Chameleon

Chameleon
Distinctions	Twice as large as a Hybrid, ten large razor-sharp claws, sharp teeth, and equipped with a cloaking device.
Primary Weapon	Large claws
Games featured	Resistance 2

"Sir I was just scouting up ahead. No sign of the convoy, but you guys aren't going to believe what I sa-AAARRGH!!!"

―A Black Ops is killed by a Chameleon

Chameleons are a strain of Chimera that only appears in Resistance 2. They first appear in the level Orick.

Description

Chameleons are fast and deadly Chimera who are invisible due to possibly being equipped with a special Chimeran cloaking device grafted to its cooling unit. They possess ten large razor-sharp claws capable of instantly ripping and tearing a human in half. Chameleons remain motionless and invisible until a victim is close by, then they rush in, becoming visible just before the kill.

Strategy

A cloaked Chameleon prepares to kill an unsuspecting Black Ops soldier.

• Chameleons appears in forested levels and on Chimeran battleships. They usually attack solo or in groups of two. However, on higher difficulties the player may be attacked by groups of three at a time.
• In the story campaign of Resistance 2, a Chameleon can instantly kill the player with one swipe. However, they have relatively low health and can be instantly killed with a strong weapon such as the Rossmore or Magnum.
• The best way to know a Chameleon's presence is by listening to its audible sounds it makes, such as the cooing sound coming from its cloaking device and the sound of its stomping feet as it about to attack.
• When encountering a Chameleon, a slight shimmer of the creature will appear before it attacks, allowing players to react and kill it before it kills them.
• In Cocodrie, soon after fighting a swarm of Leapers, they will soon find a marsh where the player will be attacked by Chameleons. They can be easily found due to the ripples in the water that they make.
• In co-op, Chameleons do not have their one-hit kill attack, but they have slightly more health, for balance in gameplay. In the Superhuman co-op difficulty, a Chameleon can sometimes turn completely invisible, thus making them very difficult to kill. While in this mode, however, they are still seen on radar.
• It is possible to kill a Chameleon with a single melee attack, however, this is extremely risky.

Gallery

Concept art.

Chameleon Test Animation

Chameleon model from Garry's Mod "Resistance 2: Characters Ragdolls".

A cloaked Chameleon prepares to kill an unsuspecting Black Ops soldier.

Hale kills a Chameleon via melee attack.

A cloaked Chameleon in Cocodrie.

Ditto.

Trivia

• The Chameleon partially resembles to the fictional alien, the Predator, especially when it first appears in the woods just as the Predator did in the movie. It is also coincidental that the Chameleon's similarity to the Predator and its introduction in California, is maybe a subtle nod to actor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who lives in and was governor of the aforementioned state, the main character in Predator.
• When the Chameleon first appears it unsheathes its claws with a sound that is almost identical to the way that the Marvel comic book character Wolverine unsheathes his claws.
• When there is a live Chameleon, the cloaking device makes a sound similar to an owl and a growling cat.
• A Chameleon's outline will not appear while using an Auger.
• According to concept arts the Chameleon was originally to appear in Resistance: Fall of Man but was taken out for unknown reasons like several other Chimera strains that exclusively appeared in Resistance 2.
• The Chameleon was formally known as the "CamoHybrid".
• In Resistance a Chameleon is depicted in using other weaponry.
• Judging by its sharp teeth and lack of eyes, the Chameleon could be a parallel evolution of the Leech.
• The Chameleon is striking similar to the Elites from Halo who are often cloaked enemies armed with a close-range energy sword that can instantly kill the player.