Resistance: Fall of Man

Resistance: Fall of Man
File:Resistance fall of man boxcover.jpg
Developer(s)	Insomniac Games
Publisher(s)	SCEA
Platform(s)	PlayStation 3
Release	November 11, 2006 November 14th, 2006 December 7, 2006 March 23rd, 2007 March 23rd, 2007
Genre(s)	First-person shooter,
Mode(s)	Single player, multiplayer (Two player Co-op + Four player offline battles), 40 Player over PlayStation Network Platform

Resistance: Fall of Man, previously under the working title I-8, is a sci-fi-based first-person shooter video game developed by Insomniac Games, the makers of the popular Spyro the Dragon and Ratchet & Clank. The game follows in the footsteps of Nathan Hale as he and the human resistance forces attempt to drive out a mysterious alien invasion from Britain. The game takes place during an alternate pre-World War II era, and certain aspects, including the weapon arsenal, are evident of the time period.

Along with currently being the most popular title on its platform, Resistance received generally strong critical acclaim, and is commonly praised as the best of the PlayStation 3's launch library, as it clearly showcases both the console's hardware and online capabilities. A sequel has also been slated for a 2008 release, in alternation with the release of Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction and future titles.

Exclusively for the Sony PlayStation 3 as a launch title, it was released on November 11, 2006 in Japan with US launch on November 14, 2006 and European launch on March 23, 2007.

Story

Resistance: Fall of Man follows an alternate history where the world did not experience World War II, the Great Depression, or the rise of Communism in Russia. An era of peace and prosperity follows the Great War, ending with the revelation of a ruthless and destructive race called the Chimera. The Chimeran virus originates in Russia, which quickly falls to the threat. The Chimera begin to build their army and invasion infrastructure. The world can only guess as to what has happened in Russia. In 1951, the year in which the game takes place, Great Britain finds itself under invasion. Both Asia and Europe have already fallen to the Chimera by this time. Very little is known about the Chimera and their origins remain unknown

The game follows the story of U.S. Army Ranger Sgt. Nathan Hale, who seems to have somewhat of a resistance to the Chimeran virus in that he does not fall into a vegetative state when infected. He becomes the key figure in a desperate operation that is launched to try to halt the invasion. The next three days are chronicled in the game as the U.S. and British forces band together in a last-ditch effort to save what is left.

Alternate history

The point of divergence, as related on the game's website, appears to be 1898. American President William McKinley issues an ultimatum of war to the Spanish government to give Cuba its independence instead of simply declaring war as a result of strong, isolationist elements within the United States. Spain concedes, thereby preventing the Spanish-American War.

History does not significantly alter itself from our own until the onset of the Great War. This is started not by Archduke Franz Ferdinand's assassination, but by the British and French invasion of German Togoland in August 1914. The Lusitania is not sunk and the Zimmermann Telegram was never discovered, so the United States lacked a direct reason to go to war and remained neutral. Germany still surrenders, however; perhaps due to the failure of Vladimir Lenin's October Revolution (which would have led to the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk and the beginning of the U.S.S.R.) resulting in Russia remaining an empire under Tsar Mikhail. However, during this period of civil unrest in Russia, many provinces declare independence or are annexed by other nations. Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan all become independent nations, while Georgia and Armenia are absorbed by Turkey.

Under an alternate Treaty of Versailles, the European Trade Organization (ETO), a parallel of the modern European Union, is established instead of the League of Nations. The ETO leads Europe into a period of strong economic stability causing the Weimar Republic in Germany (which had not been hit by disastrous war reparations) to remain in power. The Nazi Party and Adolf Hitler disappear into obscurity as a result of this prosperity, preventing the exodus of scientists who would later work on the Manhattan Project, including Albert Einstein. Interestingly, Germany still hosts a grandiose 1936 Summer Olympics to promote its prosperity, despite a Russian boycott.

On the other hand, Russia becomes stagnant and isolationist and, citing anti-imperialist propaganda from the ETO nations and a fear of infiltration, initiates a communications blackout with the outside world in 1921. In addition to this, Russia constructs a wall, which comes to be called the "Red Curtain", across its entire Eastern European frontier. At first consisting only of barbed wire, it later becomes reinforced with concrete. A mysterious explosion in Siberia, a radon slick poisoning the Volga river, and an environment-changing cold front moving out of Russia hint that unnatural forces are already at work inside the country.

