While I didn't attend E3 – I was hanging out in Kotaku Tower with Luke working the night shift – I did get to see the presentation of Resistance 2 just like everyone else. But since I didn't get to see the game in person, I had to make due by viewing screenshots and somewhat muddy-looking movies on my computer. At the time, I wasn't too impressed with the game from a graphical standpoint. I mean, it looked great, but after sitting down on a nice couch in front of a big-ass TV, I can say with confidence that, yes, Resistance 2 does look amazing.
Insomiac's James Stevenson gave me a run-through of the Resistance 2 demo from E3.
I wasn't surprised when I first saw the leviathan trouncing its way through the flooded streets of Chicago like I was during E3. I knew he was coming. But I was able to see just how much detail is actually on the leviathan model itself and how much intricate detail was going on in the animations on its face. They'll be focusing more on larger bosses this time around, Stevenson told me, so I expect to see many more "wow" moments like this
I was told there would also be a lot more effects added to the final game, too. This will be most noticeable during the sequence where Nathan is running up the stairs in the building with the leviathan peering in at him. All the while the building will be on fire and smoke will be billowing about.
One section that still leaves me troubled is when Nathan is crossing the scaffolding between buildings. After seeing Mirror's Edge and how careful you have to be crossing smaller platforms, it left me a bit disappointed you can blindly run through that with out any worry of plummeting to your death.
Not only do the enemies animate well (thanks in part due to them all being motion-captured), but they also travel in groups and will try to flank you. Luckily, the new Magnum in the game allows you to shoot your bullets into objects and detonate them like a remote bomb. This looks like it will be useful for slower enemies, but for larger, faster groups, I'd stick with the good ‘ol machine gun.
I asked if players should bother keep their Resistance 1 save file on their PS3 in the event they'll receive a carry over bonus like in the Ratchet & Clank games. While James wouldn't confirm anything, he said there might be something, such as a medal. So it sounds like you should hold off on deleting your old save for a little while longer just in case.