GAME REVIEW: Resistance 2

I already shared many of my feelings about Resistance 2 for Playstation 3 in my first impression post which can be found here . I took an extended break from playing the game because of Fallout 3 addiction, but have now finished it. Surprisingly my enthusiasm for the game has only grown.

Resistance 2's campaign has been getting a lot of mediocre reviews. The word "Competent" keeps popping up. I honestly cannot understand this. Is it the pressure of reviewing the massive onslaught of good games this holiday season that has made reviewers beyond Jaded? Is it anti Playstation 3 sentiment? In some cases I'd say yes, but that doesn't explain the reactions of some resistance 1 fans who said they had high hopes and were disappointed, probably the most prominent example of that is Mr erratic from 1up.com himself, Garnett glug glug Lee. Another Criticism I have heard is that while the set pieces are huge they feel too much in the background. I'd argue that the huge unapproachable nature of these alien structures makes them all the more menacing.


The Graphics in Resistance 2 are beautiful. it has probably the best use of color that I've ever seen in a game. It's a stark contrast to Resistance Fall of Man's washed out Saving private Ryan inspired Aesthetic, rather like going from Black and white film to technicolor.

The gameplay, like the original is very linear, in the vein of the Half-Life, and Call of Duty series. The check points are well placed, making you feel challenged without ever being unfair.

The action can be frantic at times, such as in the beginning of the Chicago mission where a massive horde of Grims (think bigger badder Left 4 Dead zombies) charges you. By the end the bodies were ankle deep all the way up the street, it was an awesome display of carnage.

Most of the levels feature some kind of environmental hazard and increasingly large and impressive bosses. In fact Resistance 2 may have the largest boss ever in an FPS. The sequence in question felt like a reenactment of Cloverfield. I hate bosses in games as a general rule, but none of these were too hard, nor too easy, I actually enjoyed most of them due to the spectacle.



Resistance: Fall of Man's story and characters never really captured my imagination, though I did enjoy the oldskool gameplay. In contrast I found myself attached to my team in resistance 2 and even starting to identify a bit with the still rather wooden Nathan Hale, who makes Marcus Fenix seem deep by comparison.

I love the Halo games, as well as the universe they reside in, but I have at times just sleepwalked my way through them. I found the single player in Resistance 2 to be tighter and more enjoyable than that of Halo 3, and definitely more visceral.

I haven't played Gears of War 2 yet (gotta save something for X-mas) so I can't say for certain, but as of right now Resistance 2 is my shooter of the year.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED