PlayStation fans have been clamoring louder than ever for a new entry in the Resistance: Fall of Man series ever since Sony announced its acquisition of Insomniac Games earlier this week. While the studio itself may be prioritizing its Spider-Man and Ratchet and Clank franchises going forward, there’s a chance that the developer could help another company within the Sony Worldwide Studios network bring Resistance 4 to life. The following are a few reasons why now is a perfect time for the alternate history series to make its return.
Revisiting Resistance | It’s been a while
It’s been nearly a decade since PlayStation fans were last treated to a Resistance game, as the last title in the franchise, Resistance: Burning Skies, launched for the PlayStation Vita in May 2012. Burning Skies didn’t exactly end the saga on a high note, considering how it received mixed reviews from critics and offered little in the way of innovation. It’s clear that Insomniac Games did not contribute to the project, as it departed entirely from the franchise after Resistance 3 launched for PlayStation 3 in September 2011.
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Given how long it’s been since we last saw the likes of Joseph Capelli and the Chimera, now is a great time for a soft reboot of the property. From a narrative perspective, a new entry could focus on the unnamed alien race that fought against the Chimera roughly 60 million years before humanity existed. Just as the people of Earth are done recovering from the war, another group of extraterrestrials appears to turn all of their progress asunder. Luckily, humanity has learned to reverse engineer Chimeran technology so that it stands more of a chance this time. This whole new suite of weapons could be made up of real-life firearms and energy guns that look like they’ve been ripped straight from a science fiction novel. Or we could finally see what’s behind that portal from Resistance 3. There are a ton of possibilities, thanks to all the dangling threads Insomniac placed throughout its installments.
Of course, the developer within Sony Worldwide Studios that decides to work on the next Resistance should inject its own personality into the property. The series’ first-person shooter format could be ditched entirely, so long as the title’s gameplay once again revolves around destroying scores of hideous aliens. The series has even done this before as Resistance Retribution, the PSP entry developed by Sony Bend that you might have forgotten about, was a third-person shooter.
Revisiting Resistance | Sony doesn’t have many exclusive first-person shooters
While another third-person Resistance game would be welcome, Sony may want a sequel to retain the franchise’s first-person perspective so that the company could diversify its portfolio of exclusive software. As it stands today, many first-party offerings on PlayStation 4 are third-person action adventure games. Though it’s likely that Sony will continue its Call of Duty partnership with Activision during the next console generation, having a more robust lineup of shooters could help further ensure that fans of the genre stay on PlayStation hardware.
With Killzone developer Guerilla Games now occupied with the Horizon Zero Dawn franchise, it makes sense for Sony to look to the Resistance series to help fill its first-person shooter void. And now is a great time to fill that void since Sony is in a better position to support it. Resistance did well in the context of the PS3 but the system’s stumbles ended up limiting its reach. The PS5 will likely have a better launch than the PS3, meaning it could finally support a first-person shooter in a way that it deserves. Given that the PS5 would just build off the PS4’s feature set, the more robust online infrastructure would be more suited to give a first-person shooter a wider reach. First-person shooters are quite popular, after all.
Revisiting Resistance | God of War proves tired franchises can reinvent themselves
God of War defied expectations last year when it introduced fans to a more human, refined version of Kratos and tasked them to go on an emotional journey with the demigod’s son. It serves as an example that any tired franchise can reinvent itself with the right care and attention. Sony should know this more than any other publisher, which is precisely why it should give the Resistance franchise another chance even after the last main entry’s poor sales.
Taking a page from God of War, the next main entry in the franchise could focus on a person who strives to reunite with his family as a new extraterrestrial conflict begins. The protagonist doesn’t need to be on a quest to save the world. Rather, a story that simply focuses on a regular civilian’s desire to see his or her loved ones again has potential to be both incredibly moving and relatable.
Of course, should Sony remain doubtful of the franchise’s ability to perform well in sales, it should test interest for the property by offering a remastered collection of the first three games to next gen PlayStation owners. Those games reviewed rather well and, with the right enhancements, could be one hell of a way to introduce players to a series they might have missed.
Revisiting Resistance | There’s still so much to explore
The Resistance franchise is so rich with lore that you can’t help but feel like its alternate history premise could use more love. Phenomenon like the origin of the Chimera and the science behind the species’ technology has only been teased. Likewise, fans have yet to learn of the aftermath of the invasion and how humanity rebuilt the world after the Chimera were defeated in Resistance 3. Were there even any people left to be saved? A sequel should address all the mysteries that the original trilogy left unanswered in such a way that newcomers can get up to speed quickly. Doing this will appropriately set the stage for whatever new threat awaits.
Here’s hoping that one developer under the Sony Worldwide Studios umbrella sees Resistance‘s potential soon. After all, the promise of disintegrating Chimera with revamped versions of the Bullseye or the Atomizer may attract a whole new generation of first-person shooter fans to Sony’s next platform, especially with the rise of recent solo first-person shooter revivals such as Doom, Wolfenstein, and Titanfall 2. While many studios could reinvent Resistance, Insomniac might be the best for it since it knows the series more than any other studio. The team’s assets and guidance can go a long way in ensuring the franchise builds on the excellent foundation it established in the early days of the PS3. Now it’s just time to update it for the early days of the PS5.
