Resistance 2 Preview
Ted Price shows us round the end of the world.
Insomniac boss Ted Price has a new favourite word, and that word is "scale". He used it several times during the Resistance 2 demo at Sony's E3 conference, and he's using it again now as he shows off more of the game behind closed doors.
Resistance 2, Price explains, again, is all about scale. There's the scale of the environments - no more poking around parochial old Manchester, now you get to explore the sprawling metropolis of Chicago and go Chimera-hunting in rural Idaho. The scale of enemies has increased, as demonstrated by the giant leviathan shown off in the press conference demo. There are more of them too. But it's not unusal for a sequel to feature larger levels, extra enemies and bigger bosses. The most impressive increase in scale is the multiplayer modes.
The first game featured co-operative play, but offline and for only two players. Resistance 2's co-op mode is online for up to eight players, and comes complete with multiple classes, character progression and persistent rewards. There's also a separate storyline. It's set around the same time as the single-player narrative, Price explains, and unfolds within the same environments. You and your team take on the role of Sentinels, soldiers who are immune to the Chimera virus. "So far it's all working really well," says Price. "We're not showing it here at E3, but we're finishing it up for the real game."
That is when they're not working on Resistance 2's competitive multiplayer mode, which ups the number of players who can fight it out online from 40 to 60. "It's been a real challenge for us," Price admits. "We wanted to put more players in because we saw there would be an opportunity there. But at the same time, we knew that wouldn't necessarily be the smartest thing to do.
"We knew it would be tough, because chaos can arise very quickly," he continues. "So we decided everybody would be broken into squads so you would have more organisation. Then we created a dynamic objective system which gives each squad orders. That keeps them spread out across the field, and they don't get bunched up with each other."

The Sentinel will cover you and are apparently quite smart, which is nice.
It's all about motivating players to stick together, apparently. "We're trying to promote a dynamic where you want to stay with your squad and accomplish objectives together," explains Price. "You get more points that way. The points allow you to win, and when you win your experience points are multiplied. That gives you better rewards and moves you up in the personal rankings more quickly."
A 60-player multiplayer mode sounds impressive, but not quite as impressive as it did pre-E3. Or more specifically, before Sony unveiled MAG, which will see up to 256 players battling it out. "That's going to be an awesome one to watch. Everyone will learn a lot from how they do it," Price observes. "But there are similiarities with Resistance 2. We have the same goal - which is massive battles with more intimacy."
Insomniac is also focused on offering a strong single-player campaign - one that improves over that in the original game. "We got a lot of feedback from the fans, from people who had plenty to say about Resistance - good and bad," says Price. "We took that to heart and we applied it."
For example, "We had a lot of people talking about how the beginning wasn't what they wanted to see. The game didn't really get going until, say, Manchester. We've taken that to heart, so you're really going to see something different at the beginning of Resistance 2." Oh? "I'm not going to give it away though." Oh. It's not an even bigger cathedral, is it? "It will not be a cathedral. Or a mosque. No."
One of the biggest changes to the single-player game is the switch to a two-weapon system, so Hale no longer carries an entire arsenal of guns around with him. "That enables us to do a couple of things," says Price. "We can now really pump up the amount of damage these weapons can do in certain situations, because we know the player isn't going to be carrying them for the entire game."
Then there's the brand new issue of decision-making. "When you're walking into a difficult situation and you have three weapons, and you only get to choose two - sometimes it's a very difficult choice." In other words, there's more strategy involved. Even in areas where run-and-gun is the best policy, you'll still have to make a decision before you can make a break for it.
According to Price, the move to a two-weapon system has also given Insomniac greater freedom when it comes to designing Hale's new arsenal. "We were able to let loose a little bit with the weapons. We can create uber-weapons at times and just give them to you and let you go crazy, because we know eventually you're going to run out of ammo for that weapon, and you're going to need to pick up another one," he says. "That's fun for us as designers."
New weapons for Resistance 2 include the enhanced Magnum. It fires standard shots into objects and enemies, but when you activate your alternate fire option the shots will explode. Handy for setting traps, as Price demonstrates by firing a shot into a corpse then detonating it when a surviving enemy gets close. Then there's the Sharp Shooter. "It has a primary fire that's kind of a fast, semi-automatic sniper rifle, and an alternate fire, which is more of a fire-and-forget weapon that can electrocute all the enemies around you."

Not quite Ratchet and Clank, is it?
There might be no sign of any chainsaws in the vicinity, but that's unlikely to stop people making comparisons between Resistance 2 and Gears of War 2. After all, both are shooters, both are platform exclusives, and both are sequels to key titles for rival platform holders. But Price reckons that's where the similarities end.