America prospers throughout the 1920s and 30s as certain factors prevent the Great Depression, including the veto of the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act by President Herbert Hoover, quickly negating the losses of the Wall Street Crash of 1929. With the Depression non-existent and the Second World War effectively prevented, Franklin Delano Roosevelt fails to gain re-election in 1940. Roosevelt loses to isolationist Republican Noah Grace, the fictional protégé of Robert Taft, who portrays Roosevelt as a dangerous warmonger because of his policy of supporting the United European Defense (the military wing of the ETO). Grace ends up becoming the first president to serve three consecutive terms.

Under the Grace administration, the American government continues to stoke isolationist sentiment, eventually monopolizing all broadcasting (Grace's "Evening Conversations" are the equivalent of FDR's famous "Fireside Chat") and closing its borders. Military spending is also increased leading in particular to the development of a VTOL aircraft similar to today's V-22 Osprey. America still develops an atomic bomb in 1944 despite the fact that the exodus of foreign scientists such as Albert Einstein never occurred, which is detonated in Alaska.

Many familiar events of the era still happen, including Amelia Earhart's Transatlantic flight in 1928, and Jesse Owens' four gold medals at the Olympics.

Meanwhile, ominous changes begin to occur in Eastern Europe. Rumors of towns (and later whole cities) being destroyed within a single night, begin to surface. An abnormally large number of Russian refugees begin to appear in neighboring nations, all of whom mysteriously die shortly after arriving. All questions directed at the Russian government in St. Petersburg receive no reply. In the late 1940s, a group of MI6 agents begin surveying Russian air waves in the Ukraine and discover that from the thousands of radio stations that should be broadcasting to millions of citizens, only one program is found: a looping propaganda message pleading "Brotherhood, Strength, and Fortitude...in the face of the angry night."

In December 1949, the Chimera break through multiple points on the Red Curtain, and sweep into Europe. The civilian population in the ETO countries (Britain included) are lied to and told that the Russians are the invaders, but this claim is quickly made suspect by subsequent events.

Despite the implementation of the UED's advanced plans for a Russian invasion, the Chimera prove too strong and conquer all of continental Europe a few months after the start of the invasion. In the latter half of 1950, they invade Britain, burrowing under the English Channel. Defensive plans prove useless and the British isles are overwhelmed in three months. Scattered military bases and outposts in the north populated by the remnants of the British army continue to resist.

In 1951, America responds to pleas for aid by launching Operation: Deliverance; a strike force of U.S. Army Rangers is sent to help liberate the country. Shortly after landing, the entire force of 5,000 men is wiped out, except for the protagonist, Sergeant Nathan Hale.

This is where the game begins.

Plot Synopsis

The game's story is presented as a flashback, narrated by a Captain in the British Resistance, describing the Chimeran invasion of Britain and the critical role played by an American Army Ranger named Nathan Hale in defeating the invasion.

The narrator, Captain Rachel Parker, explains that the Chimera originated in a virus of unknown origin that first surfaced in Russia during the 1940s. The Chimera virus causes its victims to fall into a coma, during which the virus transforms them into Chimera creatures. Converted humans, known as Hybrids, have approximately 12 times the level of metabolism as humans, giving them increased physical abilities and the ability to regenerate from bullet wounds. However, their rapid metabolism also causes them to overheat and die without cooling. Therefore, the Chimera graft a cooling device onto the backs of Chimera creatures in order to prevent them from overheating. Larger, more powerful creatures can also be formed by using multiple infected human bodies as raw material.

Somehow, the Chimera form into an organized military force, possessing advanced technology including energy weapons, mechanized walking tanks, and nuclear fission reactors. The Chimera manage to overrun Russia and eventually all of Europe. When the Chimera finally attack Britain in 1950, they manage to rout the defending forces and conquer the country in 3 months.

