Resistance: Fall of Man

Back in 2006 the PS3 was launched and with it came one of the best launch titles any platform has ever received. Fall of Man was not only a Critical but also a Commercial success becoming the first PS3 game to sell over 1 million units. Some may ask “Why such an odd time for a review?” It just so happens that we find this the perfect time. With Resistance 3 finally announced, it only seemed obvious to take a look back at the franchise and see what was wrong, what was great, and what made this one of the PS’s best IP’s.

Story

Resistance: Fall of Man takes place in 1951 over a span of a couple days. The world created is an alternate-history. After World War I the world remained peaceful, no more World War II or the Holocaust. Instead the Chimera happened, a race of alien like creatures that quickly took over Russia, mainland Europe, and are in the process of capturing England. This is where the player comes in as Army Ranger Sergeant Nathan Hale who is sent in with an American Force to supply the British. Little do they know that they’ve walked into a nightmare with Hale somehow having semi-immunity to the Chimeran virus.

Resistance: Fall of Man isn’t like most other shooters nowadays. The game truly puts in its best efforts to tell a fantastic story. These are conveyed strongly through slideshow-esque cutscenes narrated in third person by Rachael Parker, a key character in the game. These cutscenes are excellent drivers in the plot as they keep it interesting. Information is conveyed to us in a very historical way that just makes it feel fresh from all games on the market.

In terms of characters, there are really only three. Nathan Hale of U.S. Army Rangers is the protagonist and only has three lines. Rachael Parker, head of British Intelligence who also narrates the story to us during all cutscenes. Finally there’s Stephen Cartwright, a Lieutenant in the British Royal Navy. Cartwright lends some comic relief to the plot with his British banter while Parker helps to create the tone of the game. While both are very much appreciated, you never really see either of them much in the game (Parker does narrate a lot but barely seen in person). This is a real shame because Cartwright is easily one of the most likeable NPCs in recent FPS memory.

The show-stealers however are the Chimera. The brilliance of the Chimera is based in their story. Mysteriously they enter and mysterious they still are. A brilliant stroke in the story is just how the Chimera and their processes are revealed as the game progresses. It really sinks into you and the curiosity it brings just begs for more information. Chimera are the perfect villains. They’re story is brilliant, and even though we are left with more questions than answers, they are still fascinating.

The story isn’t without its faults though. There are quite a few pacing issues within the story. Sometimes it can really drag on due to little exposition in between certain missions. There is also the blaring fact that so many questions were created at the end rather than getting answers. Plenty of plot-holes pop up due to this, with some of them being a little bit alarming.

Resistance manages to do the seemingly impossible in FPS games nowadays. No, it’s not perfect, but it manages to engage the player in ways many games just can’t with their single-player campaigns. A great story is present with a truly mysterious villain that will make players want to play the next games just to learn more.

Score: 8/10

Design

Fall of Man features intense shoot-outs in locations all over England. Every locale is detailed to perfection; England looks completely realistic with actual buildings and architecture. Manchester Cathedral was so realistic that Sony and Insomniac actually got sued because of it. Some of these locations, such as Manchester and Nottingham feature huge scale battles that really put into perspective just how powerful the Chimera are and how weak the humans are. Other areas like Cheshire and London feature more enclosed areas that put your wits on end as you try to survive in the dark. Intense vehicle sections also appear putting you in command of a tank, an unstoppable jeep, and a Chimeran stalker. These sections are very fun as you roll over Chimera and send them flying with explosive rounds, though some of the controls do feel a little loose.

The game features plenty of unlockable goodies to keep players coming back for more. Intel within the game details much of the background story and also provides more details about the Chimera and the mysterious Cloven. While trophies didn’t materialize on the PS3 until the later half of 2008, Insomniac created achievements within the game that unlock other things such as filters, textures and so on. It also helps that the campaign is very meaty, clocking in at around 10 hours, plus it can be played in Split-screen co-op with a buddy. Finally there are also weapons that can only be unlocked once the game has been beaten. Of course then you have to add in the fantastic multiplayer that will add hours upon hours onto the already healthy dose of playtime.

Chimera are very formidable. Unfortunately you’ll mostly just face hybrids, the most human-like of the bunch. Hybrids come in different flavors with some having more armor and a different gun. More interesting Chimera like the leapers and Angels don’t come around too often, but when they do you know they mean business, as they require more strategy. That is quite a problem with Fall of Man. At times it can feel that there isn’t much variety in the enemies with the Hybrids just being so similar. It’s a good thing though that you can tackle the Hybrids in many different ways. The level variety is what keeps things fresh and moving.

