Trophy completionists, be warned

I vaguely recall Sony announcing that it would pull its servers for the Resistance trilogy on PlayStation 3 this year and it's happening soon. Real soon. Consider this your last chance to play those games online (including co-op) as the servers are shutting down on Tuesday, April 8.

Employees of developer Insomniac Games were playing last night and I'd wager they'll be back again before the plug is pulled. Responding to pleas to keep the servers up, the studio responded on Twitter by saying "there are a large variety of reasons why they have to shut down. Sony makes that call though, not us. They ??maintain online." Such is the life of console games.

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Too bad, so sad

Come 2014, Sony will be discontinuing online support for Gran Turismo 5, Resistance: Fall of Man, Resistance 2 and Resistance 3. Yes, that means that you'll no longer be able to play these games online??; Sony is essentially pulling the plug on them.

The Resistance trilogy will go offline on March 28, with Gran Turismo 5 following suit about two mon??ths later on May 20.

Are any of you going to be affected by this in??? any way? 

Support for online game features [PlayStation]

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'[It] wasn't going to be the right game for us at that time,' says CEO

Although Insomniac Games finished its work on the Resistance series with Resistance 3, that didn't stop Burning Skies from happening, unfortunately. It's possible (plausible, even) that another studio will take on the franchise, but for the record, here's why Insomniac went with Fuse instead.

"We decided to bring Resistance to a conclusion when we looked ahead and realized that Resistance 4, while possible and something we seriously considered, wasn't going to be the right game for us at that time," Insomniac CEO Ted Price told GamesRadar. "We wanted to do something new.

"One of the aspects of building franchises, and sticking with them for a long time is that even the team can get franchise fatigue," he continued. "We had been pushing hard with Resistance from the beginning -- which was a tough birth -- to Resistance 3, which is a game we were all very proud of. With Resistance 3 it felt like we had ?capped off, or at least closed a major chapter in that franchise. So, a lot of the team was looking forward to doing something different."

Price explained that after five new intellectual properties, "it's still terrifying creating something new. It's always hard to predict how fans are going to react, and given the amoun?t the industry has changed over the last few years, it's getting even harder. Being in a position where we can create new IP, and make new characters and worlds, it's a real blast for us. It's why we at Insomniac are in the business, no matter how challenging the industry gets."

"After Fuse reveal, we scrapped ??all the weapons" Insomniac CEO [GamesRadar]

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Includes three games and downloadable content

Previously targeting a vague winter release, the Resistance Collection has now honed in on December 5, ??2012 for it??s debut at retail.

The $39.99, three-disc compilation comes with the PlayStation 3 trilogy plus downloadable content for Resistance 2 -- the Aftermath Multiplayer Map Pack, Skin Bundle, and Wraith Skin multiplayer weapon -- in addition to Resistance 3's Brutality Pack and Survival Pack.

?I?'d be interested in getting this, at some point. The added benefit of re-releases like these is the ensuing bump in active players, so here's hoping people are still into the co-op.

Resistance Collection Lands on PS3 December 5th [PlayStation Blog]

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As detailed on the PlayStation Blog, the Resistance Collection will combine all three of Insomniac's PlayStation?? 3 titles in one box when it releases later this winter for $39.99.

Beyond the core games themselves, the Aftermath Pack and skin bundle for Resistance 2 plus the Survival and cooperative Brutality Packs for Resistance 3 are also making ?the cut. Th?at's a lot of stuff for the price!

While it's understandable to hold a more cynical view of these re-releases, personally, I'm a fan of the concept as someone prone to missing out on entire series. It's also nice to have the option to consolidate shelve space and have everything, including post-release content, all in?? once place. I try not to think about where all that DLC I've bought ?over the years will end up a few console generations from now.

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Like Resistance? I do, though it was never that big blockbuster franchise that I think Sony wanted it to be. It did well enough for them, and most of the games (not Resistance 2 or the Vita titl??e) were pretty good. That said, I wouldn't expect another series title anytime soon.

Sony's Daniel Brooke told the Official PlayStation Magazine UK that they have immediate plans for the franchise: "The Resistance franchise has been exciting to work?? on but as for the future, we have no definitiv?e plans."

Now that Insomniac is all multi-platform, I doubt they're going to want to spend time making another Resistance title, especially after the low sales of Resistance 3. But I wouldn't mind if ?someone else took up the duties. Sony owns the IP fully, so they could send it off to just about anyone.

As CVG says, go??ing cold on the franchise would be a shame.

Would you want another Resistance game? A good one, I mean.

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For a long time, Sony has wanted to bring the console experience to handheld devices, and the PlayStation Vita represents its most successful attempt to date, armed as it is with impressive visual capabilities and a wealth of control options. Ironically, the Vita's early games ignored? the Vita's strength in this regard, instead focusing on tech demos for touch controls in an industry where touch control has ?very much been demonstrated to death. 

Resistance: Burning Skies was the potential jewel in the crown, though, an online-capable first-person shooter to show the world just how close a gamer can come to playing their favorite titles on the go. As the world's first portable twin-stick FPS, Burning Skies h??ad a golden o?pportunity to set a benchmark for handheld gaming.

Instead, it settl??ed? on being the new worst Vita game to date.

