Resistance 2 - Preview

Are you going to make your last hours count?

Resistance 2, the sequel to 2006's best selling PS3 game Resistance: Fall of Man finally makes it way to Europe on the 28th of November. Why it was released in the US on the 4th is beyond me, nevertheless the wait is almost over, and its time to kick some Chimeran ass again!

Resistance 2 picks up directly after the events of Fall of Man and continues the story of Nathan Hale, the sole survivor of the American led re-invasion of Britain after the Chimera invaded. Hale is resistant (hence the name of the game, clever eh?) to the Chimeran virus and much of why this is the case is set to be revealed throughout the sequel.

The sequel is set this time in the United States, as the Chimera launch a bi-coastal assault on the last free nation on the globe. What adds more to the story is that we learn - from the trailers - that Hale has only 19 hours left to live.

As well as the single player the boys at Insomniac have set about creating a 2-8 player online co-op campaign which is separate from the game's main story and up to 60 player multiplayer mayhem!

I'll be leaving the rest of the talking for the review, but for now here's a host of trailers and gameplay footage.

First Teaser Trailer:


E3 2008, Henry Stillman Trailer:


Last Hours Trailer:


Target Practice Gameplay:


Crash Landing Gameplay:


Reactor Gameplay:


The Chimera are Here:


Oh, and they also promised BIG FUCKING BOSSES!!!!

Rise. Stand. Resist.

~The Damo

P.S. LittleBigPlanet Review soon....

OMFG - OVERLOAD!!!!!

Courtesy of IGN.com

January 11, 2008 - When the original Resistance: Fall of Man launched alongside the PlayStation 3 in 2006, its status as a best seller was all but guaranteed. The game looked good, played well and offered the kind of online firefights the Sony fan base was clamoring for. Thanks to map packs and a devoted following, Resistance is still running strong on the PS3, but as more and more FPS games hit the console, gamers are starting to want more. They'll get it this fall. Resistance 2 is official after Sony announced the title in the latest issue of Game Informer, which should be hitting subscriber mailboxes anytime now. In the cover story, Sony spills the beans on all sorts of nifty gameplay features and functions.

1. The game will feature the standard single-player campaign as well as an eight-player online co-op campaign that's objective-based. Two people can still work together locally.

2. Ready to beat each other senseless online? Resistance 2 will feature 60-player matches set in the United States.

3. Sorry, Rachel; the campaign will pick up from Fall of Man's epilogue and stick solely with Nathan Hale as he copes with getting shot down in Iceland, escaping to the states and joining the "Sentinels" program.

4. There will be classes. Characters will start out from one of three basic templates -- a "tank-style" soldier rocking a chain gun, a "Special Ops class" that seems like a sniper or a medic whose "Medicator" gun will hurt enemies and heal allies -- and go from there.

5. When you and a team of friends head into battle, there will not be a selectable difficulty. Insomniac will be auto-scaling the challenge to the skill of you and your squad. When you jump into a random online match, you'll be teamed with partners and opponents who are around your personal level.

6. "Personal" is going to be a big word in Resistance 2. The game will have dedicated servers for gaming, community and stats as well as gamer profile pages on myresistance.net. In-game, the setup will be completely open when it comes to clans and parties -- the era of invites has come to a close.

7. Vehicles are in the game, but Insomniac wouldn't let on about their role.
The game's set in the '50s, but expect a more modern U.S. landscape as well as a focus on the aerial side of the Chimeran attack.

8. The game's AI has been overhauled -- they have improved routines and detachable armor pieces -- and boss battles will be more important than ever. Exciting, no?

Here's a few screenshots:


JOYGASM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

~The Damo

Resistance: Fall of Man - The Review!!

Finally, after a LONG time, I took an hour or so today (Monday 21st of August) to finish RFOM. After three beers, two sore thumbs and one headache I can safely say that it was worth it. In previous blogs I've given brief snippets and images of the background behind the game, which is most definitely one of the games strong points. The storyline is so enveloping and original, coupled with in-game documents that further add to the plot, that it is very hard not to get into RFOM.

