Resistance 3 Special Edition PlayStation 3

Resistance 3 Special Edition Product Details

Released on 09-Sep-2011

• Resistance 3 Preview

  Don't try to resist
  

  You don't know which way to turn. They're coming from all sides. No sooner have you dealt with a threat in front of you than a horrific inhuman screech alerts you to something else something that's right behind you.
  

  You can hear your companions shouting - sometimes screaming - but there's no time to look around to see where they are. Even if you did, thick dust fills the air while gale-force winds whistle and howl around you. Every muscle, every nerve, is urging you to take flight; to run and never look back. But that's not an option. The Chimera have already won. There's nowhere to go. All you can do is defend your home. Defend your family. Keep moving, keep firing. Stay alive.
  

  Welcome to Resistance 3 (PS3), the latest instalment in Sony's PS3-exclusive series, and on the evidence of this early level, a sure contender for one of the most heart-stopping, pulse-pounding shooters of the year.
  

  Chimeran conquerers
  

  The plot picks up just under a year on from the events of Resistance 2, and things are not going well for humanity. Despite your best efforts in the previous games, the invading Chimera aliens have conquered Earth. Where the earlier games were all about soldiers repelling an invasion, this one is about refugees avoiding extinction. You're no longer an elite trooper accompanied by tough grunts, but a vulnerable civilian surrounded by desperate neighbours.
  
  
  So when Chimera drop-ships descend on your makeshift camp in the opening level, you fight back because you must, not because you can.
  

  This down-and-dirty approach is reflected in the map itself, which centres around the refugee camp of Haven, an open town square surrounded by derelict buildings and makeshift shelters. It's all invitingly open-plan, so you're never funnelled on towards the next encounter. You can hide inside buildings and try to pick off the invaders from a safe(ish) vantage point, or you can Rambo it up in the open, using your arsenal of weapons to full effect.

  The weapons will certainly make fans of the original Resistance whoop with glee. The weapon wheel returns, along with old favourites such as the Bullseye with its homing bullets, and the Auger which can shoot through walls. Gameplay, too, is designed to appease those who miss old-fashioned shooters. There are no half-baked attempts at stealth, no sticky cover mechanics - you simply move around the scenery with intuitive agility and shoot at whatever you see, however you choose.

  
  If you need protection, there's a duck button. That's all you get, but that's all you need. This is a full-on sensory overload frag-fest - and if you can't take the heat, there are plenty more forgiving shooters to choose from.
  

  Take no prisoners
  

  As an indicator of how ruthless Resistance 3 will be, it even marks the return of health packs, those wonderful Red Cross packages that glimmer like beacons of hope in all the classic FPS games. Sorry, wimps. You won't be getting a magic recharging shield here, or hiding behind a wall while your multiple bullet wounds heal in a few seconds. Get trapped with low health in this game and you're in a world of hurt.
  

  All of which is beautifully illustrated as this early section on display builds to a breathtaking climax. Just as you polish off the last of the Chimera forces, the ground shakes and an absolutely pant-filling monstrosity comes bounding down the street. Imagine King Kong, shaved and armoured, and in a really bad mood. This creature is huge and fast, and it doesn't follow any easy boss-battle attack patterns. It just goes berserk.
  

  Luckily, there's an ammo dump in the square that will give you infinite reloads. Trouble is, that's right in the most exposed spot of the map. Pop quiz, hotshot. What do you do? Stay out of range and hope your ammo lasts? Or risk being pulverised and go for more fire-power? What combination of weaponry and environment will work best for you? More importantly, how are you going to stay alive long enough to find out?
  

  Ten minutes into the game and we're already breathless and soaked with nervous sweat. If this is how Resistance 3 starts, we can't wait to find out how it ends.
  

• Resistance 3 goes Down Under

  Insomniac Games has shown off one of the new multiplayer maps from its upcoming shooter threequel Resistance 3, hinting that the game may be setting foot on Australian soil for the first time.

