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RipTen Review: Resistance 3 (PS3)

Catherine Cai — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 01:00:19 +0000

Having never played Resistance 1 or 2, I didn’t really know what to expect when I popped Resistance 3 into my girlfriend’s PS3.

Before the start up/install screen, I was greeted by a wonderful little animated montage that explained the spread of the Chimera virus. Ah. So this game has something to do with a virus and an apocalypse. Righto. Are there zombies? No? Right… they’ve got the next best thing… aliens. There’s a bit of a little ABC evening television-esque, “previously, on Resistance” flashback sequence that’s immensely helpful in filling you in. I was pretty much up to speed on what’s going on, nevermind the giant plot holes left by the first two games couldn’t possible be filled in by a five-minute recap, unless the previous two games had immensely poor storytelling – which I’ve heard they haven’t.

The opening title is nothing flashy, just “RESISTANCE 3″ written in a dramatic, bold, all-caps font offset by a black background. There’s some sappy violin music playing as you stare at the still title screen. Welp, you know you’re going to be in for some serious business because the lead choir girl and the entire strings section are hitting the pretty-but-borderine-pitchy high notes. After you hit start, you’re greeted with the usual three difficulties of casual (what… did gamers get insulted by the ‘easy’ label?), normal, and hard. Take your pick. No one’s going to judge you for playing like a pussy.

Alrighty then. More background information in flashbacks. So, according to the opening sequences of the game, the last two installments followed Nathan Hale, Mr. Awesome Super Soldier. This time, you get to play as Joe Capelli, murderer of Mr. Awesome Super Soldier because Mr. Awesome Super Soldier was turning into the enemy. He probably saved Hale’s dignity and a metric fuckton of lives, but gets branded as a douchebag and is dishonorably discharged.

But that’s ok. Capelli marries a hot blonde and joins up with a group of survivors. All is well… up to a point, obviously. Otherwise, this game wouldn’t exist. The ball starts rolling and after some pew-pew action, you learn that Dr. Malikov, the scientist whose work helped create a vaccine to the Chimera virus, is seeking out Capelli to tell him of the existence of a Chimeran tower in New York that has opened up a wormhole, and that winter is coming across the world, Ned. Malikov thinks Capelli is the only one who can protect him adequately for him to make his way to New York and destroy the tower. Why not just take Capelli and some other people to New York to increase his chances of survival? Because this is an AAA first person shooter? Go figure. I’m going to let you know that at this point, you need to enact the suspension of disbelief because plot holes and tropes abound in this story.

With the first few missions, the exposition, and the first hour of gameplay out of the way, you finally get to the meat of Resistance 3. What you’ll immediately notice is that a lot of the game’s mechanics unashamedly hail back to old-school shooters. Yup, that means no pussyfooting around behind crates as you wait for the red screen and your temporary tinnitus to go away, giving you the all clear to go back into battle guns blazin’.

When one of my friends sat in on my playthrough, he complained that the health pack system is antiquated and that Insomniac really had no business including something so dated in a game made of 2011. Preference for the health system in a shooter is really up to the individual, but I honestly prefer health packs. I understand that cover-based shooting streamlines the game by doing away with the need to scrounge for health packs. Personally, I find the health pack system brings another element of fun into the gameplay. Sure, needing to pick up radioactive green cylindrical… things that automatically regenerates you isn’t realistic, but neither is squatting down behind a rock to heal. Plus, there’s an element of strategy in hoarding health packs. You can’t ever pick up health packs and take them with you, but you certainly can keep track of a couple while you’re in ample health for a quick detour back when you’ve been roughed up a bit after combat.

Insomniac capitalizes on the fact that there’s no superglue-to-wall-and-magically-heal cover mechanics with a lot of action. I don’t mean action in the sense that there’s testosterone-fueled, blow-up-in-your-face, run-and-gun sequences (which there are plenty of, trust me) that you would see in most modern shooters. Since health packs are necessary to keep Capelli afloat, you don’t really get much of a chance to even hit the joystick to crouch. You’ve got the Chimera flying overhead, lobbing alien grenades at you from right whilst others are charging into you… doing pretty much anything just to get a shot in. Some Chimera are armed with a gun called the Auger, which shoots energy bolts that go through objects, rendering any cover useless. Insomniac may as well have done away with the crouch button because they don’t really give you a damned opportunity to do so.

