• Posted September 23rd, 2008 at 22:19 EDT by
• 46 Comments

What's stirring and coming to life at Insomniac Studios should have every single PlayStation 3 gamer excited. After a whole night with a near-final build of Resistance 2, not only am I confident Insomniac has met all appropriate expectations for a Fall of Man sequel, but in many areas exceeded them beyond anyone's wildest dreams. The storyline? Better. The graphics? Way better. The multiplayer? Worse. Just kidding, it's incredible. Read on to find out why this game will rock your world.

The evening began with an introduction by Insomniac CEO Ted Price, stating that everyone would be getting a crack at not only two levels in the single-player campaign, but the eight-player co-op campaign and 60-player online as well. After his opening comments, Price jumped into a level known as Orick (the Redwoods renamed) to give us a demonstration of the game's single-player. Right away, you could see Resistance 2 is more colorful than its predecessor, and sports incredibly high resolution textures that put Fall of Man to shame. As Price made his way through the level, improvements like A.I. enhancements, better lighting and particle effects, and an intense gore system became apparent.

To briefly talk about the gore, Insomniac seems to be leaning more towards a chunk system where specific limbs -- heads, arms, legs, and hands to name a few -- are detachable. When they're blown off, organs become visible. Also, if chucks or blood spew onto the sides of buildings or walls, they will stick and slug their way down. This one isn't for the kiddies.

On the graphics front, Resistance 2 is looking fantastic. According to Ted Price, every week the team is adding more polish and tweaking the visuals to improve the overall presentation of the game. One scene that specifically stood out during Price's demonstration was in Orick; the sun's rays pierced the branches and tops of the trees, leaving a glistening yellow tint on the lush forest floor.

After Price's demonstration, everyone moved to the open stations and jumped into either single-player or multiplayer games. Since I knew I'd be spending most of my time in multiplayer, I decided to take on the two available single-player levels first. The two scenarios were presented to press that night.

First off was Iceland, where you're tasked with navigating a SRPA (Special Research Project Administration) station as it's being destroyed by a Chimera invasion. The level manages to both offer a solid tutorial for players and begin the game with a bang. From the start, Insomniac gives players an up and in your face look at the sheer scale of Resistance 2 as massive Goliaths and hundreds of Chimera soldiers lay siege to the SRPA base. As you make your way across the outdoor terrain, you will have a few shots at taking down one of the Goliaths by shooting rockets at motors on its back. This experience hearkens back to the beginning of God of War -- it's a great tutorial, an epic intro, and a boss battle all in one.

The second level featured was Orick, CA, where after damaging a Chimera mother ship in San Francisco, Hale and his team of Sentinels follow it to the Redwood forest. From what's been shown, this is by far one of the most vibrant levels in Resistance 2, showcasing abundant green foliage and giant sun-drenched trees. The beginning of the level starts with a cinematic where Hale and a convoy of soldiers are trucking their way through the Redwoods when they are ambushed by Chimera. Jumping right into the fight, you make your way up the road, often taking cover behind razed vehicles and within heavy fog and smoke. After disposing of Chimera in the street, you follow the lead of your sentinel foot soldiers and enter the forest.

Once in the thick of the forest, you and your squad come upon a few hewn soldiers, or rather limbs and intestines scattered across the ground. One of your sentinels’ scouts then looks ahead for what may have caused this massacre, only to find out the hard way -- skewered and ripped apart by a cloaked Chameleon. This is where things get intense. Upon entering the forest, the shotgun is introduced, and it serves ... (continued on next page)