Resistance: Burning Skies (PlayStation Vita)
Developer: Nihilistic Software
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Released: May 29, 2012
MSRP: $39.99

Set in 1951, Burning Skies takes us to the Chimera's initial invasion of North America, as firefighter Tom Riley finds himself caught in the vanguard of the twisted mutant menace. Armed with a sturdy axe and whatever firearms ?he can find, Riley's only concern is reuniting with his wife and child, who went missing dur??ing the early civilian evacuations. 

The game's poor story, interspersed as it is with vapid attempts at emotional depth, is indicative of what Burning Skies is -- little more than a poor reflection of the original console trilogy, a cheap copy that, had it not been officially licensed by Sony, could be mistaken for some illegal, plagiarizing, knock-off. As Riley fights through five short levels, players will find little more than dul??l, slow-paced shootouts against small collections of enemies through a range of pointless corridors, utilizing a bland cover system that the opposition will mostly ignore. 

Most of the fighting isn't exactly terrible, it's just mediocre and predictable. Every battle feels slow and restricted, as a small number of Chimera regularly show up to shoot and die with little fanfare. Thanks to a scarcity of action onscreen, things feel lackluster and uninspiring, a far cry from the atmospheric and chaotic struggles seen in the highly enjoyable Resistance 3. Much of Burning Skies' campaign simply goes through the motions, providing absolutely nothing we didn't see in the genre years ago while adding none of the thrills and excitement we're used to seeing in many modern titles. In many ways, it feels like quite an old shooter from generations past, but not one of the lasting classics. 

Touch controls have been forced in wherever possible, but unlike Unit 13's smart use of the screens, Burning Skies doesn't take player comfort into account. Opening doors requires touching a small icon in the center of the screen, while the alternativ??e fire modes for every weapon need enemies to be individually prodded or gun bodies to be slid across, even in the middle of a fight that would require hands to be on the real controls. Being able to touch the grenade  and melee icons at the side of the screen is a smart move, as these virtual buttons are conveniently placed and open up the control scheme, but everything else feels contrived, and included at the expense of usability. 

Things get worse toward the end, where it begins to look like the developers just stopped caring. The closing sections are happy to just keep throwing the player into big rooms without cover and spawning larger numbers of Chimera in a rather embarrassing attempt to manufacture a sense of challenge. The last level in particular straddles the line between exasperating and tiresome, culminating in one of the most insipid and pointless boss encounters I've witnessed in quite some time. Game design doesn't get more basic and uninspiring than Burning Skies. 

The disappointing campaign could be forgiven if the multiplayer was any good, but once again, it feels like ?a lifeless shadow of its console brethren. The basics are in place -- three game modes (deathmatch, team deathmatch, and infection), with up to three customizable loadouts and a compulsory experience system -- but basics are where the game begins and ends. Once you get into a match, you're forced to fight in confined, visually unstimulating, ill designed maps, where no care was taken into setting sensible spawn points or providing anything other than a series of rooms in which bored people can shoot at each other. 

The online experience is laggy, with a framerate that makes everything feel like it's in slow motion, and scoreboards don't work properly (in one match, the enemy team kept showing up as having zero points, when in fact it was winning). I once died thrice in a row, collapsing dead to the ground as soon as I spawned, with the same player shown as having kill??ed me and no indication as to how. Another time, players were frozen in place, and there have already been problems with people getting booted out of a session. 

As far as presentation goes, in both the campaign and multiplayer, Resistance: Burning Skies feels unfinished. Severely unfinished. Don't believe the screenshots attached to this review -- this is an ugly game, and it doesn't look anywhere near as good as several of the Vita's launch titles (tellingly, this game blocks the Vita's screen capture software). Environment textures and features on NPCs are bland, flat, and lacking in color. The only modicum of effort seems to have been put into the guns, which look relatively nice, and there's a pleasant bit of lighting here and there, but the Chimera lack much in the way of detail and human faces are creepily devoid of texture, making them look rubbery and nightmarish. Compared to a game like Uncharted: Golden Abyss, the graphics found here are despicabl?e and embarrassin??g. 

Even worse are those moments where it's just obvious that a feature was left blatantly incomplete. From the mouths of NPCs not moving to environments displaying hideous artifacts along edges and corners, there's a lot missing in Burning Skies that you usually only see left out of obscure bu?dget games. You can sprint, but after a while Riley will stop dead in his tracks. He won't return to a walking pace, he won't slow down before needing a breather, he will literally just stop dead in his tracks and you'll have to take your finger off the stick in order to move him again, since absolutely nothing was added to portray a loss of stamina. 

In multiplayer, there is no animation or sound effect for melee kills. If you're killed by a melee attack, you'll abruptly die in silence, and it actually took me a few deaths to work out why I kept falling over for no reason. When enemies die, their frozen corpses will slowly glide along the floor before suddenly and sharply disappearing. Cutscenes play at the start of every level and cannot be skipped, even if you're replaying a stage or lo?ading from a checkpoint halfway through, and they're compressed to a disgusting degree. In short, the whole ??thing feels like some sort of pre-alpha build mistakenly released as a real game. 