That probably may have something to do with the fact that you’re not stuck to the two gun and four or five grenade restriction that plagues most “realistic” (fun-killer) FPSes. You can carry something in the ballpark of twelve different weapons and a few different grenades. Essentially,you can think of Joe Capelli as the Mary Poppins of badassery, whipping out both human and Chimeran weaponry alike out of his magic bag to fight his way to New York.

Switching between so many weapons could have been potentially annoying, but Insomniac makes them all so fun to use that this isn’t the case. If you hold down the Triangle button for long enough, a gun selection wheel will pop up, pausing the game temporarily while you decide what part of your arsenal you want to switch to. If you happen to somehow dislike one of the weapons, Insomniac never sequesters you into using just one weapon for specific instances. However, when you reach a specific number of kills with a weapon, it will level up, much like in Rachet & Clank. The highest level you can reach with a gun is level 3.

Resistance 3 DLC Drops Next Month

Chris Carlson — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 19:00:04 +0000

Insomniac Games have announced the first piece of downloadable content for Resistance 3. The new pack, called Survival, will feature a new multiplayer mode titled, Invasions, that challenges humans and Chimera to capture and hold multiple control points for as long as possible.

The pack also includes a multiplayer Survival skin pack and a static Resistance 3 XMB theme.

Resistance 3 Survival DLC launches on October 4th for $3.99.

New Video Game Releases: 9/5 – 9/11

Garrett Hartman — Sun, 04 Sep 2011 17:37:58 +0000

The first full release week of September blows off doors with a well-rounded and potent number of key new releases.

Dead Island is the HUGE multiplatform release this week debuting on the Xbox 360, PC and PS3. Featuring Zombies in an open world island setting, Dead Island will include multiplayer and RPG elements – sounds like a winner to me.

Insomniac launches Resistance 3 for the PS3. After taking the unusual step of offing series protagonist Nathan Hale in part 2, R3 takes an even bleaker look at alternative timeline history. Not only have the Chimera conquered North America, but it’s up to infected super soldier Joseph Capelli who had been in hiding until Chimera specialist Dr. Fyodor Malikov contacts him about a possible Chimeran cure. A cross-country FPS adventure that should make PS3 owners proud.

Driver: San Francisco races to retail with hopes of bringing the series back to its early successful roots. Main character Tanner discovers he has an ability to “shift” into another person’s body – retaining his persona but, to everyone else, looking and sounding exactly the same as the person he has shifted into. Sure it sounds hokey but it just might be the right thing to get the series back on track.

Space Marines, third-person shooter, chainsaw weapons, grotesque inhuman enemies and over-sized armor suits – no, I’m not talking about Gears of War 3 but Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine. Sure it has many similarities to Epic’s #1 franchise, but more than enough differences and exciting gameplay to stand on its own, plus it will release on the Xbox 360, Ps3 and PC. Besides, it should make for a great appetizer for the Gears 3 feast later this month.

Those who love JRPGs and have enjoyed the Disgaea series will no doubt be happy with Disgaea 4: A Promise Forgotten for the PS3. Expect more of the series trademark style and humor combined with online connectivity.

Other notable releases include Bloodrayne betrayal and the Uncharted and Uncharted 2 Daulpack for the PS3,Rise of Nightmares for Xbox Kinect,Tiger woods PGA tour 12 The Masters finally for the PC and Starfox 64 3D for the 3DS.

