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So, one thing I’m a little annoyed about is that, no one is talking about how amazing the weapon design/mechanics/lore in the Resistance games are. Since no one else wants to talk about this, I think I will.
Insomniac is one of my favorite game companies. I just love the way they do things, and one of the key components to their games is weapon design. Ratchet and Clank; Fuse; Sunset Overdrive. They never fail to develop intricate weapons. I could go over several of their games, but I think I’m going to talk about one of my favorite games Resistance: Fall of Man. I will cover some of the weapons in the sequels if anyone asks for it. I think the weapons in these games help fill out the lore, build the world and are wonderful combat focused mechanics that just aren’t well replicated in games today. Not every weapon is perfect, but there are enough that this game series should be recognizable by its weapons alone.
One thing I want to quickly cover is, these weapons aren’t ‘Zelda Items’ things to be used to help get past obstacles and to be used with other weapons. Though weapons can combo together, each weapon is powerful enough to be used on its own.
Before we start I’m going to give some basic lore to Resistance, just for those who haven’t played the game. Resistance starts right after the before World War II, with some other alternative history stuff happening before, but we can just ignore that for now. Mainly Russia and most of eastern Europe has fallen under the Chimera (alien) attacks, with the battle England raging on. The Americas have become super Isolationist, though they are starting to send troops to help out.
Disclaimer,
I’m not taking credit for anything all of the weapons and concepts are straight from Insomniac. The pictures and some of the weapon descriptions are taken from the Wiki. I’m just here to talk about the parts everyone else seems to forget.
Resistance Weapons
Lore in Weapon Mechanics & Design and the importance of it.
The LAARK fires explosive rockets that can kill most enemies in one hit, but can only carry four rockets (two per mag). The alternate fire is an air-brake which will stop the rocket in mid-air and release smaller rockets.
This is how you make a Rocket Launcher. Screw just firing one rocket, this thing can fire one large one, or multiple little ones. The primary fire can take down heavy units in a single shot, while the multi-rockets can kill any weaker enemy using only one LAARK shot. This weapon isn’t a standard Rocket Launcher it’s a MLRS (Mobile Launcher Rocket System) of pure destruction.
L209 LAARK (Light Anti-Armor RocKet)
Reaper Carbine
Every game needs good old fashion dual wielding. These Submachine guns can tear through hordes of enemies faster than you thought possible. Primary fire being gun on your right and alt-fire being your left. You can choose how to use these weapons. Also, an added bonus being that they auto lock, allowing you to shoot multiple targets at the same time.
These weapons are a lot of fun, not the best of the weapon designs, but what’s awesome is where you get it. After beating the game, if you restart, it will be waiting for you in the opening level. Where you discover that several weapons are only available after you beat the game.
Is an enemy hiding behind cover? Need a way to get him to come out? You could use explosives, sure. Or you could just shoot threw his cover and make him regret hiding in the first place. Primary fire shoots blast of Radiation that tunnels through solid objects and stops when it hits organic matter. Or are there to many enemies around you without enough cover to protect yourself, then fear not for the Augur comes with a alt-fire that places a Force Barrier that can be deployed to protect you. It doesn’t last long, but it’s strong enough to help you eliminate some of the opponents to give you some free thinking space.
I think what makes this weapon the coolest, is how it was designed for co-op yet works perfectly in single player. It has a low ammo count, because it’s not designed to kill everyone while you hid behind cover. It’s great to pop a shield for your partner, while you hide behind cover and shoot what he can’t hit. In later games, it allows you to completely see through walls when aiming, so it becomes more of a tactical weapon that a pure combat.
Augur Rifle
M5A2 Folsom Carbine
So I want to hit with the basic assault rifle first, just to cover basic ground. It’s a standard assault rifle, primary fire shoots .303 rounds and the alternate fire launches a 40mm Grenade. The weapon itself is a little early in design for an Assault Rifle, though some might miss this, it's already telling us that this world isn’t the one we are used to. (That and you ascend from a VTOL Osprey that is about 30 years too early) It’s a solid weapon and they quickly show off just how effective it is.