In 1951, the Americans agree to send a strike force to Britain and assist the British resistance in liberating the country, in exchange for a "secret weapon" against the Chimera that the British possess. The game's protagonist, Nathan Hale, is a member of the strike force tasked with meeting up with the British forces carrying the weapon. However, Hale's squad is ambushed by Chimera creatures and infected by the virus. Hale possesses a resistance to the Chimera virus, and awakens from his virus-induced coma (something no other human is known to have done). It is apparent that the Chimera virus is affecting Hale to some degree: his eyes have a yellowish shine to them, he possesses enhanced metabolism and he can rapidly regenerate from most injuries. However, he remains human and not under the control of the Chimera.

Hale continues on his mission, along the way meeting with and rescuing Captain Parker from a Chimera conversion center. Hale and the British forces eventually manage to deliver the secret weapon to one of the Resistance's headquarters, only to be attacked by Chimeran forces shortly afterward. It is revealed that the "secret weapon" is actually an "Angel", a Chimeran creature that British Intelligence was able to capture. The Angels are the most powerful form of Chimera creature, and British Intelligence theorizes that they control the rest of the Chimera forces through telepathy. The Angel attempts to enter into Hale's mind, but he manages to resist against it and kills the creature after emptying an entire magazine from his assault rifle into its head.

Hale continues with the war effort, assisted by British commando Lieutenant Stephen Cartwright. The two of them eventually discover that the Chimera have established a series of metal Towers throughout Britain, all inter-connected by a series of underground power conduits. Oddly, evidence indicates that the Towers were excavated, not constructed, adding more mystery as to the origin of the Chimera. Hale enters the underground Chimeran tunnels and discovers a central main Tower inside London. Through his connection to the Chimera, Hale comes to the conclusion that destroying the central Tower will somehow result in the total defeat of the Chimera.

The British and American forces launch a final assault against the main Tower in London, and Hale manages to reach the top of the tower and destroy its central nuclear fission reactor, resulting in a massive explosion that demolishes the main Tower. The reaction propagates along the Chimera conduit network, destroying all the Towers in Britain and killing all of the Angels inside.

With the Angels dead, the remaining Chimera forces quickly die off. Parker theorizes that they are unable to survive without the presence of the Angels. While Britain is liberated, Europe continues to be occupied by the Chimera. As for Hale, he is presumed to have been killed in the explosion of the main Tower, and the Americans list him as Killed in Action. Parker is not convinced, though, and believes that Hale may have managed to survive somehow.

The game's final cutscene shows Hale indeed alive, walking through the rubble and snow. Suddenly, he is captured by a squad of soldiers wearing unusual armour, appearing to be some form of special forces; currently known as the Black Ops. They are recommended to proceed with extreme caution. Hale briefly contemplates killing them as well as himself (It could be possible that Hale has met them before. At this point, anything could be 'right'. Him being chimera also seems possible ), with a grenade but ultimately decides against it and allows himself to be taken into custody by the soldiers. Template:Endspoilers

Gameplay

Resistance: Fall of Man is a first-person shooter set in an alternate history. With it, many of its gameplay features stem from this, most notable of which is the weapons. Some weapons are based on real weapons circa the 1950s, while some weapons are futuristically altered, in accordance with the game's storyline. Insomniac Games has combined its passion for creating exotic weapons and vehicles, such as those found in the Ratchet and Clank series, with its proprietary development engine and physics system to create unique human and Chimeran weaponry. Each weapon provides a unique play style and strategy. An example of this is found with the Auger (Chimeran). The primary fire for this weapon is simple rapid fire, but the bullets burrow through walls, opening up a whole new level of strategy. The secondary fire creates a barrier that is resistant to bullets. In addition to the usual short- and long-range weapons, the game features several different types of grenades, with both historical and futuristic varieties. Some weapons are not initially available on the first play-through of the game but can be found at certain locations on replaying the game.

The game features melee attacks, and jumping height is said to be "realistic". The motion sensing feature of the PS3 controller is used for a number of things including shaking off enemies that grab onto you, shaking off tags and flames in multiplayer, and quickly bringing up a map or leaderboard in a multiplayer match. The player also has access to turrets and a drivable jeep with a gun turret on certain levels.

