Resistance 2 takes place in various locales across the United States in a fictional 1953. The fifties style adds a lot of character to the game and helps set it apart from your generic military style FPS. The thing that struck me when I started playing was how incredibly realistic the graphics were. So realistic in fact that several times I had to remind myself that this was a video game and not a movie. The water effects in particular were stunning and it's amazing how small details like ripples added to the overall effect. For me, the attraction of a lot of games relies heavily on a strong art style which Resistance 2 has in spades.

Obviously, most people are not going to play Resistance 2 based on its cool art style, they are going to play to blow the crap out of aliens with big guns, something else the game has plenty of. I played a goodly portion of the single player mode and found it to be quite engaging and really got my blood pumping. The controls were easy to manage and soon I was taking down the monstrous hordes with the best of them. Of course I still managed to blow myself up with an ill thrown grenade, but that seems to be something of a tradition with me so I wasn't too put off.

While I didn't actually play the co-op mode myself (I am too embarrassed to show my crappy FPS skills to my journalist peers) I sat in on a long session and it was an absolute blast. I used to be very negative about online play but after seeing Left 4 Dead at PAX and now Resistance 2's multiplayer mode, I am definitely rethinking my opinion. The sense of energy and excitement that was generated with eight players all on the same battlefield working together was palpable. Shouts of "MEDIC!" echoed across the room as the team picked its way across the level. Then in a glorious takedown that elicited screams from the entire room, our intrepid heroes were swarmed and eliminated by a slew of hideous alien lifeforms. Even though the team essentially "failed" the mission, the result was just as satisfying as if they had won. To me that is the mark of a really enticing game.

The 60 player versus mode was equally as exciting if not a bit overwhelming. The same crackling energy that attended the co-op mode was present here, but cranked up to eleven. I'm not particularly a versus player myself, but watching the excitement of my fellow players made getting repeatedly shot in the back not such a terrible thing.

If FPSs, co-op gameplay and kicking some serious alien ass (or your fellow earthling's asses for that matter) in a graphically captivating environment is your thing, then Resistance 2 is the game for you. It will be fighting for dominance in the holiday game market against several other AAA titles when it debuts on November 4, but this is one title that is sure to stand out from the crowd.