Resistance 3 | September 6
Resistance is an oft-forgotten shooter franchise from developer Insomniac, but it remains one of my favorites on PS3. As a passionate fan of the first two games, I had high hopes for the third entry in 2011, especially after Resistance 2’s shocking ending, which effectively killed off its main protagonist. So, when Insomniac confirmed that you’d be playing as Resistance 2 supporting character Corporal Joseph Capelli in Resistance 3, I was already pretty eager to see how the series’ bleak world war against the Chimera would turn out. And after playing the six-hour campaign and a smattering of its multiplayer, I admit that I didn’t come away feeling as floored by it as I’d been by its predecessors.
At that point, Resistance 3 was staying in line with its core tenets, supplying you with a uniquely varied arsenal of weapons and testing your ability to use them effectively against overwhelming odds. Though, playing it safe wasn’t necessarily a bad thing: it’s actually what makes the game so endearingly serviceable. Shooters of the early 2010s were already fast-adopting the two-weapon cycling mechanics made popular by the Halo series–heck, even Resistance 2 adopted it for a hot minute. So to have a shooter that still emphasized classic FPS design with a weapon wheel’s worth of guns, high enemy counts, and frantic action was something I deeply valued in Resistance 3.
The shift in art direction also helped amplify the game’s high stakes, with grim, oppressive No Man’s Land-like landscapes, which made for a fitting backdrop for the conflict at hand. And remembering those Chimera strongholds and the hidden abominations that lay within them still gives me sweaty palms and cold shivers. Resistance 3 even brought back the first game’s unshakeable sense of dread, like nothing you did ever made a meaningful enough impact against the Chimera, at least, not until the very end.
Looking back now, I got everything that I wanted from Resistance 3. It’s an appropriate bookend to a franchise that began its life alongside the PS3’s launch, and while it may not be the best of three, Insomniac certainly didn’t hold back, making it a riveting, worthwhile conclusion. Here’s to hoping that Sony remasters the Resistance games someday because if it did, I guarantee you that the first one I’d boot up would be Resistance 3. A decade on since playing it, I’m past due for a revisit. I Matt Espineli
