Did we give in to our primal urges for Resistance 2? Or did we put up a fight?

Loved
Massive Scale, Perfectly Paced: Nathan Hale is quite the jet setter in Resistance 2, traveling to and from exotic locales like the Air Force Bases of Iceland to the small logging towns of California. The scope of R2 never fails to impress, with bigger than ever Chimera and retro sci-fi settings rarely explored in other first-person shooters. Awesome early set pieces set the hectic pace appropriately. We wish Insomniac hadn't shown the San Francisco invasion ahead of time, as the sheer size of the invading fleet would have been even more awe-inspiring.

New Weapons, New Enemies: Now limited to just two weapons at a time, Hale's arsenal gets upgraded with some great new gimmicks, including the shield-generating Wraith chain-gun and the ridiculous, saw blade-shooting Splicer. As a whole, weapons lack a sense of weight or punch, but that doesn't detract from the joy of amputating hordes of Grims. That new addition to the Chimeran bestiary is the most enjoyable to dispatch, just one of many that feels shamelessly lifted from recent Hollywood sci-fi flicks.

Cooperative: Eight-player co-op is what will keep you coming back to Resistance 2. The class variety, the leveling, the unlockable goodies, the constant drip-feed of experience points — it all adds up to an addicting experience that we've really just begun to scratch the surface of. Hardcore Resistance fans may be disappointed to see a leaner multiplayer offering, but the cooperative mode, with its interesting unique classes will ease the pain.

Competitive: Standard stuff, with the exception of the constantly changing Skirmish mode, which switches from assassination to capture point to team death match modes on the fly. Getting in and out of multiplayer games and tracking your stats is beautifully user-friendly. Insomniac does right by its fans with a well designed community portal for tracking your, as advertised, 420 hours plus of progression.

Hated
Campaign: My slog through Resistance 2's weakest "C" took but nine hours to complete, but it felt like an eternal sludge of predictable Chimeran assaults with all eight six eyes on me and me alone. The majority of the boss fights weren't just forgettable, they were the sort of thing I couldn't wait to forget. Yes, they're big and often loaded with tension, but they're also incredibly trying and sometimes ambiguous in their objectives. Much of the single-player campaign just felt like swimming through a sea of gunfire, ambush after ambush held together by a vanilla story.

Cheap Deaths: The cloaked Chameleons aren't the worst of Resistance 2's sins of cheap deaths. You'll eventually learn where they spawn after a few die and retry attempts. It's the lame, one-hit kill Fury that live under bulletproof water and the slaps from the Leviathan that made me go berzerk. There are few things more personally loathsome than first-person platforming and gotcha, how-could-I-have-possibly-seen-that-coming kills. After blowing through the first Resistance with relative ease, dying 136 times in the sequel left a pretty bad taste in my mouth.

Wonky Physics, Inconsistent Presentation: There are plenty of things, aesthetically, that Insomniac nails with Resistance 2. Bizarre physics — did that Chimeran soldier really just launch skyward after being sniped in the face? How long will that LAARK bounce around the room? — and the occasionally dull environment aren't quite highlights.

If anything, Resistance 2 could be pitched as the holiday shooter that's "bigger, better and more bad-ass." Everything has been upped for the sequel, with a workable 60-person multiplayer option, a ton of fan service for the Resistance enthusiast and a co-op mode that's not only fun as hell, but fleshes out the core story line. The intel collect-a-thons certainly aren't my thing, nor is trying to piece together all the disparate plot points, but the hardcore Resistance fan has been very well taken care of. It may be that the novelty of a sci-fi shooter set in the mid-twentieth century has worn off a bit and that the game looks a bit underwhelming in light of the competition, but I actually recall enjoying the first a bit more.

Given the depth of Resistance 2's multiplayer and co-op though, those first nine hours spent chugging through the single-player campaign will probably be forgotten in favor of fondly remembering the entire experience.

Resistance 2 was developed by Insomniac Games, published by Sony Computer Entertainment America and released on Nov. 4 for PlayStation 3. Retails for $59.99 USD. Completed single-player campaign, tested 8-player coop, and multiplayer modes.

Confused by our reviews? Read our review FAQ.

Spooky Demonic Narrator Guy issues the ominous warning — to, we're assuming, either Resistance: Fall of Man protagonist Nathan Hale or Resistance 2 players — "You think you can resist, but you haven't seen what we're truly capable of." Explosions, flesh eating and gargantuan space ships follow — the kind of stuff you demand from your first person shooters.

Unfortunately, the whole thing's a low-fi affair. Here's to hoping we see it in more glorious resolutions at E3.

