Ben-DutkaResistance has always been one of my favorite games to play, and that includes the online multiplayer. For whatever reason, it has been one of the franchises that I enjoy playing against others and although I’m still a campaign lover at heart, I’m sure Resistance 3 will deliver for multiplayer fans. I’ve had a chance to try the beta (on my first attempt, Matchmaking had been disabled) and I have to say, it seems like a blend of the first two series entries. The speed is closer to that of Fall of Man and the number of players per map is similar as well. Gone are the insane 60-player competitions we had in Resistance 2 but in its place are riveting 16-player fragfests.
Well, I think it’s a fully competent multiplayer title. You can try Team Deathmatch and Chain Reaction, the latter of which is a domination-style mode that has teams try to hold multiple locations in order to fully open or close a wormhole. The wormhole is mostly just a cosmetic feature; this isn’t an entirely original mode but it does work well. Team Deathmatch is a staple and is about as fun as you might expect. There are only a couple maps thus far – Trainyard and Seaside – and I’m not the biggest fan of either, but they’re certainly pretty, and they put color and bright hues at a premium. This may come as a surprise to those who are expecting something darker, but really, these two maps are anything but “dark.” In terms of visuals, I don’t think this will compete with the heavy hitters this year, but it’s still an upgrade over R2.
I haven’t seen all the overhauled or entirely new weapons, but the weapons I have sampled are rock solid. And that goes double for the collision detection and general movement and control, which is both accessible and responsive. It moves a little too slow, though, and it may take some getting used to if you’re a CoD fanatic. It’s even slower than Killzone 3 , even though the sprint function might be similar in terms of speed. I haven’t come across any glaring issues, but there are a few inconsistencies: for instance, the motion blur when running, which gets irritating, and some possible balance issues.
However, with active and passive abilities, the chance to customize your loadout and character (upgrade weapons and abilities almost immediately!) almost any way you wish, and an excellent feel and pacing from the gameplay, Resistance 3 online is looking good. And now that Insomniac has fixed many of the biggest problems – spawning in the midst of a firefight, multiple crashes and time outs, freezing, glitching, etc. – it’s plenty playable and quite entertaining. The bottom line is that this is a stable, wicked fun experience and it’s a little different from Battlefield 3 and Modern Warfare 3 . Oh, and by the way, the R3 campaign should be pretty damn amazing, too.