Similar to Ratchet and Clank, there are also skill points that can be earned throughout the single player game. These are awarded for certain actions that are hinted at by their titles; however, the specific details are not revealed until the skill point is actually earned. For example, one skill point, called "Tag, You're It," requires killing 5 enemies in 30 seconds with the Bullseye weapon. There are generic skill points that can be earned during any single level, and some that are specific to certain levels of the game. Each task is worth a different number of points which are used to unlock additional media for the game. In addition, multiple Intel documents can be found scattered throughout each level. These give the player an insight into what has happened, is happening, and will happen.

The game is said to run locked at 30 frames per second, offline and online, no matter what happens in-game. It is also said to have no lag even while playing the 40 player online.

Multiplayer

Resistance: Fall of Man features a multiplayer mode for up to 40 players. Insomniac Games is currently utilizing the PlayStation 3's online service by incorporating a smart matchmaking and ranking system, allowing for the player to be matched against similarly experienced players. The multiplayer functionality of Resistance utilisizes the same PlayStation Network ID (PSN) that users already have. The multiplayer for Resistance allows highly customizable unranked matches, allowing the hosts to set different parameters such as hit points, weapon sets and others. Ranked matches, however, follow a more set design to allow for fair, even play. Ranked matches give the player experience, which will allow the player to move up different ranks. As you move up ranks, you unlock special rewards for your character. Weapon spawning follows a much less strict manner. The weapon-spawn points are circled by a series of lights that count down to the time a weapon will reappear. There are several maps and eight game modes, including traditional deathmatch. For online play the crouch function is only available to human players. Chimera instead have "Rage Mode", which enhances their speed, causes a purple aura around all other players to appear to the player "raging" and increases the amount of damage they inflict. Rage Mode causes the player to heat up much faster than normal, and players will overheat if Rage Mode is left active for too long, resulting in a gradual loss of health (up to 50%). It also causes a blip to appear on the opposing teams radar. Humans get the "Sprint" option, which allows them to run faster, at the cost of weapon accuracy. Humans can sprint for as long as they like. There are clans, parties, and buddy lists for the game. Insomniac Games has also stated that the game will feature downloadable content in the forms of two updates; The first will be two new games modes (Team Conversion and Assault), which will be downloadable for free around the time of the pal territory launch, and the second will come in the form of a map pack (not free), which is to be released sometime in April[1]. Resistance's multiplayer does not feature the vehicles found in campaign mode.

Different Species

While playing online you will either be assigned to the Human or Chimeran species, each of which has its strengths and weaknesses.

• Humans: Humans possess advanced radar that detects friends and foes. Humans are also smaller, thus harder to hit, and possess the ability to crouch and sprint forever.
• Chimera: Chimera are larger and make easier targets but they also possess "Rage Mode". This allows them to run faster, see enemies through walls at a short distance (like thermal imagery), and increase their damage given with any weapon (including the sniper rifle and the rocket launcher). "Rage Mode" can cause the Chimera to overheat and lose up to half of their health if left on for too long, and lack the ability to crouch.
• Cloven: Described in an intelligence document as Russian maniacs, Cloven remain a mystery in R:FOM.

Storage

The final game has been revealed to be just over 16 GB. It was originally going to be 22 GB, but Insomniac cut out the PAL movies because NTSC movies can be "converted on the fly to look really good on PAL TVs". Ted Price also confirmed that there was a strong push to reduce disc size in order to shorten burn times during the testing period. The 16 GB of data for Resistance: Fall of Man has been put onto 25 GB Blu-Ray discs utilised by the PlayStation 3; making it the optimal system for Resistance to be on.

Critical Reception

Within the first few hours of the PS3's Japanese launch, the game had already received praise from some publications. Famitsu gave the game a 33 out of 40. IGN was the first western site to review the game, giving it a 9.1 out of 10 with reviewer Jeremy Dunham declaring that while other consoles had to wait years to get their killer app, "PlayStation 3 users get theirs on day one." Game Informer has given Resistance a 9.5 out of 10. X-Play gave Resistance: FoM a 5 out of 5, the best launch title for the PS3. Also, Gamezone gave it a 9.5. GameSpot has given Resistance an 8.6. Following closely GameBrink.Com has posted their import review, giving it a 91 over 100.. However, the scores at the time of European launch were less brilliant, and the OPM UK gave it 7, compared to Call of Duty 3's 8. IGN UK gave it 8, compared to 9.1 at the US launch.

