Oh my, oh my, Insomniac’s most recent installment of the Resistance took quite a beating from me and Andi, only scraping by with a mediocre 6.7, considering we were being kind to the game. The main reasons for it getting such a low score was due to the somewhat lacklustre campaign levels, senseless arcade competitive online modes and ridiculous graphical hiccups (it’s all in the blood). At a time when the PSP is missing its well needed recovery, some might say that releasing a Resistance game for the system after the latest shambolic episode, would be suicide. If you blamed Insomniac (the developer) for the failure of Resistance 2, then you will be glad to know that Resistance: Retribution is being developed by Sony Bend, one of the Asia branch’s studios with little background leading up to this games development apart from their amazing Syphon Filter series.

          Unlike the two previous games in the series, Retribution won’t be following Sergeant Hale, the American protagonist who’s story may be finished as we know it (refer to the ending of Resistance 2). Instead we go back to Great Britain; only weeks after Hale took down the Chimera tower in the centre of London. Though set in the same timeframe as Resistance 2, the game follows the tale of James Grayson, a British private part of the recon team scouting for survivors in the ruins of the great capital. When they discover a conversion tower however, things take a bit of a fall for Grayson. James discovers his Brother Jonny, lost during a mission during the invasion, but the conversion process had already corrupted his body, turning him into a feral zombie-like creature. With no other option Grayson kills his brother and goes feral, deserting the army and being imprisoned for doing so.

          Unlike the previous Resistance games, Retribution is also in third person, an aspect of the game that could be winner within itself. Instead of the bland First Person Shooter model, you will be able to navigate the screen comfortable with the Medal of Honour-esque control layout, mapping movement to the analog stick, and aiming to the action buttons. One downside to the third person feature is that instead of a manual aiming system, the game has a default auto-locking system, which you will find defeats the point of it actually being called a shooting game if every enemy you encounter gets latched onto unto it drops dead. A cover system is also present, but is also automatic, meaning whenever enemies are close; you will stick yourself to walls or duck under cover. Sure it works well to keep you from dying, but feels a little cheap and in some small instances it won’t actually operate efficiently.

          Just like Resistance for the consoles, Retribution has the

huge array of strange and powerful weapons in its arsenal, from the iconic LAARK to the Fareye rifle. Alongside these two, pretty much every previous weapon will return, renamed and with a new play style to fit the feel of a portable console. Each weapon will have a secondary fire option, but you will notice that against most enemies, the only type of weapon that will save you is the explosive portion of the arsenal.

          Of course, the Chimera will be returning in Retribution, with a few additions seen in Resistance 2 such as the giant sentry bots and the like. The notoriously devilish Titans also return giant one-hit kill rocket launchers in hand too. The first time you play the game, you will undoubtedly get annoyed at the ramp in difficulty; one moment you could be gunning down a single mini drone, and then BOOM! all of a sudden you are ambushed by three Titans with nowhere to hide.

          Another feature players should watch out for is the 8 player online modes supported by infrastructure wireless connection. Players will be able to gun it out in Team Deathmatch, Capture the Flag, and Assimilation modes.

          For a PSP game, the presentation is also very satisfying; the

graphical output may not be as good as that of Monster Hunter or God of War, but certainly comes up to par with the handheld’s library of run n’ gun shooters. The musical scoring is also a high point within the game too, instead of the same blunt tunes playing over and over in a loop, the music will adjust to the atmospheres and situation that crop up within the game.

          Resistance: Retribution is going to either be a turning point for the failing series or it will go to prove the point we made in the Resistance 2 review. Hopefully, without  Insomniac’s guidance this time around, Bend studios can produce a masterpiece to restore the series’ reputation. Retribution is due to land in mid-march, but will it be a good enough excuse to brush the dust off of your aging PSP?