Resistance: Burning Skies: A true fps in the palm of your hands?

     When Resistance: Burning Skies was first announced for the PS Vita I was really excited about it. Yes, there have been many portable first-person shooters. This was the first time a portable shooter was being released on a handheld device that has true dual analog sticks. This led many gamers (myself included) to believe it would make this game feel just like a console fps, but in a smaller and portable size. So, does the game leave you with that kind of feeling? Well, the answer is yes and no. Let me explain.

     First off let me tell you a little about the story of Resistance: Burning Skies. The game is set in between the first and second Resistance games. You play as Tom Riley and are a New York firefighter. Life is good until the Chimera attack America and your wife and kid are taken. Of course this doesn't sit well with you and you are ready to kick some Chimera teeth in! You meet up with some other characters in the story who are there to help you fight back. One thing that was a bit of a downer was that for being the main character, Tom doesn't really say much. He does talk off and on throughout the story, but not like you'd expect the main character to. The cutscenes are presented as an animated graphic novel. One thing I didn't like is you can't skip the cutscenes, even if you've already watched them. I know part of this is because they double as loading screens, but to not be able to even have the option to skip them was annoying. 

     The music score in the game is good...when there is actual music playing. Unfortunately the cool orchestral music doesn't kick in until there is a boss battle or at certain points in a level. When that isn't happening you are only treated to the sounds of your footsteps and whatever gun fire is going on at the time. I found myself wishing there was more heart pumping music being played throughout the levels. The sound on the weapons themselves leave more to be desired as well. The different guns do have a distinct sound, but they just don't give much of a punch.

     Visually the game looks good for a handheld shooter. However, after seeing a game like Uncharted: Golden Abyss on the Vita,Resistance: Burning Skies leaves a little more to be desired. The textures on the environments and character models look dull and at times muddy. The weapon models look a little better though. There's a decent attempt at lighting and some environmental effects such as waves rolling across the ocean. The controls work well and any shooter fan should be able to pick up the game and start playing. Of course there are touch screen controls to utilize the Vita's capabilities. To throw grenades you touch the icon on the side of the screen, then drag your finger to the area you want to throw it. You'll touch the screen in different patterns to use some of the weapons' special abilities. You can also double tap the back of the Vita to run. 

     Like most fps games, Resistance: Burning Skies offers an online multiplayer option. This consists of three different modes (survival, deathmatch, and team deathmatch). Each mode supports up to eight players, and there are some weapon mods to unlock as you level up your character. The maps are a little small but work well for the game and the amount of players. All of the matches I've played have ran very smoothly and were pretty fun. Just don't expect this to be exactly like the console Resistance multiplayer experience. 

     Overall I wasn't left hugely disappointed with Resistance: Burning Skies. I think it's a good fps for the Vita and for handheld gaming in general. Graphically it looks good, but I know that the Vita can do better. The campaign is only six levels long, and while not bad, there may not be much of a reason to go back to it once it has been completed. The online multiplayer runs smoothly and is actually fun to play. Hopefully the community will stick around and the developers continue to support it. There is a demo of the single player on the Playstation Store if you Vita gamers are interested to try it. In the end I think it's a decent game and is a good addition to the Vita library.

Final Verdict: 7/10

Written by: Alter Ego 83