Resogun
Overview -
Finnish independent game developer Housemarque left their mark (several, in fact) during the life-cycle of the PlayStation 3. With titles like 'Super Stardust HD', 'Outland', and my personal favorite, 'Dead Nation', they took the downloadable title to new heights with impressive visuals, deep game play, and addictive challenges. Through their mastery of the twin-stick shooter mechanic they kick off the next generation with 'Resogun' for the PlayStation 4.
Video Review
The visuals of 'Resogun', simply put, are incredible! Both the environment - the gorgeous city background - and enemies are made up of three-dimensional cubes called voxels. When destroyed, these cubes rain down in an impressive display that you can't help but get distracted by. When a level is completed, "Armageddon" is triggered and all that remains on-screen turns to voxel dust in a slow motion, explosive moment of epic greatness.
Even though the game space fills up quickly with explosions, lasers, fireballs, and massive amounts of enemies, the frame rate never suffers. It remains silky smooth from the launch of the game to the bitter, nerve wracking end. I was stunned while playing the online co-op mode by the game's ability to deliver such an intense experience without issue. On-screen 'Resogun' is dazzling and thereby easy to recommend as PlayStation 4 demo material.
 |
Audio Review
'Resogun's' music nicely matches the frenetic nature of the game. As the gameplay ramps up (and it does so quickly) you'll notice that same level of intensity mirrored with the soundtrack. Adding to this a solid performing surround field and 'Resogun' does a fantastic job of immersing the player into the chaotic action.
The developers at Housemarque also utilized the DualShock 4's internal speaker to affective use. As weapons are powered up, bombs are added, and humans are saved (or lost), a commanding female voice advises you of your progress or failures, continually prompting you to do better, play harder, and die less – at least that's how I began to interpret things the longer my play sessions got.
'Resogun' was first out of the gate for the launch of the PlayStation 4, and there's a reason why Sony chose this downloadable title to be one of the first added to the PlayStation Plus Game Collection. Its impressive visuals, slickly smooth gameplay, and addictive score chase are a perfect match for the start of this new console generation. Although the number of levels currently available are small, and the variety of ships to play with are few, there's no denying 'Resogun' deserves a place among the PlayStation 4 family. Whether as a free game to start your next-gen addiction, or paid for in full, 'Resogun' should find a way into your gaming library sooner rather than later.
 |
Click here to view comments on this review
