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.
Today marks the launch of the PlayStation 3 Greatest Hits collection, with nine games given a (slightly) new jewel case and an attractive $30 price tag.
Warhawk
MotorStorm
Resistance: Fall of Man
Call of Duty 3
Need for Speed Carbon
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
Ninja Gaiden Sigma
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas
Assassin's Creed
But which of these games are worth your time and money? Our friends at PS3 Fanboy have done the research for you. Check out their Buyer's Guide to see recommendations, and which online retailers currently have these budget games in stock
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]
Can Sony Bend do no wrong? Resistance: Retribution was easily the best PSP game I saw in Sony's E3 2008 room, and arguably better than any PS3 game there as well (I didn't play all of them). Retribution is essentially "Syphon Filter PSP, Part 3," and players of that handheld franchise will instantly recognize visual and structural similarities. There are, of course, numerous designs that link this new game to Insomniac's Resistance games, despite the obvious perspective change (Retribution is third-person!).
PSP has a difficult time handling the demands of modern action titles. The lack of a second analog nub cripples most games that dare follow the trajectory of similar console-based efforts. Luckily, Bend has had two previous "trials" to get it right, and this time the gang nailed it. While the developer guiding my tour described the demo as a "before pre-alpha" build, I was amazed by the game's playability. At the core of Retribution's gameplay is what Bend's calling the "aim assist box."
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?
Liberation? Retribution? There's definitely something up with the jump to handheld third person ... Dive deeper into the mystery in the gallery below, and then check out Super Stardust (um, not in HD), and a pair of colorful sequels posted after the break.
At their E3 press conference today, Sony announced Resistance: Retribution, a new third-personshooter in the popular first-person Resistance series for the PSP, coming in Spring 2009. The game is being produced by Bend Studio, the people behind Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror. More as we hear it.
Two retail print ads have shown what appears to be three PlayStation 3 titles getting the "Greatest Hits" treatment. The trio shouldn't be surprising: Resistance, Motorstorm and Warhawk. A Kmart print ad shows box art with a red banner reading "Greatest Hits," while a Circuit City ad shows the same three games, sans new packaging, for $30. (You can tell it's the most recent ad since Soul Calibur IV is mentioned as coming out this week.) We expect an official announcement at Sony's press conference this week at E3 2008.
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!)
Insomniac's push eastward was one of last week's most intriguing items of interest, despite a lack of details concerning what exactly the Ratchet & Clank developer has in store for its new Raleigh, NC studio. However, while we don't know exactly what the Burbank, California-based developer has up its sleeves, we figured if anyone had the scoop it would be current Insomniac art director Chad Dezern and gameplay guru Shaun McCabe, both of whom will be given reigns over the company's eastern arm once it opens in January.
We recently spoke with both execs about the new studio, and we couldn't help but kick off the interview by asking the one nagging question on our mind: Why North Carolina?
"We wanted to expand Insomniac's capabilities while retaining the small team culture in Burbank. Opening up an office in The Triangle lets us do that while also offering an alternative for talented people who want to stay on the East Coast," Dezern answered. "Plus, Shaun and I are from the South and we missed the distant strumming of the banjo."
Raleigh, NC had better stock up on Ambien. GameDaily reports that Burbank, CA based Insomniac Games – creator of Resistance and Ratchet & Clank – plans to have a North Carolina office open for business by January 2009. Insomniac art director Chad Dezern will head the studio, with gameplay lead Shaun McCabe taking on the role of production director. Both Insomniac veterans will head east once development wraps on Resistance 2.
The studio, situated in the same "Research Triangle" area of Raleigh-Durham as Gears of War developer Epic Games (no peeking, guys!) will be home to roughly 30 new Insomniacs working on current and all-new franchises for PS3. In his interview with GameDaily, Insomniac president Ted Price points out that a team of 30 should be just the right size for creating a big-time PS3 title using the company's refined tools and technology. PS3 fans should be (rightfully) excited by the prospect of Insomniac likely bringing another all-new franchise to the system by way of the new studio, as the Burbank home base continues to develop future Ratchet and Resistance installments.
Update: Videos for Resistance 2 and Killzone 2 have been removed at Sony's request. "This was an internal video to show work in progress and was not ready for distribution." We will post new media when it is available.
If you were furiously pounding F5 to follow along with PS3 Fanboy's live coverage of PlayStation Day 2008, you probably felt a little pang of sadness as our man, Jem Alexander, got to see some new footage from Mirror's Edge, Resistance 2 and Killzone 2 while you had to make do with reading his text second-hand.
Now, you can make amends and see the videos directly from the show for yourself. Oh, and you should know that the audio on the Killzone clip seems to become a little crazy at the end, but we're hoping you still get the idea. You can find ResistanceMirror's Edge after the break right here.
Posts with tag resistance
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