PlayStation Day: Resistance 2 Hands-on

Guatemalan · 05-07-2008, 10:36 PM

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First things first – Insomniac has everything to gain from being secretive about their baby right now; no need to stoke the fires too soon, given that it's not going to finish gestating for another six months. With that in mind, don't be too shocked to learn that this year's PlayStation Day in London only showed an early and fairly limited build of the multiplayer mode.

That said, what was shown holds a lot of potential – specifically, a full 60 players (well, 56 when I was playing) on one map playing over PSN; one group in London, and the other in Los Angeles. There was no lag, given it was playing over a dedicated server, but it was impressive more in how the game demonstrated how it intends to handle this number of players at once without dissolving into a chaotic fray.

This is done through creating smaller, objective-based battles within the larger context of the battle. Groups of up to eight are given micro-objectives (kill target X, get to point A and so on). Meeting these nets experience points, which we'll delve into further below.

The map itself was set in northern California in the redwood forests. Dappled, warm afternoon light streamed through the needles and leaves of the foliage as the dense and hilly surrounds teemed with staff players. Stone buildings and massive woodchipping facilities dot the area. Overall, even in its unfinished state, the engine was clearly a large step forward from the first game; textures were noticeably sharper, colours brighter and enemy models also looked slightly improved.

The UI, including end of round menus and on-screen counters, were all temporary at this stage. Motion controls were not present, but the developer indicated there would be motion controls in the final game, assuming it continued to add to the experiene, rather than feel tacked on.

In practice, there were plenty of opportunities for testing out the selected weapons – the shotgun and machine gun from the first game, plus the new minigun – a chaingun with a slight wind-up and wind-down. It's secondary function acts as a standalone turret pod with a built-in V-shaped shield on the front. This is activated by holding down R2 for a few moments.

The other, more mysterious weapon had no official name at this stage, but was essentially a powerful distance rifle with an as-yet unannounced secondary attack that was turned off for the preview session. As we all know, Insomniac love their weapons, and Ted Price believed firmly that this was his favourite weapon in the game. We'll have to take his word for it on that one.

The revamped experience points system now better rewards players for teamwork and skill too – a running tally of points is awarded for each bullet that you plant in your enemy. These experience points go towards a variety of things – some temporary, like a speed boost or berserker rage. Others however, are more persistent – through CEO Ted Price was reluctant to delve into that. We'd guess you can eventually use experience points to unlock new costumes and minor permanent stat improvements.

All of this is tied to a more social and involved Resistance website that plans to go far beyond the current multiplayer social site, myresistance.net. Price believes the key to great multiplayer rests on playing with people you enjoy socialising with, so it's natural that Insomniac is looking at ways of matchmaking based on personal interests and hobbies, in addition age, location and sex.

Controls, from what we could gather, were largely the same as in the first game. An auto-aim was present while we were playing, and the developer demonstrating the game insisted that the controls were looser than they should be in the final game, but I didn't feel any particular difference. Resistance veterans should be able to jump straight in without too much hassle. With plenty of ideas up their sleeves, the team is also making game balance a big priority, to ensure that new players have no trouble getting a feel for the combat – without getting completely spanked over and over again.

In all, given this was merely a small slice of a much larger game, I'm quite impressed with how solid Resistance 2's multiplayer is looking. Provided the final game makes provisions for out-and-out chaos of 60 players as well as the more organised, divided teams, I think they're onto something very original and undeniably fun. Roll on, release.

IGN: Resistance 2 Preview

Arisen Dragon · 05-07-2008, 10:38 PM

That's freaking sweet I can't wait for this either. This is the year for PS3. Besides GOW 2 I won't be getting any other 360 game this year most likely.

Guatemalan · 05-07-2008, 10:39 PM

YouTube - Resistance 2 video - Gameplay PlayStation Day 08

Arisen Dragon · 05-07-2008, 10:43 PM

I like at the end of that how he says he always delivers the games on time. This is just amazing how GOW 2 and Resistance 2 can get these games out by November.

Guatemalan · 05-08-2008, 02:49 AM

Ingen rystende PlayStation-nyheter - Spill - Dagbladet.no

shorty920 · 05-08-2008, 04:10 PM

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Originally Posted by Arisen Dragon

That's freaking sweet I can't wait for this either. This is the year for PS3. Besides GOW 2 I won't be getting any other 360 game this year most likely.

Changed your mind again on the ps3? You are getting one again now?