Resistance 2 - Platinum Edition (PS3)

Despite numerous comparisons both for and against, the Resistance series isn't of the impeccably high quality that graced the Halo series and the Gears of War games. Of course, being an exclusive Sony first-person shooter it would always be subject to such expectations against its Xbox peers, and while it's clear that Insomniac's third FPS has grand aspirations, it doesn't quite reach those giddy heights at the top of the shooter genre. However, enough judging it on other games' merits; Resistance 2 isn't going to change the world but nonetheless it's a solid and well-designed shooter with some great weapons, oppressive and varied enemies and some superb multiplayer modes.

Once again you step in to the shoes of Lt. Hale; survivor the the British assault depicted in the first game and at an advanced stage of Chimeran infection. Two years have passed and Hale has been assembled with three other infected soliders to form the Sentinels; an outfit designed to use the 'benefits' of the virus to execute special operations whilst keeping the mutation in check using inhibitors. At the front line of the US defence, the Chimeran forces attack the nation - the last human stronghold - seemingly for nothing more than global domination. Under the command of 'Daedalus' - a former infected US soldier, and successor to the first game's Angels - the Chimera systematically break through US defences and beat back the human forces. The characters are a little hackneyed but the plot is quite interesting - plus, there's a sort of unexpected twist and cliffhanger at the end, paving the way for the third in the series.

Like Fall of Man, Resistance 2 is a strictly linear affair, with exciting and explosive set-pieces guiding the way. Level design is interesting, ranging from '50s small-town America to vast alien facilities and space ships, but it's a real shame the campaign can no longer be played with a buddy, online or off. There is a slew of engaging boss fights and the enemy designs are suitably vast, encouraging different tactics in a firefight. One element clearly lacking though is decent enemy AI, as they frequently run past your allies to attack you only.

The multiplayer is strong, incorporating a range of options, modes and providing a very slick, lag-free experience. There is also a co-op 'campaign' allowing for two players offline or up to eight online to duke it out against masses of Chimeran forces across small levels, although these levels are a little uninteresting in their design, and are essentially grind-fests. The competitive multiplayer is a definite positive though, and still has a thriving community.

Resistance 2 is a strong, solid first person shooter which can comfortably sit on the second tier of the genre on the PS3. It offers a very complete package, with the only really obvious omission being the lack of campaign co-op. Like its Sony cousin, Killzone 2, Resistance 2 isn't going to re-write the first-person rule book, but if you're after a solid, linear, complete first person shooter, this is an enjoyable albeit not envelope-pushing example.

The last Resistance was a great game and I played it online right up till Killzone 2 got released so needless to say I was looking forward to this one and I was certainly not disappointed. This is a game I would recommend to anyone with a PS3 and a love of FPS it really is one of the best games on PS3. It has pretty good graphics, some very smart weapons (I'ma big fan of the Auger) and the story might be pretty short (around 12 hours long but you can always play it on the highest difficulty which isn't too difficult) but it's very good and has some of the finest boss battles ever (particularly the battle with the monster that'll make you think of the cloverfield monster).

Another thing I feel I should mention is the online which is unlike anything else on PS3. There's an online campaign with 8 different pretty big levels and there's all the modes you'd expect for an FPS team deathmatch etc, which has a maximum of 60 players so the games can be hectic at times!.

I played the first resistance and really enjoyed it, so I looked forward to receiving the sequal. Although I didn't find it as enjoyable as the first one, it does get much better the more into the story line you go, I would have given this a 4 and a half star rather than 5 star if I were able. At the end of the original you see a little cutscene which is the beginning of this game, it is nice how it leads on but things seem to have changed very quickly with the win of the first game as you will see when you play (I try not to give spoilers!)

A couple of the low points: The voice of Hale as changed, I do not feel he is as good as the original but then there is not that much dialogue from him in this one compared to the original. There is not the split screen campaign mode like the first one either. There are a couple of enemies that will insta-kill you with one hit, this can be very annoying as you have to redo some parts. I found that the main baddie at the end of the game was a bit too easy to defeat and you are told how to do it during play.

Unsure point: Instead of health bars, when you get hit the screen starts to turn red at the edges and so you have to run into cover to regain health, I cannot decide if I like this aspect or not, some people love it/hate it.

Good points: There are lots more enemies to face and more weapons to use, a few from the original and there is the trophy system if you enjoy that. unlike the original you cannot carry all the types of weapons, you are limited to two so you have to be a bit more careful in your usage. You have more variety of grenades to use, they do have some good effects. There are a few sections that give you a good scare as enemies pop out at you and on one section using a projectile saw to dismember enemies is very gratifying. There is also the online element that you can do the campaign in co-op, and you can play as teams to kill other players, capture the base, etc... This leads into an experience based experience which as you go up levels unlocks more abilities you can use and ways to customise the look of your character, which I felt was a very nice touch and is very fun to play if you are experienced or not.

The scenery is well done in the game and I loike the way when you run the camera shakes and so gives it a bit of a cinematic feel. Some of the scenery later on it can be a bit hard to tell where walkways go but it doesn't take you long to figure out the way.
Overall, I would recommend that you add this game to your collection, it is a decent game sequal and does take some time to complete, if you like trophies you can try to collect these along the way and there are the good ole intel packages to collect as in the first game so you can read up on weapons, enemies and adds a little bit more to the story. Playing it on medium difficulty is not a breeze and this is good as some games are too easy to sale through on this setting. Also, there are some free downloads for the game off the playstation network, which is always nice :)