Pick of the Week: I do have to stress that Dead Island looks amazing and if I had to pick a multiplat it would easily win hands down. But as one of the rare gamers who owns all of the main systems, I’d be remiss not to pick Resistance 3. The game looks great and Insomniac Games has never once disappointed. Chimera, expect to get your six-eyed ass kicked for a good part of the next few weeks on my PS3 – Resistance 3

PlayStation 3

BloodRayne: Betrayal (PSN)
Dead Island
Disgaea 4: A Promise Unforgotten
Driver: San Francisco
Resistance 3
Rock of Ages (PSN)
Rugby World Cup 2011
Skydrift
Uncharted & Uncharted 2 Dualpack
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine

Xbox 360

Dead Island
Driver: San Francisco
Leedmees (XBLA)
Rise of Nightmares (Kinect)
Rugby World Cup 2011
Skydrift
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine

Wii

NADA

Air Conflicts: Secret Wars
Dead Island
Might & Magic Heroes VI
Rock of Ages
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12: The Masters
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine

3DS

Brunswick Pro Bowling
Driver: Renegade
Pinball Hall of Fame: The Williams Collection
Star Fox 64 3D

1001 Touch Games
Hollywood Files: Deadly Intrigues
Puzzle Rocks

PSP

NADA

Chimera Come to Life in “The Future of Motion Control Gaming” (Video)

Stephanie Gutowski — Sun, 04 Sep 2011 01:00:34 +0000

Grand YouTube wizard Freddie Wong has released yet another video showcasing his CG skills and this time, Insomniac hopped on board to help. Watch as Freddie gives a whole new meaning to augmented reality gaming and blows bunch of chimera to kingdom come in delicious hi-def.

http://www.youtube.com/user/freddiew

Insomniac Has No Plans For Resistance 4, Series Could Go To New Developer

Chris Carlson — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 12:00:45 +0000

Insomniac Games has got a lot on their plate. With a current beta underway for Resistance 3 and a planned full release in the next few weeks, the studio is also hard at work with Ratchet & Clank: All For One and Overstrike. Speaking with GamingUnion, Creative Director Marcus Smith said they have no current plans for Resistance 4 and he could see the series being handed over to a different developer.

When asked if Resistance is still their flagship franchise and about future plans for the studio, Smith stated:

“As far as Insomniac goes… you’re right. We’ve got three different games with very different focuses. We’re kind of going in a lot of different directions. Ted Price, Alex and Brian Hastings, the owners, have been doing this for a long time – something like 15 years of doing Sony exclusive games – and they’re just interested in doing other things.

As far as Resistance being the flagship… I think Insomniac has always branched out. I loved the Spyro the Dragon series when [Insomniac] did that. I didn’t work there at the time, and I was bummed when they didn’t work on the fourth game, but ultimately, I think it was healthy for them to move on. I think that’s what we’re seeing here. We’ve done Resistance 3 and we’re really into it and proud of it, but we’re not currently slated to do a Resistance 4. So it would be hard to say it’s any kind of lynchpin within Insomniac. I think we’re thriving and branching out in a lot of different directions.”

After being asked if the series could be handed off to somebody else, Smith replied:

“I can definitely see that. Nihilistic is already doing a [Resistance] Vita game, which is going to be awesome. We really respect those guys as game developers. Sony Bend did Resistance Retribution on PSP. We’ve got a lot of different places for the universe to go, so I could certainly see the series going to another developer. I’m sure Sony would want to find a high caliber developer to do a good offering. I don’t think they’d hand the franchise over to somebody who is going to screw it up.”

Resistance 3 is set to release on September 6th exclusively for PS3.

Resistance 3′s Gone Gold, New Trailer Released

Jorge Bocanegra — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 21:52:02 +0000

Let’s face it, the summer time is quite weak when it comes to new game releases. Sure you have your XBLA/PSN gems here and there, and sometimes the occasional big title; but for the most part, we’re currently in a gaming drought. Fear not, gamers, because in a month’s time we’ll be playing one of the big heavy-hitters leading up to one huge Fall/Winter line-up.

That game is Resistance 3, which has just gone gold and is right on track for its September 6th release date on Playstation 3. But if you’re just dying to get your hands on the game then you’ll be happy to know that the multiplayer beta has begun as of today for those who purchased SOCOM 4 and redeemed the appropriate codes. But wait, that’s not all.

