Xbox 360
First person shooters have long been popular with developers looking to enliven their games and attract new players. Usually, this means using some new function, style or feel to spruce up the game. In making Resistance 2 (R2), Insomniac has failed to do any of those things. What is left is a sub-par videogaming experience.
Following immediately from where Resistance: Fall of Man finished, the game is set in an alternate future where an alien species (the Chimera) has invaded Earth. Following the capture of Europe, the Chimera have placed America firmly in their sights. Excluding the basic premise of alien invaders, the plot is reasonable and enhanced by Intel pickups that can be found throughout the game. Graphically, the game is good, although I have a personal note for developers: if you can't animate birds, then don't. They look like cuckoo clocks. The sound is fine, with the dramatic music supplemented effectively at key points by nice touches like radio broadcasts.
Characters are limited to carrying two guns, but the variety available is good. The Magnum, with its secondary exploding slugs, is easily one of the game's finest points. As usual, if you run over a similar weapon, you pick up the primary ammo, but annoyingly, not the secondary. As a result, juggling guns is the only way to get those needed features. The large amounts of weapons fire your character attracts requires the ability to duck for cover. Irritatingly, this cover often provides clipping errors, so when the game tells you an enemy is targeted, you can't always hit them. This leads to the player popping up and down like a demented yo-yo. What's worse is that even when using the sniper rifle, one shot alerts all Chimera to your location.
Enemy 'intelligence' is weak to say the least; after playing the game for a short time an almost psychic awareness of their next moves can be gained as they'll either take cover repetitively or charge at you pointlessly. Chimera also fail to acknowledge any other character on the screen, and wave on wave come charging past your teammates on a bee-line for your character.
Resistance: Fall of Man sold because of public outrage concerning Manchester Cathedral. R2 completely lacks this selling point. Although boss fights are reasonably handled, good scenes are offset with dull linearity and annoying jumping sections. The cooperative multi-player features are interesting, and competitive mode has huge levels to play about in, but these good features do not justify the game. In all, R2 is a very ordinary FPS. If the developers want to continue this series, they need to seriously re-work the gameplay or become the bad boys in the press again. Shootout in a nursery anyone?
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What the rest of the press are saying:
TestFreaks: 9.3/10 (Full review)
Eurogamer: 9/10 (Full review)
IGN: 9.5/10 (Full review)
1UP: B+ (Full Review)