Resistance 2 - 2nd Trailer. [YouTube]

The bad news is that Mr. C says he needs to sell his PlayStation 3 in order to scrounge up the funds to travel home to see his father, who is very ill, for the first time in seven years and possibly for the final time. A plane ticket to Bulgaria, he says, isn't cheap, so the very neat PS3 must go.

Sure, you may have doubts about the validity of the whole thing, especially since we're not sure Bulgaria is even a real country. But being dishonest about something this grave will only secure you the finest lake of fire in Hell, so we're taking off the cynic's hat for once. David's plea is after the link and after the jump.

ONE-OF-A-KIND LASER-ETCHED SONY PLAYSTATION 3! 120GB!! [eBay]

Dear Kotaku Editors,

Last April, I was the winner of your one-of-a-kind Red Laser-Etched PS3. I thank you very much for letting me have it, but unfortunately I have run into a situation where I have need to sell it.

You may not believe the story that you are about to read but it is 100% the truth. I just didn't want some Kotaku reader to find it on ebay and it end in a post about how I am just out for money etc, and didn't appreciate it.

I am a poor college student. My father lives in Bulgaria and is suffering from cancer. I haven't seen him since I was 15, and I am almost 22 now. The cancer has been in remission for many years but has suddenly taken a turn for the worse. I need to fly there to see him as it very well may be the last time that I have the chance. I am so broke I can barely feed myself and go to school much less afford this ticket. I have no credit history and can't get a private loan. Really my only choice is to sell something and the awesome PS3 you guys gave me is the only expendable and valuable thing that I own. I love it, but if there was ever a good reason to sell it this is it.

It occurred to me that this type of thing may go for well more than I need. And if it does I will donate what I can to Child's Play. Unfortunately I don't know the exact amount (at least 1600 total) that I will need to cover this whole trip. I just know that I need to go as soon as possible.

Anyway, this is the auction: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=250262768816

thanks again,

I wish I had been able to keep it but I would never forgive myself if I didn't try to see him.

D

Chimera Skull from Playstation 3 game TV ad [eBay - thanks, Benj!]

One of the first games expected to shine in one of Home's series of game portals is Insomniac's Resistance: Fall of Man. Resistance is said to provide Home visitors with an interesting room to explore, one that will let PlayStation 3 owners visit unseen areas of the game and tap into bonus content in the form of "intercepted" radio communications between European and U.S. forces.

These hidden transmissions will help to flesh out the Resistance story, giving players a better understanding of the game's conflict. We hear that Home avatars will have free roam of unpopulated levels, not unlike a virtual Resistance museum.

As interesting as these plans are to Resistance fans like us, they're not as impressive as what we've heard about what Home in store for Warhawk and Uncharted. Stay tuned.

Since the story broke, Manchester Cathedral has seen a significant rise in visitor numbers...Teachers tell us that teenagers in particular are interested to see a building which they thought was fictional.

For instance, did you realize that the single-player campaign is pretty much finished, the game's narration is dead, the 8 person campaign multiplayer will support a class system ala Battlefield 2 and Team Fortress, or that Insomniac is doing their damndest to get 60 players on a map at once? If not, you might want to hit up the link for a full refresher course. Because that and a bottle of Cholula will pretty much set you until fall 2008.

Previews: Resistance 2 [1UP via PS3Blog]

Please, no Wii Date Rape jokes in the comments. It's beneath you.

Ghost Squad: neue Printanzeige [WiiGamer via UK:R]

On December 18, 2007, Sony filed a trademark for "Resistance 2" in relation to a video game. And while it's not uncommon for companies to go on the trademark defensive, ensuring that another company won't steal the title, we already totally knew that Insomniac is developing Resistance 2. You know, even though we don't at all.

Resistance 2 [trademork]

The mag points to Sony's use of an eviscerated, beheaded goat as a centerpiece for a God of War II promotion as 61st dumbest business move of the year. Close by, at number 63, was the decision to use a bombed out Manchester Cathedral as a backdrop for the PlayStation 3 game Resistance: Fall of Man. Hey, they may have lost a few fans in the church, but this one seems a bit harsh, Fortune editors. It's not like they actually bombed the cathedral for reference shots.

101 Dumbest Moments in Business [Fortune - thanks, Kenneth!]

Champagne fountains are overrated.
And to top if off, there was a special "homage to Burning Man." Ouch. But I have a feeling Master Chief's Spartan armor can handle the Resistance flame war and still manage to sell another bajillion copies before the day is through.

RESISTANCE REINVENTED [threespeech]

It's been great to have a network that can facilitate the map-pack downloads, demos and trailers for both Resistance: Fall of Man and Ratchet & Clank: Tools of Destruction. The number of users on PSN has been rising steadily and we absolutely plan to support them with more new content coming soon.

