These sequels are dramatic improvements on the original games, writes STEPHEN FENECH

Resistance 2 - PS3 (Insomniac)

SERGEANT Nathan Hale has returned to fight the deadly Chimera – a race of aliens who have all but wiped out the world’s population with a deadly virus.

The original – Resistance: Fall Of Man – was set in Britain in 1951.

Hale, a US Army Ranger, was infected with the virus but instead of killing him, his strange immunity gave him superhuman strength and heightened abilities.

After Hale led the battle across parts of Britain, the Chimera advance was halted – for the time being.

Resistance 2 takes up the story two years later when the Chimera have shifted their attack to the US.

Hale has been promoted to lieutenant and is being treated with an inhibitor drug to prevent him succumbing further to the effects of the Chimera virus, which is now threatening to overtake his body.

Hale joins forces with the Sentinels, a squad of soldiers who have been infected in a similar manner, to repel the Chimera invasion.

Players who enjoyed the original can expect a similar experience with this first-person shooter.

Many familiar enemies return, along with a few interesting new threats.

Areas that are much richer in Resistance 2 are the environments.

Being set in the US, players travel to San Francisco, Utah, Chicago, Louisiana and the Gulf of Mexico.

One unnerving sequence occurs in a dilapidated Chicago hotel where players navigate the dark halls never knowing when a zombie-like Grim will attack.

Gears Of War 2 - XBox 360 (Epic)

AFTER the detonation of the lightmass bomb at the end of the original Gears Of War game, we all thought the vile Locust horde had been wiped out once and for all.

Six months later, where Gears Of War 2 takes up the story, it appears the Locusts have re-emerged after two cities mysteriously disappear underground.

Players again assume the role of Marcus Fenix, who leads the COG Delta Squad in their mission to protect Jacinto – the last remaining human safe zone which is now under threat.

The third-person shooter game has stepped up a few notches from the original, with a number of new characters and environments.

The game’s physics engine has also been fine-tuned to provide more life-like graphics and smoother gameplay.

One of the more noticeable improvements is the storyline.

There is a lot more emotional involvement from the characters, who have their own issues to deal with.

For example, one of the other main characters, Dom, has lost contact with his wife and he is determined to locate her, yet he also knows he has a duty to perform.

The voice acting and music are exceptional and add a real quality layer to the title.

GOW2 is not just a duplication of the first game but a worthy sequel, with many new and interesting elements.

Happy shooting!

Share this article