Resistance: Burning Skies PS Vita

Released on 01-Jun-2012

• 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

• Story details, new enemies for Resistance: Burning Skies

  Sony has unveiled a new trailer, showing off more of what we can expect from forthcoming PlayStation Vita shooter, Resistance: Burning Skies.

  Setting up the new story, which takes place between the events of PS3 exclusives Resistance: Fall of Man and Resistance 2, we meet Staten Island firefighter Tom Riley as he recounts the events of August 15th, 1951. That's the day the Chimera invasion reaches the US, and things do not go well.

  Survivors are evacuated over the George Washington Bridge, protected by a civilian militia called the Minutemen, but Tom insists he's not going anywhere while his family is held captive by the alien monsters. "Natalie, Rachel, I'm coming for you," he promises.

  We then get a look at the gameplay in action, showcasing the PS Vita's visual muscle as well as the Executioner, a new enemy type that Sony describes as "a powerful Chimera class with a massive cannon for an arm". You won't be surprised to learn that he "definitely won't go down as easily as your standard Hybrid".

  Resistance: Burning Skies will be the first FPS for the PS Vita, making full use of the handheld console's twin sticks for an unadulterated hardcore experience. It's out in May.

• Resistance: Burning Skies - Review

  
  

  

  First First Person Shooter

  Of all the many, many hardware features of PlayStation Vita, it's always been obvious which one is the biggest deal to gamers: dual analogue controllers. The lack of a second stick was the major problem with Sony's original PSP, meaning that while the game's looked as good as their console counterparts, in many cases they could not - by design - play as well.

  Now, what's the most popular genre in console gaming? The FPS. And what's the one genre that neither PSP nor any other handheld console has ever been able to deliver convincingly? You guessed it. But all that changes with Vita, and its first full-fat, no compromises shooter is Resistance: Burning Skies.

  The Resistance series, as you may know, is best known for Insomniac's trio of sci-fi, alternate-history titles on PlayStation 3. Its Vita debut has been handled by a different team, Nihilistic, but finds itself in the familiar setting of '50s North America, as alien forces launch a vicious assault on the east coast.

  

  Life of Riley

  This time you play as Tom Riley, a firefighter caught in the crossfire, whose wife and daughter are captured by the Chimera. So, not only are you fighting to save the lives of your fellow citizens, you're also desperately searching for your family and... Actually, to be brutally honest, you won't really give a monkey's. The narrative is all-too forgettable, and, anyway,you're here for the weapons, not the sob story.

  Weapons are what Resistance has always done best. Here, the excellent weapon wheel returns, offering eight firearms, each with a secondary fire option and each with six upgrades to unlock, two of which can be applied at any given time.

  The basic run-and-gun controls work well - Vita was designed for this type of game after all. Secondary fire, meanwhile, is handled by the touch screen. When using Bullseye, you can tag an enemy with a touch and your bullets are laser-guided towards it. And with Auger, swiping two fingers apart on the screen deploys a shield.

  Touch mostly works well, with fewer of the gimmicks that blighted Uncharted's Vita instalment. Run, for example, is deftly handled by a double-tap of the rear pad, while grenades can be dragged from a fixed panel and targeted precisely. The one big blunder is in needlessly requiring touch to open doors - a silly decision that means you'll accidentally let loose weapons as often as actually doing the thing you want to.

  

  Red Sky At Night...

  While the mechanics are solid, what lets Burning Skies down is the experience as a whole - particularly in single-player. An FPS that plays like an FPS might be a novelty on a handheld, but given the power of Vita's hardware we should be expecting experiences on a par with what we're used to on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

  Sadly, uninspired level design, illogical AI, repeated technical glitches and a disappointing lack of atmosphere result in a six-hour experience that has its moments, but is mostly unsatisfying and short on what gamers would be hoping for.

  What rescues the package is multiplayer. Features are limited. There's three modes - Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch and Survival - for up to eight players simultaneously. But, crucially, it works. There's no discernible lag, you get much more use out of the weapons against human opponents and - let's not beat around the bush - you've never been able to do this before on a handheld.