  The original game was set in England, in an alternate timeline where an alien invasion in 1951 leads mankind to the brink of extinction. The sequel took in a brief detour via Iceland before following the invasion as it spread across America. The single player campaign of Resistance 3 continues that tale, but the Alice Springs multiplayer map suggests that the locations may be more global than was first thought.

  The map itself shows all the hallmarks of Insomniac's level design, with a wide open dust-red outback town dotted with shops and houses that players can use for cover.

  Also on display are an array of weaponry, new and old, which maintain the series' fondness for unusual arsenals. Incendiary shotguns look fun, as you'd expect, while an alien weapon that smother players in organic parasites until they explode is sure to be a hit with mums everywhere.

  Resistance 3 is a PlayStation 3 exclusive, and hits the UK on September 9th.

• Resistance 3 review

  Mankind's last stand

  While Resistance 3 packs in all the fun alien blasting of its predecessors, this trilogy-closing blockbuster also features the best story in the series to date. Set in an alternate 1957 where mankind has lost the war against an invading alien race known as the Chimera, the game throws you into the role of protagonist Joseph Capelli.

  Given one last chance to deliver a potentially knockout blow to the occupying force, you embark on a cross-country journey from Oklahoma to New York to destroy a gargantuan Chimeran tower. A desperate tale of survival against the odds as you battle through a world overrun by mutated monsters, Resistance 3's story is effectively delivered by a range of carefully drawn and scripted characters.

  Road trip

  The road trip nature of the story allows for a pleasingly varied range of settings, including an eerie boat ride in foggy Mississippi, and treks through a moonlit blue forest and a deserted metropolis. With a completely overhauled graphics engine, Resistance bleak world is beautiful to look at, and every environment is packed with detail and rich with history.

  There are some large open battlefields in Resistance 3, and the game is at its best on the occasions when you're given the chance to explore by entering buildings and climbing rooftops, or to choose from multiple pathways in order to flank the enemy. A significant chunk of the action is fairly linear though, seeing you engage in medium and close-quarters combat as you travel through corridored areas like sewers and subway systems.

  Gun club

  Resistance 3 offers plenty of flair in the weapons department, with a mixture of alien and human technology providing some really exotic tools of destruction that help keep the combat varied and engaging. A number of old favourites return, including the Auger, which can shoot through walls, and the Bullseye, which fires bullets that bend around corners.

  These are complemented by the likes of the Wildfire, which launches room-clearing cluster bombs and heat-seeking missiles for downing enemy dropships, and the Mutator, which emits a vile green slime that creates exploding boils on the opposition skin.

  Each of the weapons boasts a real-time upgrade system that boosts their capabilities the more theye used, and once you find a gun you'll never be forced to discard it because you've run out of inventory space. That's because the weapons wheel from the first game in the series makes a welcome return, allowing you full access to all of the guns you've collected at any time, which is perfect considering the nasties you come up against.

  Three's a charm

  From regular footsoldiers protected by new flying sentries to mechanical goliaths, Resistance's bugs come in all shapes and sizes. Massive Hulk Chimera charge and maul you if you fail to get out of the way in time, agile new foes dubbed Long Legs leap to great heights to attack from above, while Sniper Hybrids mask their location with cloaking devices. Each has their own strengths and weaknesses, keeping you on your toes at all times.

  Having opted to strip the game down to its strongest elements, developer Insomniac has delivered the best title in the Resistance series yet. Blending a gritty story with alien-blasting fun of the highest calibre, it's a technically impressive game featuring varied environments, exotic weapons and gruesome enemies. Even if you didn't enjoy the first two games, if you're a shooter fan you owe it to yourself to give Resistance 3 a shot.

  GAME's verdict

  Good:
  + Great story.
  + Some stunning visuals.
  + Varied, satisfyingly punchy weapons.

  Bad:
  - No regenerative health.
  - More open environments would be nice.
  - Is this the end for the series?

