{"id":79181,"date":"2024-05-31T08:38:25","date_gmt":"2024-05-31T13:38:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/?p=79181"},"modified":"2024-05-31T08:38:28","modified_gmt":"2024-05-31T13:38:28","slug":"resistance-3-a-balanced-send-off","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/?p=79181","title":{"rendered":"Resistance 3: A balanced send-off"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By NICK McCOY<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tiger Media Network<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Warning: This article contains some spoilers for the \u201cResistance 3\u201d and \u201cResistance 2\u201d stories.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

While never truly reaching the heights of other FPS juggernauts, Sony\u2019s \u201cResistance\u201d series <\/a>maintained a strong following with its first two entries, \u201cResistance: Fall of Man\u201d and \u201cResistance 2,\u201d released in the early days of Sony\u2019s iconic PlayStation 3 console. While both games undeniably have their flaws, both are fun shooters with great mechanics, memorable setpieces, and an intriguing story of humanity on its last legs against a deadly alien species. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This saga came to an end in 2011, with Insomniac developing and releasing the final entry in the trilogy, \u201cResistance 3.\u201d Of the games in this series, the third entry is the one most fondly remembered by critics, with some deeming it the best in the trilogy. However, unlike the previous two entries, which sold well, \u201cResistance 3\u201d flopped sales-wise, resulting in Sony abandoning the series, cemented by the shutdown of all \u201cResistance\u201d servers in 2014. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cResistance 3\u201d was once again developed by American studio Insomniac Games and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 3 console. The last mainline entry in the series, \u201cResistance 3\u201d is also the first (and only) game in the series to support the PlayStation Move, Sony\u2019s Motion Control system.\u00a0<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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My feelings towards \u201cResistance 3\u201d are a bit complicated. In many ways, I can absolutely see why this game would be considered the best, but in others, I want to know what the critics were smoking. For one, the third entry brings back key features that were desperately missed in \u201c2,\u201d and its shedding of military elements makes for an intriguing post-invasion story. But at the same time, many elements of the story and characters do not sit well with me at all, and some design choices flat-out drive me crazy. But overall, \u201cResistance 3\u201d is a very fine first-person shooter with a decent enough story and a fun gameplay loop, which more than deserves praise. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Release and additional info: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  • Released in September of 2011 exclusively for the PlayStation 3<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Developed by Insomniac Games, and published by Sony Computer Entertainment\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Sheds much of the military elements from the first two installments, opting for a more post-apocalyptic story<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Fully supported the use of the PlayStation Move motion controller<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Several different tactics were used for marketing it, including a billboard on the set of the film Battle: Los Angeles<\/em> and a social media strategy game called \u201cGlobal Resistance\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Currently, this is the last entry in the series, with no signs of a follow-up<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    \u201cResistance 3\u201d takes place four years after the events of \u201cResistance 2,\u201d with humanity still struggling against an advanced, mysterious alien race known as the Chimera. Humanity has all but lost the war against the race, with small pockets of human resistance scattered across the United States, with the Chimera orchestrating a total genocide of the human race, due to the existence of the Hall vaccine that can cure the Chimeran infection. Players assume control of Joseph Capelli, a former member of the Sentinels who was dishonorably discharged after being forced to kill his commanding officer, Nathan Hale. Living with his wife Susan and their young son Jack in the community of Haven, Oklahoma, Capelli is forced to flee with Russian scientist Dr. Fyoder Malikov as the Chimera begin to terraform the Earth. Separated from his family and with humanity on its last legs, Capelli, alongside Malikov, make a perilous journey across the United States to reach a Chimeran portal in New York, in one final attempt to stop the Chimeran threat for good. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    While I have my issues, the story present is still solid, and the part I could definitely argue is the strongest in the series. It has a noticeably different tone than the previous games, emphasizing a much grittier, darker story of survival in a post-invasion America, one it absolutely nails. The oppressive and bleak atmosphere already present is cranked up to 11; groups of humans live in small, cramped communities, food is scarce, both feral and militant Chimera roam free, and different groups have resorted to raiding and killing to survive. There are also some truly harrowing and gut-wrenching moments present that definitely leave an impact. That being said, the biggest drawback I have is the new protagonist. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    Much like its predecessor, \u201cResistance 3\u201d had interesting marketing tactics Sony used to promote it. A strategy-like title, \u201cGlobal Resistance\u201d, was made available to play, and a promotional billboard was placed over the set of the 2011 film \u201cBattle: Los Angeles.\u201d<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Neither \u201cResistance\u201d protagonist is especially deep, but I drastically prefer Hale over Capelli. While he\u2019s a decent enough character propelled by a great vocal performance, his journey to eventually reunite with his family didn\u2019t resonate with me as much as Hale\u2019s struggle with turning into a Chimera. While Capelli having a family does add more character, simply giving your protagonist a wife and kid is not enough to make a character truly compelling. Unfortunately, \u201cResistance 3\u201d doesn\u2019t do that much else. Either way, the story here is still of high quality, and Capelli still has his moments. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Gameplay, meanwhile, is an avenue I can have the most minor issues with, even though that doesn\u2019t mean I don\u2019t have any. For starters, it makes key changes to the core design that are absolutely for the better. My biggest gripe with \u201cResistance 2\u201d was the decision to remove his unlimited armory and health pack system in favor of a two-gun limit and regenerating health that basically every shooter of the time had, removing a unique quality and making the game noticeably less fun, a sentiment most seem to share. With 3, Insomniac clearly listened to player feedback, so both the full arsenal and health pack were brought back for this entry. This one change immediately makes firefights that much more varied and rewarding compared to 2, as you always have another weapon to fall back on. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \u201cResistance 3\u201d is also the most balanced of the three games. Both \u201cFall of Man\u201d and 2 featured insane difficulty spikes that made the game way more frustrating than it needed to be. While 3 does have its tougher sections, the difficulty is noticeably toned down, with plenty of health packs, more balanced damage and clear weak spots indicated on boss fights. Granted, these changes do make the game a bit too easy at times, but it nevertheless provides plenty of enjoyment with its core shooting and return of essential mechanics. There are also plenty of memorable setpieces, including a standoff on a Steam train against bandits, navigating through mines fighting a massive Chimera, and a tense nighttime section with invisible sniper enemies. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    \u201cResistance 3\u201d brought back several features from \u201cFall of Man\u201d absent in \u201cResistance 2\u201d, namely the large weapon wheel and health pack system, forgoing the two gun limit and regenerating health present in the ladder. The third entry also ditches the science fiction military theme present in previous entries, instead opting for a more grounded, post-apocalyptic setting.\u00a0<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    However, the main gameplay is also where the central aspect that drives me crazy rears its head, and I do not understand why Insomniac went this route. As mentioned earlier, while Capelli isn\u2019t a character I\u2019m particularly invested in, he\u2019s propelled by a great vocal performance from Robin Atkin Downes, who gives him a good presence and personality. However, while Capelli has plenty of dialogue in cutscenes, he is completely mute during gameplay, which drives me up the wall. Capelli\u2019s sudden lack of vocal cords results in characters speaking in a needlessly detailed, unnatural manner that makes it seem like they\u2019re talking to themselves rather than to the main character. Characters will often rattle on about their problems and various happenings in the world, but Capelli\u2019s refusal to speak makes these \u201cconversations\u201d awkward and unnatural. It\u2019s made worse by the fact that, quite frankly, characters never know when to shut up, constantly filling your comms with clunky chatter and telling Capelli to do the same thing over and over again, never letting you breathe. The moments where Capelli is left by himself to deal with threats are such a breath of fresh air. It may seem like an innocent thing to some, but it\u2019s an aspect I absolutely can\u2019t stand. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Other criticisms<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \n
    • Enemies, much like the first game, feel way too bullet spongey\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • It\u2019s unclear sometimes where you need to go\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • More frustrating enemies can appear more frequently\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