D+Pad Nov 2007 [via maxconsole]

The full list of changes in the latest patch is after the jump, courtesy of Insomniac's James Stevenson, a man who simply cannot be faulted for his gaming blog preference.

New Features
- Player with a USB keyboard attached to their Playstation 3 may now take in-game screenshots by pressing the "printscreen" key (multiplayer only). There will be a slight pause as the screenshot is taken. The screenshots will be viewable from the Photo bar of the XMB menu.
- Players may now create a custom game that requires a password for other players to join. When creating a custom game, select the option named "password" and enter the desired password from the on-screen keyboard. Players who are invited into a password protected game by another player already in the game do not need to enter a password to accept the invite. Password protected games will be indicated by a "lock" icon next to the game name in the "Find Game" screen.
- Bullseye Tags may be turned off as a custom game option without turning off the bullseye.
- Carbine 40mm Grenades may be turned off as a custom game option without turning off the carbine.
- There is a new game option named "Send Voice Chat To All". If this is enabled, then all players in the game may hear voice chat sent from any other player in the game, including players on the opposing team and spectators. Squad voice chat will still only be heard by members of the same squad. This option defaults to off.
- The game option "Round balancing" now has a third option available to custom games - "Aggressive". If round balancing is set to aggressive, it will attempt to rebalance the teams every round based on how well the players scored in the previous round to create the most even teams. "Aggressive" round balancing WILL split parties.
- Both Multiplayer and Singleplayer Resistance: Fall of Man now support the rumble feature of the Playstation Dual Shock 3 controller.

Balance Changes
- Range and damage on the Rossmore 236 has been decreased for both primary and secondary fire modes
- Reload time of the LAARK L209 has been increased.
- Projectile speed of the LAARK L209 has been decreased.
- Splash damage radius of the LAARK L209 has been decreased.
- Hedgehog grenade splash damage has been generally increased, although the radius in which it will kill a player in 1 hit has been decreased.
- Frag grenade splash damage radius has been decreased.
- Arc charger fire rate has been increased.
- Arc charger clip size has been reduced.
- Arc charger damage has been decreased for the primary fire and increased for the secondary fire.
- Rate of fire the bullseye tag (secondary fire) has been decreased.

Bug Fixes
- Fixed several possible collision exploits
- The "Elite Soldier" and "Assassin" medals are now obtainable in all ranked gametypes instead of just Deathmatch and Team Deathmatch
- "Defender" ribbons obtained in ranked CTF games will now correctly add to your total stats
- Fixed several issues that could cause party members to drop out of a party
- Various lobby, disconnect, and miscellaneous fixes.

Manchester Cathedral was ransacked during the English Civil War in 1649, half-destroyed by German bombs in 1940, and bombed by the Irish Republican Army in 1996. It survived all these attacks. Its patrons rebuilt it.

And it stands still today. Resistance adds a fictional homage to the church's resolve, this time in an alternate history fraught by an enemy that neither understands nor cares for human practices like religion. And it survives this as well. The Church of England sees their cathedral's presence in Resistance only as a sordid juxtaposition, the sanctity of worship set against the profanity of violence. But when viewed in the context of the game's fiction, the cathedral serves a purpose in the game consonant with its role in the world: that of reprieve for the weary and steadfastness in the face of devastation.

The Manchester bishop obviously didn't agree, but Bogost points out that this flap provided yet another platform for 'concerned citizens' to rail against video games and perceived links between virtual and very real violence. Would the flap been as big if there hadn't been some religious angle to foam at the mouth about?

Persuasive Games: The Reverence Of Resistance [Gamasutra]

Insomniac CEO Ted "I'm So Nice" Price says of the initiative "The 'R&D' page on the Insomniac website is meant to share knowledge with fellow studios about PS3 development while giving our fans a detailed look into how we make our games. This page will also help explain our production philosophies."

Insomniac explains that its goal is to document "our current research and development in hopes of supporting the PS3 development community and enhancing overall development for its core technologies such as the CELL processor and RSX." It's also a kind of behind the scenes look at past, present and future development, built just for computer nerds.

What does it all mean? Better looking PLAYSTATION 3 games, we hope. Maybe, just maybe, some developers will even discover the secret to unlocking a consistent frame rate in their PS3 titles. I'm looking at you, everyone who's not Team Ninja or Insomniac.

Insomniac R&D [Insomniac Games]

I would think it's pretty clear that the combination of high price, the loss of numerous exclusives, various Sony PR missteps and little in the way of standout exclusive software is probably the reason behind some of the cool reception. But, hey, I just work here.

While Price is concerned, justifiably so, of negative press and its impact on his company's PS3 game Resistance: Fall of Man, some of us who own both aren't as upset about the alleged muddy spin. While I feel I'm getting the most out of my investment in this impressive piece of kit, others are having a hard time justifying the buy in. I also can't say I'm too unhappy from an ownership perspective that the press is keeping Sony on its toes to work harder at making the PS3 a success.

