The story continues in Resistance 3, with a new setting, a new hero, and a new art style.
The Resistance series has been a main stay of the PlayStation 3, starting with launch-title Resistance: Fall of Man five years ago, and continues with the third iteration, Resistance 3, this year. Starting off as an alternate-history World War II title, and then a futuristic sci-fi shooter, it’s now a post-apocalyptic survival game. These changes in tone have allowed the series to stay fresh while creating a rich fictional universe to lose yourself in.
The gameplay we were shown at Gamescom started off in the underground hideout of some remnants in New Orleans. Your companion has been injured and you need to get him the medical supplies to help him. Only, there’s a catch. You need a new power source for the aircraft, and your companions have a plan to draw in a Chimeran drop ship and get one, but they need your help.
Of course, it doesn’t go to plan, and you end up having to fight a horde of Chimera. One of the new features for Resistance 3 turned up at this point—the shield drones. These guys hover over the chimera and make them invincible; however, they are vulnerable and you need to take them out before you can attack the Chimera.
Health pickups are back, as story-wise, Hale developed recharging health from his Chimera DNA, these are just standard pickups and seem fairly liberally thrown around the combat areas so you don’t have to tactically leave one lying around in case you get attacked. Once the skirmish is over, you’re given the power core and in a sub-version on the trope, you are escorted by an A.I. partner, giving you a moment to see what’s going on in your surroundings. Chimera are fighting other Chimera—a feral Long Legs versus the military grunts. What’s going on there you don’t know, but it’s likely a foreshadowing of the story to come.
Once this segment is done, it’s back on trope with the escort mission where you’re defending you’re A.I. partner. By now you have one of the new weapons, a chimera sniper rifle with an alternate fire that explodificates the bad guys as long as you can keep them in your sights for a few seconds.
We then jumped ahead to later in the game, and the story has moved to Philadelphia. In a setting that, according to the developers, "may or may not be a prison," it seems you’re in a makeshift arena, with hungry Chimera unleashed upon you with only a sledgehammer to defend yourself. Unfortunately (or fortunately?) there are no Dead Rising of Peter Gabriel references, but the sledgehammer does provide a little bit of gore as you fight off the oncoming hordes.
Now for some sad news. There will be no eight player online co-op missions like in Resistance 2. Instead, Insomniac has decided to bring back the campaign co-op. While both are fantastic, it’s a shame that one has to be sacrificed for the other.
For now though, Resistance 3 is looking to be great, with a new aesthetic and slightly modified art style it could well be a fine addition to any PS3 library.
Stay Tuned for more.
You can also catch Rob on CurrentGen.com for daily podcasts and audio coverage of Gamescom and games in general.