Resistance 3 is pretty okay

Couldn't find any pictures from the
multiplayer, so here's a guy punching
one of the aliens from the game.

The beta (or multiplayer demo) for Resistance 3 is underway. Right now only those who either bought Socom 4 or snagged a beta key (myself having done the latter) can get in. PlayStation Plus subscribers can gain access later this month. So far it's been good, if unstable. (Expected for a "beta," I know, but bear with me.)

I'm gonna keep this short because I haven't had much time to mess around with the beta yet. This is solely because of the constant freezing issues I've been encountering that always occur right before a match ends. I mean, I know this is a "beta" and all, but when your game is a month away from release, you'd think your "beta" would be in better shape.

Anyways. As per usual for these demos, content is limited. A couple of maps and modes (those modes being Team Deathmatch and Chain Reaction -- a variant on the ol' King of the Hill game type that sees players racing to capture control points) make up the available content. The maps are small and tight, accommodating the 16-player (or is 18-player?) cap nicely. Battles erupt constantly and are always fierce, the small size of the maps giving little in the way of solace from the action. It's really great, because you don't spent nearly as much time running around looking for combat. The radar can be credited for that, marking enemies as big red dots on the map. Still befuddled why games don't incorporate radars into multiplayer anymore. It would really help cut back on the dullness sometimes present in these environments.

Haven't had a chance to experiment with the weaponry, but in usual Insomniac fashion, they're plenty crazy. The gun I used was on the tamer side, being a standard assault rifle with a grenade launcher attachment. Simple, but very effective. The one most players were wielding, however, was a shotgun whose rounds cause their target to burst into flames upon impact; also equipped with a grenade like attachment. Awesome, yes -- but also a bit on the... unbalanced side. I say that because, if that one match where literally everyone on the opposing team using that gun was any indication, that thing is all kinds of cheap. Just about every shot sets you aflame, unable to anything but resign to your fiery fate. Clever use, sure -- but also downright infuriating when your on the receiving end. They really need to balance that out some. Nothing sucks more than a one-hit-kill weapon that's easily attainable in a multiplayer setting.

Here, another picture from the single-player campaign for your amusement.

One other low-point: the movement speed. Far too slow. Feels like the character is slogging through some thick mound of mud or something, or taking a casual afternoon stroll through the battlefield instead of moving hastily, like anyone in such conditions would. The dash speed isn't much better, basically amounting to a light jog rather than an actual dash. Maybe I'm just being nitpicky, but it just feels wrong for this sort of game.

Kill-streaks are also here, which I'm still not a fan of. They haven't been too egregious yet, though -- the shield and cloak, the two starting kill-streak awards, haven't been too big of a game-changer, nor have I seen them in action often. So that's something.

Still, I like what I've played. Not sure if it's something I'd pick up (doubt it, honestly; there ain't much incentive for me to buy shooters anymore when I can play multiplayer this way, but that's an article for another time), but it's certainly been entertaining so far. If any of you happen to get in, hit me up. Maybe we can play a match or two.

And on that note, I'm off to play more. May come back and write more later once I'm further in.

UPDATE: Okay, since originally writing this earlier today (yes, I write my blog posts in a word processor), I've run into odd connectivity issues. I assume it was just the servers going under a touch of maintenance, but it's definitely made playing a lot harder. I foresee another patch on the horizon.