Pick up the controller for a shooter these days and you're bound to wind up drawing comparisons to others you've played. Not even shiny new hardware can help Resistance: Fall of Man for the PS3 escape a similar fate. In fact, it happens early and often. Walking through a war zone of bombed-out mid-20th century buildings rendered in soft sandy hues, wearing Army-issue olive drab with a trusty carbine in hand heavily channels Call of Duty 2 -- all of this before you even fire your first shot. That is but one of many similar shades that haunts the game to its very end. And though Resistance is an excellent experience throughout, it never manages to completely exorcise those influences and establish its own unique identity.

In particular, a string of strong similarities to Half-Life 2 becomes an ongoing distraction over the course of the game. These progressively undermine getting wrapped up in the world of Resistance; you start picking it apart, looking for the next parallel. That significantly cheapens the intrigue of the fiction, which holds plenty of potential. The alternate-history version of 1951 -- where the grotesquely bizarre (and possibly alien) Chimera have swarmed across Europe -- poses way more questions than it answers.

But having Half-Life 2 on the brain also works in a positive sense, because Resistance manages to nearly match it stride for stride in the moment-to-moment experience. The action strikes the same "just right" ebb and flow that makes it hard to put down. Firefights build in intensity as you sweep through an area, culminating in spectacular shootouts -- and then you get a chance to collect yourself. This little bit of downtime lets you explore and get your bearings, and the game rewards you for it with critical ammo and grenade caches, while intel folders flesh out much of the backstory. Overall progression doesn't go nearly as well, though: Cinematic cut-scenes pull you all the way out of the experience, and they come at points that awkwardly break up the levels. Sometimes, this happens after only a brief few minutes of play, creating a herky-jerky pace.

In the cut-scenes' defense, they do look and sound fantastic. In fact, the game's presentation mostly comes through, even measured against the high expectations for what playing the PS3's killer app "ought to be like." It's not just a matter of the individual graphical aspects looking pretty; the environments feel complete because they're furnished with all the things that complete the scene. Just don't get too close to anything, because the textures that looked good across the way are far less impressive when you get right up on them.

That can't really be helped, though, because while the combat isn't of the stop-and-pop variety, you won't last long without making good use of cover. This is something your enemies will definitely do, too. Their A.I. won't amaze you with tactical ability, but they do recognize when they have overwhelming numbers to come at you -- and vice versa, as they also fall back and take up defensive positions. Once you get them pinned, though, they fall into a pretty predictable "peekaboo" routine. And occasionally, if you get the drop on enemies, you can pick them off at long range without alarming their buddies.

Learning when to pull the sniper rifle out for that shot -- and how to put your entire arsenal to best use -- plays a big role in your management of combat situations. Creative secondary-fire modes make effective weapon use more than simply staying aware of the best range of each apparatus. For instance, the Auger -- which can shoot through walls -- works well when you're pinned behind cover. But its alternate fire pops up an energy shield that you can fire through, making it pretty useful for setting up a protected firing position in the middle of open ground. Of course, if you're facing enemies with Augers, their shots will also come right through your shield.

Coming up with new ways to play with these toys -- as well as unlocking new ones and earning skill points -- offers enough challenge to keep you occupied for a couple of single-player-campaign playthroughs, especially if you crank up the difficulty levels. But Resistance will have a place in your PS3 for some time to come thanks to its multiplayer. Getting to use the gun strategies you've worked out against live opponents -- and conversely, having them using theirs against you -- ups the ante. The team-based modes take the most advantage of this, as the different weapons are better suited to various roles.

Forty players, though, may be a little bit of overkill. It's nearly impossible to coordinate teams of many more than a dozen. The map design for these big matches also gets a little overzealous, spreading out too much. Even with the full 40 people present, it's possible in a couple of maps to wind up wandering around without seeing a soul. With the promise of downloadable content, though, you don't have to worry too much about getting bored with multiplayer. And Insomniac has told us it intends to take an active role in keeping the game balanced as well, adjusting weapons and whatever else necessary through patches.

That's only the beginning of Insomniac's plans: It's no secret that this is intended to be the beginning of a new franchise. And with the list of questions built up even before the sequel-setting ending, the potential for a refined return engagement measures almost off the charts. For now, Resistance falls a little short of being the hoped-for "Halo-killer," but with a package that would be considered complete by any standards, it delivers a launch classic, and it lives up to its billing as the PS3's killer app.

SCORE

7.6