Ted Price: PS3 Has Become 'Whipping Boy' for Press [GameDaily Biz]

Based on my single visit to Insomniac Games, I can confirm that it is indeed an awesome place to work, solely judged on the high availability of delicious snacks. That's why I'm awarding them the first annual Kotaku award "Best Company At Which To Snack In America." Congratulations, Insomniac. Michael McWhertor

Insomniac Games among Top 10 for 3rd Straight Year in 50 "Best Companies to Work for in America" rankings.

"Once Again, Ratchet & Clank® and Resistance: Fall of Man Creators Remain First & Only Videogames Company Honored"

BURBANK, Calif. (FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE): Independent console videogames developer Insomniac Games has once again distinguished itself as being among the best studios to work for in the games industry. For the third straight year, Insomniac retained its unique distinction of being the first and only videogames company named to the "50 Best Small & Medium Sized Companies to Work for in America" list.

The rankings were announced before an estimated audience of 15,000 at the Society for Human Resource Management's (SHRM) 59th Annual Conference & Exposition in Las Vegas. Despite a 20-plus percent increase in applicants since last year — and a combined 50 percent increase since 2005 — Insomniac ranked 8th in the small companies category. Insomniac Games is the only company in the history of the small business category to earn a Top 10 ranking for three-straight years, remains the first and only videogames developer included on the list, and is the only company in the "TV, Film and Video" category to be recognized this year. In addition, Insomniac is Southern California's lone representative to the small business list.

"Last year was among the most challenging in Insomniac's history as we prepared to release Resistance: Fall of Man™ worldwide with the launch of PLAYSTATION®3," said Ted Price, Insomniac Games' founder and CEO. "Yet we delivered a top-rated and top-selling game — on time — while retaining our Top 10 ranking as one of the best small companies to work for in America. Therefore, it's especially gratifying to demonstrate again that it's possible in the games industry to achieve excellent results while maintaining a collaborative and stimulating workplace culture."

SHRM, the world's largest human resources management organization, recognizes the top 25 small and top 25 medium companies in America that have used smart people management strategies to develop successful organizations with highly productive and satisfied workforces. The results were primarily based on a randomly distributed employee opinion survey that measures several categories such as workplace environment, management's responsiveness to employee feedback, and adherence to company philosophy. In addition, further assessments of company programs, practices and workplace culture were factored into judging.

Insomniac Games remains the only North American videogames developer to be honored in any ranking compiled by the Great Places to Work Institute ® (GPTW). The organization is perhaps best known for producing Fortune magazine's annual "100 Best Companies to Work for®" list, which ranks companies with more than 1,000 employees. Two videogames publishers have made GPTW's "100 Best Companies to Work for in America" list since it was first published in 1984.

Insomniac Games is best known for creating the multi-million unit selling Ratchet & Clank® and Spyro the Dragon® franchises for the PlayStation® game console and PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system. The company is responsible for the top-selling Resistance: Fall of Man, exclusively for PLAYSTATION®3 and is currently developing Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction™ for exclusive release on PLAYSTATION 3 this fall. Insomniac, with 150 employees, continues to seek new employees in a variety of production-related positions.

About Insomniac Games Insomniac Games is a wholly independent console videogames developer that has released award-winning hits for the PlayStation® game console, the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system and PLAYSTATION®3 for 13 years. The company created the first three Spyro the Dragon® games, the Ratchet & Clank® franchise and Resistance: Fall of Man™, which have combined to sell more than 25 million units worldwide. Insomniac Games is currently developing Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction™, which will release this fall, exclusively for PLAYSTATION 3.

In addition to making blockbuster videogames, Insomniac is known for ranking among the top four "Best Small Companies to Work for in America" in 2005 and 2006 and among the Top 10 for 2007, according to the Great Places to Work Institute and Society for Human Resources Management. More information can be found at http://www.insomniacgames.com/ or by listening to Insomniac's "Full Moon Show" podcast, available on iTunes and the studio's website.

When asked by Member of Parliament for Manchester Central Tony Lloyd if he agreed Resistance: Fall of Man's choice of location was "not only in bad taste but also very, very insulting to not simply the Church of England, but people across the land who think it's inappropriate that big corporations behave in this way" Blair was inclined to agree. According to a report on the matter from Games Industry, Blair noted:

I've no doubt this debate will go on for a significant period of time, but I do agree. I think it is important that people understand there is a wider social responsibility as well as an interior responsibility for profits.

