An intense and epic third-person shooter that is undoubtedly a Game of the Year candidate.
In my March 2009 preview of the game, I mentioned how floored I was by the Resistance Retribution demo. Since I had never played the PS3 games in the series, Retribution snuck up on me in much the same way that Bioshock did in 2007. The demo was incredibly intense, looked and played exceptionally well, and was addictive as all get out. I couldn't wait to try out the full game. Now I've had the chance to spend time with the commercial release, and let me tell you, this game is awesome in every sense of the word.
| Gameplay | Rating  |
Unlike the PlayStation 3 Resistance games, Retribution is a third-person shooter instead of a first-person one. The controls are immensely responsive. Switching guns, locking-on to a target and finding cover are easy as can be. The action and gunplay is fast and furious, though occasionally interrupted by short button-tapping quick time event style gameplay segements that appear when you're trying to open a valve, plant explosive charges, or the like. There's a nice, lengthy single-player campaign as well as four different multiplayer modes (including Team Deathmatch and the tag-like Assimilation mode) for up to eight players. It's an incredible package that makes this one of the best handheld shooters on the market.
| Story | Rating |
Resistance Retribution is the story of James Grayson. Grayson was a sergeant with the British marines. One day, while fighting the monsterous beings known as the Chimera, he was forced kill his own brother, who had been infected by the creatures. The incident sent him on a rampage, as he left his unit and destroyed numerous Chimera facilities. In doing so, he become both a national hero and a war criminal, as he was sentenced to life in prison for desertion during wartime. However, the Chimera threat grew exponentially afterwards, and Grayson was rescued from prison by a Raine Bouchard, a member of a French resistance movement, in exchange for his assistance in the battles to come. Thus, the player takes control of Grayson as he and his resistance teammates fight to eliminate the Chimera threat in the European theater. It's a fantastic sci-fi/war story that is well written, well presented and incredibly immersive, though also undeniably for mature audiences only.
| Graphics and Sound | Rating |
In my preview, I raved about the visual quality of the demo. Since then, I've read several comments where critics have knocked the graphics, calling them dated and not as good as comparable PSP titles like Syphon Filter: Logan's Shadow. Maybe I've spent too much time playing my Nintendo DS lately, but I just don't see it. Personally, I think the game looks gorgeous. The cinematic scenes are phenomenal and the in-game graphics are seriously high quality. Likewise, the game's music, sound effects and voice acting are all top notch. Combined with the excellent writing, the graphics and sound quality make Retribution a real winner in the storytelling and presentation departments.
| Overall Rating | Rating |
Just like Bioshock, Resistance Retribution is a definite Game of the Year candidate that this gamer would've completely missed out on had it not been for a fantastic downloadable demo. That would've been a real shame, because this amazing third-person shooter sports intuitive controls, a fantastic story and top-notch presentation quality. It is arguably the best PSP game I've ever had the pleasure of playing, and if you haven't picked it up yet, I strongly recommend doing so as soon as humanly possible.