Resistance 2 Review — A Failed Sequel
Resistance 2 released back in November 2008 to a polarized reception. Critics loved it, praising the game’s visuals, its scope, and its single-player campaign. However, changes to combat disappointed fans who felt that Insomniac was needlessly discarding much of what made Fall of Man stand out from its competitors. Playing it twelve years later, and I can’t help but agree. While Insomniac adds some desperately needed personality to the game’s protagonist, and the story is improved overall, I found the diminished emphasis on its World War Two setting and its more restricted combat severely diminishes everything that made Fall of Man worthwhile.
While the weapons and vehicles of Fall of Man were a little more advanced, Insomniac anchored the game in the look and feel of the Second World War. Players fought through trenches and bunkers with soldiers in era-appropriate outfits, and the game even had its own version of Concentration Camps called Conversion Centers where humans are converted into Chimera soldiers. It was great and one of the best parts of Fall of Man. Unfortunately, Insomniac moves away from the recognizability of WW2 to create a 1950s America that is both more modern and much blander. Most of what made Fall of Man’s setting so memorable is gone, replaced with a generic sci-fi tinged 1950s America that lacks the uniqueness that made Fall of Man worthwhile.
Picking up two years after the events of Fall of Man, Resistance 2 sees the return of protagonist Nathan Hale. Now back in his homeland, Hale lead’s an elite group of soldiers, enhanced by the effects of the Chimera virus, in a desperate defence of what little remains of the American people. It’s a role well suited to Hale’s gruff character, who feels far more at home commanding his subordinates than he did taking orders. Unfortunately, Hale’s demeanour doesn’t exactly endear him to his comrades, particularly one Joe Cappelli who Hale butts heads with throughout the campaign. It doesn’t help that Hale’s virus is slowly taking control of his body and mind and will ultimately transform him into the very creature that he and Cappelli have sworn to destroy. Eventually, the two reach an uneasy peace with Capelli promising to kill Hale the moment he turns and Hale exhaustedly agreeing. Theirs also Benjamin Warner, the tech-savvy family-man unsure if his wife and child are still alive, and Aaron Hawthorne, the anomalously timid demolitions expert. While I can’t say it’s the best team ever assembled in a video game, Insomniac adds enough character to your teammates to stop them from becoming nameless, boring faces.
Resistance 2 also overhauls its gameplay with mixed results. The health bar is gone, replaced with a regenerating health system. A change that by itself is ok. But I found myself less inclined to explore the game’s various nooks and crannies, searching for that extra bit of health that would see me through the next fight. However, the most egregious change is the removal of the weapon wheel. The game now limits players to carrying two weapons at a time, which decidedly limits your options during combat. While Fall of Man never forced you to experiment with your arsenal, the option was always there, allowing a modicum of choice in how you approached a battle. Resistance 2 forces you to make do with what you can find, which is a little disappointing considering how creative its weapons are.
Thankfully, Insomniac doesn’t tamper too much with the ingenious mix of weapons that made combat in Fall of Man so memorable. Both the M5A2 Carbine and the Chimera Bullseye make their return, but the Auger is still king with its ability to shoot through solid objects. The new weapons also slot into your arsenal nicely, particularly the HE.44 Magnum, whose heavy slugs take out most of the lesser Chimera in one hit, and that’s before you activate its alternate firing ability which causes those slugs to explode. Combat is the one area Resistance really did not need tampering with, and I am happy to see Insomniac has only enhanced its creatively destructive arsenal.
New enemy types add a splash of horror to the game’s quieter moments. The Chimera no longer require Conversion Centers to create their footsoldiers. Instead, Humans are weaved into fleshy cocoons which transform them into Grims, a new sinewy form of Chimera Hybrids. While these enemies can’t shoot weapons, they have the unfortunate ability to burst out of their cocoons when you least expect, often in overwhelming numbers. It adds a certain amount of anxiety to the game’s quieter moments, as you never know when a whole nest will break free. Also introduced are a new type of invisible Chimera called Chameleons. These hulking fishlike monsters will often appear out of nowhere and annihilate the player in one swipe. In the early hours of the game, this can deliver quite the jump scare if you’re not quick on the trigger. However, they become quite misused in later sections, which can feature up to three Chameleons in quick succession. These parts turn the Chameleons into essentially bad quick-time events.
While I can’t say Resistance 2 looks good twelve years later, it still has some moments that can be quite jaw-dropping. Climbing out of a dark military bunker that house what’s left of humanity’s military and being met with the might of the Chimera Armada and a burning San Francisco will never not be cool. From fighting massive Chimera siege engines, too quickly dodging marching Chimera battalions, the game is full of those little moments that really show off the impressive scale of its story.
Unfortunately, twelve years on Resistance 2 still feels like it threw the baby out with the bathwater. Insomniac improves the story overall, and the campaign packs enough moments to still impress you with its scale. But unnecessary changes to combat and a vastly less compelling setting leave Resistance 2 feeling like a big jump backwards.
