Resistance: Retribution

The PSP is a system that often seems to get the shaft, especially in comparison to its dual-screened competition. Recently, Sony even admitted to making mistakes with their portable hardware, saying the shipping schedule for quality games has been poor thus far.

The PSP is a system that often seems to get the shaft, especially in comparison to its dual-screened competition. Recently, Sony even admitted to making mistakes with their portable hardware, saying the shipping schedule for quality games has been poor thus far.

Yes, Sony, that is an understatement.

But here in 2009, Sony’s finally looking to recommit—they’ve already announced some new (worthwhile) games coming down the pipeline, and have as of late actually been giving us reason to wipe the dust off our poor, neglected systems.

And let me tell you, I can’t think of much a better reason to pull the ailing portable out of storage than Resistance: Retribution.

Taking place between the events of the original Resistance: Fall of Man and Resistance 2, Retribution is in many ways a big departure for the series. It was not developed by Insomniac, who created the series, and its new protagonist lends the game some great characterization, which has arguably been missing.

It’s (obviously) not even a first-person shooter. Retribution‘s third-person perspective and cover-shooting mechanics may be a little different, but it manages to feel right at home in the series thanks to the game’s intense firefights and dedication to the Resistance universe.

Although the new protagonist, British Royal Marine James Grayson, is much different from Nathan Hale, the hero of the first two games, he’s also a lot more interesting. Grayson has a personal vendetta with the Chimera—forced to shoot his defenseless, infected brother, he quit his unit and went on a Chimera killing spree, which lands him on death row for desertion.

Luckily for Grayson, he gets yanked out by members of the French resistance. But Grayson’s still hell-bent on vengeance, at least initially. It ain’t Shakespeare, but Retribution’s narrative packs in enough of Grayson’s psychology that it’s more than just a Chimera shooting gallery.

But how does the game play with the PSP’s single analog stick? Once you get used to the controls, perfectly fine.

Retribution also has aim-assist to help compensate for somewhat handicapped aiming. I don’t generally like using auto-aim, but Retribution‘s firefights get so ridiculous hat by the end you’ll forget it’s even turned on.

Retribution looks sharp, too. While obviously lower res than the PS3 offerings, it’s definitely one of the prettiest PSP games around. Sony Bend even included some fan service—connecting Retribution to Resistance 2 yields Grayson a new outfit and abilities, but also lets you play the game with a Dualshock 3.

Throw in some solid online multiplayer and you’ve got the best PSP game this side of Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops and Final Fantasy Tactics. A must buy.