Resistance 2 (View comments)
Posted by: Nikolas Mason
Very rarely are military shooters innovative. But in 2006, Resistance: Fall of Man was just that. Set in a post World War II Europe, Resistance followed the story of the human species fight to survive an invading alien species known as the Chimera. You played as Nathan Hale, a Sergeant of the United States Army, sent to Europe to help contain the invasion. The human’s resistance was a failure, however, and the Chimera made it to the last remaining uninfected continents. That’s where Resistance 2 picks up.
Europe has been lost and the Chimera have invaded the United States. Taking place immediately after the events of the first game, Resistance 2 has a lot to live up to, and it definitely does. Resistance 2 manages to improve on virtually everything good about the first game, everything from graphics to weapons. Let’s start with the latter.
Fans of the first game will quickly recognize most of the weapons featured in Resistance 2, which also features a handful of new weapons to choose from. The Bullseye is my favourite gun from the first game, and in this one it seems much more powerful, as do all of the weapons. Only being able to hold two guns at once can be kind of annoying, especially with the very low maximum ammo you’re allowed to carry. Choosing what weapon to take with you can be difficult, but it usually depends on what the situation calls for.
Along with the weapons, the enemies in which you fight have also gained more in number. There are now a lot more types of Chimera to fight during the game, ranging from weak to almost impossibly strong. All of the enemies feature a great and horrifying design, and the shear numbers they attack is sometimes amazing. The bosses of the game, and there are a lot of them, are also very well made, and very big. You get your first taste of just how big the bosses are almost immediately also.
As I already mentioned above, Resistance 2 takes place in the United States, far from the World War II battlegrounds of Europe. The locations in Resistance 2 are breathtakingly realistic and beautiful. At times I was distracted from the task just to gaze in awe at some of the areas, namely the games rendition of San Francisco. The level of detail put into each and every level is a great sign of Insomniac’s attention to detail. The colors are more vivid, the buildings are more structured, and the draw distance features a very good view in most cases. The colors of each level seem to differ greatly from the overall grayish tone the first game had, which is quite refreshing.
The story of Resistance 2 isn’t too spectacular, but it’s good enough to keep you playing for the 9 or 10 hours it takes to complete. The battles are very intense and very large, and at some points they can be almost impossible. There were times where I would get aggravated at how easily I would get killed, and at many times, how many times I’d die trying to get through one small part of the game. Overall though, the single player campaign was very fun, and to make it even better, you can run through the whole campaign in co-op if you wish.
Where the game really shines, however, is in it’s multiplayer. Resistance 2 features a very Call of Duty 4-esque online multiplayer, allowing you to earn XP points and unlockables the more you play. Some of the modes also allow for up to 60 players at once, which is very intense. The game has several different modes to choose from, all of which are divided up into two teams, obviously either human or Chimera. You also have your own customized player of each species. Earning XP points earns you unlockables, which you can use to customize your player’s appearance and weapons. The game would almost be worth the $60 just for the multiplayer alone.
In the end, Resistance 2 managed to completely surpass my expectations. This game is a definite buy for fans of the first game. Almost every aspect of the game has improved, and other than the times where it’s a little overly hard, this game was a lot of fun. Do not resist this game if you own a PS3. I give it a five out of five.
