Game Review: Resistance Burning Skies

Note: This review only covers the singleplayer.

Resistance was one of the first original launch games for the PS3. It sold well and very quickly became the first killer app for the system and since its release sequels and sidequels have been produced to further the success. It has since then become one of the established game franchises for the Playstation and has been perceived by many fans as rivaling to the critically acclaimed Halo. The series is now trying its hand on the newly released Vita with Resistance Burning Skies in an attempt to effectively construct an average console first person shooter make specifically for the typical handheld.

Story:

For those of you who are ignorant with the storyline here is an outline. The series takes place in an alternate history set in the 1950s as an alien race known as the Chimera has overran the Earth. Humans are fighting an overcoming war as the Chimera have already seized most of Asia and of Europe and are now coming towards America.

The game takes place between the first and second installments just right when the Chimera begin their invasion of America. You assume the role of firefighter Tom Riley in which the recent Chimeran invasion has separated him from his family and is now fighting the Chimera in an attempt to find them. While the story is somewhat weak compared to previous installments it is an overall decent story with likable characters and good writing.

Rating: 3/5

Gameplay:

Using the analog sticks of the Playstation Vita to move your character and aim your weapon feel somewhat nice but is awkward when compared to its console counterparts. Hitting your target can sometimes get very annoying but after playing with it for some time you will begin to slightly adapt to it. Another slight inconvenience is the fact that you can not customize the button layout which is unfortunate since the pervious console installments had this unique and useful feature. Using the touch screen for certain things like opening doors or melee attacking and projectiles like throwing grenades and secondary firing is pretty damn interesting and works very well with some minor adjusting. Of course the only real problem with the touch controls is that any slight tap of the screen will fire the weapons secondary function which can be irritating.

Rating: 3/5

Hitting your target can sometimes get very annoying but after playing with it for awhile you will begin to slightly adapt to it.

Design:

Old weapons such as the Carbine the human assault rifle and Bullseye the chimeran assault rifle from previous games return. Of course new weapons the Mule the double barrel shotgun and Hunter the triple burst rifle help keeps things fresh. And just like with previous installments each weapon has their own unique secondary function that give versatile to each weapon.

The Chimera are not the as willfully intelligent as they were in previous games but none the less give an okay fight. Previous chimeran species such as the Hybrids and the Steelheads as well as newcomers including the Executioners and the Impalers gives you an appropriate variety of enemies to fight against. There are only two boss battles in the entire game and they are both very predictable and not fairly challenging.

The campaign only has six levels to complete and only takes around five hours to finish. The level design is decent but is falls short when compared to previous installments. Overall the singleplayer campaign is good and despite some shortcoming is still pretty fun.

Rating 3/5

The singleplayer campaign is good and despite some shortcoming is still pretty fun.

Presentation:

When it comes to graphic the game looks pretty good for an early Vita game. The characters models look very good and the levels are nicely detailed. The voice acting is very worthy and the soundtrack is fits perfectly. The overall audio performance for this game is pretty nice

The framerate runs very well for the most part but tends to sizes up slightly when large numbers of enemies occupy the area. While the draw distance also is done sound. Although the load times between levels are pretty damn slow. Overall the presentation is really good especially considering the fact this is all running on an average handheld.

Rating: 4/5

Final Verdict:

Resistance Burning Skies is somewhat successful at bringing the franchise portable and also creating an effective first person shooter for the Vita. Although it has some flaws that keep it from greatness most of these flaws can be slightly overlooked because it is an early title in the life of the Vita. If you own the Playstation Vita and like the franchise or are looking for an enjoyable solid shooter you might want to check this game out.

Final Rating: 3/5

Although it has some flaws that keep it from greatness if you own the Playstation Vita and are looking for an enjoyable solid shooter you might want to check this game out.