Insomniac is also packing a good amount of extra content with the highly-anticipated threequel. Included with the game will be playable demos for other big first-party titles: Killzone 3, Motorstorm Apocalypse (in 2D and 3D) and inFAMOUS 2. On top of that you’ll also be getting developer diaries and trailers for Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception, Starhawk and God of War: Origins, amongst other titles.

Lastly, a new trailer has just been released that’s definitely going to make the month-long wait for Cappeli’s Chimera-infested journey to New York much more unbearable. You can view said trailer below.

Source: Official Playstation Blog

RipTen’s Resistance 3 Beta Key Giveaway!! (Finished)

Aaron Alexander — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 19:30:09 +0000

Sitting on the edge for Insomniac’s new first person shooter, Resistance 3? Well come a little closer, RipTen has the magical keys which will give you early access to the Beta. (Today!!)

You may be asking yourself; “But how do I win such an awesome prize?” It’s simple. Follow me (Aaron) on Twitter, and in the spirit of Insomniac’s crazy weapon design:

Shoot me a tweet with your own ideas for a kick ass gun that could be used against the Chimera Horde.

We’ll pick out the tweets with the most unique ideas, and the lucky few will be able to access the Beta immediately!!

Get tweetin’ soldier!!

UPDATE: All codes have been given out, thanks to all who participated. We’ll be listing the winners in an article later today.

Resistance 3 Beta Dates and Details Revealed

Chris Carlson — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 22:30:17 +0000

Insomniac Games has announced via the Playstation Blog the official starting dates for the Resistance 3 Beta. Senior Community Manager, James Stevenson stated anyone who purchased the specially marked packages of SOCOM 4 that included early access can begin playing the beta on Thursday, August 4th.

Playstation Plus subscribers in the U.S will also be invited to the beta beginning on August 23rd. Setevenson claims the beta will continue beyond the early access period and they will be announcing additional ways to participate as they approach Resistance 3′s launch date.

The Resistance 3 Beta includes two of the major maps in the game, The Seaside of Glamorgan, Wales, as well as Trainyard in Bogota, Colombia. The beta will also include two of the games five multiplayer modes; Team Deathmatch and Chain Reaction, the other three available in the full game include Deathmatch, Breach, and Capture the Flag. The beta is capped at level 20, but you can still buy and upgrade your weapons and abilities, customize your loadouts and unlock new character skins.

Resistance 3 will launch on September 6th exclusively on PS3.

Resistance 3: “Full Circle” Dev Diary – Return of the Weapon Wheel and Ratchet & Clank

Garrett Hartman — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 18:59:30 +0000

Here’s the latest of Insomniac’s Resistance 3 devoloper diaries. This video, titled “Full Circle”, focuses on bringing back some of the classic Resistance-Fall-of-Man gameplay like the weapon wheel and the great heritage that Ratchet & Clank has provided the Resistance franchise.

Watch it below.

Resistance 3 Demo Is Exclusive For A Limited Time

Chris Carlson — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 18:30:32 +0000

If you happen to purchase the Blu-ray version of Battle Los Angeles, you will be treated with a nice single player demo of Resistance 3…but only for a limited time.

Upon purchase is a reported 30 minute long single player demo of Resistance 3, the label on the demo however states it will be “exclusive through 9/18/11″. Which sounds like after August 9th the demo will be released for all PSN members, but Sony hasn’t made an official statement.

For North American gamers, the Resistance 3 Beta was bundled with copies of SOCOM 4 and will be released at a later date. It will also be available to every EU Playstation Plus subscriber along side the US beta.

Resistance 3 is set to release exclusively for PS3 on September 6th.

[Source: VG247]

Sony Starting “PSN Pass” Program, First Up – Resistance 3

Chris Carlson — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 18:44:51 +0000

Sony has just confirmed they will be starting their own “network pass program” starting with Resistance 3.