   

  Review by: Tom 'Last Hope' Ivan
  Version Tested: PS3
  Review Published: 06.09.11

  Published: 06/09/2011

• First Resistance 3 DLC pack coming in October 2011

  The first downloadable content pack for Resistance 3 will be released for PlayStation 3 on October 4th 2011.

  Insomniac Games has promised players who pick up the shooter sequel when it hits stores this week that the Survival Pack add-on will be available very soon, adding an entirely new mode to the game.

  Entitled Invasion, this new multiplayer challenge sees teams of players striving to simultaneously control multiple areas on the map, meaning they will need to split their resources to accomplish their goals.

  The DLC pack will also include four new multiplayer skins and an XMB theme, while a separate patch released on the same day will add two new maps free of charge for all players.

  Resistance 3 is exclusive to PlayStation 3 and is set in an alternate version of 1957 America that has been overrun by invading Chimera aliens.

  The game features support for the PlayStation Move motion controller and stereoscopic 3D visuals.

  Published: 07/09/2011

• Resistance 3 Review

  Reboot the past

  How many game series are willing to reinvent themselves by the time they reach part three? Not many, and while Resistance 3 hardly takes the popular alien invasion FPS and turns it into Animal Crossing, it represents a refreshing change from the past in both style and mechanics and puts many of its genre peers to shame.

  The end of the world as we know it...

  Set four years after the events of Resistance 2, we start over with a new hero – Joe Capelli – and a new situation. After the military flavour of the first two games, as humanity pushed back against the tide of invading Chimera, we arrive at a less than upbeat place. We've lost, basically. Less than ten percent of the world's population is still alive, and they're mostly in hiding, hunted mercilessly by the ever stronger Chimeran occupation.

  So while the story finds Joe blasting enemies galore, and making his way to their HQ for a last ditch attempt to rid the Earth of their blight, it feels very different to the previous titles in the series. Those bristled with gung-ho propaganda, the alternate-history angle allowing the first game in particular to crib the feel of wartime FPS games (Call of Whatnow?) while indulging in the sort of wild weaponry that only sci-fi can bring.

  The weapons return, along with some excellent new additions to the arsenal, but the mood is now one of desperation and panic. For all of the carnage, this is almost a survival horror game, as audio logs and cut-scenes alike paint a hopelessly grim picture of our chances.

  Show 'em you've got guts

  Half-Life 2 is a clear influence, with one sequence paying very obvious homage to the eerie terrors of Ravenholm in Valve's seminal shooter. That game famously gave us the gravity gun, and the twisted brains at Insomniac Games have come up with a selection of weapons that almost rival that classic for sheer “let me play!” appeal.

  Few could resist the lure of the Mutator, for example. This jerry-rigged firearm transforms enemies into expanding pustules of blood and pus, detonating from a gunshot or just when they reach bursting point. Use the secondary fire and you launch a gas bomb that leaves enemies – human and Chimera alike – puking their insides out. It's gross, but useful enough that you'll relish the mess.

  All the weapons in the game are more powerful than before, thanks to an RPG style upgrade system that rewards constant use. The more kills you get with a gun, the better it becomes, levelling up through two more modifications which can turn an already imposing weapon into something truly deadly.

  Failure is not an option

  The game knows when to let rip and when to calm down. Key sequences feature relatively little action, but will leave your mouth bone-dry with tension. Others go all out, offering broad locations and multiple threats, leaving you to work out the best way to survive.

  Your arsenal helps here as, with another break from modern shooter tradition, Joe has magic pockets that can store all twelve weapons at a time. Free to choose from such an array of combat options, there's a great sense of freedom to the big set-piece battles, and a feeling that you won the day through your own initiative. That's important, as another shooter cliche has been ripped out and discarded: recharging health. Yep, this is a game where ducking and waiting for a few seconds won't suddenly heal all wounds. Strategy, rather than pig-headed persistence, is what's needed to reach the end of this eight-hour-plus campaign.