Oh, snap! Those Brits are ruthless. You can read more of Tony's ice cold opinions on the matter at GI. Let's hope this can all be resolved without calls for smiting. Michael McWhertor

Prime Minister responds to Church's Resistance complaints [Games Industry]

Church officials in the UK are up in arms over the inclusion of Manchester Cathedral as a setting for the PS3's FPS, Resistance Fall of Man. They claim that Sony used the nave of the cathedral for the scene of a huge battle without first gaining permission from the church itself. Additionally, they are incensed that a church would be used as a setting for such a violent game.

Rt Revd Nigel McCulloch, The Bishop of Manchester admits that Manchester has a gun crime problem and he does not take the matter lightly.

For a global manufacturer to re-create one of our great cathedrals with photo-realistic quality and then encourage people to have guns battles in the building is beyond belief and highly irresponsible.

Sony hasn't returned church official's phone calls, but did give this quote to the Times newspaper through Sony rep, David Wilson.

It is entertainment, like Doctor Who or any other science fiction. It is not based on reality at all. Throughout the whole process we have sought permission where necessary.

The church is now calling for the game to be pulled from store shelves and an official apology from Sony or it will consider legal action against the gaming giant.

Seeing as Resistance is the PS3s top seller (over a million copies) and the crown jewel of the system's game collection, I doubt this will go down without a fight. But, who will win out in a battle between the Church and Sony? It's kind of like asking who would win in a fight between Superman and Jesus. The Church of Italy was able to successfully block the sale of Rule of Rose in Europe, but Sony is a huge company and with so many copies of the game already in players' hands, it's going to be quite a feat to have it removed removed from stores. So, keep an eye out gamers, we could be seeing the beginning of the battle of the century. Flynn De Marco

Cathedral row over computer game [BBC News]

Today's game content-light PlayStation Store update isn't being helped by the (I'm sure very necessarily) delayed downloadable updates for the two PLAYSTATION 3 games most often listed as reasons for owning one, Resistance: Fall of Man and Motorstorm.

IGN reports that Sony has given new release dates for the Motorstorm 1.2 update, which should now hit June 11th in-game and 14th on the Store, and the Resistance map pack which is scheduled for... the future! In other words, Insomniac and Sony are still nailing down some last minute things. I'm sure we'd all rather have working updates than broken ones.

Good thing PlayStation 2 games are still being released on a regular basis, no? Michael McWhertor

PSN Content Interrupted? [IGN]

In addition to the map preview, Gamespy also revealed details on the game's upcoming patch which addresses some multiplayer concerns, including unified global servers, access to in-game buddy lists and punishment for pathetic scum who drop out of ranked games. Assholes. Not you, Insomniac. Them! You're alright. Michael McWhertor

Resistance: Fall of Man Map Pack Preview [Gamespy]

There's plenty of much deserved love for Motorstorm and Resistance: Fall of Man and the PS3 hardware itself, but UK gamers weren't holding back on the criticism. It's the same old story; too expensive, not enough games, the PlayStation Store is a content wasteland. In general, it's fairly civil (until the UK: Resistance readership shows up to make things more interesting) and full of quality feedback that is hopefully taken to heart. Michael McWhertor

TWO MONTHS IN... [Three Speech]

At the time, we had no idea that we'd be attending the industry's final decadent blowout. We'd have taken a moment to pause, to reflect, to appreciate the sights and the stench of a Los Angeles Convention Center packed with 60,000 attendees.

E3 taught us many things. We were horrified to learn the PLAYSTATION 3 was to be priced at $599, yet pleased that it would ship worldwide by November 17th. How naive we were then.

We had just seen the Halo 3 trailer. Witnessed the Super Smash Bros. Brawl reveal. We'd been subjected to "massive damage", "Riiiiiidge Racer!" and Bill Gates paralyzing keynote and we didn't think we could take it anymore.

We relished in our first hands-on experience with the Nintendo Wii remote. We played Super Mario Galaxy, Guitar Hero II, Metroid Prime 3, Elite Beat Agents and Resistance: Fall of Man all for the first time. I recall the horrible bus ride home from the Sony party, ready to vomit into my free Ogio luggage.

With the new, slimmed down E3 still two months away, there's plenty of time to remember the insanity, the sheer pleasure of dozens of game announcements all occuring over the course of five days. Won't you share them with me in the comments? Michael McWhertor

You can't win it anymore, but it just showed up and I thought you'd want to take a gander.

Insomniac Games didn't limit their signing exuberance to just the cover, they also signed the crap out of the instruction manual. Now that's a splendid copy of Resistance: Fall of Man. Congrats Dave. Brian Crecente

Hey everyone, we've been hard at work here at Insomniac on improving the game, we've decided to let you in on some of the upcoming improvements! They're coming in two forms: a server-side update for ranked games, and a downloadable client-side update. Here's some of the things we'll be changing:

Server-side (ranked game) update:

* Map size determined by the number of players in the game
* All maps available for ranked games
* Score limits for team deathmatch adjusted based on the number of players in a match
* Time limits added for all game types that were missing them

The more meaty downloadable update info after this commercial message from Continue Reading.