      And some more highlights: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

        \n
      • A weapon leveling system was added, giving weapons more features and upgrades the more you use them<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Memorable environments\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Neatly designed levels<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

        Of all the games in this trilogy, \u201cResistance 3\u201d is the one I find the hardest to pin down. It brings back core mechanics, has an intriguing enough story and its more post-apocalyptic, survival theme makes for an interesting playthrough. But my feelings for the main character, and my absolute hatred for the in-game dialogue keep me from ranking this above \u201cResistance 2\u201d despite my setbacks with that game. But at the end of the day, I can\u2019t deny I had fun with the third entry, and it serves as a good send-off for one of the more underappreciated series in the PlayStation\u2019s catalog. Whether Sony decides to acknowledge it or continue to leave it to collect dust, these games are still quality titles that ended in a solid fashion. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

        By NICK McCOY Tiger Media Network Warning: This article contains some spoilers for the \u201cResistance 3\u201d and \u201cResistance 2\u201d stories. While never truly reaching the… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":142,"featured_media":79188,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":false,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[56,55,10490],"tags":[14765,15691,442,15260,1729],"class_list":["post-79181","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arts-entertainment","category-opinion","category-video-games","tag-nick-mccoy","tag-resistance","tag-reviews-2","tag-video-game-reviews","tag-video-games"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Resistance-3-Feature.png?fit=512%2C512&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79181","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/142"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=79181"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79181\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":79190,"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79181\/revisions\/79190"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/79188"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=79181"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=79181"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=79181"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}