Originally Posted by Chris Morell on September 23, 2008 14:51 PM PST on GamePro

Resistance 2's gorgeous graphics may just blow you away. We play a near-finished version of the PS3 shooter

The most popular launch title on the PlayStation 3 was Resistance: Fall of Man, a first-person shooter from Ratchet & Clank creator Insomniac Games. Being first certainly had its advantages--the chief being prime exposure to nearly every early adopter of the PS3, which helped to lay a firm foundation for the studio's new alien-shooting franchise. But the downside was time. Rushed out to make a day-one launch, Insomniac no doubt had to cut some corners to pair up its new FPS with the PS3 release. The biggest sacrifice? Graphics.

Now with two games of experience under its belt, Insomniac is pushing Resistance 2--a third-generation PS3 title--to new graphical heights. And it's looking incredibly sharp. When I saw the game earlier in the year for GamePro's August cover story, the concepts and execution were both there, but graphically, Resistance 2 was running with old character models and moderate detail. But last week's showing of a near-final version of the game proved that a few months of development time is a wonderful thing. To put it plainly, Resistance 2 is looking hot.

Single-player
Resistance 2's single-player campaign continues the spread of the Chimera from the first game, where the alien enemies are breaching American soil. The plot begins in London, again following Nathan Hale, a part of the Chimera virus-resistant Sentinels, a group of human soldiers trained to fight the alien force. The first level takes place in Iceland, but from there, Hale and the resistance will fight in the United States in locales such as Chicago and San Francisco.

Everything in the single-player campaign, from the strikingly realistic lighting to the eerily designed Chimera character models, is presented with remarkable visual detail. And unlike the first game, cut scenes look almost movie-esque, ditching the narration for an impressive cinematic experience. What's more impressive, though, is that both cooperative and competitive multiplayer modes take only a slight dip in graphical performance.

8-Player Cooperative
I spent about an hour playing Resistance 2's ambitious multiplayer modes, specifically the 8-player co-op portion that kept me on my toes throughout the experience. Co-op presents you will the choice to play one three classes: Soldier, Special Ops, and Medic. Each class has a secondary function, and a special berserk maneuver. The Soldier emits a small, static shield with the mini-gun, and a larger shield, respectively. Spec Ops drops ammo, and increased-damage ammo. And the Medic provides health along with the ability to shoot out a special health ray.

The co-op mode is played in teams of 8 where you're lead through hordes and hordes of Chimeran enemies. Sometimes you'll be fending off onslaughts of Grims, zombie-like baddies. Often, larger Chimera will impede your progress, and the occasional huge beastie attempts to stomp you down. Staying alive is key to the team's success, though, and it's a team effort all around. Spec Ops need to pay attention to icons that indicate which team members are low on ammo, and Medics must revive fallen enemies, because if everyone dies, it's game over. Lastly, Soldiers have the most firepower, so it's essential that they keep the gunfire flowing.

60-Player Online

Online multiplayer takes a rather different approach than co-op in Resistance 2, offering huge 60-player battles. But instead of just throwing players into a giant mess of a fight, Insomniac creates smaller objective-based fights within the bigger battle. At all times, you'll have an on-screen objective that leads you to a specific area, often to infiltrate or defend a point. You'll also be assigned to a smaller group of players so you can travel in mini teams to be more effective. What stood out to me are the intricacies of the level design. Taking a nod from games like Halo or even Insomniac's Ratchet series, launch pads shoot you to rooftops creating instant vantage points for either sniping or dropping in on unsuspecting enemies.

Resistance 2 has come a long way since its unveiling earlier this year, and I was blown away by how far this game has come in terms of quality. If you don't have an Xbox 360, Resistance 2 should be your FPS of choice this holiday season.


Resistance 2 breaks down doors with 60-player online and 8-player co-op.

Resistance 2 will b out in November