Resistance: Burning Skies may hope that its flaws are overlooked due to the novelty of being the Vita's first FPS, but even with nothing on the system to directly compare it to, any fool could see just how pathetic this game is. The best that can be sai?d is that the shooting itself is fairly competent. It works. However, it works in a pedestrian and insignificant little game that seems as if it was desperately rushed in order to meet a deadline. 

If, like me, you've been waiting to see how a first-person shooter feels on the Vita, then I can say that this game proves the potential of the genre. However, if you'd like your first Vita FPS to actually be good, then wait for something else, because Resistance: Burning Skies is far from acceptable. It is visually atrocious, interactively vapid and incomplete to a degree that a full retail price is an insult. It's tempting to buy this just to have something new on the system, but good things come to those that wait, and it's hard to imagine anything not being good compared to this mess. 

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Last week, I went out and shot some gross aliens in Resistance: Burning Skies, the first honest-to-goodness FPS to hit the Playstation Vita. While there, I spoke with Nihilistic Games' Charles Henden, who's a gameplay programmer on ?the multiplayer portion of the game.

It certainly looks like a promising title, but you don't have to take my word for it -- go read Abel's preview too.

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Amazon's French wing has spilled the beans on a new compilation coming from the Sony camp, Resistance Trilogy. It'll collect Insomniac's three PS3 shooters -- Resistance: Fall of Man, Resistance 2 and Resistance 3 -- in one sugary package. 

According to Amazon France, the trilogy is due in Europe on May 16 for €59.99. 

Resistance: Burning Skies is also coming to PlayStation Vita in May, so fan?s better start saving for the deluge.

Amazon Outs Resistance Trilogy [CVG]

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With a relatively thin PlayStation 3 launch line-up, Resistance: Fall of Man was a saving grace for early adopters. Almost six years later, the Resistance franchise has gone on to be a critical mainstay for Sony's systems. With Insomniac no longer at the helm, the Resistance franchise continues under Sony's stewardship. Resistance: Burning Skies is the first big test to see if the ser?ies can go?? on without its original auteur.

From what I've seen recently, yes, it most definitely can. Burning Skies maintains what makes Resistance, well, Resistance. Crazy guns and a heavy, desolate atmosphere are all as present in Burning Skies as in past entries. The multiplayer did leave something to be desired, but the total package is shaping up to be a real tr??eat for fans.

Resistance: Burning Skies (PlayStation Vita)
Developer: Nihilistic Software
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Release: May 29, 2012

Burning Skies puts players in the boots of Tom Riley, a firefighter on a mission to protect his wife and daughter during the Chimeran invasion. Taking place between Fall of Man and Resistance 2, Burning Skies' story is set during the first three days of the Chimeran blitz. Although Europe has all but fallen, until the Chimera show up, America is still living in its Norman Rockwell ideal. Whereas past games in the series have always placed players in the thick of the conflict, Burning Skies aims to lead players through the transition of day-to-day 1950s America to the war-torn hell hole it ?beco??mes as the Chimera bum rush the Eastern seaboard.

With their big push, the Chimera bring along a f??ew new enemy types. There weren't a whole lot of new enemies shown in this demo, but there will be new breeds of Chimeran infantry and boss monsters mixe??d in with the series' mainstays. In my time with the game, I was reacquainted with old friends like the Executioner, LongLegs, and the good old Hybrid. Joining the series is the Impaler, a melee-focused enemy who loves to rush and, as the name implies, impale people.

The dreary setup is in place, but Burning Skies couldn't be a Resistance game without some crazy weapons. All the tried-and-true classics are back such as the Auger, the Bullseye, and the Carbine, but a few new toys enter the fray. The standout new weapon I saw was a shotgun/crossbow hybrid called the Mule. A beast at close and medium range, this two-shot double-barrel wea?pon lays out any enemy like a good shotgun should. Its secondary function shoots explosive crossbow bolts over long and medium ranges. Apart from being incredibly fun to use, the Mule also shows off the design philosophy behind the new human weapons.

Speaking with Nihilistic's Robert Huebner, the Mule and other weapons were "meant to have this home brew feel to them." Acquired early in the game, you get the Mule from a bartender who's just attached a crossbow to a shotgun so he could protect his home and business. It's these smaller details that?? go to sell the desperation of th??e people you encounter during the story.

Not be outdone by the opposition, the Chimera bring some new guns as well. The one we got our hands on was the Sixeye, a burst-fire sniper rifle that shoots remote charges as its secondary function. Setting and detonating the charges both use the Vita's touch screen, as do all the secondary fires. To make up for the fewer buttons on the Vita versus a PS3 controller, Nihilistic has mapped a great deal of Burning Skies' controls to the touch screen and back pad.

To put up an Auger shield, for instance, you place your thumbs on the center of the screen and swipe them away from each other. Or if you want to tag a target? with the Bullseye, just tap on screen which target you want marked. Melee and grenades both have their own onscreen icons that you tap to use, and sprinting is done by tapping on the rear pad.

As you can see, there is a ton of functionality tied to the touch controls. Thankfully, it all works well. While there is some initial awkwardness to overcome, once you get accustomed to the controls everything works incredibly smoothly. In fact, it's because there is so much touch functionality that it all works so well. Constantly having to use it for even the mos??t basic mechanics makes it feel all the more normal.

