Tuesday 09 Dec 2008

One can never tire of saving humanity, especially when the invaders are so hideous and the crimes so heinous. Taking up the story immediately where Resistance: Fall of Man finished, you once again fill the boots of Nathan Hale. Despite the ass whipping you dealt them in London, the Chimera have pushed forward and now threaten the United States. This time around you get a wee bit of support from your new super soldier buddies called the Sentinels. Most of the time they are there for decoration, however, every now and again when things get hectic they will surprise you by killing some Chimera.

The Chimeran virus continues to rage inside Nathan Hale’s body and provides a central theme for the story. As FPS plots go, the story is fairly decent but I really do not want to give too much away and spoil your experience of it on your first run through the game.

Believable baddies

Whilst playing through Resistance: Fall of Man I soon became tired of the enemies which I thought were uninspiring and repetitive. Naturally I donned my “professional reviewer” cap when starting Resistance 2 and cleared the slate of my preconceptions. Resistance 2 provides hordes of enemies for your fragging delight and, as it turns out, I was literally blown away by the enemies this time around. From the lowest level grunt to hardened enemy veteran unit, each was well conceived, visually stunning and their AI routines suitably different.

Now no-one likes taking a tin opener to a gun fight so from the get go you are going to need a serious arsenal of weaponry if you are to accomplish your personal lifetime goal of saving humanity. You will not be disappointed with the impressive array of guns, grenades and rockets at your disposal to aid you in your quest. My personal favourite was the Auger, closely followed by the shotgun…you will see why! So there’s plenty of weaponry lying around, although at times you will be crying out for ammo, especially when you find yourself walking through dark enclosed areas surrounded by pulsating cocoon sacks. I was fully expecting to have Alien “face-huggers” pounce on me at any point, the reality was just as unnerving but I won’t spoil the surprise. If you have had the pleasure of watching “From Dusk Till Dawn” and experienced that epic Quentin Tarantino moment where the plot throws you a curveball half way through, leaving you stunned thinking ‘what the flip’ just happened…you will get the same experience in Resistance 2. Only this time round, unlike watching a movie, you won’t have time to mull it over and will need to just deal with it and get on with saving the world.

Larger than life

The one constant theme that is clearly evident in Resistance 2 is that everything is larger than life. The levels in particular are absolutely massive yet you never feel lost albeit a little overwhelmed. Being set in alternate reality 1953 America, the environments feel familiar however their decay sets the perfect mood of uneasiness. Each level is teaming with detail which can get you into trouble if you don’t keep your wits about you. The outdoor environments are lush and undoubtedly my favourite as you could truly appreciate the artistry that went into them. The indoor levels are just as immersive and set a perfect ambience for the ensuing horror, yet the subdued lighting masks the amount of effort that has gone into them.

Perhaps I am a traditionalist when it comes to co-op and Resistance 2 is for the new generation of online co-op gamer but it just didn’t gel with me. When I play co-op I want to play the campaign through with a partner in split-screen on the same story in the same room. It is all about the experience of going through it together and vanquishing the foes. Now Resistance 2 has you doing it online, which in itself is okay, however, to have a co-op campaign set as a separate, parallel storyline is just not cricket. It gets more sinister than this; you have to choose a character class and can enhance your attributes as your progress through the campaign. I am not a fan of character classes or leveling up so the co-op enhancements in Resistance 2 were a major disappointment for me. It is just one of the features that you will either love or hate.

Multiplayer mayhem

The real strength of Resistance 2 is in the online multiplayer mode where the men are separated from the boys. I fired up the online mode on my trusty 3G internet connection and gave the “competitive play” option a spin. I loved the interface for its simplicity and ability to quickly get me into an online match. Within a minute it had located an available match, loaded the map and tossed me into the battle field with 19 players, and me running around like a chicken without a head. Through personal experience I discovered that the learning curve is steep and experience counts online. The single player campaign does little to prepare you for the carnage of 60 player battles where the opponents are real as opposed to scripted AI.

There always seems to be far more experienced players in the level, with better aim, weapons and less lag. Now for some that may detract from the experience and have you shutting off the console to return to a riveting single player game of patience. For me the challenge has been set and I just have to invest the time to get to grips with the levels, which weapons work best and how to stick with my squad. Yip, that’s right, squad…in some map modes you are group in squads and others you go it alone. Now it doesn’t take a genius to figure out five guns are better than one. So yes you can run about by yourself and do some damage but when you run into an enemy “squad” and it is you, John Rambo, vs the five of them, you will be sitting watching the respawn counter tick down.

Maps galore

There are plenty of map types and the ability to play as both human and Chimera. You accumulate XP as you frag your way into infamy and post match can slice and dice your performance through the handy statistics screen. The more you level up you can unlock additional items to assist you in your battle for supremacy and online credit. The online multiplayer aspect is undoubtedly where the longevity of Resistance 2 will be found and is a rock solid feature of this well rounded title.

Resistance 2 is top quality FPS action through and through. The story is fair while the graphics, weapons and enemies are stunning. You won’t get the same sense of camaraderie and character development as in other squad based shooters like Gears of War, but the action is just as intense. Far more engaging than Resistance: Fall of Man and a wickedly addictive multiplayer aspect that will keep you coming back for more.

Pros: Environmental detail (especially the jungles); enemy variation solid; online multiplayer.

Cons: No conventional split screen co-op campaign.

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Contributor:	Wayne

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