Similar to the online pass we’ve been seeing in EA & THQ titles, Sony plans to start its own program with a PSN Pass for future PS3 titles beginning with Insomniac’s Resistance 3. Sony says the program will enhance premium online services for their first party line up.

“We are always evaluating new programs for our online offering, and starting with Resistance 3 this September, we will be instituting a network pass program for PS3 games with online capabilities.

This program will be game-specific. Games that are a part of this program will include a single-use registration code that grants the account holder redeeming the code full online access for that title.

This is an important initiative as it allows us to accelerate our commitment to enhancing premium online services across our first party game portfolio.”

You better have some extra cash ready if you plan on buying future first party titles used from Sony.

[Source: VG27]

Resistance Dual Pack Gets a Thrilling New Trailer

Garrett Hartman — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 17:13:21 +0000

Sure it’s not Resistance 3, but Insomniac made sure to give the Resistance Dual Pack a thrilling new trailer. The dual pack includes Resistance-Fall-of-Man, Resistance-2 and an exclusive Resistance 3 skin. If you haven’t played a Resistance game this is a great way to get acclimated with one of Sony’s premiere FPS franchises.

Resistance Dual Pack is at retail stores now for $39.99.

New Resistance 3 Screens Show Killzone 3 and Uncharted 3 Have Competition

Garrett Hartman — Sat, 12 Feb 2011 21:50:54 +0000

Everyone has seemingly assumed Killzone 3 and perhaps later in the year Uncharted 3 will set the benchmark for best console graphics for 2011. Insomniac Games would love to play the dark horse and surprise everyone.

While I’m not exactly saying they’re going to do it, I’m saying these new screenshots show they are up to the task. Are these actual screenshots? They appear that way…maybe touched up a little. Guess we’ll find out in September.

Check them out below.

Source

Resistance 3 Contest Offers Chance to “Get Your Head In The Game”

Matthew Sims — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 09:35:01 +0000

How cool would it be to have your face in a video game? Pretty damn cool, right? That’s what I thought. Insomniac Games is allowing interested fans to enter a contest that will forever bind their digital likeness to the Resistance franchise.

The contest, which runs until March 3rd, 2011, aims to find two individuals to lend their likenesses to a couple of human survivors who are fighting off the Chimera on a war-torn Earth. Winners will receive an all expenses paid trip to San Diego for them and a guest and then spend a day with the Resistance team getting their likeness implemented into the new title.

For a chance to win, go to the Official Contest Page and upload a photo of yourself looking all Resistancey. Ok, I know that isn’t a word, but you know what the hell I mean. Do something interesting and Resistance related in the picture, full cosplay is probably going to be your best bet here. You’ll also need to explain why you deserve to be a Resistance survivor. It would probably help to be handy with a pen and paper.

Ten finalists will be selected and showcased all over Europe, as well as the Playstation Blog until Insomniac Games makes the final decision on the two winners. I can’t wait to see your face when Resistance 3 hits store shelves. Unless you’re ugly, then I’d rather not.

Resistance 3 Musical Sountrack Sampling Video

Chad Lakkis — Sun, 17 Oct 2010 14:37:38 +0000

If you’re interested in hearing some of the music slated for the third installment of the Resistance FPS Sony exclusive, you can get a sneak peek courtesy of the latest Insomniac Games’ Full Moon Show intro. Hit play on the video sampling below and head on over to Insomniac’s site for the full podcast that talks about the origin of the franchise, lizard creatures, Google maps, and much more.

Source: Insomniac Games

Resistance 3 2011 Release Confirmed. “More To Come” but not at PAX

Garrett Hartman — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 23:57:05 +0000

The highly anticipated PlayStation 3 Sci-fi shooter Resistance 3 is confirmed as a 2011 release. After posting a no-show at E3 earlier this summer, many fans and industry experts were left scratching their heads. Last week at Gamescom the sequel was officially announced along with an exciting live action trailer.

Today, in response to fan inquiry, developer Insomniac announced ”Resistance 3 is a 2011 release” via twitter. The tweet continued to say there is “more to come” but it will not be unveiled at PAX.