All told, the single-player looks to be in great shape, but what about the multiplayer? In a word, slim. Burning Skies will ship with a decent six maps, but will only come with three modes -- two of them being Deathmatch and Team Deathmatch -- with support for up to eight players over a Wi-Fi (no ad ho?c support) c?onnection. In our demo, we got a look at two of the game's six maps, playing Deathmatch and Survival mode.

Deathmatch in Burning Skies is as straightforward as you would imagine. It's a free-for-all race to the top as you try to get the most kills before everyone else. Survival mode pits two Chimeran players against six human players to see how many members of the latter group can survive before time is up. Every kill that a Chimeran player gets infects the human and respawns them as another Chimera. It's a fun diversion, but like similar modes (such as Halo's Living Dead), it's over quickly.

The meat of the multiplayer, then, is in its leveling system. It works pretty much how you would expect: you earn XP for completing challenges, getting kills, assists, ending another player's kill streak (which is even called buzz kill), etc. You unlock new weapons and upgrades (essentially perks) to improve your weapons until you hit the level cap of 40. One cool feature is Burning Skies' Infection system. As you play games, you can get get XP boosts, called infections, from other players. The way the boosts works is th?at you get a set multiplier for a predetermined amount of time.

Values of infections range from getting 1.5x more XP for a few games, to getting a 10x boost for a whole weekend. It's a rather ingenious incentive to keep people playing. You can also pass infections to other players either in-game or with the Vita's Near functionality. Depending on how long the community lasts -- and with so many ways to spread them -- infections could travel far, like herpes. Unlike herpes, though, you can choose which infections to keep and which to throw away, ensuring you ??can discard lower-level infections in favor of higher ones.

With about a month until release, Resistance: Burning Skies looks to be in good shape to set the Vita ablaze. The multiplayer can feel anemic, especially when it comes to modes, but what's been shown of the single-player has been simply awesome. Whether you love first-person shooters or not, Burning Skies is one title any Vita owner cannot afford to le?t slip under their radar.

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I am hugely looking forward to Resistance: Burning Skies. I'm eager to see just how good a first-person shooter feels on the PlayStation Vita, and Resistance is a good a series as any to t?ake the first s??tep. 

The above trailer showcases the game's multiplayer mode, wh?ich appears to cram in all the bells and whistles from its console brethren. It boasts three modes, six maps, and will support eight players in total, which ain't too shabby. So far, multiplayer on the Vita has been pretty solid, so this ought to work great.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed and I can't wai??t to check it out. It'll be available May 30.

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I don't think we've had quite enough PlayStation Vita-related posts up on the site today, so here's one more: Resistance: Burning Skies has been given a release date of May 29, 2012.

This sticks out in my mind as one of the earlier Vita games that was used to help build excitement for the handheld, presumably to help showcase that, yes, dual sticks on ?a portable gaming device is quite the step up from playing first-person games on a PSP.

Not trying to rush Burning Skies ou??t for the ??immediate launch-window period seems like a smart move. At the same time, expectations for Vita software will certainly be higher by May. Bring it.

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Happy Friday, everyone! Hopefully you all tuned into our live show today and won an XBLA code for the latest Orcs Must Die! DLC, but if not, don't worry! There will be plenty more giveaways in the near future - and that's a Tara Long Promise©!

In the meantime though, some videogame news was discussed today and I should probably mention it. First up, about a gazillion announcements regarding the Wii U have surfaced since Nintendo revealed their Q4 financial numbers, and we're here to speculate on some new names for the Wii U. Over in RPG land, Kingdoms of Amalur: The Reckoning has an online pass (WTF?) and Mass Effect 3's got a new multiplayer trailer and an excessively excessive amount of DLC. Last but not least, the Resistance series is officially in the hands of Nihilistic Software.

D??uring the second half of the show, Max shows off some Photoshopped Pokémon crossover suggestions he collected from the chat dur??ing last week's live show. Needless to say, they proved to be quite the effective use of work time!

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Damn, son. Just put it all out there.

Insomniac CES Ted Price told VG247 how it would be from here on out, in the most direct way possible: "We won’t be making any more Resistances."

Resistance 3 was easily the best of the series, and I'd say ended the series on a high note. Too bad that no one played it. We still have the upcoming Vita title Resistance: Burning Skies to look forward to, but Sony should probably kill?? it ther??e and move on. 

Are you all sad corgi face about this news?

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We are now officially less than a week away from the post-Turkey Day madness. If you're set on stopping by either Walmart or Best Buy I can't blame you for that. Here's why you should still giv?e Target a chan??ce though:

• $139.99 - 4 Gb Xbox 360
• $199 - 160 Gb PlayStation 3 bundled w/Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One and LittleBigPlanet 2
• $99 - Kinect sensor bundled w/Wipeout 2, Kinect Adventures, The Gunstringer and Fruit Ninja Kinect
• $39 - WiiMotionPlus, PS3 or Xbox 360 controllers
• $27 - Forza Motorsport 4
• $37 - Gears of War 3, Battlefield 3, Resistance 3, Need For Speed: The Run and Madden 12

So yeah?, Target has some pretty similar deals with other retailers, but that 360 for only $140 is an insanely good price. Also be sure to check out the ad scans for the rest of the smaller deals. There's more great stuff in there!

