There were extremely mixed opinions for Resistance Burning Skies. Some really enjoyed the game, while others were keen to warn gamers of the flaws present. Even then, the reception seemed to be more positive than I had expected, coming after the release of Killzone: Mercenary.
Not everyone ignored Killzone though, so we’ll start with Tuffcub‘s comment saying “Before Killzone Vita I would have said it’s a pretty darn good shooter.” He still thinks that it is, but in terms of visuals “it looks like a DS game” though it managed to keep him happy on a lengthy flight, which is good enough.
Blackredyellow described Burning Skies as “a smear of disappointment across my shiny, HD screen” when compared to games such as Killzone: Mercenary and WipEout 2048, describing the story as “lifeless, and as a result completely un-engaging”. He continued saying, “They let the Vita down, they let us down, and most importantly they let themselves down!”
Meanwhile, colmshan1990 shares how he bought the game twice before realising that it’s “painfully average”, although “the quality of this game wildly varies from level to level” and Resistance Retribution on the PSP is a much better game overall.
The reaction to the campaign wasn’t very positive overall with a common complaint, set in motion by Tarbun84, being that it’s far too short. DividSmythe also said that the “story was dull and short” though it provided an easy trophy list, which was again echoed elsewhere in the comments.
Visually, the game was sub-par too, with Stefan saying it “didn’t look very good” and “had lacklustre production values” and cam_manutd described it as having “bland visuals”.
There was praise for the game, mainly focused around the control system, “the controls were balanced enough” said MOVE perhaps missing the use of his controller namesake, while coruscant “found it a joy to play, especially as they got the guns and the controls spot-on”.
Multiplayer also seemed average overall, although is likely barren by now with Killzone: Mercenary taking the title of online handheld shooter king. Greg Turner said that “the multiplayer was fun” though slowman6 said it was “broken”.
Stefan summed up the missed potential very well:
It was just a shoddy product all around. It didn’t look very good, had lacklustre production values, and was rushed out before it was ready, meaning it was buggy and unpolished.
It’s a pity because it could have set a reasonable bar for first person shooters on the platform, early in the Vita’s life. Even a basic and solid multiplayer would have done nicely, but that was horribly broken too.
Resistance: Burning Skies managed to get a startling one Buy It rating, though did manage eight for Bargain Bin It, with only one Rent It and three Avoid It ratings. It seems as though it’s worth picking up now that it’s quite cheap, though it’s probably better to go for Killzone instead if you have that option.
Tomorrow, we’ve got Terraria coming up, and to stick with the theme of PS Vita shooters, we’ve added Killzone: Mercenary to the poll!