At E3 2005, Sony presented us with a video of a sci-fi shooter from Insomniac Games named I-8. Fast forward one year later to the evolution of I-8, Resistance: Fall of Man. Ever since Sony put this game on display, people have weighed it as one of Sony’s most important launch titles, if not a killer app. That’s pretty big bragging rights for a launch game -- to be hotly anticipated for two years and then even more so as the countdown to the launch actually began.

Is Resistance a game worthy of such accolades? Certainly, Insomniac Games’ history speaks for itself. However, FPS-wise, they can only point to a sleeper hit FPS on the PS1—Disruptor. Big games like Halo and Half-Life 2 have come along and evolutionized or revolutionized expectations for the genre. How does Resistance stack up to the competition?

Resistance begins with a great explanation of the storyline. The Chimera invade Russia and crawl throughout Europe, thus preventing World War 2 and other significant historical events that happen at the time. England is mostly safe, but the Chimera dig through the ground and arrive in England, hoping to take over the last stop before North America. The United States responds, sending a considerable fleet of American troops to England to prevent the Chimera from reaching U.S. shores. The female narrator explains that the central focus of the story is one of a lucky American unit to survive, Nathan Hale, the main character.

Story sequences in Resistance tell the desperate tale of U.S. and British troops attempting to overthrow the alien threat. The Chimera are built through storyline to look ferocious. Insomniac, at no point, does anything to make the Chimera look like anything but the most difficult enemy anyone’s ever faced. While Nathan Hale may be the central focus of the game, it becomes quickly obvious within a few minutes of gameplay that the Chimera are almost the real stars in Resistance: Fall of Man.

Gameplay is Resistance’s best and strongest trait. The Chimera are definitely to credit for that—they are, to the very least, one of the smartest foes you’ve ever faced. They know when to take cover, when to throw grenades, when to regroup, and when to move. Resistance’s brilliant A.I. is the kind that makes you believe in the power of the CELL processor. That being said, the Chimera are a tough bunch, but hardly unfair. That’s what makes Resistance so powerful and addictive; with determination and strategy, you can make it through even the toughest parts of the game. The rewarding feel of overtaking challenging enemies like the Chimera makes you want to come back and beat them even more.

To defeat the Chimera, you’re given an interesting arsenal of weaponry. You’ll see standard FPS fare: the machine gun, the shotgun, etc. However, the most interesting ones are Chimeran firearms. Weapons like the Bullseye put tags on your opponent so you can fire at them from almost any position or distance. The Augur enables you to fire through walls, with each shot growing stronger as it penetrates each surface. Each weapon also has secondary functionality. Your “pea shooter” machine gun alternates as a grenade launcher. The Augur puts up a shield that protects you from gunfire. As you progress deeper into the game, weapons feel even more out of this world and become key parts of your arsenal.

Resistance also has a “survival horror” theme going on for it as well. There are locations with fewer enemies that are designed to creep you out or scare you. Nothing on the level of, say, Resident Evil or Silent Hill, but it’s effective. Slight music changes, walking into silent rooms and hearing nothing but hissing from somewhere you can’t identify, and having the Chimera leap onto you out of nowhere are just a few of the creep factors that add to the Chimera’s credibility as an absolutely horrific race of creatures.