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Ever wanted to check out the Uncharted, Resistance or God of War series and are picking up the ICO and Shadow of the Colossus Collection tomorrow anyway? Well, this is a better time than any because if you stop into Best Buy you can pick up two select PS3 Collections and?? save yourself ?twenty bucks.

You have a choice of either Uncharted Dual Pack, Resistance Dual Pack, God of War: Origins Collection and of course ICO and Shadow of the Colossus Collection. I myself have my eye on God of War: Origins and the ICO and Shadows Collection. But if you're feeling really cheap, you could a??lways just get all four of them in separate trans??actions and save a total of $40.

Save $20 on Two Select PS3 Collections [Best Buy]

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Okay, maybe not an entire playthrough - but hey, it's a guaranteed ten minutes! If y??ou've been curious how the Diablo 3 beta is stacking up, Max led us through the first ten minutes of it today while I had a discussion with myself about some of the game's finer attributes. Later on, I answered some of your most pressing questions, such as, "can you customize the barbarian to have max's hair." The answer is no.

In non-Diablo news, CS:GO won't be getting a console beta but will be getting 2 new Arsenal modes, PS3 owners will get their Battlefield 3 DLC a week earlier than the other suckers, Dota 2 may be coming sooner than we expected, and Jim FINALLY F*CKING REVIEWED RESISTANCE 3. Oh yeah, and the latest trailer for Batman: Arkham City introduces us to the Joker. It's about time, Rocksteady!

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Resistance has always been a bit of a strange series for the PlayStation 3. As an exclusive, it's always enjoyed added exposure and attention from press, but divisive opinions on its quality and the dated nature of its gameplay have awarded it far less commendation compared to the likes of inFAMOUS and Uncharted. 

Almost taking its place as the "B" shooter compared to the big-budget Killzone, Resistance is a series that has struggled to find its place, and the past two main entries have been so different that the lack of a unifying identity could be ?considered detrimental.

With Resistance 3, howev??er, Insomniac Games may final??ly have found that special something.

Resistance 3 (PlayStation 3)
Developer: Insomniac Games
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Released: September 6, 2011
MSRP: $59.99

Resistance 3 plants us in the United States, with the Chimera still firmly in control of Earth. Joseph Capelli, the man responsible for killing former protagonist Nathan Hale, has been dishonorably discharged from the Army and is hiding with a gro?up of survivors in Haven, Oklahoma. Naturally, his?? eked-out existence doesn't last forever, and the revelation that Chimeran forces are freezing the planet prompts him to head to New York to try to save humanity from a fatal winter. 

With Resistance 3's campaign, one gets the sense that Insomniac has finally brought its "A" game to the series. Taking place across twenty chapters that will take around eight hours to complete, Resistance 3 starts solid and gradually ramps up the vivacity to tell a story that consistently improves as it progresses. Its range of set-pieces, variety of levels, and sometimes-overbearing intensity of combat makes for a game that feels so much more involving than past Resistance titles, with a fluid progression that feels natural and well-paced, as oppo??sed to sluggish and monotonous.

Fans of the first game will be thrilled to note the welcome return of features nixed in Resistance 2. For a start, regenerating health is out of the door and persistent damage is back. Those used to modern shooters will find the reliance on health ??packs quite jarring, but Insomniac has done a great job of providing just enough pickups to get the job done, but nowhere near enough for it to feel easy. Also returning is the weapon wheel, with over eight firearms to collect and keep at the ready. Familiar guns such as the target-tracking Bullseye and explosive Magnum are joined by new armaments, and each can be upgraded twice to gain new useful abilities. 

Of the new weapons, the Mutator easily takes center stage. Aft?er charging up a shot, it can be fired at a regular enemy to rapidly mutate its body, turning it into a pulsing mound of warped flesh that can be shot and exploded. It can also fire a hanging fog that transforms a group of foes, and may be upgraded to turn mutants into puppets that seek out uninfected enemies and pass on their condition. In terms of sheer sadistic entertainment, the Mutator is an utte??r joy, allowing one to revel in malevolent glee as the victim screams in terror and begins to bubble with pustules. It's a work of art.

One thing that truly stands out with Resistance 3 is just how atmospheric it is. There are moments where it feels like a horror game, as players explore abandoned towns or take haunting boat rides in levels that remind one of the famed "Ravenholm" section of Half-Life 2. As zombie-like Grims and exploding Leeches stalk the player, their soggy footsteps growing closer, Insomniac has a very good chance of scaring the pants off its audience. Even during the action-heavy sequences, there's a foreboding, bleak moodiness running throughout. For fear of spoilers, I won't go into the prison-based chapter, but I'll say it provides the exact moment where Insomniac's narrative goes from enjoyable to enthrall?ing. 

With beautiful graphics and accomplished sound that provides excellent player feedback in terms of when enemies are defeated and where attacks are coming from, Resistance 3 is a sleek and sexy affair. Unfortunately, the otherwise high production values are marred by notable glitches. On multiple occasions, I had to restart checkpoints due to events?? failing to trigger and trapping me in an area. The sound can also falter on occasion, suddenly growing silent or falling out of sync with the visuals to a ??noticeable degree. While none of these errors truly ruin the overall experience, they are definitely annoying, and frequent enough to hinder what is normally well-crafted gameplay. 

