Resistance 2 also adds a new competitive mode called Skirmish. Players are put into one of two teams, and then further divided into squads of four to six players each. During the game, squads are assigned an objective such as "capture/defend this point," "gather your squad at this point" or "kill this enemy target," and are awarded points for successful completion of those objectives. The team that reaches the point goal first wins.  This works well; spontaneous objectives force players to think on their toes and constantly scramble to stay in the lead.  Random objectives do get jumbled at times, but never enough to destroy the fun and flow of the match.

Co-operative play is one of the best surprises in Resistance 2. As with large-scale deathmatch, players may have a precept of cooperative play along the lines of Gears of War or Army of Two. The reality is much different, though not negatively so. Players can choose from one of three classes — Soldier, Medic, or SpecOps — and team up to try and play through one of the game’s six co-op missions.  These levels are extremely simple, mostly revolving around pressing a button, running to an area and mowing down tons of enemies. As such, the co-op in Resistance 2 is more hack-n-slash than co-operative shooter.

The classes are designed to be dependent on each other, with medics healing, SpecOps supplying ammunition, and Soldiers creating force barriers to protect the team. Each class can level up, gain new abilities and even use “grey tech” acquired from bosses to purchase attribute-enhancing equipment. As strange as it may sound, co-op in Resistance 2 feels more like a first-person Diablo than a traditional cooperative shooter, and that’s not a bad thing at all.

Resistance 2’s visuals are polished and smooth. The game palette is dominated by yellow, opting for high-contrast visuals.  This gives the game a bleak and alien feel, and lends a sepia photo feeling to the towns and countryside.  Environments inside the alien towers boast snaking tubes and pipes so intricate they go a long way towards making the trip worthwhile.  The game’s engine also capably renders large vistas, impressing a sense of scale on the player that can be breathtaking at times.

Insomniac has some real talent; Resistance 2’s multiplayer is proof positive of that.  In a game that does so much right, it’s absolutely flummoxing why Insomniac made the campaign as artificially difficult as it is.  Regardless, players aching for a PS3 online shooter have found it.  Players looking for a fulfilling and entertaining single-player campaign should keep looking — or invest in a bottle of Advil.