  Burning Skies is some distance from being the definitive handheld shooter. It's too rough around the edges with too little attention given to delivering the quality gamers would expect from elite home console shooters.

  But as the first ever proper portable FPS, there's still fun to be had in the bath or on the bus, sniping and shooting friends and enemies. And more to the point, it proves the format works on Vita, which means a truly amazing handheld shooter should be just a matter of time.

  Our Verdict: 7/10

  What's Good?

  • A proper FPS on handheld
  • Multiplayer is lag-free
  • Decent touch controls

  What's Bad?

  • Poor enemy AI
  • Technical glitches
  • Limited online features
• Resistance: Burning Skies - Review

  
  

  

  First First Person Shooter

  Of all the many, many hardware features of PlayStation Vita, it's always been obvious which one is the biggest deal to gamers: dual analogue controllers. The lack of a second stick was the major problem with Sony's original PSP, meaning that while the game's looked as good as their console counterparts, in many cases they could not - by design - play as well.

  Now, what's the most popular genre in console gaming? The FPS. And what's the one genre that neither PSP nor any other handheld console has ever been able to deliver convincingly? You guessed it. But all that changes with Vita, and its first full-fat, no compromises shooter is Resistance: Burning Skies.

  The Resistance series, as you may know, is best known for Insomniac's trio of sci-fi, alternate-history titles on PlayStation 3. Its Vita debut has been handled by a different team, Nihilistic, but finds itself in the familiar setting of '50s North America, as alien forces launch a vicious assault on the east coast.

  

  Life of Riley

  This time you play as Tom Riley, a firefighter caught in the crossfire, whose wife and daughter are captured by the Chimera. So, not only are you fighting to save the lives of your fellow citizens, you're also desperately searching for your family and... Actually, to be brutally honest, you won't really give a monkey's. The narrative is all-too forgettable, and, anyway,you're here for the weapons, not the sob story.

  Weapons are what Resistance has always done best. Here, the excellent weapon wheel returns, offering eight firearms, each with a secondary fire option and each with six upgrades to unlock, two of which can be applied at any given time.

  The basic run-and-gun controls work well - Vita was designed for this type of game after all. Secondary fire, meanwhile, is handled by the touch screen. When using Bullseye, you can tag an enemy with a touch and your bullets are laser-guided towards it. And with Auger, swiping two fingers apart on the screen deploys a shield.

  Touch mostly works well, with fewer of the gimmicks that blighted Uncharted's Vita instalment. Run, for example, is deftly handled by a double-tap of the rear pad, while grenades can be dragged from a fixed panel and targeted precisely. The one big blunder is in needlessly requiring touch to open doors - a silly decision that means you'll accidentally let loose weapons as often as actually doing the thing you want to.

  

  Red Sky At Night...

  While the mechanics are solid, what lets Burning Skies down is the experience as a whole - particularly in single-player. An FPS that plays like an FPS might be a novelty on a handheld, but given the power of Vita's hardware we should be expecting experiences on a par with what we're used to on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

  Sadly, uninspired level design, illogical AI, repeated technical glitches and a disappointing lack of atmosphere result in a six-hour experience that has its moments, but is mostly unsatisfying and short on what gamers would be hoping for.

  What rescues the package is multiplayer. Features are limited. There's three modes - Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch and Survival - for up to eight players simultaneously. But, crucially, it works. There's no discernible lag, you get much more use out of the weapons against human opponents and - let's not beat around the bush - you've never been able to do this before on a handheld.

  Burning Skies is some distance from being the definitive handheld shooter. It's too rough around the edges with too little attention given to delivering the quality gamers would expect from elite home console shooters.

  But as the first ever proper portable FPS, there's still fun to be had in the bath or on the bus, sniping and shooting friends and enemies. And more to the point, it proves the format works on Vita, which means a truly amazing handheld shooter should be just a matter of time.

  GAME's Verdict:

  The Good

  • A proper FPS on handheld
  • Multiplayer is lag-free
  • Decent touch controls

  The Bad

  • Poor enemy AI
  • Technical glitches
  • Limited online features

  Published: 31/05/2012

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