The game can?? be played cooperatively, either via split-screen or online with a friend. Drop-in/drop-out cooperative play is not featured, however, which is a real negative for games these days. Having to invite friends, rather than leaving my game open for randoms, is a needlessly old-fashioned and convoluted way of doing things. There is also PlayStation Move support, which works quite well, save for the garishly huge targeting reticule that it uses. As always, motion control makes it far easier to hit targets, at the cost of feel?ing more awkward to use. A patch is coming that lets players move the screen while using a gun's sights, which it currently does not.

Naturally, multiplayer is a big part of the experience, with 16-player matches taking place across a range of familiar gametypes. Standard deathmatches, capture-and-hold, and attack/defense modes are all in place, and while the PvP combat isn't exactly innovative or spectacular, it's plenty of fun. The true joy of Resistance 3's multiplayer is that every player is overpowered to some degree. ??The ostentatious weapons and immensely useful special abilities make each character, no matter how long they've been play??ing, a formidable opponent. Even a starting player with a bargain-basement loadout has the tools to make some noise. 

Players unlock pre-packaged loadouts as ?they earn experience points, but also gain Skill Points with rank increases. These points can be used to unlock weapons and powe?rs for custom loadouts, allowing players to tailor a character to their play style. Whether they want to heal allies, spot and mark enemies, cloak their bodies or throw up shields, there's a range of powerful abilities that can create some unique players. Oh, and you can fill your body with parasites that burst out to attack opponents upon death. Naturally. 

I really dig Resistance 3's online mode, and its commitment to chaotic gameplay and overpowering weaponry adds a level of involvement that many online shooters have started to lack. Unfortunately, Resistance 3 uses an online pass that cannot even be redeemed in-game, and I find that particularly obnoxious. As far as I'm concerned, Sony's first-party titles have no business partaking in the online pass parasite party as long as Sony cannot make its PSN functions more integrated and fluid. Resistance 3 forced m?e to exit to the XMB once I beat the campaign and wanted to try th?e multiplayer -- I had to enter the PlayStation Store, redeem my code, download and install the add-on, and then fire up the game again.

Furthermore, Resistance 3 takes over forty-five minutes to get started, requiring two lengthy mandatory updates and then a forced installation before players are even allowed to see the menu. Considering that glitches and loading times are still apparent in the game, I see no excuse for this. It definitely provided a detriment to the overall experience and caused harm to a game that is beautifully put to?gether -- once the walls that Sony erected around it are broken ?down. 

The real question is this -- is Resistance 3 good enough to be worth the hassle? To that question, I would say yes. However, that doesn't mean the game should get off scot-free. Ha??ving slogged through so many barriers to get into the game, it was definitely a fun ride, but a ride that was paid for not only with money, but frustration. Adding bugs into the mix certainly degrades the overall entertainment value. 

What should be hailed as a masterpiece is theref?ore recommended as very, very good. That is, however, a positive thing and should be taken as evidence that the game is truly excellent enough at its core to be worth the hassle. It is confounding, as my instinct is t??o harshly punish a game that is full of such enormous corporate-flavored problems, but it would be wrong of me to do so while ignoring what an august product lies within. 

Resistance 3 is held back by issues that lie with both the developer and publisher, but when the problems are weighed against the triumphs, Insomniac's latest comes away ??with a net win. Its campaign is a thrill ride of rollercoaster-like set-pieces, huge boss battles, and consistently fast-paced action, and its?? multiplayer is a solid, enjoyable, anarchic complement. If you own a PS3 and you love first-person shooters, you would do well to add this one to your collection.

Review Score: 8.0 -- Great!

The post Review: Resistance 3 appeared first on Destructoid.

Resistance 3?? hits PlayStation 3 today, and Sony's already on top of announcing the first DLC for Insomniac's first-person shooter.

The "Survival" pack will be hitting the PlayStation Store on October 4, and will be bringing a new mode, "Invasion," to the game's multiplayer. This new game type is all about humans and Chimera battling it out to control various points on maps. The pack, which will cost $3.99, also comes with new multiplayer skins as well as an XMB theme.??

Wondering where our Resistance 3 review is? Blame me if you'd like -- the online pass required to?? test the game's multiplayer modes hadn't been activated while I was reviewing the game. Sony did provide a way for us to test the modes in multiplayer sessions on our non-retail PS3 units, but I've opted to wait so I can play with the public. I've completed the sing??le-player campaign (it's excellent, although short), but will be waiting to spend some time with the multiplayer before I give my final verdict.

The post Resistance 3 ‘Survival’ DLC coming October 3 appeared first on Destructoid.

Freddie Wong, special effects guru and maestro of magic and sunshine, has modified his PS3 to enable real 3D gaming. Equipped with a PlayStation Move inserted in a Sharp Shooter controller shell, Freddie takes to the streets to? mow down swarms of holo??graphic Chimera.

As cool as this setup would be, I guarantee that there are still tons of lethargic gamers who would much rather sit on their couch and fiddle with buttons. Why, having to move your arms and legs would totally kill any sense of immersion, am I?? right?

