Developed at Sony Bend, Resistance: Retribution is the first title in the well-received Resistance franchise to appear on the PSP. A third-person action game, Retribution presents a side story to the events in the PS3 series, complete with a new protagonist and new areas in the campaign. Even though the game is pretty different from the PS3 iterations, it still does a great job of retaining the action and intensity of the original games, and even manages to nail the control scheme, making it one of the best playing action games ever to hit the PSP.

Resistance: Retribution takes place in the time between the first and second Resistance games, and puts players in control of Lt. James Grayson, a British soldier fighting against the Chimera throughout Europe. Things take a turn for the worse for him when he discovers his brutalized brother in a Chimera conversion center, too far gone to be saved, requiring Grayson to take him out of his misery. This triggers something in Grayson, who from that point on goes AWOL on a revenge mission to destroy any conversion center that he finds. Unfortunately, his superiors eventually catch up with him, charging him with desertion, which lands him on death row. However, as an experienced destroyer of conversion centers, he is given a conditional pardon, and put back in the battlefield to help defeat the Chimera.

The grizzled and battle-hardened Grayson lacks the stoic silence of Sgt. Hale (the hero from the two PS3 iterations), instead cracking out bad one-liners in a overwhelming cockney accent that sounds like Jason Statham woke up on the wrong side of the bed. While it does provide some cool backstory elements that explain the nature of the Cloven, the story and dialogue aren’t really the game’s strong suits.

However, what it lacks in story it makes up for in competent gameplay elements. While previous PSP action titles have been severely gimped simply due to the system’s hardware limitations (only one analog nub instead of two functional thumbsticks), Resistance: Retribution does a great job of not only recognizing this, but rectifying it in a way that is not only easily accessible, but actually quite competent even in fast-paced multiplayer shootouts.

The game’s auto-assist feature gives you a wide targeting reticule that individually auto-targets enemies that fall within it, allowing you to quickly select between them in heated battle. Additionally, Grayson will automatically duck and cover behind objects in the environment should he be able to, popping out to attack when commanded to. The end result is a very intuitive control scheme that actually manages to feel quite natural on the system.

The game’s scope is pretty big as well. While you won’t get many of the landmark-style battles that the two PS3 games capitalized on (sadly no shootouts in front of the Golden Gate Bridge or downtown Chicago are to be found here), you’ll still be able to take on a variety of enemies from the PS3 games, including some huge ones in well conceived large-scale battles against enemies like Titans, and even some new foes, like Boilers (harpy-like creatures that require a headshot to take out).

Additionally, the weaponry is also great, with holdovers from the fantastic weapon rosters of the PS3 titles making an appearance in fully realized form. Weapons like the Auger (a rifle capable of shooting throughout walls), the FarEye sniper rifle, and the automatic Carbine M5 each feature their secondary fire abilities and work as well as you’d hope.

One of the most intriguing features in Resistance: Retribution is the PSP Plus mode. Essentially, this allows you to connect your PSP and your copy of Resistance: Retribution to your PS3 and use a SIXAXIS or DualShock 3 controller to play the game. If you have a set of PSP component cables (and a PSP-2000 or 3000 model) then you’ll really be able to play the game on your TV in style. Another nice touch when playing in Plus mode is that you can unlock a special Infected mode, which provides an alternate series of events in which Grayson becomes infected with the Chimera disease, allowing him to regenerate heath and breathe underwater, and unlocks new weapons, like the Magnum from Resistance 2 and some others, which is a great touch.

Playing the game with a PS3 controller feels extremely natural, and while it does away with the intuitive auto-assist feature, it makes up for it by adding an additional thumbstick, which ultimately feels more natural for console shooter fans. However, there is still a caveat, as this added perk not only requires a PS3, but also a copy of Resistance 2 in order to work.

The multiplayer content in Resistance: Retribution is very fleshed out and has a tremendous amount of depth and gameplay modes for a PSP game. There are the standards, like Free for All, Team Deathmatch, and Capture the Flag, as well as new ones like Assimilation, a Maquis vs. Cloven mode where one player is on the Cloven side and must kill Maquis players and convert them into Cloven until either side is decimated, or Containment, where each side fights to control nodes on the battlefield. The multiplayer modes support 8 players, and handle very well either locally or other the internet.

Graphically, Resistance: Retribution is one of the best looking games to hit the PSP. The title benefits from an all-new engine that takes advantage of what the PSP can do, featuring some advanced lighting effects, detailed character and enemy models, and smooth animation.

The sound effects are also quite well done, with a great soundtrack that accentuates the on-screen action and great sound effects. The voice work is decent, but some of the line deliveries can get pretty corny.

While action games usually come with some degree of frustration when appearing on the PSP, Resistance: Retribution is a true exception, offering robust controls, and solid single-player campaign and great multiplayer. PSP owners don’t want to miss out on this one.

Gameplay: 9.0
While it lacks the scope of the PS3 titles, Retribution makes up for it with tight action sequences and an excellent control scheme.

Graphics: 9.5
The game is one of the best looking games on the PSP, with superb lighting effects, detailed character models and great environments.

Sound: 8.5
The music and sound effects are great, but the voice work is pretty cheesy, complete with over-the-top accents and goofy dialogue.

Difficulty: Medium

Concept: 8.0
Resistance: Retribution works to add more of a personal story element to the formula, but the characters and dialogue are pretty corny.

Multiplayer: 9.0
While the game doesn’t feature the deep co-op elements of Resistance 2, the competitive modes are robust and very well done.

Overall: 9.0
Resistance: Retribution is a great action title for the PSP, offering up a robust feature set, excellent graphics and solid controls.