Resistance Burning Skies Review
Developer Nihilistic
Publisher Sony
Platform PSVita
Release Date Out Now
Resistance Burning Skies came with a lot of high expectations, ever since the PSVita was announced with its two analogue sticks players started to wonder how it would cope with a FPS a genre that was sorely missed on the PSP. Resistance is one of Sony’s flagship franchises and was earmarked as a console seller, sadly though it falls well short in both style and substance.
The lack of any type of story is very noticeable, the opening sequence sees you as a fireman heading to put out an industrial fire. Within the first few seconds your fellow fire fighter is attacked and killed by an alien. You would expect your character to be slightly taken back if not totally shocked but he just picks up a gun, shrugs and carries on, this lack of emotion is carried through the game making it little more than a series of linear corridor shooter moments.
It is these kind of bizarre moments that really take you out of the experience. As a huge fan of the series and from seeing the early video’s I had high hopes for Resistance and while it’s far from a terrible game it is just not up to what we have expected from the franchise.
Visually it does little to fully harness the power of the PSVita and the character models are already looking dated. It is closer to PSP than PS3, graphical glitches are encountered throughout the game. Nothing major or game breaking but still not the quality we have come to expect from a Sony flagship game.
The controls are in general easy to use, although the lack of Six axis controls especially while in cover and the difficult touch controls make the experience quite a chore. Peeking out of cover is controlled via the D-pad and the second fire method for most weapons is controlled on the touch screen. The Vita is hard enough to hold with one hand never mind trying to hold it with one hand and shoot while also using your other hand to aim on screen.
That been said Resistance isn’t a bad game, the action is non-stop and does pick up after the first few missions to deliver an enjoyable FPS experience. The lack of any real story and the missing quality in graphics and gameplay we have come to expect from the franchise is a bit jarring at first.
The single player campaign is about 6-7ish hours, which is enough for a campaign. It is enjoyable enough and has plenty of action but still feels a bit cut and paste set piece shooter. The multiplayer mode is a bit more enjoyable and does run quite smooth when you are able to connect. It supports up to eight players on a limited number of maps, with a limited number of perks and weapons without any support for clans.
Overall : Players have been waiting a long time for a PSVita FPS and this will be a disappointment and a game that underutilised the Vita system. It is an ok game not a bad game but far from a good game too.
Score 6.5/10