Future Motion Control Gaming [YouTube]

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Playable for the first time in the good old U.S. of A, Resistance: Burning Skies brings the much-loved Insomniac shooter to Sony’s sexy little Vita. Developed by Nihilistic, Burning Skies is a brand new game in the series set during the invasion of the Chimera -- basically right before Resistance 2 with an all-new and axe-wielding protagonist.

As firefighter Tom Riley, you are thrown right into the heat of things with the Chimera invading a burning New York City. While Resistance’s last portable effort on the PSP was by no means a slouch visually, the graphical fidelity that the Vita brings to the handheld market is instantly noticeable with Burning Skies' fire-saturated vistas.

The bulk of the demo mainly showcased the game's use of the Vita’s power -- both visually and technically -- but fans of the console games will feel right at home with this new entry in the series. The traditional dual-stick shooter set up is in use; the triggers zoom and shoot, and the face buttons handle things from weapon switching, jumping, and crouching. While the Vita may lack the extra buttons a DualShock ha??s, it more than makes up for it with its touch-screen controls.

An axe icon is always on the screen in the lower left han??d corner which allows for instant melee attacks with a quick tap. The fact that it is so close to the buttons as well makes it far from cumbersome to use. My only gripe really with the playability of the demo on hand was currently there was no way to sprint. Hopefully this gets worked out as the game is still far off, but since the analog sticks on the Vita don’t double as buttons this does pose a small design threat.

Where the Vita’s design shines in Burning Skies is in its use of touch during combat. Resistance’s guns have always been about their awesome secondary fire modes and the Vita’s touch makes them even sweeter. The Bullseye gun in the demo was the only gun which showed off the touch control, but the experience was fun nonetheless. Swiping a finger over a group of enemies highlights them and tapping fire unleashes the furry of the Bullseye’s homing shot. While using this fun??ction does take your hands off a stick, the accuracy, quickness, and added level of interactivity of this feature made the action feel even more personal.

Resistance: Burning Skies looked and p?layed fantastic and the added interactivity of the Vita&?rsquo;s touch screen only further enhanced the experience, while not feeling tacked on. The game is still pretty far off -- as no date was given -- but from what was playable at PAX, it’s shaping up to be another stellar installment for the FPS franchise.

The post Resistance: Burning Skies PAX impressions appeared first on Destructoid.

When I get given Resistance 3 shots, I want only one thing -- pictures of really gross Chimera, so I can look at? them and say, "Eeww, those Chimera are really gross!" 

Unfortunately, somebody at Sony felt we needed to look at pictures of sheds instead. There are still a few slavering bug-eyed nasties wandering around, but not enough for my liking. A Resistance 3 screenshot without the Chimera is like a Dead or Alive Xtreme screenshot without the exploitative qu?asi-pedophilia. 

Ah well, go gawp at the shots anyway.

The post These Resistance 3 shots have a di??stinct lack of monsters appeared first on Destructoid.

At its gamescom press conference, Sony showed off the Nihilistic-developed Resistance: Burning Skies?? for PlayStation Vita for the first time. The demo looked good, and if you're a fan of Insomniac's franchise, it seems like it cou??ld be a solid entry. And one that you can play on the toilet!

For more details on the game, check out yesterday's write-up. For a close??r look at the game's visuals, check out these new screens. Demands: I'm making th?em. 

The post Resistance: Burning?? Skies screens emerge out of gam?escom appeared first on Destructoid.

At its gamescom press conference today, Sony revealed the Nihlistic-developed PS Vita title, Resistance: Burning Skies.

Built in conjunction with help from Insomniac Games, the developer is calling it a "no compromises first-person shooter experience." The title puts players in the turnout coat of New York City firefighter Tom Reilly, set before the events of Resistance 2, just as the Chimera are invading the East Coast of the United States for the first time. The story is being written by science fiction author William C. Dietz, whose previous work includes penning the Halo: The Flood novel.

Of course, with the PS Vita's dual analog ??sticks, first-person shooters are more playable than ever on the go. But Nihilistic intends on using the touch screen for functionality, as well. The touch screen was used to demonstrate one of the game's new weapons, the Cluster Fire Gun. By tapping and "painting" targets on the screen, you'll then be able to fire off home rockets. Other touch screen functionality included quick use of a melee weapon (a fire axe), as well as navigation of the game's weapon wheel. 

Burning Skies also introduces a new cover system. To take cover, players need to simply crouch behind objects, the game locking them into place??. You'll then be able to peek from cover by using SIXAXIS contro?ls (tilting the Vita itself), by simply targeting with iron sights, or firing. 

Resistance: Burning Skies ??will be playable at gamesom, so we hope?? to have more details soon.

The post Resistance: Burning Skies announces for PS Vita appeared first on Destructoid.

