Played this years ago and didn't dig it at all - I remember when it first came out with the launch of the PS3 and thinking it looked dated then. I never finished it and ended up moving on to the second and third games which I found far more entertaining at the time.
It's probably been a decade, and I've been out of the gaming world for a while, but recently just fancied something a bit mindless, so I decided to dig this out and try and complete it - wound up starting from scratch. Was also curious as I had no idea it had such a mass appreciation, whereas the second and third games (particularly the second) seem to mostly be regarded as failed attempts at expanding on what made the first great. This has just made me want to revisit the franchise and see if my feelings were still the same.
My conclusion is that it's no where near a perfect game, but considerably better than I initially gave it credit for. It's a flawed, but admirable attempt by Insomniac to take a crack at the FPS genre. The story is fine; inoffensive, but ultimately not what you play it for. The visuals are dated, but there is a certain charm and simplicity to them that I enjoyed this time around, though I vastly preferred the gritty streets of England to the generic look of Chimera territory, meaning many of the earlier levels were more engrossing while later parts of the game became a bit more tedious.
Level design varies - generally very linear, but with enough nooks and crannies to get you exploring, also allowing the player to feel less secure/in control during some of the creepier sections. I found the uncertainty of knowing which route to take, coupled with the darkness and use of space and subtle sound design, very effective in making parts of the game pretty thrilling.
A.I. seems fairly intelligent - they certainly don't go easy on you. I can completely understand the frustrations some people have with the difficulty being ramped up due to an over-competent enemy, as well as their unflinching resilience to player fire. I probably sit somewhere in the middle. I often enjoyed the challenge, but there are parts of the games combat which just became overwhelming (damn those auger-wielding spider huggers).
Overall, not particularly standout, but Resistance: Fall of Man is very enjoyable and engaging for what it is. It gives a challenge (arguably a result of the game lacking polish), which some may find frustrating, and others will likely embrace. It's main draw is the weapon-wheel and the creativity that lies therein - that combined with generally solid FPS gameplay makes for an outing I'd say is worth experiencing for fans of the genre.
Looking forward to playing 2 and 3 with fresh thumbs...
It's probably been a decade, and I've been out of the gaming world for a while, but recently just fancied something a bit mindless, so I decided to dig this out and try and complete it - wound up starting from scratch. Was also curious as I had no idea it had such a mass appreciation, whereas the second and third games (particularly the second) seem to mostly be regarded as failed attempts at expanding on what made the first great. This has just made me want to revisit the franchise and see if my feelings were still the same.
My conclusion is that it's no where near a perfect game, but considerably better than I initially gave it credit for. It's a flawed, but admirable attempt by Insomniac to take a crack at the FPS genre. The story is fine; inoffensive, but ultimately not what you play it for. The visuals are dated, but there is a certain charm and simplicity to them that I enjoyed this time around, though I vastly preferred the gritty streets of England to the generic look of Chimera territory, meaning many of the earlier levels were more engrossing while later parts of the game became a bit more tedious.
Level design varies - generally very linear, but with enough nooks and crannies to get you exploring, also allowing the player to feel less secure/in control during some of the creepier sections. I found the uncertainty of knowing which route to take, coupled with the darkness and use of space and subtle sound design, very effective in making parts of the game pretty thrilling.
A.I. seems fairly intelligent - they certainly don't go easy on you. I can completely understand the frustrations some people have with the difficulty being ramped up due to an over-competent enemy, as well as their unflinching resilience to player fire. I probably sit somewhere in the middle. I often enjoyed the challenge, but there are parts of the games combat which just became overwhelming (damn those auger-wielding spider huggers).
Overall, not particularly standout, but Resistance: Fall of Man is very enjoyable and engaging for what it is. It gives a challenge (arguably a result of the game lacking polish), which some may find frustrating, and others will likely embrace. It's main draw is the weapon-wheel and the creativity that lies therein - that combined with generally solid FPS gameplay makes for an outing I'd say is worth experiencing for fans of the genre.
Looking forward to playing 2 and 3 with fresh thumbs...