Use your PSP to join the Resistance on the go

Looking back on the last proper console release of a Resistance title and you'll see we've already been waiting two long years to see just exactly how the alien-meets-man story plays out. And, if developer Insomniac Games is to be believed, we have another year to wait before Resistance 3 hits stores late next year. However, if you've never dabbled in the world of the PlayStation Portable before, you only have to look as far as Resistance: Retribution to get some hot headshot action.

The real Resistance experience
Released in early 2009, Retribution follows the alternate-reality version of a 1950s world war. Humanity isn't under attack from fascists this time around, but instead fears total destruction at the hands of the Locust, a race of terrifyingly well-armed monsters who emerged from right under our feet.

You are James Grayson, a soldier in the British resistance movement who has taken the untimely demise of his brother at the hands of the invaders personally. Deciding to take matters into your own hands, you launch a personal assault on the invaders and develop a bit of a problem with authority along the way.

Disregarding the obvious dangers, you press ever-onward, fighting foes on the ground while war wages all around you. The pretense is enough to get you into the game world, and the narrative is further fleshed out by several well-produced cinematic sequences as the game progresses. It won't win any Academy Awards, but the story is believable enough to emotionally invest you in the outcome, and that's really what it's all about.

The first difference that Resistance fans will notice, is that Retribution is presented in a third-person perspective, with the camera situated behind the player character. This is different from the first two games in the series, which were strictly first-person, or see-through-the-soldier's-eyes, based. The difference may seem drastic to die-hard fans, but in order to make the game work with the PSP's size, the screen real estate had to be used for the action, leaving the player's massive weaponry in Grayson's hands, rather than clogging up the view.

Tiny portable system, huge game
The main complaint with many PSP titles is that the lack of a second analog stick makes controlling fast-paced games difficult. Retribution attempts to remedy this by allowing you to control the camera and weapon reticle with the face buttons (X directs you down, Triangle up, and so on). It doesn't work quite as well as a second analog stick would have, but it certainly does the job. That's not to say there isn't a learning curve; there definitely is, but once you get your head around it, you'll be pulling off shots like Jesse James.

The game also looks fantastic. There is texture and detail in the environments, weapons, and enemies that would rival some late PlayStation 2 titles. Gunfire and explosions light up the screen like a 4th-of-July celebration, and slowdown is rarely an issue. The environments have the same post-apocalyptic look of the console iterations, but remain varied enough that you'll rarely get any sense of deja vu.

Retribution also features an online multiplayer mode, but unfortunately it suffers a bit in the visual and framerate departments. Still, there is plenty of fun to be had while the game's servers remain active. And with a total of five multiplayer modes to chose from, you're sure to find a mode to your liking. 

Resistance: Retribution is one of the most ambitious PSP games ever crafted. It's a console-size adventure in a portable, instantly-playable package, and more than that, it's a fantastic way to spend some time waiting for Resistance 3... and sharpen your skills.

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