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"Resistance: Fall of Man"

11/22/08

The new sequel to "Resistance: Fall of Man" recently came out on PS3, so since Circuit City ran a special to sell the original for $20, I jumped on the chance to play a great game so I knew the whole story for the sequel.

Rarely does $20 go so well for me in the video game arena, so I was jazzed to play through a great single-player experience like "Resistance."  In one of those "alternate reality" games, it's 1951, and as super-soldier Nathan Hale, you are an American troop in London helping the Brits eradicate an alien force beyond comparison.  Using a variety of both human and alien weapons, you are tasked with taking down evil alongside other good guys in a war-like setting, mixed with some sequences where it's Hale vs. Everybody.

A lot of "Resistance" is spent firing and reloading, so already, I was in a good place.  The single-player game takes about ten hours to get through, maybe less depending on your talent and how thorough you are about collecting "intel", the game's way of seeing who has the most time on their hands.  In it, it's very standard-issue first-person shooter--point, shoot, collect ammo, etc.  There are essentially no puzzles and save for the occasional boss or sneak attack, you shouldn't have a problem getting through this without pulling any hair out on the Medium difficulty level.

The main strength of "Resistance"?  Hands-down, it's the weapons.  Sure, the game looks great, has great sound effects in surround, and imagines a funny reality.  But, the first time you take down a bad guy with the Bullseye by shooting the tag (homing) marker into his gut and then unloading on him from behind a barrier, you WILL be wearing a large grin.  Ditto for the Auger, which fires rounds so lethal they literally fire through walls; your reticle goes red whenever it is facing evil, so you can take cover and fire away through the cover.  (Yeah!)  The sniper rifle has a slo-mo option instead of holding your breath, which makes for interesting moments when you need to take out a guy from 100 yards on the run.

"Resistance" is one of the best games the PS3 has to offer, so hopefully, its sequel will also deliver the goods.

Rating:  Opening Weekend

 

Feedback?  Comments?  Salma Hayek's digits?  justin@bellviewmovies.com

 

Bellview Rating System:

"Opening Weekend":  Buy this game right away, and don't ask me any questions as to why that's a good move.  A game experience that will almost guarantee repeated controller abuse, lots of ManScreaming and high resale value, you will assuredly play this bad boy for months on end. 

"$40":  Usually after games have been out for a while, they drop in price slightly, or can be bought for slightly cheaper in combination with other new games.  Usually, that's about $40.  You'll feel good getting the game for this price, since it isn't quite run-out-and-get-it-right-now good, but it has enough game in the box for a few weeks' worth of enjoyment.

"eBay":  This game is not too bad, but you'd be better off buying it used from either half.com or eBay.  You also might let a friend buy this game, let s/he beat it, and then try to buy it from them to make them feel better.  Yes, this does tend to feel like "Sloppy Seconds."

"Rental":  Like my cousin Ron, you should always rent games that you aren't sure about first, to make sure that your $50 is going towards something worthwhile.  For games in this category, this is the maximum amount of money ($5) and/or time (3-5 days) you'll need to either gain satisfaction from the game, or beat the game in its entirety.  Rental-rated games are also sometimes perfect for a weekend when you are going to be at home on your ass, with some time to kill.

"Dogshit":  Games like this should have never been released.  If you play this game for any reason, you will regret every second of the experience.  Further, if you can get this game for free, don't do it, because even for FREE, it will still be a negative experience for you!