Resistance is a series that doesn’t seem to be able to make up its mind. Resistance: Fall Of Man was an eerie, survival horror FPS, creating an alienating, hostile, deadly world with danger around every corner. Resistance 2 cast players as an action hero in a bug hunt that was far less terrifying than its predecessor. And now Resistance 3 returns to the well of survival horror … this time, it’s in America.

Players step into the shoes of Joe Capelli, a guy who just wants to spend time with his family in the wake of his dishonorable discharge due to his actions in Resistance 2. It shouldn’t be too hard – the military no longer seems to exist in any real way, so the consequences of that discharge are minimal. And it’s all going according to plan until the Chimera attack the small town where Joe and his family have settled, forcing him to be a highly reluctant hero, called upon to try to save the world one last time.

People who have played the previous Resistance games will find much is the same – the weapons haven’t changed a lot, although as players use a weapon in Resistance 3, they’ll find that it levels up and becomes stronger. The representation of health changes again, this time using a wheel in the lower left corner of the screen. Players once again get to carry every single weapon they find at the same time.

But overall, Resistance 3 feels like a less satisfying experience than the first two games. While Resistance: Fall Of Man was a haunting game of survival and Resistance 2 was what I thought I was getting when I bought Halo, the ideas and plot in Resistance 3 seem as tired and weary as its protagonist. Of course the game is set on American soil when the war is already all but lost and the few remaining survivors eke out a meager existence hiding in burned out buildings, mines, and caves and tunnels they’ve dug out of basements. Of course there’s a last ditch effort to save humanity and defeat the Chimera, once and for all. And of course the plan falls to hell along the way.

It seems predictable and doesn’t elicit similar, much less the same, emotions as Resistance: Fall Of Man and Resistance 2 did. And in keeping with not matching the emotional impact or interesting stories present in the first two games, Resistance 3 represents an additional and unfortunate step backward when considering accessibility.

Accessibility Issues / Concerns

The first Resistance game was a landmark for controller layouts and remapping. The entire controller – including buttons on the d-pad – was remappable. In Resistance 3, while there are a handful of controller layouts and players can remap most controls, it simply isn’t as flexible as the first game was. It says a lot about how extraordinary the controller layouts and remapping were in Resistance: Fall Of Man to say that the controller remapping and layouts in Resistance 3 is a disappointment, but it is. Resistance: Fall Of Man let players remap everything. Resistance limits them to the sticks, bumpers, triggers and buttons on the left side of the controller. It’s vastly better than many other games, but a disappointment when compared to the first game in the series. Like Resistance 2, Resistance 3 does not offer a toggle aim function.

Players with precision concerns and players with use of only one hand also need to know that they will need to run and gun at times, and that some amount of jumping is necessary, although the consequences are typically limited (i.e. it’s unlikely that players will fall to their death) and checkpoints are usually close by. Otherwise, Resistance 3 presents challenges consistent with other first-person shooters, at least some of which can be mitigated by remapping controller commands. Players will need to shoot moving targets from vehicles, aim a rocket launcher and keep it on a target until it achieves lock and periodically engage in melee. I did not find any use of SIXAXIS controls.

Deaf gamers should be aware that the subtitles are very small; while they are displayed in a sans serif font which contrasts well with most backgrounds, they were so tiny as to be nearly unreadable on an HDTV screen. Speakers are sometimes, but not always, identified. Resistance 3 is not closed captioned and does not have a closed captioning option. Chimera often make sounds which can reveal their presence or position as well as what type of Chimera it is, and given that the Auger allows players to attack enemies through solid objects, deaf gamers will be at a disadvantage. Some weapons and grenades also make distinctive noises which are not noted, placing deaf gamers at a further disadvantage.

Gamers with a form of color blindness will experience some issues with Resistance 3. Targeting reticles appear green over allies and red when targeting enemies. However, players will rarely have to worry about targeting allies. In some levels, enemies will have visible red laser sights which can help reveal their position. In later stages, these enemies may be cloaked and only visible due to their laser sights or finding them using the Auger’s scope which is a green screen that displays allies in blue and enemies in a shade of orange which may be problematic for some gamers. The objective marker is another vision problem – it only appears occasionally and even when it does, it’s very small and difficult to see.

And that pretty much sums it all up – compared to its predecessors, Resistance 3 is a disappointment as a game and for accessibility. It’s unfortunate when developers take steps backward in accessibility, but in this case, disabled gamers aren’t missing much, if anything at all.

At A Glance

Precision: Players with motor function and precision concerns will experience difficulties consistent with any first-person shooter. Players need to strafe, take cover, move quickly, leap to certain spots and make precise movements. Recommend rating of 1 out of 10.

Deaf Gamers: The subtitles are small and hard to read. Speakers are sometimes, but not always, identified. Resistance 3 does not offer closed captioning even though Chimera make sounds which indicate their presence, position and often type, and weapons often make distinctive sounds, placing deaf gamers at a disadvantage. Recommend rating of 3 out of 10.

One-handed: The controller is mostly remappable but does not allow remapping the d-pad. Resistance 3 does not include a toggle aim function. Otherwise, gamers with use of only one hand will experience difficulties consistent with any first-person shooter. Recommend rating of 2 out of 10.

Subtitled: The subtitles are small and hard to read. Recommend rating of 3 out of 10.

Color Blind: While Resistance 3 changes the targeting reticle to green when targeting allies and red when targeting enemies, the impact for colorblind gamers shouldn’t be impassable since there aren’t many levels with allies. Recommend rating of 5 out of 10.

Checkpoint / Save System: Resistance 3 uses a checkpoint save system. Checkpoints seem fairly close and can occur between waves of enemies in a large fight. Recommend rating of 7 out of 10.