Resistance
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Insomniac staying out of Church vs. Sony scandal
We've been wondering where Resistance: Fall of Man developer Insomniac was in this whole Church of England vs. Sony kerfuffle. Turns out they are keeping their head down and letting Sony Europe handle it. GI.biz received a statement from Sony America's spokesmeister Dave Karraker and he said, "SCEE is handling all the communications from there on the matter and is dealing directly with the authorities in Manchester ... We are viewing this as a conversation between the Church and SCEE and don't plan on making any further announcements regarding it." Insomniac is making themselves quite a bit of controversy six months after the game's release (well, three for England). Not bad for a company that made its name on cutesy violent epics like Spyro and Ratchet and Clank. How will this all end? Who knows, but the drama moving a couple PS3 units can do nothing but help Sony at this point, especially if the NPD numbers come in as badly as predicted. Go on controversy, help sell consoles!
Sony vs. Church of England, meanwhile CNN has field day
This weekend the news broke that the Church of England was unhappy with depictions of Manchester Cathedral in the Insomniac developed, Sony published, game Resistance: Fall of Man. The Church had issues with Resistance's use of guns in the virtual cathedral and called the whole thing "highly irresponsible." Sony went ahead and finally issued a statement stating that they take the matter seriously: "Whilst we believe that we have sought and received all permissions necessary for the creation of the game, we will be contacting the Cathedral authorities in order to better understand their concerns in more detail." So, that's that, until dialog begins between Sony and Church of England; however, while the two groups work out their issues, CNN's headline writer is having a field day with this story. The best example is the first story they ran about the Church's issues. The headline reads: Cathedral shootout game under fire. Who knew that Resistance was all about a cathedral shootout? Then their latest story had the headline: Church wants cash for 'sick' game. Funny thing is that the word "sick" never shows up once in a quote, it's merely a word supposedly used by the church to describe the situation, but there's no attribution. Get ready kids, the mainstream media might spin this story off its axis.
Church of England demands donation for violent PS3 title
It's not like Sony hasn't been under fire from outlets in America and abroad before, but the latest quibble is coming from none other than the Church of England. Turns out that Sony reportedly took it upon itself to recreate the historic interior of Manchester Cathedral in Resistance: Fall of Man without first asking permission, and now there could be hell heaven to pay. Currently, the Church has asked Sony to "apologize and contribute a large donation from the game's profits as it did not pay a commercial fee to use the cathedral as a backdrop." Additionally, Sony could face two other demands -- one that requests the withdrawal of the game altogether, and the other to modify the section of the cathedral's interior. Notably, it's been no secret that certain sects of the UK have been dealing with rashes of gun crime, and while Sony hasn't succumbed to paying up or recalling all copies of the game just yet, it did say that it would "contact the cathedral authorities to understand their concerns in more detail."
Church of England seeks to remove Resistance from shop shelves
The Church of England today has stated that if Sony do not remove Resistance: Fall of Man from the shelves then it will consider legal action. The Church is outraged at Insomniac's inclusion of the nave of Manchester Cathedral in the game. More specifically, that they "encourage people to have guns battles in the building." Why the C of E have chosen now, seven months after its original release and two months since it was made available in Europe, is a mystery. The worry seems to be that people will assume that shooting a gun within the cathedral is "acceptable" and try to emulate it in real life. Or that it will act as a catalyst to increase the already present gun-crime problem in the city. The Church of England seems to have the idea that Resistance "shows a virtual shoot-out in the cathedral's nave in which hundreds of soldiers are killed". This is only true if you consider crawling Chimera beasties as "soldiers." The cathedral section is a very small fraction of the entire game, lasting only 20 minutes, if that. It contains only alien enemies, as the rest of the game does, and includes no cutscenes or story elements which show a single human death.Sony have yet to officially respond to the Church but a spokesman told the Times newspaper that "It is entertainment, like Doctor Who or any other science fiction. It is not based on reality at all." He also states that permission was sought when necessary, throughout the entire development process. Funny that they mention Doctor Who, considering the recent episode which ended with a man transforming into a monster and chasing his victims through Southwark Cathedral before being killed. We wonder if we'll see a battle to get those DVDs removed from shelves, once they're released.[Thanks to everyone who told us about this]
Church of England threatens Sony with lawsuit
The church that Henry VIII created is thinking about suing Sony for featuring Manchester Cathedral in Resistance: Fall of Man. The Church of England is offended, six months after the game's release, that there is a shoot-out in the cathedral's nave (fancy way of saying "in the middle" of the church). Sony says they got permissions where it was required for the game. The Church says Sony didn't ask permission and they want an apology and the removal of the game from store shelves ... or they're gonna sue Sony, sucka! The Bishop of Manchester, the Rt Revd Nigel McCulloch says it was "highly irresponsible" for Sony to feature the cathedral in the game because Manchester is known to have a gun problem. But, he does say that they did "re-create one of our great cathedrals with photo-realistic quality." So, all in all, it's almost a back-handed compliment. Then the Very Revd Rogers Govender says, "We are shocked to see a place of learning, prayer and heritage being presented to the youth market as a location where guns can be fired." Oh mercy. Sony told The Times newspaper that Resistance uses "game-created footage, it is not video or photography." And they go on to say that it is entertainment and not based in reality, they "sought permission where necessary." Well, this oughta help sell a few copies of the game and a couple PS3s. Maybe it'll even get a few people to check out the church. Good show Church of England, good show. [Thanks to all who sent this in]
Resistance patch delayed - Again
Yes, it's true. The Resistance map pack and global servers have been postponed again. The official word is much the same as last week. The maps and gameplay updates are ready to go, there are just some problems with the global servers. Why not just release the maps, you ask? Apparently the maps require the patch and the patch requires the servers to work. That's why. This time Insomniac haven't released another expected release date, but have said "this last delay won't be too long." As if the feeling of deja vu wasn't overwhelming enough, we're running the same picture we used on Monday. Just to confuse you that little bit more.[Thanks, Flava!]
