Name: Resistance 2
Genre: First-Person Shooter
Platform: PlayStation 3

When the PlayStation 3 launched back in the fall of 2006, Insomniac Games stepped up to the table to deliver the system’s first exclusive shooter, Resistance: Fall of Man. The game focused on an alternate history of the early 1950s in which World War II never happened. Instead, Europe is invaded by the Chimera, a race of extraterrestrial beings intent on taking the world over. Players assumed the role of Nathan Hale, an American Army Ranger, who is among the 5000 soldiers tasked with helping Britain stave off the Chimeran invasion. During an attack, a Chimeran virus takes out the other 4999 soldiers, leaving a now infected Hale as the only survivor. As the story progressed, Hale was tasked with taking out the central Chimera tower in London. Hale completes his mission, and while wandering nearby woods, Special Research Projects Administration (SRPA) soldiers arrive to pick him up.

The first game was pretty enjoyable, and offered a wealth of weapons, which were both creative and fun to use. That’s not to say the game didn’t have its issues. Level design was pretty basic, and despite taking place during an alternate history, many of the environments felt just like every other WWII shooter. When Resistance 2 was announced, the question wasn’t whether Insomniac would make another good game; it was whether or not they would make a great one. When a sequel comes out, it’s an effort to cash in on the success of a previous title, often with little to no change to the formula that worked so well the first time. Fortunately, Insomniac goes above and beyond the original premise, delivering a game that not only outshines its predecessor, but also establishes itself as a definitive franchise for the PlayStation 3. 

Resistance 2 picks up directly after the events of the first game, and now Nathan is tasked with aiding an elite group of soldiers, known as Sentinels, in defending America from the coming Chimera invasion. One of the issues I had with the first Resistance was how slowly the story was paced. Resistance 2 comes off more as a huge summer blockbuster than the grueling war story the first game was. While the story isn’t terribly original (it borrows from films like Independence Day, Aliens, and just about every World War II movie ever made), during the 8-10 hours it will take you to finish the game, you’ll never be bored. Action set pieces are plentiful, and you’ll find yourself engaged in huge firefights just about every ten minutes. Boss fights range from intense and fun to uninteresting, and in the case of the final boss, a bit of a let down. For the most part, the overall story is quite enjoyable. My only qualm comes from the way the game ends. It’s clear Insomniac is planning at least one more game in the franchise, but the developments in the closing moments left me confused. All it would’ve taken was a little more explanation, and I would be a bit more excited about the next game in the franchise.

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I meant it when I said you’re supposed to be defending America. Resistance 2 will have you traveling all across the nation, defending places like Chicago, Twin Falls Idaho, and the swamps of Louisiana, to name a few. While graphically impressive, the first Resistance didn’t bring anything new to the design of its World War II environments. Thankfully, Resistance 2’s locales are both varied and visually impressive. There’s a ton of color in this vibrant world, and Insomniac really stepped up to the plate to deliver a shooter that bucked the current trend of muddy, washed out colors. Level design this time around is much more inspired, and despite running into the occasional invisible wall, you’ll find Resistance 2’s levels interesting and involving. Characters, both good and bad, look great, but not as improved as you would think having come two years later than the first game. The motion capture used this time around is superb. You can’t help but notice how realistically characters move around the environments, as well as how they respond to what’s transpiring around them. Lip-synching is also top notch. You don’t realize how difficult it is for developers to get this right until you see a game do it poorly. Only then you can appreciate when a game like this does it properly. There are a few graphical issues, though. Both explosions and fire look strange and pixilated. Water looks fine until something actually enters it. For whatever reason, water reacts to other objects like it’s made of Jell-O. Instead of ripples and waves, you get gelatinous jiggles and wobbles. These instances by no means overshadow the overall graphic design of the game, but stand out nonetheless.

If there’s one thing Insomniac is known for, it’s the inventive weapons they’re able to come up with. Whether it’s the first Resistance or a game from the Ratchet and Clank franchise, you can always count on unique and powerful weapons. Resistance 2 is no exception. With choices like the mini-gun with the bubble shield, the gun with saw blades for ammo, and the grenade that sets an entire room on fire, each weapon brings something different to the table. While you can only carry two guns at a time, you’ll never feel constrained thanks to the secondary functions available. The controls are mapped in a way that makes accessing the different functions easy, but there are a few issues in the overall layout. Turning your flashlight on and off is the only thing mapped to the D-pad, and mapping both sprint and crouch to the R2 button creates some awkward situations, particularly when caught up in the middle of a firefight. Now, while your AI partners are more than capable at lending a hand in a fight, the computer never seems to pay any attention to them whatsoever. There are times when there’s an entire squad assisting you, but for some reason, all the enemies have their sights trained on you. When you are stuck repeating the same part of a battle over and over again because of this strange AI flaw, it can get a little frustrating. Thankfully, there are a ton of checkpoint saves to prevent you from backtracking too far in the event of your untimely demise.

Resistance 2’s multiplayer offers plenty of choices to gamers looking for something to occupy their evenings, which helps set it apart in a season of games vying for your online time. Most impressively, Resistance 2 gives you the chance to play online with up to 60 people. There’s hardly any lag, and the battles are intense altercations where teams will be fighting over the strong points of a map in order to secure victory. Aside from the gold standard variants of Deathmatch, Capture the Flag, and VIP, the game also offers a unique co-op mode, where up to 8 people can team up as one of three classes to progress through an alternate take on the story mode. Players are also able to gain experience similarly to Call of Duty 4, including the ability to upgrade their online personae, unlocking more character skins and abilities. While the chance to play through the actual story with others would have been nice, the interesting way co-op is handled in Resistance 2 won’t have you complaining too much. The amount of variety online will have you coming back for more, keeping the game fresh, and allowing you to really get your money’s worth out of the title.

If the first Resistance was a taste of what Insomniac had to offer PS3 owners, then Resistance 2 is the main course. Sony fans now have a defining first-person shooter franchise that even in a crowded gaming season is a must own. The graphics are solid, the game plays incredibly well, and the story is reminiscent of the best summer action flicks. Add in robust online options and you have a title that belongs in anyone’s library. It’ll be interesting to see where Insomniac goes from here, but I can tell you without a doubt you won’t want to miss it.

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