Wednesday, June 6

The Demo Downlow: Resistance: Burning Skies (PSV)

The first review I read for Resistance: Burning Skies was less than glowing. Affording Nihilistic's first effort for the PlayStation Vita a score of 2 out of 10, Jim Sterling resolved to test my desire for a first person shooter on the young portable. What was a "must buy" turned into a bargain bin acquisition in minutes.

I read some other reviews, and while they weren't quite as harsh as that seen on Destructoid, they were still fairly uninspiring due to some common observations: ugly, bland and boring. Rather than give up on the game completely, I decided to download the demo and see this mess for myself. While it's not the best FPS on the market, I don't think it's fair to relegate it Review Hell either.

 Welcome to Review Hell!

Don't get me wrong, this game is ugly; but we're still in the early days of the Vita, so I think it's unfair to assume that every game on the system will have graphics on par with home console versions. Mortal Kombat on the Vita looked terrible in most situations and I didn't read a single observation regarding "lacklustre visuals." Perhaps more importantly, the shooting feels somewhat satisfying. Even in spite of muffled sound effects and lack of eye candy, Resistance: Burning Skies handles well, shouldn't that count for something?

The use of touch controls is quite smart in my opinion: secondary fire modes and the throwing of grenades is managed by tapping, pressing, or otherwise swiping the screen. The button controls work just like your average Call of Duty clone, and I found it to be more than functional. There's even a promising cover mechanic that probably won't function too well in the more hectic firefights, but it's good enough for me now.

If it weren't for the fact that I'm fast becoming a collector of Vita games, I'd advise that the trial would do little to convince you to spend at least fifty bucks on the full version. Since I lack any real sense of fiscal discipline, however, you'd best believe that I bought that game.

1 comment:

  1. I have dled and played the demo as well. I agree with your assessment of this game. It is not terrible, but doesn't completely feel like a Resistance game either.

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