As this review will likely take up several blogs and much typing time, not to mention aching fingers and irritated eyes, I will split the blog(s) up into as follows:

Part 1 - Game History and Characters, Weapons, Enemies and Tips

Part 2 - Visual Appeal, Sound, Realism, Location, Enemy AI

Part 3 - All 29 Levels, Multiplayer and Unlockables

The Review - Part 1

History (Covered Previously)

http://smoke-me-a-kipper-back-for-breakfast.blogspot.com/2007/06/resistance-fall-of-man-preview.html

Characters

>Nathan Hale - the main protagonist and player character. The U.S. Army deployed in Britain to face the Chimeran threat. No sooner had they landed than thousands of soldiers were incapacitated by the Chimeran virus. Hale was the only victim to recover. Shortly after awaking, Hale continued on his mission, and freed British Resistance Captain Rachel Parker, who takes note of his strange gold colored eyes. Throughout the war, Hale would prove to be a vital member of the Resistance forces, and the last hope in defeating the Chimera..

>Captain Rachel Parker - is the primary figure in coordinating a resistance to the Chimera in England, and eventually helps lead an offensive on Chimeran power grids. She takes the role of the narrator in the game aswell, describing the events of Nathan Hale and the evect of the Chimera virus on him.

>Lieutenant Stephen Cartwright - is a lieutenant in the British Royal Marines during the war against the Chimera. Not much is known about Cartwright's life other than the fact that his known family consist of his youngest daughter Angela Cartwright, who was found in a bunker after the purge of London tower. The fact that he has a daughter may or may not suggest that he has a wife. He accompanys Hale on several missions throughout the game.

The Chimera

The Chimera are the fictional, alien-like mutants that are the main enemies in the game. The creatures come from somewhere in Russia and they are believed to be the result of a biological experiment gone wrong, although events and revelations further on in the game and the Chimeras' advanced technologies (such as advanced weather control and force fields) might rightly lead a player to deduce that the Chimera are, in fact, extraterrestrial in orign. They infect humans with a transformative virus which causes its victims to fall into a coma, during which the virus transforms them into Chimeran creatures.

The Chimera are much stronger than regular humans, and have between two and six yellow eyes. The Chimeran metabolism is twelve times that of humans, which allow for extraordinary healing abilities, but it causes them to overheat quickly; for that reason, Chimera soldiers are implanted with cooling devices on their backs, and they alter their climate to lower temperatures. Chimeran technology is much more advanced than human technology. It is also said in several intelligence reports during the game that they will devour their own kind, usually their wounded or dead.

The Cloven

The Cloven have not appeared in Resistance: Fall of Man, and are fairly mysterious. They appear to be a kind of superhuman. An unlockable skin in multiplayer under the name "Cloven" features a bald, pale-skinned humanoid in a foreign military uniform. In intelligence reports and on the official site, they are said to be maniacs who speak Russian, ritualistically mutilate themselves and their victims, and feed on the bodies of their own dead soldiers. In another intel document within the game, the Cloven lured the Chimera to York which was where the Americans were landing. In another intel report, the Cloven are said to kill themselves to avoid turning into Chimeras. Also, the British guess that they probably turn into Slipskulls (A type of Chimera). They appear to be enemies of both the Chimera and the Euro-American forces.

Weapons

M5A2 Carbine - This is the first weapon you have when you start the game. It's quite good, and is useful for dealing with virtually all enemies in the game. This is your trusty weapon, I always use this when I can, the attached grenade launcher also dishes out some extra firepower. There's ammo for this thing lying around everywhere, so there's no reason why you shouldn't use it. (American Weapon)

Bullseye - The primary Chimera weapon. The great thing about this baby is that you can tag you enemies by hitting L1, and then blow them away with your entire clip when you hit R1, from anywhere, behind walls over hills, in the sky you name it! This gun is great for taking out some of the bigger enemies in the game. Often times the accuracy it require to get enemies with the bigger guns require standing still, which can get you hit. Bullseye allow you to move around and still makes sure you bullets hit their mark. Later on in the game you pick up the Bullseye Mark II, which shoots blue rounds and is basically a more powerful version of the original. The only downside is that the enemies are armed with it too!! (Chimeran Weapon)

