resistance: retribution is not so much a continuation of the previous Resistance game but rather a side plot involving a new protagonist named James Grayson. The events of Resistance: Retribution take place soon after the fall of the Chimeran tower in London, which features at the end of Resistance: Fall of Man, the first game in the franchise released in 2006.
The storyline revolves around the invasion of an alien race called the Chimera. The Chimera are hell-bent on the total annihilation of the human race, either through warfare or assimilation. The previous games focused on the Chimeran virus infecting humans and therefore effectively turning human beings into Chimera.
Where previous Resistance titles are played from a first-person perspective, Resistance: Retribution is a third-person shooter. After locating his infected younger brother at a Chimera conversion centre, Grayson is forced to shoot and kill him. As a result, he goes off the deep end and suffers a nervous breakdown. Vowing to destroy as many Chimerans as possible, he embarks on a violent rampage of vengeance and retribution for his brother’s death.
The storyline of Resistance: Retribution is one of the strongest aspects of the game and also one of the most enjoyable. The characters are well developed and with appropriately timed action sequences throughout the game, Resistance: Retribution is easily one of the best third-person shooters available for the PSP.
Movement in the game is a little different to previous control schemes. For instance, the ‘duck and cover’ mechanic has been slightly altered in Retribution to accommodate ‘auto cover’, where you will automatically approach cover if cover is available. This is extremely handy when fire-fights in the game require you to exterminate multiple targets.
General movement is also controlled differently, with the analogue stick controlling movement and the X and triangle buttons controlling your view up and down. The square and circle buttons control strafing movements, left and right. An auto-aim feature is also present in Retribution; again extremely handy during frantic skirmishes with Chimera. You can also select targets by using the standard control buttons. You may find the movement mechanic a little strange at first (or at least I did), especially if you’re used to using the directional pad to move around. However, it’s a small learning curve and one that doesn’t take too long to work around.
Be on the lookout for things such as health packs in the game, as you really don’t want to be dying all the time. You’ll also need to navigate and manoeuvre around all sorts of interesting terrain, so the sooner you get used to moving in the game, the better.
The navigation and menu system is detailed yet easily structured for new players and veteran gamers alike. You will be able to alter game options such as aim assist, audio and video, as well as controls.
As Resistance: Retribution is a story-driven game, the content is extremely immersive, requiring you to regularly check on ‘intel’ (game hints) and to take note of any specific game plot clues during the cut-scenes, which, along with the voice acting, are also excellent.
There is also another very cool game feature called ‘Infect your PSP’ that allows you to unlock new content within the game if you own the previous game, Resistance 2. The feature also allows you to play this content via your PlayStation 3 console and on your TV screen, which is just awesome!
Resistance: Retribution has it all: immersive game content, lots of action and a fantastic storyline to match. The added game content and functionality boosts the replayability of Retribution through the stratosphere! We anticipate you’ll be hard-pressed to find another third-person shooter with as much content as this one. Resistance fan or not, Retribution is a must-have for the PSP.