REVIEW: Resistance: Burning Skies

Let me be blunt here; Resistance: Burning Skies was one of my most anticipated games for the Vita and it succeeded in disappointing me at almost every turn. This is an extremely pedestrian, by the numbers shooter that does very little to entertain but everything to confound.

Burning Skies is a decent FPS, to be sure, but it certainly doesn't live up to the franchise's pedigree. The console Resistance titles all have compelling characters and clever story twists that keep you invested in the story, Burning Skies has neither of these things. You'll play as Tom Riley, a firefighter on his quest to save his wife and daughter who appear in exactly 3 scenes in the game. How are you supposed to care about these characters if you never get to spend time with them? The fact that Riley is such a boring character with very little to say doesn't really help much either. 

The game's controls are serviceable but the use of the front touchscreen can be a tad annoying, with wasted grenades and auxiliary ammo if you accidentally touch the screen. Why developer Nihilistic Games didn't put in an option to use the rear touchpad is beyond me, it wouldn't have saved the game, but it definitely would've made it slightly more user-friendly. 

Another turn-off and something that I thought games had moved past are the unskippable cut-scenes, which have very little bearing on Riley's situation. The cut-scenes are also extremely blocky which with a handheld of the Vita's power shouldn't even be a thing. Another knock I have is that the trophies are far too easy to unlock, this is a 6 hour Platinum if you really want it, and trophies will be popping every few minutes even if you play through the game with mediocre shooter skills.

I was severely disappointed in this game. I tried to like it and enjoy myself, I really did, but in the end it's shortcomings were just far too great. I can only recommend this to you if you can find it on sale and you really want that easy Platinum. It's a good showing of what the Vita is capable of, but not of what a Resistance game is capable of.

4/10