaded into the overall rankings.

The full GTHD has been cancelled, but Polyphony Digital is working on GT5.