Resistance: Fall of Man

From graphics and sound to story and gameplay, Resistance scores on all fronts and gives the PS3 its first killer app. Can it do for the console what Halo did for the Xbox? Only time will tell.

Harking back to my all-time favorite FPS, "Goldeneye," the deep, solid gameplay mixed with ambience and killer multiplayer makes for a pretty great game.

Probably the finest first-person shooter to ever grace a console, Resistance: Fall of Man is easily worth your $50, and may be considered by some to even be enough to justify the $650 investment alone.

It would have been a remarkable title a year into the life of the PS3, but as it is a launch title, it is even more remarkable. With incredible graphics, an evolving story, great action and weapons, Insomniac and Sony have nailed the launch of the game and system seamlessly.

The surperbly implemented online tracking and ranking services, plus the rich and varied content, makes Resistance's multiplayer one of the game’s strongest features. Graphically, the game is simply stunning, and when you tie in all the single player and mutliplayer components it is easily the PlayStation 3's premiere, must-have title.

The sound effects are great with superb weapon and vehicle effects.

Resistance also is amongst the best storytelling this genre has probably ever seen. It's all told through documentary-style narration that takes itself very seriously.

Insomniac nailed the sense of scale, and delights in alternately throwing plot twists and growing and shrinking level designs to keep things interesting throughout the experience.

This is one of the better single player experiences in 2006 and the multiplayer only helps add to the replayablilty.

With the framerate locked at 30fps the chance of seeing any slowdown is almost zero. [Mar 2007, p.48]

The complete package is supremely well done; the immersive atmosphere is second-to-none, the action is always either tense and intimidating or all-out madness, the diversity of the levels is a joy to experience, and the story ain’t half bad.

From start to finish, Fall of Man is one hell of an outstanding roller coaster ride that every last PS3 owner needs for day one...Above all else, it's the multiplayer elements that truly ascend this one to the next level. It's a must have for sure.

When you kill an enemy it doesn't disappear and when you blow up part of the near fully destructible environments the pieces don't go away either. The obvious power of the PS3 and the masterful coding work of the developers let everything stay on screen all the time while never taking a frame hit. This is an incredible accomplishment for a launch game on any system. [JPN Import]

Frame rate is rock solid with lots of enemies and effects on screen. Vehicle based levels feel like more of an afterthought, but they fit the story perfectly. The weapons selection and abilities are one of the best in any FPS.

Between the memorable single-player mode and the silky-smooth online play, Resistance provides an experience that, while occasionally familiar, is always worthwhile.

It's easily the best PS3 game available on launch day, and a highly playable action game that will satisfy even the most demanding FPS junkies.

Full of creative weapons, the uneasy chaos of battle and some scary moments, this part-military, part-sci-fi shooter's single player campaign will keep discerning gamers busy with multiple difficulty levels and unlockable weaponry.

The multiplayer is the real deal, and is destined to sit on the throne of data packets for the PS3 for the foreseeable future.

We're disappointed that Resistance isn't a 1080p wonder. But it's a wonder for totally different reasons -- how many launch games exist that are worth playing six months down the road? Resistance is definitely in that elite camp, and with the strong multiplayer element, we're betting that it will maintain a presence for a lot longer than that.

The sci-fi inspired storyline will keep players interested until the very end, the enemies you fight against are numerous and deadly, the battles are grand and will challenge you even on the default settings, and the weaponry available is friggin’ sweet. Online support for 40 players and Co-op mode are icing on the proverbial cake.

The bottom line is that Resistance is a truly excellent FPS, rich in variety, atmosphere, and sheer entertainment. [Dec. 2006, p.111]

This title feels like well-executed design by committee. It's got visuals that scream next-gen, and some cool weapons, but the overall lack of extensive environmental interactivity makes the title feel a bit like a "PS2.5" game more than a PS3 game.

While its gameplay is not incredibly groundbreaking, or its story spellbinding, it does add new and fun elements to this genre. Nice boss battles, lots of different weapons, and lots of players online will keep you busy for quite awhile. It's a complete, solid package that anyone purchasing a PS3 should pick up with the system.

The only real fault with Resistance is that its inspirations are sometimes too obvious. It’s a little too much like Call Of Duty here or Half-Life there, and one of the later tank-driving segments feels like it was lifted straight out of the original Halo.

The multiplayer mode can handle up to four players offline via split screen and a whopping forty players online via the new PlayStation Network.

The game brings together a lot of elements from some of the best FPS games out there but still manages to keep an original experience with plenty of fun weapons.

The game will keep you playing for months to come with its massive online component and solid single-player experience.