Remember that PlayStation 3D display that was announced during Sony's press conference at E3 this year? They told us that the 24", $499 set bundle would come with a pair of 3D glasses, an HDMI cable, and a copy of Resistance 3. But today we saw an Amazon.com link for pre-order, and MotorStorm: Apocalypse was listed as the bundle game. Later we saw that GameStop had an even more confusing bundle listing, with both MotorStorm: Apocalypse and Resistance 3 listed as bundled. Finally, an Insomniac Games tweet really had us won??dering. We checked with Sony for the final word, and here's what they told us:

The PlayStation 3D Display announced at E3 will now be bundled with MotorStorm: Apocalypse, instead of Resistance 3. MotorStorm Apocalypse, the latest installment of the popular racing franchise, offers high-octane action and was built from the ground up for 3D -- making it a great out-of-the-box experience for all types of gamers. Its split-screen racing mode is perfect for the 3D Display's special two-player feature, which allows both players to see individual, unique, full-screen images of gameplay. The 3D Display will be available this fall/holiday, as several blockbuster PS3 exclusives will be launching with 3D, including Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception.

No other reasons for the switch were given.

Perhaps MotorStorm's split screen is a better fit to show off one of the coolest features of the display. Does the changing of this pack-in game change your mind? on ordering this display?

The post Motor?Storm game replaces Resistance 3?? in PS 3D TV bundle appeared first on Destructoid.

Would you like some fresh cut demos with your alien invasion shooter sequel? Well, you're getting it, like it or not. Lots of demos and other content are packed into Resistance 3, which Insomn?iac says has just gone gold. That means this game is right on track for its September 6 release date.

Insomniac also confirms that there will be? a patch on the first day. They are working on the Public Beta and they'll use this patch to tweak the final product.

The disc is packed with tons of playable extras. Killzone 3, MotorStorm Apocalypse and inFAMOUS 2 will be included as demos. Look for trailers and other videos for UNCHARTED 3: Drake’s Deception, Starhawk, God of War: Origins, and SOCOM 4. There's even Sony music and movie content including movie trailers and music videos from artists like Ozzy Osbourne, Incubus, Foo Fighters, and AC/??DC. I guess there was a lot of space left on the Blu ray disc!

The post Resistance 3: Gone gold, day one ?patch?, comes with demos appeared first on Destructoid.

[Update: Contest over! Check your PMs to see if you got a cod?e!]

The Resistance 3 beta has begun, for those of you that bought SOCOM 4 new or are a PlayStation Plus member that is. Lucky for you we have ten codes to give out that will get you access to the Team Deathmatch ??and Chain Reaction modes offered in the beta today!

To enter, just leave a comment telling us what you like best from the Resistance series. We'll be randomly selecting ten commenters to ?give the codes ??to after midnight tonight.

That's not all! Our Twitch.TV show, Mash Tactics, will be giving out ten codes as well starting at today at 4PM Pacific. Plus, we're giving away five codes through our Twitter today too! So many ways to win! Good luck!

The post Get your Resistance 3 beta codes right here! appeared first on Destructoid.

Insomniac Games has launched a browser-based game called Global Resistance. The title will tie-in to the upcoming Resistance 3, giving players the opportunity to garner a number of in?-game rewards.

Global Resistance has players choosing a side -- human or Chimera -- and building up bases and deploying troops in a "global struggle for control of the world."??

It seems like a neat little game, and I've already unlocked a handful of Resistance 3 concept art having put only a few minutes into it. You'll also be able to earn cooler stuff like in-game character skins for multiplayer, XP boosts, titles, and more. Check it out now, because you've got nothing else to do until September, when Resistance 3 ships.

The post Insomniac launch?es web-based Glo?bal Resistance game appeared first on Destructoid.

At San Diego Comic-Con this week, Insomniac Games has confirmed that the multiplayer beta for Resistance 3 will kick off during ??the first week of August. Yup, that's only two weeks away. The beta will feature?? two modes -- Team Deathmatch and Chain Reaction -- but how many and what maps will be included is unknown.

There are a few ways to get into the beta, including using a voucher code found in new copies of SOCOM 4 if you're in North America. European PlayStation Plus members will also get access. No word yet on any other means of getting in, but we'll keep you poste??d.

Resistance 3 is out September 6. I recently played the opening hours of the single-player campaign, and came away impressed -- it's now among my "must ?play" games for the r?emainder of 2011.

Comic-Con: Resistance 3 Beta Date [IGN]

The post Resistance 3 beta starts first week of August appeared first on Destructoid.

Ahoy, all! Or somethi??ng. I really am totally out of cute ways to introduce the show in these silly, silly post?s I do. Video game news! [fart noise]

First, PopCap Games has been acquired by EA, for MILLIONS of dollars. Or possibly jewels. PopCap is known for its jewels. The new XCOM looks really cool, but the head of 2K Games really isn't helping his cause by saying terrible things about the late Ray Charles. Fallout: New Vegas is seeing some DLC next week with Old World Blues, which has flaming dogs in it. SOLD. Resistance 3 sounds like it's a big improvement on its precursor, possibly because it's set in Oklahoma. Finally, Randy Pitchford gets all red in the face and excited about Aliens: Colonial Marines, which is ok??ay, even though I'm mad at him for that last game Gearbox release??d.

We forgot to mention it in our show, but the contest is still going for pictures of "how to destroy a 3DS." Full details HERE, and if you win, you get a free 3DS case from CM4. Furthermore, the weekly podcast Tara and I do with Jim Sterling and Jonathan Holmes is available for download here, and if?? you don't listen to it, you shou??ld. Because we do the nasty with your ears.

The post New Destructoid ??Episode: 3DS Netflix, Popc??ap, and Aliens! appeared first on Destructoid.