Resistance 2 continues where the first part ended. Again you take on the role of Nathan Hale and try to stop the invasion of the Chimera who, after the occupation of Russia and Europe, are on their way to the US. Once back there you're welcomed with open arms by the Sentinels, a special government unit that contains their last hope. You don't get a lot of time to follow the story as the game doesn't give you a minute break!

You've only just started the single player campaign and immediately you get sucked into the game. From all directions you're being shot at and in the distance you see a rather disturbing machine moving through the area. The makers of Resistance 2 promised epical boss fights and you get them. From water monster Kraken to the sky high Leviathan.

Where most games the linearity would be the final blow of their success, it doesn't both at all with Resistance 2. Each goal is predetermined the story has no sidetracks. The ten hour lasting campaign is an intense rollercoaster ride that rushes you through different locations and enemies. Fall of Man knew only one enemy, the Chimera, while this sequel introduces a whole bunch of new ones. From time to time you'll encounter the Chameleon, a transparant werewolf that rushes towards you, or variations to the Chimera. Also the enemy AI is quite good and extremely aggressive. You don't get a second to hide behind a wall like Gears of War; being quick and efficient is the message.

Insomiac Games is known for their original weapons and also this time they've created some beauties. New guns like the Slicer, a weapon that shoots swirling discs, the Magnum with glycerine-filled bullets and the Wraith that generates a huge pulse are some of them. Also the grenades can be called quite unique but I'll leave that to you to discover.

Graphically some improvements have been made but they don't establish a new standard. Contrary to Resistance: FoM you'll more often go through colorful environments which leads to beautiful sights. Also the sound is of high quality with runes that fit excellently to the epic boss fights or exciting moments.

Most games are done after finishing the single player campaign but that's just where Resistance 2 starts. You can start up the co-op mode offline with two players or go online with eight. This offers a seperately developed storyline and is extremely addictive.

Each player gets the choice between three classes with each their strenghts and weaknesses. The soldier is the damage dealer and makes sure the front lines moves forward thanks to a shield they can create around them. The medic has a rather obvious role but healing party members isn't done by just throwing medipacks but by using the Phoenix which sucks health out of hostiles and into your guys. Last but not least there's the Special Ops who offers the necessary ammo and do quite a lot of damage with their Sniper or Battle Rifles. Believe me when I say that rushing isn't an option as working together is the ONLY way to bring your missions to a good ending. During combat you'll receive XP and Gray Tech, with which you can upgrade weapons and as you rise in levels you unlock multiple weapons, armour and berserks.

There are nine maps available with about ten missions each and thanks to the dynamic changes each game is different with other objectives and enemies. The co-op mode is extremely addictive, put well together and could even be sold as a seperate game.

Next to working together with 8, you can get it on with 60 at one time against each other. Here you have at the most six squads of five players divided between human and Chimera. Just as with other shooters the usual modes Free-for-All, Team Deathmatch and Core Control (Capture the Flag) are present but Resistance 2 adds to that also skirmish which mixes the above and delivers different objectives every time going from capture the flag to getting 100 kills. Contrary to the co-op mode you do get the full arsenal of weapons right from the start and it contains a level system that's seperate from the co-op rankings.

If you expected 60 people to result in chaos I have to agree and disagree at the same time. Thanks to the dividing into squads everything runs more smooth and you'll concentrate on your objectives while not everyone's running around wildly. And if you thought that lag would be a problem then remember that that word doesn't exist in Insomniac Games' dictionary.