Score: 9/10

Gameplay

Fun, fast, and intense are the descriptions for Fall of Man. Unlike many modern shooters, Fall of Man doesn’t rely on the recharging health and aiming down the sights. Instead it goes for a run and gun approach. Health is allotted to a 4-area health bar. Hale can heal one area provided that area hasn’t been fully picked off. Health Packs are available, though become sparser once Hale becomes infected.

Insomniac Games once again manages to outdo themselves in terms of weapons. Ratchet and Clank showed their ability to invent ways to destruct and Fall of Man takes it a step forward. Every weapon in here is unique with an interesting second function. The Bullseye allows you to place a laser homing tag on an enemy and have every bullet fly off towards them. The Auger allows its ammo to burrow through walls to hit enemies without you ever having to see them. Hedgehog Grenades erupt in spikes that shoot out in all directions. The weapon list is just huge and so fantastic that it’s a joy to use each weapon. It is a pity that some of the more interesting weapons have such sparse ammo. Though the standard automatic weapons (Carbine and Bullseye) pack a heavy punch that still makes them exhilarating to play with.

As a launch title, the game had to show off what the PS3 could do, even if it was something bad. The Sixaxis controls make an appearance within the title, thankfully not much. Certain Chimera can latch onto your “face” which requires a shake of the controller to knock them off. These scenes are mostly comical due to some poor animations and the fact that the Sixaxis controls just aren’t very precise.

It’s clear that this game is addicting, why else would the game still be one of the more popular PS3 titles. Most 2006 games have been dumped with many servers offline. Fall of Man still manages to draw in a giant audience because it is fun.

Score: 10/10

Multiplayer

Resistance: Fall of Man shipped with a very impressive multiplayer mode that still remains unique even today among other titles. While the 360 had to wait a couple a months to get its first online hit, the PS3 received its on day one.

What made the online unique? Mostly everything. Players are split into two teams, the humans and the Chimera. Both factions were distinguished from each other in that they both possessed different abilities that suited them. Humans could sprint and had access to a radar that pinpoints where the enemy is. The Chimera have a Rage meter that increases damage they deal and their own speed, however left on too long and it will damage them. This uniqueness given to both factions adds a different sense of strategy to how the multiplayer is tackled. Humans require more of a team-based play style while the Chimera work more as a one-man-army.

Fall of Man splits players into two 20-player teams. A maximum of 40 players provides some intense firefights with even smaller counts providing an intense experience thanks to some smartly designed maps. The game never feels crowded or over-populated. Lag never becomes a problem even with all the effects going off and 40 crazy people running around. Balance also never becomes a problem. The weaker guns have more ammo and are spaced around while the more powerful guns are limited in terms of ammo and location.

It is fun and people still play the game online. Fall of Man just does what few games nowadays do. It is fast, balanced, lag-free, and not aggravating.

Score: 9/10

Presentation

Fall of Man set the standard for all PS3 games to follow. The game was advertised with graphics that screamed reality. It really had a lot to live up to. Did it live up to it? Why yes it did.

Sprawling wreckage from the Chimeran War on England littered the streets in striking reality. Destroyed England had never looked so good. While it is true that not much color palette is shown, what is shown works well in setting an excellent atmosphere of lost hope. Areas such as the Manchester Cathedral, which were created from pictures and schematics of the actual buildings, look absolutely fantastic and photo-realistic.

Chimera textures and models look realistic and horrifying. Their size and looks are enough to strike nightmares into the hearts of young children. Humans aren’t so lucky. Some of the human textures look flat and contain little detail with a lot of textures repeating. The same goes for the models, which look less then spectacular and repeat.

Animations in the game struggle. It’s quite easy to see that the game was not motion captured. In-game cutscenes look a little awkward at times with some weird facial animations. Characters look stiff and some don’t even move at all.

Resistance: Fall of Man features some amazing sounds. The soundtrack may not be that big, but what is in there is a fantastic score that raises emotions when needed. Sounds for the Chimera, guns, and voice acting are excellent. The guns pack a serious punch, the Chimera are scary, and the voice-acting works without getting in the way.

Score: 8/10

Final Thoughts

Fall of Man was and still is a fantastic title that every PS3 owner needs to own. The game still manages to feel relevant in today’s market and with Resistance 3 on the way, you’re going to want to know the whole story. Out of the 3 games out on the market right now, Fall of Man lands in 2nd place.