Every FPS needs a sniper rifle. Standard low rate of fire and high damage and long range, this beast packs a punch. Use to scopes to score headshots, and if the target is moving too fast, use the alt-fire to slow down time, to line everything up just right.
One trick this game uses is; it actually has a low damage for body shots. Meaning to make every bullet count, it needs to be a headshot. The ability to slow down time allows this to work. This lets you feel like a sharpshooter, sitting in a tower, taking down a Slipskull before it can jump across the map.
L23 Fareye
Quick to fire, while providing reasonable damage, the Bullseye is very good at close quarters. Using the alternate fire, enemies can be "tagged". The tag acts as a tracking beacon for the primary fire. Unless something physical is in the way, the bullets will not miss. It also has the ability to make traps. They are created by pressing and holding the secondary fire while targeting a surface. Firing at the placed tag will cause the bullets to orbit in the air above it. A second Bullseye tag can then be re-targeted by firing a second tag at an enemy. Which will cause all the orbiting rounds to hit the enemy at once, or made to explode by holding the tag button again. If it is
This is an extremely versatile weapon. The addition of the trap, to me, is above and beyond what is expected of a standard weapon, and this is just the second weapon you pick up. This is the standard rifle for the Chimeran forces, it shows just how devastating they are. How they are willing to destroy everything in their way to conquer a planet. Also the design of the gun feels so alien, so distant from our world. Yet similar enough to know it’s a gun.
Bullseye
Rossmore 236 Combat Shotgun
Standard shotgun with a little twist; get close pull the trigger and watch them drop with easy. Primary fire shoots one barrel while alt-fire shoots two. It’s a powerful and fun weapon, it is very effective with breaching and clearing out rooms. Resistance doesn’t do anything to new with the shotgun concept, but who needs to. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
Arc Charger
Anyone want a lightning shotgun? This weapon does a decent amount of damage at first, but as you fire more and more, it ramps up. The more targets hit, the more damage done the more powerful it becomes. It’s alt-fire is a massive blast that several rounds pumping up the damage number if the blast connects.
This is just a fun gun to shoot. It isn’t always the most effective but God it's cool to shoot multiple blasts of lightning and watch it kill several enemies at once. I wish Resistance focused more on creative kills. Some of these weapons could work amazing chained with some side equipment.
L11-2 Dragon
Personal flamethrowers are a must have when fighting an Alien menace. Primary fire shoots out a wall of flame coating the area. Alt-fire shoots out a pool of fire that sits on the ground and burns anything that crosses its path.
The weapon mechanics aren’t that new, (though it be nice to see something as simple as a flamethrower in any modern shooter.) What is, is its design and lore to it. It shoots out blue flames, using a modified chemicals designed to burn through Chimeran skin.
Splitter
So this is a crazy one, it doesn’t really work well, but it’s also just another free weapon. Maybe it can be tweaked later on. Its primary fire fires a pack of projectiles. When shot, it will be in mid-air and follow the player's crosshair, it will still harm anything that touches it, and after touching something solid, the projectiles will be disintegrated. When the alt-fire is used, this package splits into two. The alt-fire can be used to split the explosives multiple times-at maximum into 16 individual explosives.
Where this weapon shines, if you are being gunned down by a wall of foes, hide behind cover, split as many shots as you need, then jump out and fire. The entire line of enemies fall behind the wall of explosives.
Grenades
Oh, so you though this game just had cool guns? Well you shouldn’t actually be surprised because it’s actually obvious that there would be cool grenades. Well, let’s jump into these things.
Fragmentation Grenade
Basic Frag grenade, throw it at a group of enemies and watch them dive out of the way. Best used to blow opponents out of cover, but you can get some multi-kills if you time it right.
Hedgehog Grenade
This is how you build a grenade. When thrown it will hover upwards into the sky at about man's height then fire all its needles in every direction impaling nearby enemies to the ground and walls. More effective than fragmentation grenades as it will explode in mid-air instead of on the ground.
