Alongside Motorstorm, Resistance: Fall of Man was the standout debut title at the PlayStation 3's launch. And, like MotorStorm, the sequel has now arrived. The original was rough around the edges due to short production time, full of straight forward run and gun gaming that divided opinion. But with Call of Duty and Gears 2 out there, Resistance 2 developers Insomniac have had to up their game. The fight is on.

More run and gun

With Resistance 2 Insomniac haven't tried to outstretch themselves by adding outlandish ideas or gimmicks. The basic run and gun formula has been carried over to Resistance 2 along with the familiar controls, retaining the instant playability. The main difference in Resistance 2 is the scale; it's like Resistance, only on steroids.

Resistance 2 picks up after the events of Resistance: Fall of Man, with Chimera virus-infected Nathan Hale joining an Elite unit of similarly infected troops named the Sentinels. However, en route to the base his ride is shot down by a Goliath Tank and the action kicks off. Resistance 2's first level is your basic tutorial where you learn all the basic controls, but if you played the original you can just admire the scenery – which was slightly difficult to do In Resistance: Fall of Man, since the main colour pallette was largely grey.

Not so here. The extra production time is evident from the off, and Resistance 2 looks unbelievable, really capturing the lengths the Chimera have gone to in order to bring down the human race. One level is a lush forest that leads into a small town, then onto a damaged Chimeran cruiser. Another has you watching in awe as the Chimeran fleet flies over San Francisco, massive battleships bombarding the city while fighters and shuttles fly between them. It's grandiose, colourful and always relentlessly pushing you to bigger and more intense battles. Resistance 2 is a showpiece PS3 FPS if ever there was one.

The Grim adventures of Nathan Hale

Resistance 2's characters have also had more polish, with more fluid animation and stronger personalities. Especially Hale, whose gradually worsening health is an increasing cause of paranoia as the game barrels on. And not only does he have to duke it out with the original Chimera troops, now there's new and more vicious species to deal with too. The Grim, for instance, are mindless hungry Chimera who charge at you in waves, while the Chameleon features a cloak that renders him all-but invisible until you get within attack range.

To meet the challenge, weaponry has received some subtle changes. Resistance 2's guns on the whole pack more of a punch, and a few additions stand out. A personal fave here at GAME HQ is the new magnum, with a detonator as its secondary fire. Kill a Chimera, wait ‘til his comrades are walking over him and then hit R2 and BOOM! Deep fried alien. Oh, and the health system favours more duck-and-cover gunplay too – the Fall of Man health bar is out, and in comes a CoD-style system that sees your vitality recharge if you get away from gunfire.

Online, Resistance has been given a major upgrade. Resistance 2 boasts an impressive 60 players online and an 8 player co-op campaign. It's not the normal campaign however – instead, it's a unique story that runs in parallel. You choose from three soldier classes, which are all upgradeable. It add an element of customisation, then, but lacks the narrative urgency of the core Resistance 2 story. 60 player multiplayer meanwhile avoids the problem of hectic communication by splitting players up into smaller teams. So Resistance 2 offers a good mix between big battle action and small team tactics.

You cannot Resist

Where Resistance was a competent launch title, Resistance 2 is an outstanding second-generation PlayStation 3 release. It doesn't try to be something it's not, and at times the level design can lack the inspiration of a Halo, but it's a solid shooter with amazing visuals and a lengthy campaign, plus a whole host of co-op and multiplayer options, all of which help it punch its weight against some big end-of-year shooter competition. For fans, it will be a must-buy, and for non-PlayStation 3 owners Resistance 2 is another great reason to make the jump to Sony's next-gen system.

GAME's Verdict

• The level of polish sees Resistance 2 really stands out as a top PS3 titl.
• 60 player online, 8 player campaign. Need we say more about the online?
• Retains the instant playability of the first Resistance.
  

• Co-op through the actual campaign would have been cool.
• As good as it is having alot of enemies on screen is, sometimes it can be a little overwhelming.
• Some levels aren't as inspired as others.

Review by: Tom 'Magnum-Packing' Daly
Version Tested: PlayStation 3
Review Published: 20.11.08