Rossmore 236 - This is probably the most trustworthy and reliable gun in the game. When you get frustrated and you just want to blast your way through an area, you can nail everyone in the face with this gun a few times, and you can pretty much survive. Experiment with its long range capabilities. I was able to take out several enemies located on high platforms with the shotgun, though it does deal less damage at longer range. It's a more versatile weapon than one would think. (British Weapon)

Auger - This beauty is good when you're in tight quarters, and you know enemies are coming around the corner. The discharge from the Auger fires through walls. Aim the cross-hairs at the walls and watch for it to turn red. If it does, let loose. At the very least, you'll soften the assault, and set yourself up for some efficient killing. In face to face instances, I wouldn't advise using this weapon, as it is fairly weak on its own. The more solid objects it passes through, the more powerful the shot is! (Chimeran Weapon)

L23 Fareye - Here's you next best friend, the sniper rifle. The genius ability here is that when you hit L1, you slow down time and have a better chance of lining up an accurate shot (called focus mode). This comes in handy when you've got enemies shooting at you and you see the bullets coming your way. You can slow down time and get a shot off before the bullets reach you. Other times, you don't have time to use the time exploit, and it's better to just use skill to eliminate the threat. (British Weapon)

Sapper - When I got this weapon, I didn't really use it all that much, though over time, I found it to be very effective against leapers and rollers, saving your more useful ammo. It discharges bio-mines that glob up on the ground, and enemies that are stupid enough to walking into them die real good. Bigger thugs like Steelheads and the like don't get hurt as bad with this weapon. So save it for the enemies whose main task is to run directly at you, and better still, those that don't shoot back at you. Just pull the trigger and back peddle. Hit L1 will blow mines if they don't get used and you need to walk past them. (American but possibly Chimeran Weapon, as the mines it spits out are identical to the mines the Widowmaker spits out)

Hailstorm - I love this weapon. I wish there would have been more ammo lying around for it. The bullets themselves bounce off walls and continue to do so until they find a soft target, like the Chimera. And as an alternate, hitting L1 will discharge the entire clip, and turn it into an auto-turret that fires the ammo everywhere. Its cool looking and effective, but I just needed more of it. (American Weapon...I think)

L209 LAARK - Well it shoots rockets. That much is for sure. But the new catch is that you can control the flight path by hitting L1 and then swivelling the laser pointer on its nose using the right analog stick. Turns out, I don't have time for all of that crap. I just need it to hit the enemy hard and fast. So more often that not, I use it to clear clusters of enemies in the distance. It's especially good at taking down Stalkers as well (if you manage to sneak up behind them). (American/British Weapon)

Frag Grenade - This is a simple grenade that does the job.

Hedgehog Grenade - This nasty weapon shoot spikes everywhere and usually takes out more enemies than a regular frag grenade.

Air-fuel Grenade - This is the sexiest grenade I've ever seen in a videogame. When you throw it, it'll stick to surfaces (a Titan perhaps), discharge a greenish looking smoke, and than set the smoke on fire, like napalm. It's mean, and it works so well. I've cleared whole rooms with this little bastard.

The Enemies - Know Your Foe!

Menials - These are the most human-looking of the Chimera, and also the easiest to deal. They walk toward you slowly and when they get close enough, they grab and bite you. The idea is to shoot them before the get close. If they do happen to grab on, shake SIXAXIS controller and Hale will throw them off. Recommended weapon: Rossmore.

Leapers and Rollers - Fighting against these creepy guys will give you the heebie-jeebies. You can do the rolling leaping math to figure out what they actually do. They like to flood in from nowhere and surprise you. Remember to back peddle and keep them all in front of you. Recommended weapon: Rossmore or Sapper

Hybrids - You'll find these guys everywhere throughout the game. They have the basic cooling unit on their back and they also carry around the Bullseye weapon. A healthy diet of bullets and grenades will take these guys down. Some will get aggressive when you least expect, so watch out. Recommended Weapon: Anything really.

Steelheads - These guys have much more armor than the Hybrids, and they carry around an Auger. Yeah, it can shoot through walls, but you'll have it to, so you can give them a taste of their own medicine. Sometimes you'll throw a grenade at these guys and they'll take the hit and get back up. A double-shot of the shot gun to the face should knock them down. And the Air Fuel grenade should serve 'em up dark and crispy.