This thing is awesome. It’s unique and has a very useful design. I would love to see more games try to reinvent the wheel. It’s just another type of anti-personnel grenade, yet it feels totally different from your standard types. This is a claymore and a Grenade in one.
Air-Fuel Grenade
After thrown it does not activate until it has landed on a solid object including the floor, a wall, or an unfortunate enemy. The grenade can be shaken off before it detonates. After the grenade has landed, it releases a cloud of gas. After 2-3 seconds, the Grenade detonates, igniting the gas and incinerating any enemies in its blast radius. The grenade's detonation can be delayed by holding the throw button.
Chimera won’t run from the gas since they don’t know what it is. This is a great weapon for all types of enemies. It can easily wipe out groups encamped in tight areas. It’s very effective against powerful units and clearing any cannon fodder around them. It’s a weapon for all moments.
Backlash Grenade
Okay, this Grenade is sick. Beat the game to unlock it. It does little actual damage. But you’re going to use this as an explosive. Toss it at your feet and watch a spherical barrier appear around you. This barrier is impervious to most Chimeran weaponry, making it the ultimate shield. But wait, it also will redirect any enemy shots back at the enemy who fired them. Toss this down hordes storm towards you are clean house as they killed by their own bullets.
The grenade also damages any Chimera that walks into the shield, though most Chimera will avoid doing so. Waves of Leapers, Rollers or Menials will simply walk into the shield and kill themselves. Making it a great defensive tool.
This is a great tool for when you're entrenched behind cover and can’t find a way out. Pop one of these babies out in the open, stand towards the center, and let the chimera kill themselves. However, make sure you have a place to retreat to once it ends, or you die in an instant.
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Well, I hope this has been informative, refreshing or just slightly interesting read. If you want more terribly written ideas and opinions from me. I plaining on writing more things like this in the future. Let me know what I should do next guys! Thanks.
This is my favorite weapon in the game, possibly the entire series. It’s a fast firing machine gun in the game. The Primary fire shoots subsonic bolts that are designed to ricochet off hard surfaces. The bolts will continue to travel until they find a soft target or are exhausted. Kills outside the line of sight are possible with banked shots. The alt-fire will discharge the entire magazine (or what’s left of it) and fire the bolts like a turret, floating in mid-air, which works well on large enemies.
So this is a weapon that almost needs infinite ammo, pull the trigger and get ready to reload. This weapon is designed for close quarter killing. Shoot a few rounds in a house and watch as the bullets bounce around and kill off everything inside. It’s a perfect weapon for providing cover fire, you don’t even need to be accurate for this gun to hit. It will eventually. And the turret is a great way to fire while you retreat for some well-deserved healing.
Now this is a weapon that is purely built on lore. No one knows who actually built it, they think it is US origin, possibly the Special Research Projects Administration (SRPA) There an American military organization that was tasked in studying and finding different conventional means in defeating the Chimera. This entire organization built equipment designed to eliminate Chimeran forces. What is coolest to me about this, you never see or hear about this organization. They have their fingerprints on everything and are involved with every little detail. You hear their name mentioned throughout the series, but you only really discover them if you dig for them. It’s just another level to this series I wish was discussed about more.
XR-005 Hailstorm
Sticky mines! This weapon can produce a series of explosive charges. Each charge is encased in a living cell similar to the Widowmaker's globules. The cells stick to most surfaces including each other. Aiming at a cell and activating the alternate fire will detonate the selected cell. Other cells within the blast radius will also explode. In this way elaborate chain reactions are possible. One can also detonate all errant cells, allowing the Sapper to replenish its ammo. Cells also have proximity sensors, which makes them useful in setting traps.
Sure, other games have proximity mines, but it’s the enemies design that makes this weapon useful. Leapers and Grey Jacks chase you around the map, so it useful for waiting for them to charge you. Or you can build yourself a wall to defend yourself from standard Hybrids while you snipe enemies at afar. Set up traps as you dart around the map, planning out attacks from all angles.
XR-003 Sapper Explosive Delivery System