PS3 sells million in PAL region
The PlayStation 3 has reached platinum in the PAL region, having sold one million units since its launch ten weeks ago, GameSpot reports. That report would put the console as faster selling than the PS2 and PSP. The top-selling games were Resistance: Fall of Man (600,000) and Motorstorm (500,000).It is not clear if the data represents units sold to the consumer or units sold to retail chains (i.e. units shipped). The PAL region covers Europe and Australia. Sony's latest console also broke records at the UK launch, becoming the fastest-selling home console ever for the country with 165,000 units reportedly sold during its launch weekend beginning March 23.The numbers are impressive for Sony, and serve as good news for the company that has lost market share since the last generation, but it probably won't deter calls for a price drop anytime soon.[Image Context, "as graceful as a walrus falling upward with an anvil as parachute"]
Resistance & Motorstorm updates further delayed
Technical issues befall updates to PlayStation 3 titles Resistance: Fall of Man and Motorstorm. The content was originally supposed to be on the PlayStation Network today alongside currently-available trailers for Heavenly Sword, MLB 07 The Show and Stranglehold, which did come out.The MotorStorm 1.2 update has now been slightly split up. A Sony spokesperson told IGN that the patch, which promises to improve online play, will be available on June 11. The new Time Attack mode will be made available June 14. The update was initially due in mid-May.Resistance: Fall of Man was to have new content pack that includes new maps and the game modes Team Conversion and Assault, as well as allow for global online play. "The delay will not be long, and we'll have a firm date to share with you shortly," said Alyssa Casella at SCEA, citing "a few last minute issues ... during the final testing of the global server" for the game. The update had already been pushed back to today, initially promised for the end of May.
Reminder: Global servers, DLC for Resistance coming June 7th
Aside from being an inexhaustible source of adorable cat pictures, the internet is responsible for allowing gamers to reach across their geographical borders, embrace a foreign culture... and then shoot it in the face. It's a noble use of technology, one that has until now been somewhat restricted in Insomniac's Resistance: Fall of Man. A new downloadable update meant to demolish regional restrictions and implement global multiplayer was initially due by the end of May, but was shifted to this Thursday. Greg Philips of SCEA told CVG last week, "The reason for the delay is we (SCEA) needed a little extra time to get the global servers locked in and ready for thousands of players to come knocking. We would rather have a short delay and continue to deliver on our over the top, online experience." Apart from enabling men from all countries to fall, the update will introduce new multiplayer maps for purchase and "other enhancements" to the PS3's Chimera-blasting launch title. You'll be sure to see us online -- unless we're hiding around a corner with that lovely Bullseye gun. [Via PS3 Fanboy]
Resistance downloadable content pushed back a week
Remember that Resistance: Fall of Man patch we told you about? The one which was due out before the end of May? Well it won't be. Unfortunately CVG is reporting that we'll have to wait another week before we get our hands on the new maps and other goodies. It turns out that, while the content is all finished, tested and ready to go, SCEA is stalling in order to make sure the global servers are "locked in and ready." So if you're angry and want to start blaming someone then blame Sony, not Insomniac. It's disappointing, we know, but a week isn't all that long to wait. It's probably for the best that they get everything completely ready, rather than unveiling new servers which break within the first hour. June 7th is the day to keep in mind for the release. Remember to tell your loved ones not to get worried if they don't see you for a day or two. We know you'll want to hide yourself away and show off your Chimera fragging prowess to people all over the world, now that you're able. Or Human fragging prowess, if you're that way inclined. Actually, we thought that a nice way to celebrate the new global servers might be to have you guys come kick our asses. Add our PSN ID to your friendslist - PSFanboy - and look out for us on Saturday the 9th of June from 1PM EST onwards.
