Resistance 2

Resistance 2 continues the events of the original shooter showing the adventures of Sergeant Nathan Hale. This time Hale is struggling against the infection which caught him in the first game. It’s slowly turning him into one of the alien invaders, both physically and mentally. So to make his last days worthwhile he assists US forces in their counter offensive operations. Resistance 2 is a Playstation 3 (PS3) exclusive so that’s the format we tested on.  In the sequel missions now take place in the United States instead of England with the usual enemy base assaults included. Everything in Resistance 2 is bigger in size with both visuals and enemies all on a grander scale. Where gameplay is concerned everything is nearly identical to the original game but the weapons are more advanced versions. There are several new enemy types with a number of boss battle style encounters scattered throughout. The most annoying new enemies are invisible, so unless the player listens closely it’s an instant death which causes obvious frustration. There are a wide variety of mission locations with several US suburbia missions adding variation to the standard cold alien grey bases. The graphics show polish with highly detailed textures and locations. The non-interactive backgrounds help provide the scale with massive enemy assaults visualised. It’s a shame that the game has such a linear approach, as we could have had a great amount of fun in those non-interactive environments. Perhaps that’s what could be possible in a third title? Food for thought.  There are two main faults with Resistance 2. The first comes in the form of sequel-syndrome, where the assumption is bigger means better. The result is a game where the player feels less involved than before as the situations are a bit fantastical for one man to be at the centre of. The original had Hale as a foot soldier in the wrong place, like a gamers John McClane, but on this occasion he’s the saviour of the planet which is somewhat farfetched. The other issue is the lack of single-system co-operative play. While there may not be many who play off-line anymore since the original allowed play with a friend not having this feature in the sequel is a disappointment.  Overall Resistance 2 is a true sequel chronically events following the original on a bigger scale. It lacks the originals focus and feeling but still provides an enjoyable alien shooter.