Client-side (downloadable) update:

* Added a game option to allow "map voting", which will allow players in a custom game to vote on a new map from the results screen
* Expanded tactical element of squads. In objective based team games (CTF, Meltdown, Breach), players will be able to select to spawn near their squad as well as all the previously available spawn points. Additionally, squad members will be displayed different on the map/radar so that you will be able to find them easier
* We've been busy refining the balance between the Chimera and the Humans in order to make both races more fun to play, and to give players improved tactical options (you'll have to wait on the specifics)
* We've improved the spawning algorithm to prioritize spawn points that are away from enemies and near teammates and squadmates
* Wins/Losses are now displayed on the character sheet
* We have replaced the Skeleton skin with a new skin, the Mechanic. We've determined that the Skeleton is much smaller and more difficult to see on many levels than any of the other skins. The skins were never meant to give a gameplay advantage, but to offer you the chance to customize your character as you see fit, and we don't want people to be at a disadvantage because they didn't pick any one particular skin. Never fear, the skeleton may make a return at some later date, in some form or other.

Man, I can't tell you how many times I've spawned right next to an enemy, or had them spawn behind me. As fun as it is to pop up unexpectedly and shoot some poor sap in the head, the change is probably for the best. And hallelujah to getting rid of that damn skeleton. The tactical changes are looking to fix my biggest gripe, which was feeling like I was completely alone in team-based games. I suppose getting myself a headset would help that too. *hides*

No concrete date has been made for the patch yet, but we'll have more details and the release date as soon as I get James all boozed up and vulnerable. Michael Fahey

Incoming patch for PS3 title Resistance: Fall of Man. What for? Online multiplayer. But what exactly? Don't know. Developer Insomniac's lead multiplayer programmer illuminates (sorta):

I can't yet talk about all the things we've changed, but I really think that people will be very pleased to see how responsive this is to some concerns that have come out since we went live.

We've addressed a few key balance issues and put a big focus on making it possible to more effectively use a variety of strategic and team-based tactics in the game. I'm very excited to see how people like the change when it releases. That should happen very soon, so stay tuned.

I used to loathe console patches. But if companies are going to use them to fine-tune games and make them better, by all means, do it. Brian Ashcraft

Resistance Patch [Eurogamer]

Sony faceman and bringing of all tidings Playstation 3 Dave Karraker delivered some interesting PS3 launch details earlier today.

Although Sony, like Nintendo, isn't talking specific numbers they have confirmed that their console sold out "within hours."

Biggest selling game: Resistance: Fall of Man, followed by Madden '07

The $599 60GB model was the top selling SKU (over the $499 20GB model)

PSP week-over-week sales increased +29% at our top 5 retailers (week ending Nov. 20)

PS2 week-over-week sales increased +24% at our top 5 retailers (week ending Nov. 20)

Dave Letterman used the system launch to mock Pres. Bush, Wal-Mart used it to attack Sen. John Edwards and Nike used it to create a pair of shoes that no one will be able to buy. Brian Crecente

In an interview recently, Insomniac games' Ted Price revealed that the upcoming Resistance: Fall of Man will not use the central buddy list created for use with PS3's online service, but will have its own separate buddy list, clan registry and in game chat services. According to GamesIndustry.biz, this will be the same for all of the PS3 launch titles. You'll have to create a separate buddy list for each game? What a pain!

This sound suspiciously like the horrible Nintendo DS friend code system. They copied the DS's colors, fine; colors are nice. They copied Nintendo's motion control, not so fine, but the deed is done. The crappy friend code system though, that's where I draw the line. Someone over at Sony really needs to learn the difference between copying the good things Nintendo does and copying the stupid things Nintendo does Let's hope that by the next crop of games, Sony will have figured out how to integrate to a system more like the 360 than the DS.

GamesIndustry.biz: PS3 online concerns [Eurogamer Thanks, TJ!]

By far, the game I spent the most time with was Insomniac's Resistance: Fall of Man. They recognized me from Kotaku and wanted to make sure I had some time to really dig into the game, especially after Jean Snow and others sorta went off on the game at the Tokyo Game Show.

While Jean said he had problems aiming, that wasn't something I ran into at all and my guide through the game pointed out that the game's controls are very adjustable.

The Sixaxis' triggers control firing and alt firing, while other buttons let you zoom in, change weapons, lob grenades and duck and such.