Resistance patch on its way - new maps and worldwide servers
In a recent visit to Insomniac, Gamespy were able to play on some new maps for Resistance: Fall of Man. Whilst there they got their hands on the details for the upcoming patch which should be out before the end of the month. Be sure to check out the full hands on preview for the maps, Westmorland and Camborne, over at Gamespy. The patch itself will contain some much-requested features from the Resistance community. Obviously, the full patch notes are unobtainable right now, but Gamespy have revealed a couple of more noteworthy additions. First and foremost, the currently regional servers are being opened up to allow worldwide play. So for those of us who imported a console to find that you could only play against people on the other side of the world, this comes as a welcome development. The patch will also allow you to access your PSN buddy list from inside the game, include a 'tell-the-teacher' feature in the mute menu and make enemies and allies easier to differentiate in online mode. Sounds jam packed full of goodness to us. It should be out before the end of May in the US and Japan, with a European release shortly after that. Check out Gamespy's full account of their visit to Insomniac for more info.
Resistance and Motorstorm topping charts in UK (not Europe)
After briefly, mistakenly and idiotically reducing the entirety of Europe, with all its many cultures, languages and shoes to just the UK in an article yesterday, we've taken steps to reinforce the pathways that connect our brains to our rapidly typing fingers. Said fingers insist that we now draw your attention to the PS3's continued success in Madagascar the United Kingdom, with launch titles Resistance: Fall of Man and Motorstorm perching comfortably atop the Chart Track software list for the week ending 24 March.Insomniac's first-person shooter debuted in the number one spot, with the muddy Motorstorm slotting into second position. Virtua Fighter 5 is all the way down in 14th position, bested by Namco's symphony of slide, Ridge Racer 7 (11th) and the comparitively out of tune F1: Championship Edition (7th). Finally, historically accurate crab battle simulations find themselves relegated to 16th position. With these PS3 exclusive (for now, in the case of Virtua Fighter 5) titles making a splash in the charts alongside the PS3's strong launch performance in Guam the UK, it seems the doom and gloom impression that resulted from so many dead launch events was unwarranted. The coming weeks will show us whether or not the PS3 can maintain its momentum in both hardware and software sales.
Resistance multiplayer update deployed: new modes, no maps
Insomniac delivered the first half of its promised Resistance multiplayer update ahead of schedule, keeping on target with PlayStation 3's European Italian launch. The update adds Team Conversion and Team Assault modes, along with a new featured dubbed "Round Balancing." When enabled (always in ranked matches), Round Balancing will attempt to balance uneven team sizes without splitting up parties.A second update, currently scheduled for May, will introduce a pair of new maps and global servers. Hear that, Europe? Y'all got about two months on them practice fields -- then it's world war![Via PS3 Fanboy]
Def Jam Icon demo heads to the PlayStation Store
On Thursday (tomorrow), Sony will be updating the PlayStation Store with a new playable demo that (shock!) isn't a racing game: Def Jam Icon. EA's music-inspired fighter hasn't earned the greatest critical praise, but at a price of "free," it'll probably be worthwhile to check out the demo. Also available on the store will be videos of the already-released Resistance: one trailer and three behind-the-scenes features that cover gameplay, concept art and level design. [Via 1UP]
Resistance updates detailed, modes & maps mentioned
SCEA and Insomniac have detailed a pair of forthcoming Resistance updates in a press release today. On March 23, coinciding with PlayStation 3's European launch, the first update will introduce two new multiplayer modes, Team Conversion (Conversion with teams) and Assault (destroy the defending team's base). In addition, a 'spectator camera' will be added, allowing voyeurs to peep the action from players' perspectives or pan back and discover their own angles. Insomniac has also tweaked matchmaking optimization for the update and will re-introduce the old radar as a custom option.In May, a second update will enable global competition and offer two new multiplayer maps for purchase. The maps are apparently an extension of the game's backstory; a full explanation is scheduled to appear on the official website closer to the update's release. Anyone paying attention to Phil Harrison last week, will recall that the Sony exec blabbed that Insomniac would be "extending the story"; we speculated that this might entail episodic content. While that remains a distant possibility, it appears that the referenced 'extension' will simply be a lame presentation on the Resistance website. Cheers for keeping Resistance fresh, but let's not disguise this update as anything other than what it is: a standard dose of premium multiplayer maps.[Via press release]
New Resistance Maps and Modes
