Ben-DutkaWhile there are plenty of hot titles scheduled to release over the next few months, none are hotter than Resistance 2 for the PlayStation 3 and Gears of War 2 for the Xbox 360. This is gonna be one hell of a holiday showdown.
Both are shooters, yes; but one is a true-blue FPS while the other utilizes a third-person, over-the-shoulder mechanic that works exceedingly well. The original Gears of War was an easy Game of the Year nominee and winner while Resistance: Fall of Man was the best PS3 launch title…by a long shot. And at E3 this year, the attendees were wowed by the release of several new gameplay videos for Insomniac's ambitious project, which appears to be bigger and better in just about every possible respect. At the same time, everyone is expecting nothing short of brilliance with GeoW2, and the Xbox 360 still has the lead in terms of an established user base. Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of this particular head-to-head contest is that these two titles are exclusive to one particular platform; that's a damn rare thing these days. As the third-party exclusive is borderline extinct, we have to turn to first (or second)-party teams for exclusive projects.
So of course, the big question is, which one? Well, it's nearly impossible to make that decision. It may be a no-brainer for FPS fans who still refuse to embrace even the best third-person gameplay, but for those who simply want an unbelievable experience, there may not be a definitive answer. We can say that Resistance 2 is yet another reason to own the PS3, as if MGS4 wasn't enough of a reason a few months back. As for the 360, which seems to have a lighter holiday lineup than Sony, GeoW2 will easily be the biggest exclusive 2008 title. The PS3 will also get a huge boost from LittleBigPlanet , MotorStorm: Pacific Rift , and SOCOM: Confrontation , but the Resistance sequel should set the tone. The detail appears amazing for both games, the gameplay should be spot-on, and the rest may come down to personal preference regarding story, atmosphere, and general style. As for online, GeoW2 will be gigantic, but it'll be tough to top Resistance 2 's 60-player extravaganza, especially with the free Network.
Yeah, those who don't know us just figure we're using this as an excuse to promote the PS3 game over the 360 game, but that's not what we're about at PSXE. As far as this writer is concerned, it's all about playing the best of the best, and no matter how I break this contest down…I just can't come up with a winner. I refuse to recommend one game over the other, and all I can really say is this: I'm thankful to have two awesome games coming out at about the same time, and I really don't care they're on two different platforms. I suppose I can say I want Resistance 2 just a bit more because I think it'll be longer than GeoW2 and more worth my $60, but I'm not even entirely sure that'll be true. So if you're torn, I'm sorry I wasted your time, but I can't help you. Get both. 🙂
Related Game(s): Resistance 2