Hardfangs - I thought these guys were Steelheads when I first saw them. But then they hit me with that Arc Charger and I found out otherwise. Treat them as you would the Steelheads and show no mercy. The shotgun will always do a good job of putting these merciless creatures in their place.

Advanced Hybrids - You won't see these guys until later in the game. When you do, they're carrying around that Bullseye Mark II that deals a lot of damage. Take these guys as fast as possible. You don't want them overwhelming you because that could spell danger. They look a little skinnier than Hybrids with more armor. They look creepier than they really are. Recommended Weapon: Bullseye Mark II.

Howlers - Are they dogs? Are they bears? When they get to you it won't matter. Just don't let those claws get to you, and put you out your mind. A few shotgun blasts to the face should calm Fido down.

Slipskulls - These jerks are hard to hit. They jump from wall to wall, zeroing in with their laser pointer, trying to shoot you. I like using the Bullseye on them. Wherever they jump to, that tag will make sure the bullets reach them, and that's all you need.

Gray Jacks - These guys look like Slipskulls that have been stretched out and made to look abnormally tall. But these guys aren't too dangerous. The shotgun will lay them down quick. There's one point where a stage is set-up to make these guys look like bosses and you're supposed to be all scared. Don't trip. Just aim for the face.

Titan - He's just an overgrown bully. He's huge with no armor, but thick skin. If you walk in front of him he'll pound you into the afterlife. And yes, you do want to avoid those fireballs he shoots, as they will make you very sorry you ever when up against him. Recommended Weapon: Anything except Sapper.

Stalker and Goliath - Ahh, the Stalker. This mechanical monstrosity is your worst enemy when you fight it, but you'll love it when you're driving one. And who can forget its bigger cousin, the Goliath that takes more damage that anything in the game? Just know that when it's time to take down a Stalker, you want to get behind it and fire at the power core. Rockets in the face help out too. The Goliath on the other hand will die at the hands of Stalker you control. Just remember to hit that X BUTTON to make quick dashes to avoiding get hit.

Widowmakers - I hate these guys! They're huge giant spiders that happen to be powerful and fast. You can't hope to line them up for an accurate shot from the rocket launcher without risking them shooting that acidic explosive at you and chopping away at your health meter. I suggest using the Bullseye to tag them and run for cover, blasting all the way to safety. (I placed a picture of one of these in the old previews)

Angel - These guys are creepy! Seriously. It's an 18's game and all, but when you first meet one it hangs down out of nowhere screehing, making your vision all blurred. And if you let them line you up for a shot of their poison cloud or spikes, they'll show you why they're so feared. They glide in the air like ghost which really has a chilling impact on the atmosphere. Don't take time to appreciate their beauty. Just tag them with the Bullseye and run. You can think about what they looked like after they're dead.

Stay Blogged for Part 2!!

~The Damo

Resistance: Fall of Man - A Preview

Invasion

A photo taken of a Widowmaker, towering above the defensive barrier at Liverpool.

KNOW YOUR ENEMY!!!

The following is distributed to all soldiers in the British army, including other leaflets indicating particular weak spots.

A shot of Carriers over a bus depot, lifting infected humans to the Chimera production facility.

A photo taken by a young recruit en route to London.

In Italy, United European Defence soldiers know the Chimera as the "Deathless Plague" and in Russia they are called the "Angry Night". Reports also exist of a sub race knows as "The Cloven", described as Russian maniacs who are enemies to both humans and Chimera. Said to speak Russian and feed on the bodies of their own dead soldiers.

This is a schematic of the Chimera main assault rifle, known to ground troops as "The Bullseye" as once you are tagged by its dart, the Chimera using it don't even need to aim at you to hit you as the projectiles fired will be attracted to the dart. How the weapon actually functions is still a mystery.

Further study cannot be achieved until Britain and the rest of Europe is liberated before we invade Russia.

Resistance: Fall of Man - A Preview

1898. American President William McKinley issues an ultimatum of war to the Spanish government to give Cuba its independence instead of simply declaring war as a result of strong, isolationist elements within the United States. Spain concedes, thereby preventing the Spanish-American War.

History does not significantly alter itself from our own until the onset of the Great War. This is started not by Archduke Franz Ferdinand's assassination, but by the British and French invasion of German Togoland in August 1914. The Lusitania is not sunk and the Zimmermann Telegram was never discovered, so the United States lacked a direct reason to go to war and remained neutral.

