I've been looking forward to
Resistance 2 for a while so it was with great anticipation that I opened the box and slid the blu-ray disc into the drive. The first game was an very solid shooter that I
enjoyed quite a bit. It wasn't perfect (it was a launch title) but it got a lot of the little details right. I played the game for about two hours tonight and would have played for longer if the battery in my DualShock3 controller had lasted a bit longer.
The game picks up immediately were the first game ends as Nathan Hale, the lone survivor of the Chimera attack in the UK is airlifted out by a mysterious government organization. The organization is the Special Projects Research Agency(SRPA) who has brought Sgt. Hale in to help defeat the Chimera, They've formed the Sentinels, a group of soldiers who share Nathan's resistance to the virus.
The game immediately throws you into combat as the SRPA base in Iceland has been overrun by a Chimera Goliath (one of the big things that turned London to dust in the first game). Instead of the standard tutorial in a safe place you are immediately thrown into the mix in one of the best intro segments I've seen in a game in a long time. The game hits the ground running and so far it hasn't let up at all.
What's really impressive about the game so far is the tempo of the game. The game is a bit linear but the beat of the game keeps you going and keeps you interested as it's constantly switching play styles. So far I've had open field combat, close quarters combat, a stealth section, and even a few boss fights. The pacing of the game is pitch perfect and I had a stupid grin on my face even after dying repeatedly in a few sections.
Graphically the game is solid. Sure the first few levels are a bit heavy on the browns and grays but once you get into the game further you get to see some more of color palette used as you work your way through a few forest levels.
Weapons have also gotten a major overhaul as they've improved on the weapons in the first game. The bullseye rapid repeater is back and better than ever and you can now set small traps with it. The real surprise was the changes to the Auger rifle. The original allowed you to shoot through objects which was fairly cool but difficult to use because you couldn't see through walls. The new 2.0 version will remember where you see enemies and then shows you were they are behind cover in a wall-hack kind of way. It's a small change but it really improves the effectiveness of the weapon.
I'm only 2.5 hours in but it's hard not to recommend
Resistance 2, especially after having a lot of fun in the recently expired multiplayer beta. Check back next week for a full review.
