This week, the Bargain Bin is going PlayStation 3 exclusive, bitches. That’s right, we are venturing into the alternative timeline universe, where the Russians fucked up, and all of Europe has been destroyed by the Chimera. Resistance: Fall of Man was developed by Insomniac Games, published by Sony Computer Entertainment and released in late 2006. It was the must own launch title back then and won numerous awards for PlayStation 3 Game of the Year. Sales were great, but many eventual purchasers of the PlayStation 3 may have missed out on a great title. In the following year, Resistance was near the top of the charts for game sales on the PlayStation 3 platform, and earned itself among the first batch of PS3 Greatest Hits titles. The game has aged, as all games do, yet the experience is great, the gameplay is excellent, and for the prices you can find this game for, it is simply a must buy for PS3 owners everywhere.
The Story
You begin the game in 1945, as an American Soldier named Nathan Hale. The soft voice of a woman tells you of the outbreak of the Chimera, an alien race that has quickly taken over most of Europe. After the Chimera spread across Russia and into western Europe, the dug through the channel, making their way to England. This is where the story of Resistance: Fall of Man takes place. American troops are sent into England to help with support. In exchange for our troops, weapons and tanks, the Brits promised to give us something that was beyond our creative abilities. Of course you won’t find out what the details of the exchange until later. From there, you are taken on a ride throughout the English countryside, smashing Chimera and taking all their swag. The game plays solely in the first person perspective, except for the few times you operate vehicles such as tanks.
The Gameplay
The gameplay in Resistance: Fall of Man is some of the smoothest you will ever see. The aiming mechanic is spot on, and strafing through the world seems as crisp as possible. The game features the basic story mode, as well as both cooperative play and versus multiplayer. The online versus multiplayer obviously wont garner the same amount of fun as it once had, due to the lack of players available to play with. But if you can find those players out there, you can still create clans and custom games. As of December 2008, both of the downloadable map packs for Resistance: Fall of Man were offered for free as a holiday gift from Insomniac Games in anticipation for Resistance 2, so what little experience you can have with the versus multiplayer has now been expanded free of charge.
Audio/Visual
When comparing the game to recently released titles, you can clearly tell that Resistance: Fall of Man has aged. The graphics are good, no doubt, but they are nothing compared to the likes of Resistance 3. The audio in the game seems a tad bland. It doesn’t do a great job of trying to get you into the story or the battle. It just seems like randomly generated English phrases muttered by your fellow soldiers, or insults slurred in you direction from the attacking Chimera. This is all to be expected of course as Resistance was a launch title for the PlayStation 3 and is nearly six years old.
The Verdict
Although the game appears to have aged a bit, and does not offer trophy support, it is still a great buy. You can easily find the game in the used section of your local retailer, and if not, can find it very quickly online. You can still buy new copies of the game for pretty cheap, since it was released as a PS3 Greatest Hit, but for the prices you can find them at used, it is recommended that you take that route. All in all, Resistance: Fall of Man is a great game. It has smooth controls that any first person shooter (FPS) fan can appreciate and it has a variety of multiplayer modes. You can find Resistance: Fall of Man at the following locations, online prices do not include shipping and handling.
- GameStop – Used in-store or online for $4.99. $4.50 if you are a Pro Member.
- Best Buy - Used online for $9.99.
- Wal-Mart - New for $25.55, available online only.
- New Egg - New for $27.99.
- Amazon.com - New starting at $16.91. Used starting at $2.75.