Germany still surrenders, however; perhaps due to the failure of Vladimir Lenin's October Revolution (which would have led to the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk and the beginning of the U.S.S.R.) resulting in Russia remaining an empire under Tsar Mikhail. However, during this period of civil unrest in Russia, many provinces declare independence or are annexed by other nations. Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan all become independent nations, while Georgia and Armenia are absorbed by Turkey.

Under an alternate Treaty of Versailles, the European Trade Organization (ETO), a parallel of the modern European Union, is established instead of the League of Nations. The ETO leads Europe into a period of strong economic stability causing the Weimar Republic in Germany (which had not been hit by disastrous war reparations) to remain in power. The Nazi Party and Adolf Hitler disappear into obscurity as a result of this prosperity, preventing the exodus of scientists who would later work on the Manhattan Project, including Albert Einstein. Interestingly, Germany still hosts a grandiose 1936 Summer Olympics to promote its prosperity, despite a Russian boycott.

On the other hand, Russia becomes stagnant and isolationist and, citing anti-imperialist propaganda from the ETO nations and a fear of infiltration, initiates a communications blackout with the outside world in 1921. In addition to this, Russia constructs a wall, which comes to be called the "Red Curtain", across its entire Eastern European frontier. At first consisting only of barbed wire, it later becomes reinforced with concrete.

A mysterious explosion in Siberia, a radon slick poisoning the Volga river, and an environment-changing cold front moving out of Russia hint that unnatural forces are already at work inside the country.

America prospers throughout the 1920s and 30s as certain factors prevent the Great Depression, including the veto of the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act by President Herbert Hoover, quickly negating the losses of the Wall Street Crash of 1929. With the Depression non-existent and the Second World War effectively prevented, Franklin Delano Roosevelt fails to gain re-election in 1940. Roosevelt loses to isolationist Republican Noah Grace, the fictional protégé of Robert Taft, who portrays Roosevelt as a dangerous warmonger because of his policy of supporting the United European Defense (the military wing of the ETO). Grace ends up becoming the first president to serve three consecutive terms.

Under the Grace administration, the American government continues to stoke isolationist sentiment, eventually monopolizing all broadcasting (Grace's "Evening Conversations" are the equivalent of FDR's famous "Fireside Chat") and closing its borders. Military spending is also increased leading in particular to the development of a VTOL aircraft similar to today's V-22 Osprey. America still develops an atomic bomb in 1944 despite the exodus of foreign scientists such as Albert Einstein never occurred, which is detonated in Alaska.

Many familiar events of the era still happen, including Amelia Earhart's Transatlantic flight in 1928, and Jesse Owens' four gold medals at the Olympics.

Meanwhile, ominous changes begin to occur in Eastern Europe. Rumors of towns (and later whole cities) being destroyed within a single night, begin to surface. An abnormally large number of Russian refugees begin to appear in neighboring nations, all of whom mysteriously die shortly after arriving. All questions directed at the Russian government in St. Petersburg receive no reply. In the late 1940s, a group of MI6 agents begin surveying Russian air waves in the Ukraine and discover that from the thousands of radio stations that should be broadcasting to millions of citizens, only one program is found: a looping propaganda message pleading

"Brotherhood, Strength, and Fortitude...in the face of the angry night."

In December 1949, the Chimera break through multiple points on the Red Curtain, and sweep into Europe. The civilian population in the ETO countries (Britain included) are lied to and told that the Russians are the invaders, but this claim is quickly made suspect by subsequent events.
Despite the implementation of the UED's advanced plans for a Russian invasion, the Chimera prove too strong and conquer all of continental Europe a few months after the start of the invasion. In the latter half of 1950, they invade Britain, burrowing under the English Channel. Defensive plans prove useless and the British and Irish isles are overwhelmed in three months. Scattered military bases and outposts in the north populated by the remnants of the British army continue to resist.

In 1951, America responds to pleas for aid by launching Operation: Deliverance; a strike force of U.S. Army Rangers is sent to help liberate the country. Shortly after landing, the entire force of 5,000 men is wiped out, except for one man, Sergeant Nathan Hale....