Resistance 2 For Playstation 3 Review
Nathan Hale And The Chimera Return In a Worthy Sequel
It seems that the most popular genre of video games at the moment is the First Person Shooter. It's impossible to browse through a games shelf without finding one. That’s not necessarily a bad thing; some of the best games ever made are FPS'. The genre, however, is being milked dry. It’s hard to picture a new FPS game that will truly rejuvenate the whole genre.
But does it matter if a FPS doesn't do anything new? Some would scream YES! Some would calmly say no. Well, that’s where Resistance 2 comes in. No, there aren’t any ideas that rock the very foundations of the genre. No, it isn’t entirely different from its predecessor. And no, it isn’t as good as other FPS games of this generation. But does this make Resistance 2 a bad game? The answer is no.
Back To Fighting The Chimera
Resistance 2 starts directly after the first game, with protagonist Nathan Hale being picked up by the Black Ops. Thrown straight back into the fight, Hale is now partnered with the Sentinels – a group of soldiers who, like himself, have been affected with the Chimeran virus but can take regular injections to prevent succumbing to it. With the virus constantly regulated, Hale and the others can reap the benefits of the Chimera. But thanks to Hale’s actions in Britain, the Chimera have become desperate and this time, they aren’t holding back.
From the very beginning, there’s little time to get to grips with the controls. This is one of the few games where it doesn’t hold your hand and guide you into it. Not a great deal has changed from the first game, but the differences are noticeable - fpr starters, you can only hold two weapons and fewer grenades. There’s a considerable lack of ‘human’ ammunition, perhaps to try and create a sense of urgency.
The fear really kicks in when the Chimera start pouring in from every possible area. Just when you think you have a moment to rest, twice as many as before start trying to kill you. Resistance 2 is a lot more horror than its predecessor, using elements that are related more to the horror genre. Even in the daylight, the buildings are very dark and the enemies can attack out of nowhere.
Insomanic's Greatest Hour?
Resistance 2 improves upon Fall of Man in almost every area. The graphics have had an overhaul and the gameplay has been kicked up a notch. The enemy AI are smarter, but some of the friendly AI is careless. The music too takes aspects from the horror genre, making walking into an abandoned house even more eerie. The sound affects from the Grims when they burst out of their pods is very unsettling.
The sheer scale of the game is astounding – wandering through the streets of a devastated Chicago will take your breath away, especially seeing it flooding. Meeting the massive Leviathan will make you stop for a moment but when it’s defeated, there's a great sense of accomplishment.
Too Much Action, Not Enough Story
The game may have all of the best elements from Fall of Man, but it’s also brought along some of its faults. There are some technical issues, when some enemies continue to move even minutes after death. Some of the textures are also lower than others, in some cases remarkably obvious.
Someone should have also checked the text before it was released. There are numerous times when the subtitles do not match the speech. This isn’t to cut down the text, like on some DVD movies, but generally bad spelling and grammar. But this is only a concern to those who prefer to use subtitles.
The story isn’t entirely fleshed out either, with little things not fully explained. It's similar to Gears of War 2, which suffered from this a great deal more. Resistance 2 doesn’t have as many unresolved plot strands as GOW 2, but it has a number of them.
Resistance 2 is still a solid game with superb graphics, a great variation of weapons, challenging gameplay and PS3 Trophy support. It may have borrowed a lot of elements from other FPS games, but that is slowly becoming the norm for any genre. This is a great addition to the PS3 catalogue and absolutely necessary for any FPS fan.
Hale has been affected with the Chimeran virus
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