The first first-person shooter on a handheld system has shipped today, and it has the capabilities of the PlayStation Vita to thank for it. Called Resistance: Burning Skies, the portable FPS marks the official debut of the “Resistance” PS3 franchise on Sony’s new portable gaming system.
Chronicling the initial days of the brutal Chimeran alien invasion along the United States’ eastern seaboard, Resistance: Burning Skies uses both analog sticks for precision shooting and navigation, while it uses the front and rear touch screens for secondary weapon fire and sprint mechanics. Resistance: Burning Skies also brings back franchise hallmarks like unique 1950’s Americana locations, the fan-favorite weapon wheel with trademark and all-new weaponry, and classic and new Chimeran enemies.
In addition to a single-player campaign, the game supports the first competitive multiplayer shooter for PS Vita, allowing players to take the fight against the Chimera with them wherever and whenever they wish.
Taking place during the first Chimeran invasion of the eastern seaboard in Resistance® 2, Resistance: Burning Skies follows the first-hand account of New York City firefighter Tom Riley as he experiences the initial days of the assault against humans. After helping the Minute Men safely evacuate the city, Riley then sets off on a journey across the East Coast in search of his wife and daughter; meeting other survivors along the way he quickly finds himself to be an integral part of the battle against the Chimera in a fight to save humanity.
Resistance: Burning Skies features a complete multiplayer combat mode over Wi-Fi connection for up to eight players to battle across six diverse environments based on popular locations from the single player campaign. Online gameplay will feature three game modes including fan-favorite classics like Deathmatch and Team Deathmatch, in addition to Survival mode, an intense new last man standing power struggle between humans and the deadly Chimera.
The multiplayer mode also offers full progression-based gameplay, allowing players to upgrade their weapons and characters for fully customizable loadouts. With a built-in matchmaking system, players can quickly identify open matches and easily jump into the action, supporting matches as small as 2×2, or larger, more intense matches of 4×4. Players can also set up private matches through the Party app to play alongside their own PSN friends and communicate with each other through voice chat via the built-in microphone or optional headset.
In addition to competing on global leaderboards, players can also use the location-based “near” app to add a new level of social gaming to their multiplayer matches. PS Vita users also have the option of virally infecting nearby players with an in-game gift that will award them valuable XP multipliers in their multiplayer battles.