Look, you gotta understand, not everyone gets into a private party. But a public one? Man, you gotta have some bad luck -- or some funky smelling breath -- not to be invited in. Go on, prove that you're still worthy, apply for the Resistance 2 Public Beta. You can drop your answers here (remember, there's always a right answer, even if it doesn't count). Here's what Insomniac has to say:

"We'll notify you via e-mail if you are accepted into the Public Beta. Space is limited. So, if you want to get a chance to try out all the new multiplayer features in Resistance 2, such as the 8-player co-op and up to 60-player competitive multiplayer, apply now! Good luck!"

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]

Sony and Insomniac have released a Chimera dung-load of videos for Resistance 2. The footage featured includes single-player campaign scenes, new multiplayer stuff and the first clip of R2's co-op gameplay. The 10 new videos can be found after the break, and the game can be found after Nov. 4.

Are we allowed to say that Resistance 2 is "bigger, better and more badass" than the original PS3 launch title? Because that's exactly what it is. In many ways, R2 is incredibly predictable, offering all the improvements one would expect from a highly anticipated sequel. Improved visuals? Check. Better gameplay? Yep. More features? Of course.

While Insomniac has been largely focused on its ambitious 60-player online multiplayer offering, yesterday's demonstration finally let us experience the single-player campaign for the first time. Finally, we could see what the new engine was capable of -- and it's much, much more than what the multiplayer has led us to believe. The new lighting and particle effects are particularly noteworthy. The expanded color palette is a refreshing change from the grays and various shades of brown so prominent in the original. In fact, the vibrant particle effects and bright, sunny presentation reminded us a little bit of Ratchet & Clank ... that is, until a Chimera exploded into bloody chunks.

With Resistance 2 expected to drop into Chimera-occupied Chicago in early November, Ted Price, Insomniac's president and CEO, has come forward to confirm that the game is nearly complete. "The game is just about finished," commented Price in a recent interview with GameSpot, adding that the final three to four week push, dedicated to fine tuning and squashing bugs, is "always the most difficult."

Price also adds that the team has been "loath to cut any corners during development," making simply getting to the finish line with Resistance 2 something of a challenge for the developers. We appreciate the effort, honestly; the last thing we want to worry about when facing down an impossibly huge leviathan is if our game will freeze before we can bring the massive baddie to his equally gargantuan knees.

Resistance Retribution was a surprise hit last month at E3, and we had another chance to play it at last week's Penny Arcade Expo. With more playtime, however, come burning questions that need to be answered. Thankfully, Sam Villanueva, Senior Designer at Bend Studio, was at hand to answer our queries and make sure we could sleep soundly again.

Will you be optimizing Resistance Retribution for the PSP Brite?

That's a good question. We'll be evaluating this. We're pretty deep in development right now. We'd like to optimize, but that could potentially mess with launch time. If we can do it without affecting the date our game comes out, we will.

How does the game fit into the series?

Retribution fits nicely between Resistance 1 and Resistance 2. It's a continuation of the European campaign, whereas Resistance 2 is the start of the American campaign. You are James Grayson and you're going in to destroy another Chimeran tower. We wanted the story to deal with some pretty deep, dark stuff. Lots of drama and mystery. The game starts with your brother being infected and you're forced to kill him, for example.

Is there a multiplayer mode?

Absolutely. We've got lots of cool multiplayer stuff which we'll be announcing soon.

Last weekend at PAX, we sat down with Bryan Intihar, the Community Manager / Hand Model (yes, that is on his business card) for Insomniac to go over Resistance 2. We were able to get some fascinating details about the secretive co-op mode (drop-in/drop-out confirmed!), as well as some interesting story tidbits (evidently this time around, Hale remembers he can talk).

To start things off, could you give us a quick rundown of changes from the first Resistance?

Sure, there's a lot of course -- but in terms of the campaign we've put a lot more emphasis on Nathan Hale and that comes through in the story and how we're presenting the story. In R1, it was much more of a narrative approach with Rachel Parker telling the story, giving it a third-person feel. This time around it's all about Hale.

Out of the many games that Sony was showing off at PAX this year, the one that easily dominated their show booth was Resistance 2. They had 16 stations setup, each linked into the ongoing private beta servers so that expo attendees could get a true taste of 60 player online action. While it was a bit disappointing that Sony wasn't showing off anything from either the single player or co-op portions of the game, it was great being able to try out the actual scope of Resistance 2's multiplayer matches.

One of the first things you'll notice when you pick up the controller, is that the controls have been subtly improved. The awkward weapon select wheel and the slight aiming stiffness of the first game have been replaced with a two-weapon system and a considerably more fluid aiming / moving mechanic. While it's still not on par with the tightness of Call of Duty 4's controls, they are much more comfortable now and definitely made running around the level easier.

Gun-toting xenophobes, rejoice! Sony has confirmed that Resistance 2, much like all games ever, will have its North American release in the alarmingly crowded month of November -- the 4th, to be exact. Insomniac's ambitious first-person shooter will also arrive in the company of a fancy, $79.99 collector's edition, complete with the usual making-of videos, art books and snarling statuettes.

