The Chimera are back for another invasion attempt and it's up to fireman Tom Riley, armed with his ever-ready axe and myriad traditional and alien weaponry, to try and stem the tide.
Resistance: Burning Skies is the flagship first-person shooter for the PS Vita and its dual thumbsticks. Being afirst-party title, it would be expected that nothing but the best would suffice; firstly to showcase the Vita's potential in the FPS market and secondly, to set a high standard for others to follow.
Sadly, Burning Skies barely rises above mediocre. Sure enough the control method proves to be a sure-fire winner. The thumbsticks are used just as they are on the larger consoles and the touch screen has been intelligently utilised so that taking your thumb off to select a grenade, for example, is never a chore. Using the rear touch-pad to sprint proves awkward at times and it would have been nice to have had a customisable option.
But the game is ultimately let down by an uninspiring world design and a paint-by-numbers storyline offering little substance and virtually nothing to get excited about. Burning Skies is linear to a fault and quashes any thoughts of tactical gameplay.
Even the assortment of multi-player modes do nothing but go through the motions and give the player no real incentive to come back for more.
Despite all the above, Resistance: Burning Skies is not a complete loss. It does open the door for other FPS franchises to take a crack at showcasing their wares in portable format. But this could have and should have been so much more.
