Developer: Insomniac Games
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Genre: First Person Shooter
Rating: M (For Mature)
Number of Players: 1-40
Release Date: November 13, 2006
Resistance: Fall of Man Gallery

Playstation 3’s launch suffered some major blows when several previously scheduled launch games were set back. Lair, Motorstorm, Oblivion, and Heavenly Sword were all pushed back to 2007, leaving the November PS3 launch with one definitive killer app, Insomniac’s Resistance: Fall of Man. Insomniac, who made their mark with Ratchet and Clank, made this PS3 exclusive one of the most impressive titles of 2006. Resistance delivers everything that PS3 owners want to see out of their new machine: Mind-blowing graphics, impressive gameplay mechanics, realistic physics, good voice acting, online combat that can field as much as 40 players, and of course the wide and unique range of weapons that Insomniac is known for.

No one knows how or where exactly the Chimera virus originated in Russia, but it didn’t take long for the virus to claim the entire country sometime in the 1930’s. In 1949, the Chimera made their move to invade the neighboring countries of Europe with ease, taking only weeks to completely overrun them. In 1950, the Chimera burrowed under the channel and made their attack on England. While England was well prepared for the inevitable invasion, it took only three months for the Chimera to claim England as well. On July 11th, 1951 our story begins as the Americans, including our hero Sergeant Nathan Hale, launch an assault on the east coast of England. Hale was the only survivor. As the story unfolds, Hale with the aid of what remains of England’s marine forces, battles the Chimera to take back England and uncover the secrets of the Chimera.

Resistance’s story doesn’t have many plot twists, but it is very well developed and detailed for a nearly completely fictional story, especially for a First Person Shooter. Narrative scenes come between each level and reveal what is known about the Chimera and Hale’s story. The campaign is pretty linear with only the illusion of optional paths, but these paths either end up in the same place or are dead ends. However, if you want to unlock all the secrets and find ‘intel’, which gives a more in depth look at the story, exploration of these optional routes is necessary. The ending of the single player campaign is very open ended and is just begging for a sequel.