  Frag Together

  It's a campaign that can be played co-operatively with another player, either drawn from your PSN Friends List, or sitting right next to you thanks to an extremely welcome split-screen option. That's not the only way to play, of course, and the multiplayer is as well designed and addictive as the single player.

  Twelve superbly designed maps await, with a variety of popular game modes to choose from. Deathmatch, team games, objective games - they're all here, and and all help you rise through the online ranks, gaining new weapons and abilities as you go. Some are even unique to multiplayer, such as a cloaking device and electrical anti-melee shield, so there's a constant sense of discovery - even for players who have completed the main game.

  It can be tough going to begin with, as the sheer variety of weapons means its easy for Level 1 players to get thoroughly creamed by players with better gizmos, but it only takes a few levels for things to balance out and the experience is so much fun you probably won't even mind being fragged to bits at the start.

  Between superb multiplayer and a fantastic single player story, Resistance 3 may not reinvent the wheel, but it gives it enough of a spin to be an essential purchase for all shooter fans.

  

  Submit:
  + Great setpiece battles
  + Weird and varied weapons
  + Excellent multiplayer maps

  Resist:

  - Online play is tough for beginners
  - Finite health can leave you stuck
  - Not much solo replay value
  
• Dead Island shambles to top of UK charts

  Zombie survival experience Dead Island has shuffled its way straight to the top of the UK all-formats chart.

  Techland's eagerly awaited first-person action game for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC was able to overcome last week's leader Deus Ex: Human Revolution, no doubt thanks to the buzz created by its stunning debut trailer earlier this year.

  It was a strong week for new releases overall in the official GfK-ChartTrack rankings, with THQ's new sci-fi shooter Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine stomping into second place.

  Third spot went to the holdover Driver: San Francisco, while fourth place was taken by another debutant, the PlayStation 3 exclusive FPS Resistance 3.

  Meanwhile, there was also a top ten entry for Star Fox 3D, with the Nintendo 3DS remake of the classic Nintendo 64 title coming ninth.

  Next week's new releases include an eclectic mix of titles, such as the quirky Kinect game The Gunstringer and God of War Collection: Volume II on PlayStation 3.

  Published: 13/09/2011

• Resistance: Burning Skies gets Vita release date

  Fans of Resistance, Sony's alternate history FPS, let out great big sighs of dismay when developer Insomniac Games announced it wouldn't be returning to the series after last year's Resistance 3. But now those same fans can let out an enormous whoop of excitement, as handheld spin-off Resistance: Burning Skies will be gracing the PlayStation Vita in May.

  The game puts you in the shoes of Tom Riley, a New York firefighter who goes toe-to-toe with the alien Chimera during their 1951 invasion. Built "from the ground up" for the PS Vita, and using both the front and rear touchscreens, the big selling point is that it's the first handheld FPS on a console with dual sticks. Or, as game director Harley Baldwin White-Wiedow said in a post on the official PlayStation blog: "TWO STICKS, baby!"

  The game will be well suited to the PS Vita, which packs a powerful punch despite its snug size. Boasting PlayStation 3 quality visuals in the palm of your hand, it's an exciting time for hardcore gamers. Not pre-ordered your PS Vita yet? Better get a move on - it launches on February 22nd.

• Resistance: Burning Skies coming to PS Vita this May

  Sony has revealed that Resistance: Burning Skies, the latest instalment in the acclaimed Resistance franchise, will hit PlayStation Vita at the end of May 2012.

  The game takes place between the events of the second and third Resistance games on PlayStation 3, returning fans to the series' alternative version of the 1950s, in which the world has been ravaged by alien invaders called the Chimera.

  Playing as New York firefighter Tom Riley, players will explore famous US locations and face off against Chimeran enemies both new and familiar, while signature features such as the Weapon Wheel will make a return.

  Resistance: Burning Skies will be the first ever portable first-person shooter to utilise dual analogue controls, while touch control options are also available.

  The game will include an epic single-player story and competitive multiplayer options to rival any home console release.

