Resistance - Why It FAILED

Expanding For The Sequel

With the fate of Nathan Hale left hanging at Fall of Man's conclusion, many expected a sequel and Insomniac had big plans. With the game taking place in the United States, the game's scale and stakes were considerably ramped up. With a new setting and the bindings of the launch cycle cast off, Insomniac wanted to go bigger and better in every way. This was displayed most prominently in the game's E3 2008 demo in which the protagonist took on the gargantuan leviathan in a ruined Chicago.

Released later that same year, R2 follows the returning Nathan Hale as he returns to the US to defend it from a gargantuan Chimera invasion. Across a wider array of locales from San Francisco all the way to Louisiana, the resistant soldier teams up with others like him, the Sentinels. The onslaught quickly overwhelms the nation and while the protagonist and his compatriots fight hard, the Chimera are relentless in their assault.

When you get down to it, the game is a response to many contemporary shooters of the time, mixed with its own alternative history identity. It does have a couple of notable high points. Most notably the enormous boss creatures Hale takes on at the end of each chapter.

More impactful however was the title's comprehensive multiplayer mode. In addition to sixty player online battles that had never been accomplished on consoles before, it also created a unique eight-player cooperative campaign that was unlike anything in the FPS genre at the time. Because of these features and high marketing, R2 was the best-selling game in the series, but there were hidden issues lurking under the surface.