Skip to main content

Resistance 3 beta first impressions

Resistance 3
Image used with permission by copyright holder

While little will challenge Battlefield 3 and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 in this year’s showdown for top multiplayer shooter, Sony and Insomniac Games are making a good go of it with Resistance 3, the PlayStation 3-exclusive FPS that caps off a story that began with the console’s launch.

The pre-Early Access portion of the game’s multiplayer beta test is currently in full swing, with lobbies populated by industry-folk, members of the media and contest winners. Traffic isn’t nearly what it will be once those with codes from SOCOM 4 pre-orders get online on August 4, but I got enough of a taste yesterday to advance to level 6 in the game’s progression system and report back with some first impressions.

At launch, the beta includes two maps–“Seaside” in Glamorgan, Wales, and “Trainyard” in Bogota, Columbia–and two gameplay modes, Team Deathmatch and Chain Reaction (an objective-based game in which two teams work to capture a series of five points in a specific order). There’s a level cap of 20, and much of the later progression rewards are cut off as a result, but that’s sort of the point. Insomniac is testing out how the game runs in a live setting–not perfectly, at this point–and our getting to play is a byproduct of that.

Resistance 3
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Before you even get to play, you’ll have to go through a fairly lengthy install process. The initial download is roughly 1.5 GB, and that content must then be installed in a process that eats up a few more minutes. Booting up the beta leads you to another load screen, with a 1.4 GB content update to download that must also then be installed. All in, expect to spend at least a half-hour or more getting everything set before you can play.

The big challenge right now is finding a room with enough people to play in, as the pre-Early Access turnout is relatively light. Don’t be picky with your choice of game modes; just choose “Any” and eventually you’ll get to play every combination. Each match runs into the next, so you’ll get to keep playing as long as you remain in the room–unless you experience a crash, which sometimes happens after a match when the scoreboard pops up.

The matches are running at a pretty steady pace, though the lag is definitely more pronounced than it would be with a fully completed game. I didn’t come across any mid-match crashes while I played, but things definitely slowed to an unplayable crawl at one or two points. There’s also a very distracting motion blur effect that becomes much more of a problem when you’re sprinting.

That’s the bad news. The good news is that Resistance 3 is a good time in multiplayer. The scale of things has been cut down since the last game, so you’re never looking at more than 16 people, friends and foes together, running around a given map. The more intimate showdowns are definitely preferred, as they put a much greater emphasis on functioning as part of a team. Chain Reaction really highlights this; since you’re capturing five points in a certain order; there’s a constant push/pull as you send some of your team forward to the next point while others remain behind with the previous one to prevent the opposing team from reversing the capture tide.

Resistance 3
Image used with permission by copyright holder

The weapons feel good and chunky, as they should, and their secondary abilities that make the series’ armory so unique should inspire people to mess around and try new things. All of the Resistance 3 firearms have a real sense of heft to them. Fans of the Call of Duty series will no doubt appreciate it, though the enemies in this game soak up quite a bit more damage.

You start out with just one combat class unlocked, your basic machine gun-toting grunt with an ammo drop and a decoy special ability (creates a phantom version of your character right next to you). Each subsequent level up up to on the way to level four unlocks another class, giving you access to the Bullseye (an SMG that can fire secondary tracer shots for your bullets to home in on), shotgun and sniper rifle. The first custom class slot unlocks at level five, allowing you to tweak your soldier’s primary weapon, grenade and special abilities. Barring any unforeseen crashes, getting to this point shouldn’t take most people more than an hour or two.

That’s the Resistance 3 beta for you. There are some rough edges, as you should expect from a pre-release version of a game, but the fundamentals are there and they deliver a good time. I look forward to gunning all of you down come August 4, when the proper Early Access period begins.

Editors' Recommendations

Adam Rosenberg
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Previously, Adam worked in the games press as a freelance writer and critic for a range of outlets, including Digital Trends…
This PS5 bundle gets you a PlayStation Portal and it’s not sold out, yet
PlayStation Portal bundle home screen while turned on.

The PlayStation Portal is an excellent, albeit exclusive handheld gaming console that works with the PS5. In our Portal review, we made it clear that while it cuts a lot of corners, it is an excellent companion to Sony's titular current-gen console. But to make the most of it, you really do need a PS5, which means if you don't have one, there's no point in buying a Portal until you do. Well, we spotted an incredible bundle that includes the PlayStation 5 Slim, a PlayStation Portal, and Marvel's Spider-Man 2 all together, all for you, at one great price. For $750, normally $760, so saving you $10, it's all yours. But here's the thing, the PlayStation Portal has pretty much been sold out everywhere. This bundle gets your hands on it, plus everything else you need to play. It even includes Spider-Man, so you can web-sling as soon as you set it up. If you've been searching high and low for the Portal, don't sleep on this deal.

Why you should buy the PlayStation 5 with PlayStation Portal bundle
The PlayStation 5 is a fantastic gaming console, but the exclusive games available on the platform are second to none. God of War, Marvel's Spider-Man, Horizon Zero Dawn, Death Stranding, I could go on and on. But one of the better features of the PlayStation 5 is the option to remotely play your games on compatible devices, from your smartphone to a PS4 in another room, you can connect in, stream, and play, just like if you were sitting in front of your PS5. The PlayStation Portal takes that to a whole new level.

Read more
How to factory reset a PS5 to fix issues or for resale
A standard white PS5 sitting near some small plants in a home entertainment center.

There are many reasons to factory reset your PS5, from wanting to resell it to trying to fix issues that have arisen over time. Luckily, this process is somewhat simpler than learning how to reset a PS4, but still has some issues. Plus, you will want to make sure you have all of your current data secured. Here, we take a look at all of the steps and options so you know how to factory reset a PS5 to your satisfaction.

Read more
How to factory reset a PS4 to fix issues or for resale
White PS4 under white DualShock 4 controller.

As with most tech products, it's sometimes necessary to factory reset your PlayStation 4 console. This can be due to a number of reasons, especially if your PS4 system is acting wonky. Other times, you might simply need to factory reset the machine if you plan of selling it or giving it away.

There are two methods for resetting your PS4:

Read more