Plenty has been said about the Bungie deal and Sony’s purchase of the company, and for good reason. For years, Sony tried to keep up with Microsoft by offering an alternative to Halo, pushing two FPS franchises in Killzone and Resistance. While both series were strong and had their merits, they have since gone dormant. As such, several years from now it would be nice to see Bungie take a shot at reviving one of these series, bringing its smooth gunplay and unique mechanics to either IP.
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The Case for Bungie To Revive Resistance
Assuming that Insomniac Games’ mystery multiplayer project is not Resistance, it would be nice to see a new take on the Chimera from Bungie. Given how satisfying it is to shoot aliens like the Hive and the Fallen in the Destiny games, Bungie would likely ensure that the Chimera feel great to fight against. Further, Bungie’s deep lore for all the races in the Destiny series would guarantee that the Chimera are a more interesting threat than ever before.
One strength of Resistance being revived under Bungie is that it would perfectly fit the mold of a Destiny-style game. It is easy to imagine Strikes against large Chimera enemies, while patrolling ruined 1950s cities like New York and San Francisco could be unforgettable. A co-op campaign like Resistance 2 could be a genuine possibility, with Bungie also making use of Resistance: Fall of Man’s Arena multiplayer for a Crucible-like offering.
Bungie taking a Destiny-like approach with the Resistance series could see far more interesting weapons introduced. While guns like the Bullseye were exceptions, most of the series’ Arsenal never stood out in the way that Halo’s Needler or Destiny’s Exotics do. The human weapons such as the Magnum were very by the books, so expanding the lineup with several different weapons and special variants of them would be great. Bungie could make full use of the PS5’s DualSense controller, too, making its already stellar gunplay feel even better.
It is even easy to imagine Destiny’s character customization translating well to a new Resistance game. Players could make their own soldier, collecting unique outfit pieces and emotes as they play through some constantly evolving content. Outposts on par with the iconic Tower could give gamers an area to relax, collect bounties, and meet other players, gearing up to go fight the Chimera once again.
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The Case for Bungie To Revive Killzone
A more prominent attempt at a Halo killer, Killzone was seen as being the more successful of Sony’s two PS3-era shooters. As such, while it would be strange to see Bungie taking control of an IP that was once viewed as competition, it is hard not to think of all that could be done with a Bungie-led Killzone reboot.
Likely to be more comparable to Halo through some traditional singleplayer and multiplayer modes, one thing that Bungie could do to make a new Killzone memorable is deliver a Helghast-focused campaign. The villains of the Killzone franchise were always the real victims, as despite being portrayed as Space Nazis, the ISA treated them horribly. Fighting against the ISA while controlling the far more interesting Helghast would be a nice change of pace, and it would allow Bungie to use the faction’s more unique abilities.
Throughout the Killzone series, players fought against various types of Helghast, and Bungie could give players those abilities in the campaign. The melee-focused Shock Troopers, Cloak-using Snipers, and the jetpack using Air Trooper are all possible classes. The flamethrower-using Pyro Troopers would also be fun to use. Like in Destiny, players could pick one of these roles at the start of the story, sticking with one Helghast class and making their abilities stronger as the campaign progresses.
As for multiplayer, the most important thing that Bungie can do is strive to make the game replayable, as the nearly dead state of Killzone Shadow Fall multiplayer is a shame to see. One way to instantly increase the game’s longevity is to add something like a Forge mode. Giving players the opportunity to create fully original maps or rebuild areas from other franchises could be huge for a Killzone reboot, as Sony would have access to a game that can compete more directly with 343 Industries’ modern Halo offerings.
On top of this, Killzone’s history should be acknowledged, as the series did have a loyal fan base during the PS3 generation and at the start of the PS4 era. Bringing back classic modes like Killzone 3’s Operations or iconic maps like Killzone 2’s Radec Academy would be an excellent way to do this, while reintroducing the series’ various weapons is another option. Killzone 3’s violent melee executions would be worth bringing back, too, showing some love for the series’ past while also modernizing it and taking it in some new directions.
Obviously, Destiny 2 still has several years left in its 10-year plan, and the new IP Matter is undoubtedly Bungie’s current focus. Still, later in the PS5’s life cycle, it would be a great surprise to learn that Bungie is planning to bring back Killzone or Resistance. Both franchises deserve to make a comeback, as they were strong before but could be even better. A Destiny-like style could work wonders for Resistance, while a closer focus on the Helghast and something like Halo’s Forge could keep a new Killzone game alive for years after it stops receiving updates. While Bungie will likely stick to its own franchises for the foreseeable future, it could absolutely do something special with Sony’s retired FPS games.
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