Second Best FPS I've Played
In 2006, Insomniac Games released Resistance: Fall of Man, a first-person shooter set in a circa-1951 war-torn Great Britain. In the game, fans worldwide took up the mantle of Sergeant Nathan Hale, one of 5000 soldiers sent by the U.S. to help Britain with the virus infecting its inhabitants and changing them into Chimera. In the sequel, Resistance 2, the war has landed on U.S. soil.
Resistance 2 picks up right after the end of Resistance: Fall of Man. After Nathan is drugged by some mysterious men, he awakens and is quickly sent into battle when the Chimera attack. In an attempt to retake their base, you team up with the Sentinels, a group of military soldiers that were exposed to the virus but saved their humanity by using special inhibitor drugs. You then find out that your ally from the first game, Jordan Shepard, has now become the leader of the Chimera, and goes by the name of Daedalus. Your new enemy is imprisoned, but not for long, as he soon escapes from the base. After another fight, 2 years pass. You’re now a Lieutenant, and you have about a day to live. The story is solid, and it is very compelling and interesting. If you’re new to the series, you will be able to follow along pretty well. Unfortunately, in the game, the only character you care about is Nathan. All of the other characters seem to only be there to move the story along. And I will say the ending is... well... I should let you find out for yourself.
I never played the first game, so I can't say that the gameplay was better or worse than its predecessor. But I can say this: it is the second best game I have ever played. Not necessarily because of the mechanics, because it plays like any first-person shooter game. The real charm is in the weapons, and some classic moments. First of all the weapons are solid. They are all unique, and are all useful for different situations. Another thing is that they all are powerful in their own right, and this mostly because they all have secondary weapons. This used to help make them all equally powerful, and causes some moments in which you truly don't know which weapon to take. Resistance 2's other great factor is that it provides moments you will not forget for a long time. One moment for instance will have you fighting against a 300 ft. Chimeran. Another will sit you atop a 50 story building to battle against another Chimeran centipede-like juggernaut. Moments like this is a part of what makes Resistance 2 so appealing. While I'm on moments, there is one thing you need to help sell these moments: graphics. Resistance 2 delivers in that department. All I can say about the graphics is this: black magic. Thats the only way they could have pulled off such large-scale battle scenes with the this level of graphics without any slow down of the frame-rate. Its also the reason why there is so much detailed gore in it, so parents probably shouldn't get this game for your kids if they are 9 years old. There is a reason that it is rated M.
The difficulty of Resistance 2 has had a lot of time put into its development. Easy is easy, medium is medium, and hard is hard. I would like to stress the hard, is actually hard. The AI is executed perfectly also. Even on easy, the AI is not completely incompetent. If you shoot at them they well duck and roll out of the way, if you get close they will melee you. Its all expertly done.
While the single-player is fun to play, the real love was clearly put into the online multiplayer. There are 2 modes, the old but faithful team matches, and the all new co-op. The team matches are astonishing. They have different modes, which provide different challenges, like one mode will choose one character from a team, and you will have to hunt or protect this character. Another notable achievement is that the multiplayer supports up to 60 players. 60 Players. Awesome. The new co-op is my favorite mode though. Maybe because I rather get along than than fight with people. Anyway, the co-op supports up to 8 players, and is just awesome to play. You can chose 3 different classes: Soldier, Medic, and Special Ops. The Soldier is the guy for all out assaults. He does most of the damage. The medic's main job is to heal the other characters. Finally, the Special Ops is what I call a double-edged sword. He can deal tons of damage, but he can't take much. He is the one that supplies ammo. Each class depends on the others, and this creates a closer bond with your fellow teammates. You also level up each class, and collect gray tech, which allows you to buy armor and weapon upgrades. This creates a lot of replay value and will keep you coming back for more.
This game has really impressed me. I have never played a shooter this well made, and I am frankly impressed by Insomniac Games. They really have outdone themselves. I truly have to give this a 5 out 5.