  UK gamers will finally be able to get their hands on the eagerly awaited PS Vita system itself on February 22nd 2012.

  Published: 15/02/2012

• PlayStation 3 - The Essential Games

  
  

  So, you've got yourself a shiny new PlayStation 3. You know all about its fantastic online features, like PlayStation Network, BBC iPlayer, 4OD and more. You know about its awesome graphics and Blu-Ray player. What you really need to know is - what games should I get?

  Well, help is here! We've taken on the hard work and come up with our PS3 Essentials List - the 'hot half-dozen' you really need to get your game collection going.

  

  Action/Adventure

  SONY's flagship console needs SONY's flagship title - the Uncharted series. Since 2007 we've seen three adventures for Nathan Drake, the everyman hero whose treasure hunting escapades take him all over the world - and into all kinds of trouble. Featuring visually stunning locations and traditional action adventure gameplay like running, shooting and jumping, the Uncharted games are ideal for just getting stuck in and having fun while playing. Grab Uncharted: Drakes Fortune and Uncharted 2: Among Thieves in a special double pack, or jump straight into the latest instalment Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception.

  

  Shooter

  Killzone 3 is the latest chapter in PlayStation's signature shooter series. Putting a sci-fi twist on the traditional first-person shooter, Killzone 3 takes place across a range of locations from alien jungles, to nuclear wastelands, to outer space, marking a strong visual change to the usual combat zones found in FPS games. There's the usual single-player campaign and a host of multiplayer maps and mission-types to keep things interesting. Plus there's a choice of classes to play as and the use of things like jet-packs which put a new slant on the genre. And if you really want to, you can grab the first two chapters too!

  

  Sport

  Sports on the PS3 are taken to the extreme in SSX. A revival of the classic snowboarding series that helped launch the PS2, SSX presents players with an assortment of mountain slopes to conquer, and whole heap of tricks, moves and skills to learn, and playing modes that reward speed, skill and survival. While the single-player mode is fun enough, the online multiplayer works in such a way that you don't actually have to be playing at the same time to challenge your friends, with a league-like system that makes every race very competitive. If you're looking for a new sporting challenge, SSX is the game to beat!

  

  Sci-Fi/Fantasy

  The Resistance series was a bit of old-school sci-fi, an alternative history where alien race the Chimera had invaded and overrun the planet, thanks to a virus that turns humans into, well, more Chimera. Your job is to stop the Chimera take over Europe (in the first game) and North America (in the second and third), using a combination of contemporary and futuristic weapons. The alt-history setting makes for an interesting storyline with some fun 'what-if' scenarios, while the multiplayer options expand not only the world of the game, but also the fun you can have within it. Grab the first two games in a Platinum Double Pack and start fighting those aliens!

  

  Party

  If you really want to get the party going, you want to get the party singing, and what better way to do that than the SingStar series. The gameplay is simple - two people competing to out-sing the other... or at least trying to score higher than the other while singing, as actual singing ability is far from required to make this game enjoyable! With a range of games and songs to suit almost any age and taste, SingStar has proven to be one of the most inclusive and easy to play franchises to hit any console. For the ultimate in friendly competition, SingStar is the winning choice.

  

  Racing

  The Gran Turismo series has been a stalwart of the PlayStation brand for more than a decade, and Gran Turismo 5 continues the fine tradition of ultra-realistic driving simulation that leaves other racers in the dust. Like the earlier games in the series, GT5 is a showcase of the PS3's lifelike graphics and gameplay physics, this time incorporating realistic damage to your car as you compete. There's an enviable range of locations (26), tracks (71) and cars (over 1000!), and combined with the gameplay choices of career mode, arcade mode and online multiplayer, Gran Turismo 5 is the racing game that puts you on the right track.

  Of course, this list is far from definitive, but it does showcase some top games in each of the major categories of modern gaming. If you think you have a better champion for any category, or can think of a key title we've missed, please feel free to share your advice below!

  Published: 10/04/2012

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