Awards

• Received IGN awards for:
  • PlayStation 3 Game of the Year 2006
  • Best First-Person Shooter on PlayStation 3 of 2006
  • Best Graphics Technology on PlayStation 3 in 2006
  • Best Original Score on on PlayStation 3 in 2006
  • Best Use of Sound on PlayStation 3 in 2006
  • Best Online Multiplayer on PlayStation 3 in 2006
  • Most Innovative Design on PlayStation 3 in 2006
• GameSpot's Best and Worst of 2006 - Winner of Best PlayStation 3 game
• Gaming Target - 52 Games We'll Still Be Playing From 2006 selection [2].

Reviews

• GamesMaster — 85%
• GameSpot — 8.6/10
• NexGen Wars — 9.2/10
• PSM3 — 89%
• Mansized — 3/5
• Game Informer — 9.5/10
• IGN— 9.1/10

Trivia

• Although the game is set in a Europe whose borders are similar to that at the start of the Second World War (save for the independence of the Baltic States), a trailer showing the map of Europe enveloped by the Chimera displays borders close to their modern day equivalents (such as a divided Yugoslavia), though only a few of the Central Asian Soviet republics are displayed as independent.

• The game location in 1950s Britain also bears several locational errors, for instance, road signs, telegraph poles, power lines, road markings and even some buildings are of American design and not British of the time, also there are some total mistakes like fire hydrants in England (British Fire Hydrants are all buried under the ground in manholes) and portaloo like pay toilets, which weren't invented until the mid 1980s. However, since the game takes place in an alternate universe, these design mistakes and anachronistic technology might be excused as "the alternate history" storyline.

• During the game, the player encounters three weak radio messages regarding teams under the codename "X-ray". In these messages, the player is referred to as "Grayskin". It is known that these are about the player because they talk about activities the player has recently done, for example, entering the Chimeran tunnels. Judging from the content of these messages, X-ray's objective is to observe the player. It is implied that the "Black Ops" agents who capture Hale at the end of the game are the X-ray's, but this is unconfirmed.

• Possibly inspired by Stephen King's novel The Tommyknockers, a book about an unusual alien virus that turns infected townspeople into mutated alien/human hybrids bent on invasion. A line spoken by one of the British soldiers: "Bloody Chimera knocking at our door" is similar to a line repeated often in the book: "Tommyknockers knocking at our door."

• The name of the protagonist, Nathan Hale, is also the name of a captain in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. This may be intentional, considering Hales's most famous quote "I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country." The irony is that when Hale woke up from his coma at the start of the game, this could be considered his "rebirth," or his second life, implying that he has two lives to lose for his country.

• The Chimeran Carriers bear a striking resemblance to the Zerg Overlords in Blizzard Entertainment's Starcraft.
• Also of note is the somewhat secret faction or group in the game that goes by the codename "Cloven". The Cloven are referenced in some intelligence reports the player may find, and are said to be savage, foreign soldiers. In one report, a British soldier says the Cloven attack both Chimera and humans, and consider both groups to be enemies. In another one, it is stated the Cloven will feed on the dead of their own and other soldiers, implying they are cannibals. It is also revealed the Cloven speak Russian. A multiplayer skin for the game called "cloven" shows a bald, white skinned human in a foreign military uniform, but it is unknown if this is what the Cloven actually look like.

See also

• Resistance: Fall of Man Sequel
• Chimera (Resistance: Fall of Man)

External links

Official websites

• Resistance: Fall of Man website
• Official Online Community
• Resistance: Fall of Man forums at Insomniac Games

Media Pages

• The Monsters of Resistance: Fall of Man
• Resistance: Fall of Man videos at GameTrailers
• Resistance: Fall of Man - Medals, Ribbons, Maps, Skins, Stats, Rankings List
• Resistance: Fall Of Man review at xleague.tv

Profile pages

• Resistance: Fall of Man at 1UP.com
• Template:GameSpot
• Resistance: Fall of Man at GameSpy
• Resistance: Fall of Man at GamePro
• Template:GameFAQs

Interviews

• Interview with Ted Price at Gamasutra
• Interview with Ted Price at IGN
• Interview with Ted Price at GamePro
• Interview with Ted Price at GameSpot