As I mentioned earlier, the controller's total lack of force feedback was a bit jarring at first but I adjusted. That doesn't mean I prefer it that way, just that I got used to it. While rumble isn't a make-it or break-it feature in a shooter for me, it certainly adds to the experience.

But the lack of rumble wasn't the first thing I noticed about the game. The first thing I noticed was how damn hard it is. I don't mean hard as in, hard to control or hard to figure out, I just mean get shot in the head or torn to pieces in the first few seconds hard.

This is not a game that you can just run through. It also isn't, by any means, a stop-and-pop shooter either. Instead it's just a challenging game that requires you to think about your moves and weapon selection ahead of time and not just go barreling through a swarm of enemies.

And there are a lot of swarms. The game is just crawling with bad guys and with ambient animation. Startled doves fly from railings and rooftops (Insomniac joke that they have some of the best dove animation around. I'd have to agree.) swarms of troops fight it out nearby and in the distance and nasty looking creatures float through the sky, their tentacles dangling down in search of corpses to reap.

Speaking of corpses, the game is filled with them, literally. Unlike with most games, the corpses don't disappear; they just pile up where ever they fall. I'm told those floating creatures actually come down and grab up the bodies, though I'm not sure if this is something you ever see or if it's simply part of the game's mythos.

Another cool little graphic detail is that you can actually shoot the little hoses sprouting from the back of the enemies' heads. When you shoot them, the hoses snake about for a few second before falling limply to the side of the critters body. This doesn't do any sort of damage to the creature, in fact, besides the cool visual effect, it does absolutely nothing. But it really adds to the overall experience, especially when you're in a gun fight and you accidentally nick one.

There's plenty of other cool little detail graphics as well, like the tracers from gun shots, the splashes of muck onto the screen, and the nearly constant battling that is going on all around you.

One of the neat things about this constant ebb and flow of battles that occur in the game is that none of it is pre-scripted. Instead it's just enemy and friendly AI trying to win the war, with or without you. If you feel like it you can get involved, or you can just ignore what's going on and concentrate on your particular objective.

The developers even built in these "heroic moments" moments in time where your intervention can save the life of a comrade. What I really loved about these is that they aren't really highlighted in any way. The first one happened in my game without me even seeing it, because I was ducking for cover. Apparently some big ass creature came out and grabbed up a comrade and just squeezed the juice out of him. Had I been standing and seen the grab, I could have gunned down the hulking beast and saved a life. But it didn't happen and the only reason I knew I even missed it was because my Insomniac guide told me about it.

I played through chunks of two of, I believe three levels, in the demo. This bit of gameplay, I was told, represented the free demo that will be available to PS3 owners the day the system launches. You'll just have to download it from their online network.

The first level snippet, part of which is seen in the video I posted on Friday, plops you down in the middle of a raging battle and gives you a number of cool weapons to use.

One of the weapons lets you fire through objects and can produce a shield, which you can sit behind and fire through.

Another weapon lets you tag an enemy and then fire and forget bullets that will seek the enemy out. Another cool way to use this is to tag the air and the fire a swarm of swirling weapons into the tag and then direct the tag into an enemy. It's a very cool visual effect.

There are plenty of other interesting weapons in the game, as well as a collection of more normal weapons, like a shotgun and sniper rifle.

Weapon selection in the game seems to be much more important than in other shooters I've played. While there are plenty of areas where you can use anything, there are places where you simply need to have one particular weapon, and if you've wasted your ammo needlessly, you're sorta screwed.

After making it through the first demo level, I moved onto the second, which was a much more elaborate level that had me climbing up an alien structure and taking out machinegun nests and battling much larger creatures. What I found most interesting in this level was the amount of action taking place far below me while I worked my way up the structure. At one point I just sat on a catwalk and sniped enemies engaged in a raging battle far below me, and it made a difference to the outcome down there. Pretty neat.

On its surface Resistance may seem like just another shooter, a Call of Duty with aliens, but I think it's the game's attention to detail and required strategic weapon use that will set it apart.

We plan to spend a lot more time with the game in the near future, but from what I've seen of it, it appears to be surprisingly deep and, I believe, worth picking up at launch. Brian Crecente

Clips: Resistance: Fall of Man

Before you get your panties in a wad, this was taken with my crappy digital cam, so the resolution doesn't really show up in this video. It does, however, give you a good sense of just how overwhelming this area is.

Those brilliant NeoGaffers managed to figure out the codes over on the Playstation 3's viral marketing site. Once you figure out what the symbols mean you can use them to spell out a list of words and unlock a bunch of freebies like soundtracks, wallpapers and tons o videos. British Gaming Blog was kind enough to upload and host videos for Lair, Genji, Motorstorm, Resistance: Fall of Man and Warhawk over on their site.