"I played the first Gears of War. It's a great game," he says. "But I think we're in two different spaces, both thematically and gameplay-wise. We wanted to focus on a weapons strategy with lots of different enemies, and not just humanoid enemies but other types. We wanted players to feel like they needed to think a little bit about the weapons they pick up, and which ones to use."
Which all sounds fine, but there's no doubt there will be plenty of comparing and contrasting going on when Resistance 2 and Gears of War 2 are released this autumn. Of course, it's too early to tell which will be the better game. Perhaps, if the Price is right, they're too different anyway. Or perhaps they're both sequels to triple-A platform exclusives which involve shooting mutants with a series of increasingly powerful guns, and comparison is therefore justifiable. In any case, it's going to be an interesting fight.
Resistance 2 is due out exclusively for PS3 in November.
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Comments (74) Latest comment 4 years ago
Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!
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Well, isn't that what almost all games are these days? I don't give a shit about any of them regardless.
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On the other hand the 256 online thingy doesn't mean anything to me, it's pointless. Anyone knows that most of them are quiters and the games will end with 8-10 players, at most.
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Well there certainly will be on this site whether it is justified or not.
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Has someone been watching Blood+ ?
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If this game was on the 360 i honestly cant see it getting slagged off as much. looks good IMHO.
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Why are all devs doing this these days? It's not real life, I don't care that it's not logical to be able to carry 20 weapons around without being slowed down. I enjoy the constant choice that carrying said weapons gives me.
Worried that certain guns overpower the player? Leave less ammo lying around for the more powerful guns! That way you've still got the constant strategic choice of weapon (which IMO gave the first resistance most of its appeal), but are forced to be more careful with the stronger guns.
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Better for Hale? Oh.
Well, it nearly works as humour - it's been a long day at work.
{sacks scriptwriter}
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First 2 chapters were poor introduction levels
Multiplayer not as fun as Warhawk (due to the naff single player weapons)
bloody hard though once it gets going! Certainly more rewarding.
Seems like these rough edges are getting rounded off though.
I like the setting though, a bit like HalfLife 2 meets Day Of Defeat.
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I thought the first resistance handled this well with a quick swap button for the last 2 guns you used and the wheel system that they used in R&C for all the other weapons. I can't see any reason to dumb that down by only allowing you to have 2 guns tbh.
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Ha, see, us GoW fans can do it too!
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I thought it was Gears of War 1.1?
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The physics in Resistance were very nice - a huge difference with Gears right there. The scope and chaos (loads more enemies bullets and draw distance) and variation was pretty good too.
Was a good game, and this one for me is pretty much a no-brainer. Will get.
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Good of Eurogamer to finally admit how good R:FOM was/ is.
Maybe there's hope for them yet?
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Maybe there's hope for them yet?
That's because it wasn't Tom who did this interview. He's the one who actually bothered to make a second review to knock it down.
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Demo looks reasonable but quite choppy. In fact, most of the E3 vids have framerate and tearing issues, but I guess there's plenty of time to sort that out before release.
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Ha, see, us GoW fans can do it too! "
Heh.
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That's the first piece of news that's put me off a bit. Surely part of the fun of the first game was having all those weapons to muck around with - Why alter something good just to chuck in some OTT weapons.
/sulks
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Let me refer you to a specialist.
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Ellie sounds unbelievably bored in this one. That and jetlagged.
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Yeah but they’re retards just like you Neil!
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wow i really seem to be getting to you don't I
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I put that into babel fish and...: "the no one u amoe aint really that reaches in with [loxotomo] precisely I am with u and ur [axiolypita] jibes"
psychedelic!
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Yet you keep replying! I find that a bit strange!
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http://ww w.gametrailers.com/player/36561...
P.DF. Mr nazi grammar cat, did i past the test? xDDD (its good to know it, im not a english talker and learning things its always good).
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You can count me as one of the guys who prefer the old school mousewheel/1-9 weapons system. I know it's not entirely realistic... OK understatement... but maybe I'm just too dumb for these new fangled "one pair of weapons at a time" systems. I never really understand which weapons I have equipped vs. which new weapons is available, whether I'm replacing both or just one or just harvesting some ammunition when I loot, what weapons/ combinations are superior to others. I mean seriously, can anyone really tell those little icons in the corner of the screen apart? They all look like, well, guns sorta.
This made Gears of War kind of a random slog for me, and then completely turned me off of Bad Company. Is the solution to RTFM? That is so '90's
How I long for the good old days: a knife, a pistol, a shotgun, a machine gun, a BFG of some sort.... Is this what gamers sound like what then get old? "Get off my LAN!"
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Ha! You are so easy to wind up!
Look idiot this is why I ‘put you down’
‘i posted on here to talk about the 2 games in question’
Really??????????