For many fans, this news can not come soon enough.

Enjoy the trailer:

Insomniac’s Ted Price Calls Fan To Say “Thanks”

Sam Naylor — Sat, 29 May 2010 17:32:55 +0000

How many game developers have phoned you to say thanks for being such a big fan? For me, the answer to that question is simply “none.” Still, my answer would not change if the question was simply “has anyone ever phoned you?”

Anyway, not many games developers are willing to take the time to call their fans and tell them how great they are. The fan in question is Brandon Winfrey, the host of a YouTube show called ‘Reaction Time’ and a big fan of Insomniac games. The Founder and CEO of the company Ted Price noticed the show, and decided to call him just to say thanks. Not a common occurrence, but a great gesture. It’s almost as good as Valve hiring their fans.

If you want to see the Reaction Time episode that Ted is referring to in his thank you call, you can watch it below.

Talented Bioshock 2 Fan Artist Ben Mauro Made It Big, 2K’s Loss Is Insomniac’s Gain

Chad Lakkis — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 09:41:07 +0000

Way back in March of 2008, we reported on a pretty impressive Bioshock 2 fan art collection by then student Ben Mauro. The art was so well done that it caught the attention of 2K Games Community Manager Elizabeth Tobey. That was just the beginning for a kid who “never expected anything to come” from his school assignment.

Shortly after discovering our post, Elizabeth contacted us asking how she and 2K could “track down the artist, and thank him for his work”. We happily helped out and suggested they thank him by offering him a job. In fact, my exact words were:

“I’d love to be able to report that this talented kid was able to land something with your team. Even if it is just an internship. He is very talented and humble as well.

When I told him you were looking to contact him he seemed shocked and said he never expected anything to come out of his assignment.”

A few months later I shot an email over to Elizabeth asking if they ever pulled the trigger on hiring Ben. She responded letting me know that they “didn’t hire him or anything but he did get some big kudos from [the team].”

Unfortunately, kudos don’t pay the bills. As it turns out though, Ben got his break anyway. According to his updated blog, portfolio site, LinkedIn profile, and countless other social networking interweb devices sure to be monitored from this point forward by news hungry bloggers, Ben is working on some pretty exciting game related projects.

Two projects under the client “Insomniac Games” titled “RCF2″ (most likely likely Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time) and “R3″ (guessing Resistance 3 on this one), recently caught the attention of Joystiq’s Ludwig Kietzmann. Ludwig then proceeded to contact “the parties concerned” at which point Ben wisely removed the info from his personal blog.

Well, I’m happy to say that I finally got to report on the successful hiring of Ben Mauro. Sure, it wasn’t for 2K as I had originally hoped, but as the title says, 2k’s loss is Insomniac’s gain. On that note, I look forward to the possibility of stomping around in a Ratchet & Clank Future 2 or Resistance 3 Ben Mauro inspired level with weapons blazing.

Congratulations Ben, you deserve it.

Ratchet and Clank: A Crack in Time announced

Sam Naylor — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 19:27:39 +0000

Shacknews reports that Insomniac have announced a new addition to the Ratchet and Clank series on the PS3, entitled “A Crack in Time”. The title will pick up where Quest for Booty left off. There are no further details at the moment, but assume that it will launch on the PSN for about $15 in the US, and that it will answer some questions you might have been left with at the end of the previous game.

Likely to be another outstanding game, but if it follows the PS3 original closely enough, it might be ruined for me by a spawn-point famine. It’s increasingly frustrating getting three-quarters of the way through a level, only to die, and have to do the whole thing again. It might have been acceptable back in the day, but it’s just archaic now. Let’s hope they fix it, eh?

New Resistance 2 Screens Infiltration the Internet

Chad Lakkis — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 04:11:49 +0000

If you’re anything like me, you like to multitask, so here are a bunch of new Resistance 2 screens to browse through while you celebrate (or curse) the newly elected 44th President of the United States.

Resistance 2 Image Gallery – Click Here To View