In March, there will come a few new multiplayer modes of play for the PS3 launch title Resistance: Fall of Man. Soon after, in May, there will come a few new maps. This is exciting news for anyone who has learned the layout of every map and is pretty much bored of the same running route or always playing capture the flag... or whatever. Anyway, the two new gameplay modes are "Team Conversion" and "Assault". Team Conversion: like Conversion, but with a team. Neat? Assault: essentially, both teams have a base they need to defend and they also have a set of defense nodes and satellite nodes that, if destroyed, weaken the "defenses" of their main base. We guess that means the "health bar" for the main base would decrease. Overtaken satellite nodes become neutral -- a spawning point for both teams. Dangerous! Other fixes have been made for the March patch. Spectators can join custom games and use a player's eyes as his own, along with a free-roaming camera so you can see that sniper in the bushes even if the player doesn't. All glitches and collision holes have been fixed. Matchmaking is quicker and more reliable. Weapons tweaked; the old radar has been added as an option if you want it.What's in store for May? Well, how does worldwide play sound to you? A nice addition, indeed. Also, the map pack will be made available for purchase and download within the game. Both maps are set in England: one in Westmorland, one in Camborn. The former is snowy and very open, the latter has both above ground and subterranean combat. These aren't rehashed maps, either -- they've brand new and specifically designed for multiplayer. Geez. There's a lot of info in the interview with IGN. We decided to cover the maps and new gameplay modes, but the interview also discusses the European launch, plans for future updates, and of course, the all-but-confirmed sequel. Even so, this stuff looks like it'll satisfy plenty of gamers until more information becomes available. Your thoughts?[Thanks, Sean!]
Insomniac launches podcast, listen to sleep-deprived developers [update 1]
With Insomniac Games launching its podcast today, It now seems like everybody has an online audio show. But the Insomniac approach intends to be different than most because gamers get to hear what goes on inside a developer; the twice-monthly show should could be a great marketing and community-building move.Insomniac plans several regular segments, including interviews with members of its staff and even gaming personalities outside of the Resistance and Ratchet developer. The show will cover basics like gamers' mail and Insomniac product updates as, but we'll be regular listeners if it pulls off its fly-on-the-wall aspirations.[Update 1: Insomniac let us know that it changed its mind and won't have a "/podcast.html" URL for the audio show. Instead, the main page will be updated when the podcast goes live in the next few hours.]
Phil Harrison says: more Resistance in April?!
No, no, we're not going to say "A sequel to Resistance: Fall of Man is in the works and set for an April release"... although a sequel is in the works. No, we don't have a link to prove it, but it's true. It's called trust! Phil Harrison sat down with, uh, Newsweek and talked about a multitude of things -- Gears of War, being a silly-willy, being tall, the PS3 launch, etc.We're not going to talk about that. The very last point Phil brings up is the upcoming content for Resistance that is going to, as he said, "We're going to release additional content for Resistance. I don't think we've gone into detail on the schedule, but we have some really, really cool things that will be extending the story, extending the locations, some brand new content, starting in April." He goes on to allude to a sequel if this extra stuff is well-received. A collective "woo" is necessary from the R:FoM crowd, please.
More Resistance in April, episodic content on the menu
Fast-forwarding through another Phil Harrison interview, we smack into some meaningful chatter. When pressed about future content for Resistance, Harrison busts out a tantalizing reply: "we have some really, really cool things that will be extending the story, extending the locations, some brand new content, starting in April. So if that works well and is well-received by the audience, then that will keep the engagement with game going between now and should there be a sequel at some point in the future." (For the record, Insomniac's Ted Price has already confirmed the obvious; Resistance is a franchise, with a sequel likely already in early development stages.) What Harrison seems to suggest though, is some degree of episodic content bridging the first game and apparent sequel. Adding multiplayer maps and modes is the tired standard, but actually building upon the single-player narrative with downloadable content would represent a significant step forward for PlayStation Network -- and keep Resistance holding down the console that's sure to let loose sooner or later.
Sony prices first-party PS3 games for Euro launch
Those walking out of a UK store next month with a PS3 under the arm will no doubt be concerned about the retail price of launch games -- doubly so if they actually paid for the console on their way out. Sony has announced a £39.99 (€59.99) price point for first-party launch games, placing the likes of Motorstorm and Resistance: Fall of Man in the same bracket as Wii and first-party Xbox 360 titles. Presumably, the games will contain all of the content from their American and Japanese releases. Sony also notes that an "introductory period" will see PlayStation Network games priced between €2.99 and €9.99, with game-specific downloadable content starting at €0.99 and increasing depending on the product's scope. Previously: European PS3 not so backwards compatible Sony incentivizes Euro PS3 with Casino Royale Blu-ray Sony UK sales boss quits before impending PS3 launch
