Resistance 2 killed the franchise and that's all there is to it. R3 would need to have been beyond good across the board to salvage things.
I still feel the setting was one of the best for an FPS yet, but it was squandered with the see-sawing between gameplay styles and seeming changing of the concept from one game to the next.
Letting it go - at least for a while anyway - seems the best choice.
Try to be reasonable... its easier than you think...