..Resistance: Burning Skies..

REVIEW |

I've never been that big of a fan of the Resistance series. I've always wanted to enjoy it but there is something about the main characters that usually throw me off. Resistance 3 was the first game I really enjoyed and after playing that one I had high hopes for Resistance: Burning Skies. While Burning Skies proves that the Vita will become an awesome console for first person shooters in the future, it does little else.

The game takes place during the events of Resistance 2, except instead of playing as Nathan Hale you play as a New York fire fighter. The problem with this story setting is that we already know the outcome of the story after playing Resistance 2, so the game almost feels unnecessary. During your adventure, various cutscenes play out in the form of cartoons, but they fail to really flesh out the main character, instead focusing on a few bland characters in the process. What I liked about Resistance 3 was that the main character was well developed and had a great back story. The fact that Burning Skies lacks this kind of disappointed me.

The gameplay in Resistance: Burning Skies is actually the highlight of the entire game. This game proves that first person shooters definitely work on a portable console, and they work well. Nihilistic did a great job of integrating cool touch controls with classic first person shooter gameplay. Classic weaponry from the Resistance franchise has also made a return, giving the game a familiar feel. Still, I do have a problem with the number of things for which you have to use the touch screen. Most of the secondary fire options for weapons have to be used with the touch screen, and honestly, is it difficult. While in a fire fight, it is hard to stop and use secondary fire, because that means you have to stop moving. Opening doors, carrying civilians, and more could all have been done with a simple button press, but instead they made it difficult with the touch screen.

The A.I. is also quite terrible; enemies will often stop what they are doing and practically just let you shoot them. They will also never try to flank you or get an upper hand, instead just becoming glorified fish in a barrel.

The sensitivity actually works well with the Vita's control sticks. Games like Uncharted felt a little strange and seemed to have a bit of delay, but in Resistance the controls feel dead on.

The multiplayer was probably one of the most anticipated features for Burning Skies, but it fails to impress too. It feels very simple and doesn't leave a lot of room for other players. There is also a lack of original modes, which makes the entire multiplayer mode feel very cookie cutter. You will probably play a few matches and then put it down immediately.

The game's graphics are okay, but they don't really stay on par with other games that are already on the Vita. If anything, the graphics look like the original game that game out six years ago. Graphics usually wouldn't be a big issue, but for a console that has already proven that the graphics could be far superior, it just seems like a step back.

I thought I would enjoy Resistance: Burning Skies more than I did after playing Resistance 3. The game just feels lackluster and boring at times. It is a comparable shooter, and it proves that playing a first person shooter on a console is possible, but at the same time, it just feels very cookie cutter. If you are super excited, you might still be interested in playing it, but I would recommend you wait or rent it.

GameDynamo's Score for Resistance: Burning Skies (PS Vita)

Joshua Mobley   Followpacpunk

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