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.

While not yet open to all those Qore subscribers, a select group of PlayStation Underground members have been sent invitations to the Resistance 2 private beta test. To find out if you're in, check the email linked to your PSN account or hit up the Resistance 2 beta page and try to log in with your PSN name under the Beta Info tag. Qore subscribers will have to wait until that ever-so-descript "late September" start date.

[Thanks to eveyone who sent this in!]

It's time for Veronica Belmont to show us around the Qore again. Episode 3 covers DC Universe Online, Lego Batman and a couple other titles. As an added bonus, Qore annual subscribers will gain access to the Resistance 2 beta this month. Speaking of betas, downloading the Home theme in this week's update will sign you up for a chance to enter the Home beta. There's some other goodies to be found in the PSN update this week, but we're sure you're still enjoying that purchase of PixelJunk Eden from last week, right? RIGHT?! At least try the demo.

The Trophy-addicts over at PS3 Fanboy have the details on this week's European update. Be sure to check out their Trophy portal while you're over there.

If you're already an annual subscriber to the PlayStation Network's Qore "magazine" then you're undoubtedly already content with your purchase, having scored Calling All Cars, a beta invite to SOCOM: Confrontation (beta forthcoming), some interstitial advertising and, of course, two issues of interactive-y content. If you've been waiting to drop your virtual bucks on an annual subscription, today's installment should probably be on your radar because, as you undoubtedly remember, that subscription grants one access to the Resistance 2 beta program in September.

Here's the bad news: That access to the SOCOM beta you've been waiting for ... well, it won't start until September 8th (incidentally a full week after it kicks off for those who pre-ordered). The Resistance 2 beta: also September (and also after those pesky pre-order folks). So what we're trying to say here is this: your September is probably going to be pretty busy playing multiplayer PlayStation 3 shooters that aren't out yet. For more details on this month's episode of Qore, hit up that Source link or watch the trailer after the break.

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?

We've got three videos from Resistance 2 to ensure your eyes remain firmly glued to the screen. The first, embedded above, is the official E3 2008 trailer. Not much to see except a nanosecond tease for viral site Project Abraham. The other two videos don't have viral teases, but they do show a freaking sweet boss fight with a leviathan, and a brief and quiet snippet of multiplayer. We've embedded those after the break.

While GamePro is sharing the goods on Resistance 2 in its latest issue, we know that not everyone is a fan of getting their game news off the rack so we thought we'd share the first couple of screens from the magazine's cover story. Posted by the PlayStation Blog, the shots give us a look at Chimera-occupied Chicago as well as the city's resident boss, a massive 300-foot Leviathan. Honestly, we don't know if we're more excited to collect the Trophy for dropping this baddie, or simply watch him rip through downtown, Cloverfield-style.

Let's not mince words, Insomniac's Resistance 2 is sure to be one of Sony's heaviest hitters during E3 later this month. But if you can't wait for what is sure to be minutes devoted to the Trophy-enabled shooter during Sony's pre-show festivities, you might want to take a peek at what GamePro has in store for its latest issue, which features a fold-out cover of the above art, with war-themed propaganda on the back. Nice!

Among the details promised, the mag will offer a look at the game's campaign, co-op, and competitive multiplayer modes, as well as a gaze skyward at a towering 300-foot tall Chimera that besets Chicago as the game's first end-level nasty. For more, we suggest heading to your favorite magazine rack to pick up the latest issue of GamePro, and let your eyeballs soak up the August issue's 10-page cover story on the upcoming FPS.

PS3 Fanboy brings word that a new slice of Resistance 2 footage has popped up on YouTube after appearing on (then disappearing from) Eurogamer TV. If you want a fresh look at Sony's big FPS for the fall, watch it while it's hot. There's a good chance this instance of the video will get pulled soon as well.

Update: We have removed the embedded YouTube player as a courtesy to Sony. (It's still up on YouTube though!)

No longer ensconced in a GameTrailersTV shell, we've assembled Friday night's three gameplay clips from Resistance 2 for you to enjoy without leaving the 'Stiq. Get a first look at one of the game's new locations: Chicago; check out the 60-player multiplayer mode, Skirmish (we've played it, it actually works!); admire the HD graphics (really, watch the HD feeds if you're able) and get a peek at ... holy crap, is that a skyscraper-stomping Godzilla? Multiplayer video is embedded above, and the single-player videos are after the break.