Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Developer: Insomniac Games
Genre: First-Person Shooter
Number of Players: 1-40
Release Date: November 17th, 2006
Official Website: Here
Gallery: Can be found here. 

Insomniac’s Resistance: Fall of Man is set in an alternate universe. The year is 1951, just a few years after what would have been WWII. You take the role of Sgt. Nathan Hale, a descendant of our universe’s Revolutionary War hero and spy Colonel Nathan Hale. History buffs will remember the immortal words, “I only regret I have but one life to lose for my country.” In R:FoM Nathan Hale teams up with the very country that sentenced his ancestor to death.

Stunning graphics display the strength of the Playstation 3

R:FoM is not looking to bring some new theme or genre to the market. The goal here is to take FPS to a new level, as Insomniac head Ted Price states, “This game is about four things: immersion, believability, creepiness, and fun.” Since the game is set in an alternate universe battling Chimeras (a mythological creature that is a combination of a goat, a snake, a dragon and a lion), Insomniac is being tight-lipped if they are aliens or something else; so, believability might be a stretch.

Even though the game takes place in 1951, the beginning of the mystery goes back to the early 1930s. Russia had shut their borders off from the rest of the world. What happened during that time are mere rumors and speculations. One theory is that an alien race set up shop and started experimenting on the citizens of Russia. Another theory is exactly as the name Chimera implies, the crossing of humans and something else. Either way the end result was the same, another species (alien or human cross-breeding) is on the path to world domination. The US and UK take the last stand in Europe.

Enter Sgt. Nathan Hale. The progression of the story is told by the research of a historian by the name of Rachel Parker. She tells us how Hale’s platoon is hit by the Chimeran force and left to die, or infected with a virus. Hale is the only one from his team to walk away unharmed, or so it appears. The actual game play takes place during his last four days, July 11th to the 14th.

Besides going it alone in single-player mode, R:FoM comes with multi-player as well. Since Insomniac still has time before the release, very little information has been leaked, and they are working to fine tune every detail. Multi-player will allow up to 40 people in a game. There are several modes, one of which is called meltdown. The object is similar to capture the flag. The goal is to take out your opponent’s base while protecting your own. You will be given up to five upgrades during the online battles. They start from a minor upgrade, to the final upgrade which armors up the core of your base, making it invulnerable to attack. Another feature that will keep you coming back for online play is the ability to play as Chimeran soldiers with unique abilities and weapons.

It is not hard to predict that R:FoM could be the measuring stick for PS3 launch titles. Remember, this is a very high-profile game coming from one of Sony’s most award-winning third parties. Will R:FoM stand up to the scrutiny, or fall short under its own weight? We will all find out November 17th with the launch of the PS3 and Insomniac’s Resistance: Fall of Man.