It looks like there's some new stuff there. Man, I can't wait to get my hands on Lair. Brian Crecente

PS3 Website Hacked {British Gaming]

The official site for Playstation 3 launch title crown jewel Resistance: Fall of Man has gone live. Interestingly, the site seems more about revealing tantalizing tidbits of the game's intricate plot and alternate history then flexing the game's graphics or next-gen tricks.

Could it be that a next-gen launch title is going to be more about deep plot lines and less about sweaty flesh and bullet-riddled walls? I for one am starting to get a bit more interested in the game, now that it doesn't appear to be another WWII bullet-fest. Brian Crecente

Resistance: Fall of Man

Ted Price from Insomniac Games explained recently how exactly Resistance: Fall of Man is going to take up more than 20GB of space on a Blu-ray disc.

Yes it is true - we are currently using more than 20 gigs. And yes, we do compress our level data. The fact that we store so much on disc is actually not that surprising when you look at the numbers. Consider that even with compression, each of our "levels" (or loaded areas) has more than 300 megs of unique data. And keep in mind that we're also streaming data during level playthroughs. It doesn't take too much level data before you've gone past what can be stored on a dual-layer DVD. And between single player and multiplayer we have a lot of level data (over 40 different large loaded areas) - yes, more than will fit on a dual layer DVD.

Price also writes, on the IGN blog, that the disc will include game movies in both HD and PAL formats and high quality sound in all supported languages. In other words, this game won't have to be repressed for countries that speak different languages, they can just do one big-ass run.

I think this is the main thing that the PS3's Blu-Ray really has to offer, it can hold a lot more content on a single disc and can allow developers to cut-back on costs by doing single disc runs.

I have no idea how big a deal it is to go to two discs for a single game nor what the increase in cost is for multiple runs for a game. Anyone else have any clue if this could save publishers lots of money and gamers lots of headaches? Brian Crecente

http://blogs.ign.com/Ted-Insomniac/2006/09/07/30283/

Gawker videographer Richard Blakeley spent some time in the Penthouse Suite of teh Bryant Park Hotel today hanging out with Sony, the PS3 and Resistance: Fall of Man. The video shows chunks of the game which hasn't been seen since E3. The Sony folks said the game has had a lot of subtle work done on it. What I saw at E3 didn't really impress me that much. It looked like a solid shooter, but nothing there to really stand out.

From the video it looks like it's shaping up. I especially like the concept of shaking the controller to shake off an attacker. And some of those weapons look pretty unique. Still waiting to see the final product though. Brian Crecente

Today Insomniac Games was named among the top companies to work for in America. The developer, best known for Spyro the Dragon and Ratchet & Clank, placed fourth on the 50 Best Small and Medium Sized Companies to work for in America list. Last year, the company of 155 employees placed third. Insomniac Games is the only game developer to ever make the list.

The list was compiled by the same company that puts together Fortune Magazine's 100 Best Companies to Work For list.

"It's a real honor to be included once again among the five best small companies to work for in America because the ranking is based on our own employees' attitudes about Insomniac Games," said Ted Price, company founder and president. "Our back-to-back, top-five ranking demonstrates that concepts like 'collaboration,' 'quality-over-quantity' and 'innovation' have real meaning here and are in practice every day."

"We are able to get this during a hardware launch cycle," he said. "We have been on a game a year for awhile now and we win awards for those games and we keep people happy, so it is possible."

Schneider says the company offers a number of things to employees to try and cut down on stress and unhappiness.

"We have flexible hours, people can come and go as they please as long as they are in by ten," he said. "In addition to that we have yoga a couple times a week, massage therapy, we cater lunches on Fridays where everyone gets together, we have happy hours, movie nights, Fragfest Fridays."

But the key to keeping employees happy, he says, is making sure they feel they are valued and that their opinion counts.

"It's a great feeling to know that regardless of your position or stature a good idea is a good idea," he said. "It's not a place where the CEO stands on a pedestal."
"I don't feel like I'm a badge number, I feel part of a great time. It's great to wake up in the morning and be excited to go to work."

Price, reached in Washington, D.C. Monday, says he still knows all of his employees.

"Part of my job is to walk around and see everyone and get involved," he said. "Everyone at all levels participate in making the games. Our number one goal is making sure that everyone at Insomniac is listened to."

Price acknowledged that developing for a new console can be more stressful, but says Insomniac tried to cut down on that by changing they way they develop for a new console, like the Playstation 3.

Price added that developing for the PS3 is no harder than developing for the PS2, just with a "different set of challenges."

Price, who founded the company in 1994, says while the company has grown quite a bit, the culture it was built on hasn't changed.

"You wont find a department head that's not participating in making a game," he said. "What that reflects is the same culture from what we had in the beginning." Brian Crecente