‘eg r comparing cos gears didnt blow as many ppl away as resitance 2 did alot ppl saying gears is more like gears 1.5’
Or how about this classic
‘heres something funny how about i find out ure addressand skullfuck u ,like ure papa used to.u fucking foureyed geek lol now that sounds intelligent to me’
See? I think you came here to troll and act like the thick fucktard you so obviously are! As a result I’m going to give you shit every time you post one of your thick as fuck comments! If you don’t like it then put me on ignore!
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Since when are games that score 7-8 on EG considered AAA?! :/
Liked Resistance though so unless this turns out very crappy, I'll get it (though I don't expect to actually play it before 2010
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Ha Ha! You really do rant when you lose your temper don’t you? This reminds me of the last thread where I made you look like a thick twat! Anyway thanks for proving my point yet again, just like you did the last time.
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Jesus wept..
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Well, isn't that what almost all games are these days? I don't give a shit about any of them regardless. "
Ditto that.
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Well for my part I need to voice my utter disinterest in all things gun-related (as I do often here). Clearly, I just don't have (suffer from?) the need to kill-kill-kill that seems to, apparently, drive 'most gamers' towards these hardcore FPS games and as a 360 owner since launch day, the memories of the high-times as a 360 owner are fading into the distant past as I'm presented with one frag-fest after another as my 'choice' of 360 gaming. My 360 hasn't been powered up for months and I'm actively investigating upgrading my HTPC to a reasonable level so I can explore the breadth of gaming available on that platform instead ...
Personally, I need something a bit more celebral and/or atmospheric to get my jollies or, if I have to pick up a gun, I want to be co-oping with my genuine mates, not fighting the average uber-chav who's been practising all day, every day, while I've been at work ...
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bonker
theres loads of games on the 360, either out or coming this year, that fit your preferred criteria though, isn't there?
Alan wake, Dead Space, Fallout 3, Resi 5....probably others, that I can't remember...
I agree about the gun games thing though...
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theres loads of games on the 360, either out or coming this year, that fit your preferred criteria though, isn't there?
Alan wake, Dead Space, Fallout 3, Resi 5....probably others, that I can't remember...
I agree about the gun games thing though... "
It's possible that I've just lost touch with the recent catalogue as I've given up waiting for something to float my boat.
I never really knew much about Alan Wake and still don't - is it not dead? lol
Fallout 3 has a gun connotation, in my head at least, hence I've skipped it.
Resi I'm aware of the legend but don't really have much in my head about it other than zombie hack n slash - again, I could be wrong.
Dead Space I've never heard of
The only things floating my boat at the mo are Fable 2 which I know I'm gagging for too much and will doubtless be disappointed and the Portal DLC. The Argonauts game had me hard until I read that it was likely to be pretty dumbed-down.
I think I'm just in a bit of a trough now and it'll take something pretty cool to get me interested again and yeah, I may miss out on some decent games in the meantime but the fukin marathon of shooter/shooter/shooter I've had to endure has just got me looking elsewhere to the point where a single screenshot with a gun in it has me striking the game outta my head without even reading about it - bit shocking really as I'm an open-minded mofo usually!
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He hasnt played Gears obviously. The Brumak, Corpser, flying monsters and the huge monsters on the ground are not humanoid at all. Gears 2 has many more monsters on top of this too.
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For some reason, its always the FPS' that are held up as the flag bearers. Halo, FarCry, RFOM, Killzone etc etc.
Also there is a bit of a mentality that if its not a realistic military shooter, then its a no-go.
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"... if I have to pick up a gun, I want to be co-oping with my genuine mates, not fighting the average uber-chav who's been practising all day, every day, while I've been at work ... "
If only someone would come up with a game with an 8 player co-op dedicated storyline and multiple classes, character progression and persistent rewards - so you all had to work as a team eh? Where would you find a game like that?
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I've no idea and I haven't got 7 mates lol
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I’m still looking forward to it as the first game was ok and the developer has a great track record but if this meant to be a standout moment from the game picked to wow the audience at E3 then things aren’t looking good!
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The clue is at the top of your browser - Resistance 2 has what you said you would want in this sort of game - what you need to do is read the article you are commenting on
@Amoebalove
I didn't think the big boss battle was that great either - seemed to lack some polish. Other footage of different levels and multiplayer looks a lot better though. Quite liked the multiplayer stuff - getting XP as you do damage and a bonus for the kill.
/Once finished a CoD4 game with 3 kills and 15 assists
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he LIVES in the PS3 threads!
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I have a PS3 so why shouldn't I comment ?...Is not my fault people like you start crying and getting offensive because they love there PS3 more then there adopted parent(s), and probably have quiet a lonely life.
Swear all you want - just shows how well your ability to act like a spoilt child...boo hooo!