If you're the impatient type who simply can't wait to take some shots with at a digital Chimera, you'll be pleased to note that Sony has a multiplayer and co-operative public beta planned for early October. To gain "guaranteed access," you'll either have to pre-order Resistance 2 at Gamestop, purchase an annual subscription to the PSN's interactive magazine Qore, or simply purchase Qore Episode 3. There's a free option too -- register here -- but it does not guarantee entry to the beta.

Do you feel confident in saying that you despise the chimera more than anyone else that you know? To be more specific, would you say you hate them twenty dollars more? You can prove your disdain for those yellow-eyed jerks by picking up the collector's edition for Resistance 2, recently unveiled by Amazon.com, which is quickly becoming one of the most comprehensive (if not somewhat unlikely) sources for video game news. Seriously. We're worried.

Included in the bundle (which, for the mathematically challenged, is currently priced at $79.99) is a behind-the-scenes making-of documentary, video commentary from the game's developers, a "Twisted History" chronology video, an exclusive multiplayer character skin, a double-sided art book, and a preview of the heretofore unannounced Gathering Storm novel, which is based on the game. There's also a five and a half inch tall Chimera Hybrid action figure which, due to your unreasonable chimeric hatred, you'll probably just end up microwaving in effigy.

[Via PS3 Fanboy]

Video games have given so much to you, isn't it time you do your civic duty and give back? IGN is providing the perfect opportunity allowing you, the public, to vote on the cover art for the Resistance 2 Collector's Edition. OK, so it's not exactly Obama/McCain, but you work with what you've got.

IGN says that Insomniac is offering the choice to fans because "the studio can't seem to make up its mind," which is insulting to your intelligence, but probably not so insulting that you should avoid the vote all together. After all, it's not just a right, it's a responsibility.

We were a little startled when Eurogamer revealed Ratchet and Clank: Quest for Booty was a 3.2 GB download. We knew the game had junk in the trunk, but the last we heard it was around 2.3 GB. With no Blu-ray disc planned for North America, the less time we have to spend waiting for the interminable download from the PSN (plus install) this Thursday, the better.

We contacted Sony and were told that the difference between the European and NA version could be blamed on the 11 languages being included with the former, with two .pkg files containing 5-6 languages each. Not that a file size would have stopped us from getting the $15 game, but why do the Europeans keep getting Blu-ray releases of PSN games while North American consumers learn to macrame waiting to download another hefty PSN title? Come on, Sony. We're North America, we're not used to gaming inequity like Europe. Give us the disc and make them wait. It's just the way things are supposed to be.

Spoiler alert! A new Ratchet & Clank game is coming next year. Upon completing Quest for Booty -- the downloadable Ratchet & Clank episode due on PSN next week -- 1UP was rewarded with ... more Ratchet & Clank; at least, the reassurance that there'll be a ninth installment in the franchise. The teaser (pictured above) supposedly appears after the credits roll and all but confirms Insomniac's intent to keep churning out sequels every other fall (the series is turning just "six" in November!), while popping out a Resistance game in the off years. Do we have an early front-runner for Joystiq's coveted award for Stalwart Excellency in the Face of Change?

PlayStation 3 owners who subscribe to Sony's "interactive magazine" Qore will be able to participate in Resistance 2's beta this September (via IGN). The details are sketchy at the moment -- we're going to guess you'll have to pay the $25 annual subscription fee and not just $3 for the related episode -- but the thought of 60-player team deathmatch has us frothing at the mouth. No beta details revealed yet for the Qore-less Europe.

Update: Posting on myresistance.net, Insomniac Community Manager James Stevenson has clarified that "you will have many ways to get in" the beta. "The best way which will give you the earliest access to the beta will involve a pre-order program that should be announced soon," Stevenson writes. As for those of you residing outside of North America, don't worry, Insomniac has you covered ... somehow -- worldwide servers will be tested! [Thanks, Jay]

Insomniac carved out its fourth "C" behind closed doors at E3 this week: Community. (Can you name the other three?) Bungie has put the pressure on other FPS developers to serve their dedicated player base, and Insomniac hopes to respond by relaunching myresistance.net alongside Resistance 2 this fall.

We were shown some concept slides of the new site design, beginning with a landing page with links to three distinct experiences. To the left was an entryway into the community pages, in the center was "game info," and to the right was "chronicles" (a section of the site that ties the franchise together with content like a timeline system). The landing page will be customizable to some extent. We saw a mock "ticker," which could run along the top of the page displaying various Resistance related feeds (news, developer updates, friends activity, etc.). But what happens when we jump into the community portal?

Insomniac's Ratchet and Clank: Quest for Booty is the first (and possibly only) episodic DLC for the series. Community Relations Manager James Stevenson told us during a hands-on session that RC:QB is an "experiment" and that it could serve as either the start of an episodic series or just a transition between two disc-based titles.

The 3 to 4 hour game is built on the Tools of Destruction engine with some better lighting. Other than a new grapple feature, which is used for puzzle solving and world interaction, the game is in many ways an extension of the Ratchet and Clank series. Stevenson said the game was planned to be "more heavily focused" on platforming elements instead of the guns (although those are available as the game progresses).