They're back, and they still look scary as hell.
Firstly, it must be noted here that we didn't actually get a chance to see any of the campaign mode; it was all about the multiplayer. However, we did discover a few tidbits about the campaign, such as that Nathan Hale will be back and travelling to America this time, and that we'll get to learn a little bit more about the Chimera and their purpose. The focus was on the multiplayer - but that's fine, because there is plenty of details about the online game that came out of the woodwork, and folks are still playing online with the original Resistance even today, so we were happy to check out what's going on with the sequel. This was also an incredibly early build, but it gave us a good idea of what to expect when the game is released later this year.
Importantly, as you may already know, Resistance 2 will feature 60 player battles online, which is more than anything that has been seen previously on a console shooter. Despite the much larger scale of participants, Ted Price from Insomniac mentioned that the battles would be much more 'intimate'. The idea of this was puzzling until he explained; basically, the two teams of 30 would be split up into different squads of 5 players, and would be paired up against a squad of 5 players from the opposing team. These rival squads share the same objective, and each pairing of rival squads has a different dynamic objective to complete, whether it be capturing a certain point on the map or grabbing a flag and so on. Once that objective is completed, it will change to something else, so it really is a series of battles within battles rather than an all out brawl with 59 other people, which would probably be a little too hectic at times.
We're not sure what these are, but we're not sure we want to find out, either!
The map we got to witness was set in a forest-type area in California, and despite having plenty of time left in development, the game is already looking very nice - and overall much more effective than its predecessor. The lighting effects and character animations look to be smoother this time around, and the game is much more colourful than the first Resistance and we got to see a couple of new weapons in action too, including a type of mini-gun as well as something that can be described as a long-distance high-powered rifle of sorts. There will also be other new weapons to try out in the finished product, and they should go down nicely as a means to keep the game feeling fresh and innovative.
Experience points and a detailed reward system will also come into play, with every bullet landed adding to your experience, among more specific things such as weapon kills, completing objectives and so forth. These reward points can then be translated into skills that can be used for temporary boosts in the game such as armor, as well as more long-lasting items which haven't been announced at this stage. These will also be tied in with the soon-to-be revamped myresistance.net, which is going to have an emphasis on community more than ever before. This experience system will also be featured in the online co-op game, which will offer a separate campaign from the single-player game and will be playable over the PSN with up to 8 players, which is certainly going to increase the lifespan of the title.
The environments look impressive and far more varied this time around.
Resistance 2 overall really looks and feels like the Resistance we played back at launch, but this certainly isn't a bad thing. The gameplay was fairly refined even back then, and the combination of new weapons and what the developers promise to be a much faster paced experience when the game is released later this year, it seems the game will be tweaked and more than prepared for its launch. With a massive and intense scale of multiplayer, plenty of options including co-operative play combined with a meaty single-player campaign, Resistance 2 may indeed be the shooter to have, on any platform.
.
Loading...