Resistance: Fall of Man possesses a quality very few games I’ve played this year do: that driving factor to play to the end, without breaks, without needing to walk away from that unsettling sense of monotony to reinvigorate the desire to jump back in for the next session.

When it comes down to it, this game is about playing against real people, online or off, and in that regard, there's little out there that's as gratifying--or impressive. [Jan. 2007, p.74]

Too hard at times, but this beautiful vision of an alien-infested Britain makes for a great shooter. [Jan 2007, p.52]

Even if you don't take into account the incredible multiplayer which allows for up to 40 players per match, and includes a co-op mode almost as fun as the one in Gears, Resistance is a very fun game to play.

A fantastic game with rock solid single and multiplayer action and some of the most innovative weapons ever put into a game. It's just a shame that you need a PS3 to play it.

Developers Insomniac takes some lessons from their blockbuster platformers, and weaves their magic into this extremely fun and visually stunning shooter.

Insomniac certainly knows how to deliver a release that caters for all players of differing abilities.

FoM ticks every FPS box and adds some panache with the story and cut-scenes. It’s a stunning start to PS3 development for Insomniac and is an essential purchase.

The single player campaign along with the insane online multiplayer modes provides a rollercoaster ride you won’t soon forget.

The single player is robust and action packed, while the multiplayer tends to be a bit more tactical.

The split in styles between single and online play takes advantage of the strengths and necessities in each, and really pulls the game together.

As far as console launch games go, I've seen better (Soul Calibur, Lumines, Halo, and a few Mario titles come to mind), but Resistance: Fall of Man is certainly up there with some of the best.

Not only does the campaign mode offer a solid 14 hours of gameplay, there’s a reward system that will ensure replay. And let's not forget about the unlimited replayability of two-player co-op and the various multi-player modes.

Resistance doesn't attempt anything wildly different than other first-person shooters out there, but by offering a strong selection of interesting weapons, plenty of ruthless foes to shoot them at, good level design, and an excellent presentation, it accomplishes what most such games fail to do. A fully featured multiplayer mode for up to 40 players rounds out an exciting campaign.

Resistance falls a little short of being the hoped-for "Halo-killer," but with a package that would be considered complete by any standards, it delivers a launch classic, and it lives up to its billing as the PS3's killer app.

A nice offering. As a first person shooter it come up a little short. It is, however, the best original PlayStation 3 game of the launch line-up.

The single-player is great and the multi-player is even better.

For now, Resistance delivers a launch classic, but not quite the hoped-for "Halo" killer. [Jan. 2007, p.74]

Clever, well-designed and constantly interesting, this is verging on the great. [Apr 2007, p.56]

Resistance: Fall of Man impresses in practically every area. For what it lacks in originality it makes up in quality.

Sure, it is not one of the most original, nor the best looking FPS to hit the market, but it is a great looking launch title for the PS3.

A great launch game for PS3, but it could have been even better with precise aiming controls and more open battlefields. [Feb 2007]

A solid game with great multiplayer, but nothing wholly unique in and of itself.

A quality title that gets better the deeper you get into it. Were it not for Insomniac's reliance on the weapon load-out, thte game may have benefitted from some real innovation. [Issue 148, p.58]

While the game really does not do a whole lot to innovate, it is a very solid FPS with an interesting story and an immense online aspect.

I still hate the illogical checkpoint system that turned a 15hr game into a 22hr game, and the fact that the game can be won by running and gunning more easily than tactical gameplay.

It's a solid shooter that ticks all the right boxes and is a blast to play in places. Just don't expect it to blow you away or give you a good idea about what the PS3 can do, because it only scratches the surface.

It's got looks, it's got brains, it's got a lot of stuff to shoot. It doesn't revolutionize the genre or even introduce much new, but Resistance remains an utterly solid shooter that should keep you entertained for quite a while.

It looks great, features an action packed campaign, includes some splendid online support and generally points towards a great future for action games on the system.

An accomplished shooter providing many fun online modes, engaging solo missions and superb weapons.

It's a solid shooter that ticks all the boxes and is fun to play. Just don't expect it to blow you away or give you a good idea about what PS3 can do.

A solid FPS, elevated above the mundane by its sublime weapon set and some excellent enviroments. Whether it convinces the masses who might pick it up at UK launch is another matter entirely.

It is a great game, and I am inches away from giving it a higher score than I am doing, but with the potential the Playstation 3 has, I don’t think we should set the bar too high too fast, despite my full recommendation of the game.

If there's one core flaw to Resistance, it's that it just doesn't look like a PlayStation 3 game. Sure, the levels are massive and sprawling, and the architecture boasts some admirable detail from a distance, it really is what we were seeing on Call of Duty 2.

Resistance is very much like the PS2’s Killzone: overtly grey, rather good fun and nothing groundbreaking.