Resistance 2 beta pushes PS3's online qualities

Sony's PlayStation Network, while considerably less mature than Microsoft's Xbox Live, especially in terms of software support, will soon grow with the release of banner online titles for the Christmas season.

For annual subscribers to Qore, the PlayStation online magazine, and North American customers who pre-ordered Resistance 2 from retailer GameStop, a beta of the online FPS has begun. The title is the sequel to the popular PS3 first person shooter Resistance: Fall of Man.

While technically not a public beta yet, the PlayStation blog reports that "premier access" can be gained at any time by subscribing to Qore or pre-ordering the title. In October, however, the widespread (read: free) public beta will begin.

Interested users can apply for the public beta on the Resistance 2 beta site. The only stipulations are that the user must have an active PlayStation3 Network Account (which is free) and be over 18 years of age. Naturally, playing the beta also requires a connected PS3.

Promising eight-player co-op mode, and a competitive multiplayer mode with up to 60 participants, Resistance 2 will be exclusively on the PS3. The current gold standard for online shooters is the cross-platform Call of Duty 4, which managed to quickly offset the popularity of 360-exclusive Halo 3.

Sony is pressing forward with its online play catalog, and highlighted what it hopes to be its future superiority in the field at E3 this year with early demos of MAG (Massive Action Game) which promises an unprecedented 256 maximum simultaneous players.