In depth review for Resistance: Retribution.
Impressive list, huh? Well, I was illustrating a point that has been gnawing on the gamer and nerd in me for at least a few years now; it seems that a game, anime, comic or any other media for that matter, can get by on the back of a character that doesn't fit the Superman good guy model. Case in point; Sony's new PSP exclusive, Resistance Retribution. You play as James Greyson, a disgraced soldier who lost his brother to the alien hordes made famous in the two excellent PS3 shooters Resistance: Fall of Man and Resistance 2. After a going AWOL from the British military and the subsequent jail time, Greyson is released to help a group of French soldiers fight back against the seemingly unstoppable and constantly evolving foe. Greyson the soldier is all but dead, but Greyson the unhinged, bent on revenge mercenary is alive and well. Thus, we have yet another badass anti-hero who is still fighting the good fight, but by his own rules. As tired as Greyson's character is, Resistance: Retribution is so damn good, you'll never notice that you've played through his quest for revenge at least a dozen times before. The first PSP entry in Sony's relatively new Resistance series is a bit of a departure from its console big brothers. Instead of being a first-person shooter, Retribution pulls the camera back a bit to right behind Greyson's head, much like the perspective found in Terminator Salvation and Wanted. This change was absolutely necessary for the game to be successful on the PSP. Not only does it open up your view of the action a bit, it also allows the most efficient use of the auto-aim system, allowing the game to be played despite the PSP's lack of a second analog stick. Fans of the aforementioned Syphon Filter PSP titles know the drill; the single analog stick is used to move Greyson, while the system's four face buttons serve as an analog replacement, with each button assigned to a camera/aim movement. Admittedly, it takes some getting used to, especially for those who spend a lot of time with dual analog console shooters. The beauty of it is that even the most steadfast of console shooter fans will be up to speed in no more than 15 minutes or so. Toss in the auto aim, which works by picking your targets for you and locking onto them, and you have a fast-paced and challenging shooter on a system that clearly wasn't designed for one. I started with the controls because when I was going into the game, they were my biggest concern. They don't work 100 percent perfectly all the time, you'll sometimes lock on to an enemy you don't want to and coupled with the game's cover mechanic (hiding behind obstacles, the shooting can be a bit easy at times. I have trouble faulting the game for these two minor issues, mostly because what they managed to do with the controls is nothing short of unbelievable, but as infrequently as they occur, they never get any less annoying, especially during some of the game's otherwise fantastic boss battles. And since we're going backwards with the progression of this review, let's jump into Retribution's presentation. For a PSP game the developers were really able to pull off something special with the game's graphics. The PSP isn't an underpowered system by any means, but this game's graphics could be the best yet seen on the system, and that includes last year's Square Enix extravaganza Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core. The aliens look and move great, the explosions somehow look almost as nice as those seen in the console games and some, not all, of the environments are downright amazing. Some of the between-level cutscenes can be a bit blocky and ugly; a strange departure being that the game itself looks better, but overall, Retribution is a feast for the eyes.
The ears, on the other hand, not so much. Resistance: Retribution's sound effects all hit their mark, but the music and voice acting is almost shameful. First, the music, like a lot of other games in this genre, fades in and out with the rising and falling of the action. Unfortunately, it sounds poorly recorded and tinny, and while playing with headphones, it overwhelms all the other sound. I'm all for music in games, but it should never overpower the sound effects. I even ran across a few fights where the effects almost disappeared completely in the face of the swelling orchestra. The voice over isn't much better, the characters all sound like gross stereotypes of those from their country of origin. In over-the-top games like the GTA series, that is just fine. In Retribution, it breaks the game's mood and comes off as almost silly. Greyson and Bouchard, two of the game's main characters, are among the silliest and the near-constant voice clips keep their ridiculous characterizations at the forefront of the player's mind. When I explained the game's controls a minute ago, I touched on some of the gameplay
mechanics that make Retribution so great. The developers smartly moved away from the first person shooter style of the console games to craft an adventure tailored to the PSP. The auto-aim and substitute analog control keep the game close to its roots, but the cover mechanic is what makes the adventure feel right at home on the system. The kind of quick aiming seen in dual analog shooters is impossible on the system, so by adding the ability to take cover, Greyson has more than enough time to line up his shots. This also allows for some tense shootouts, with both you and your foes spraying fire all over the environment and while hiding from direct shots. Truthfully, these amazing sequences surpass some of the firefights from the console games, in that they can actually require the timing, skill and planning not seen in simple run-and-gun shooters. In addition to the gun battles, you'll find yourself in a few different situations, which break up the action quite well. Underwater swimming and shooting works much better than I could have hoped, and even the slightly tedious vehicle segments can be a lot of fun (Does a giant armed robot count as a vehicle? Your call.). Finally, each and every stage has more than a few secrets and unlockables, which means you'll be playing Resistance: Retribution for a good long time after you finish the 8 hour single player campaign. Of course, like with every shooter these days, Retribution has a fairly well put together online mode that can really extend the game's replay if you're into that kind of thing. I'm not, and the game didn't forget about the shrinking number of single-layer game fans. If you have a PS3 and Resistance 2, there is even more content to explore. In the "Why Doesn't Every PSP Game Do This?!" category is the ability to play the PSP game on a television using the PS3 SIXAXIS controller. This turns off the auto-aim, making the game feel more like a console shooter than a handheld game. This mode begs to be tried out, and actually works great. In addition to that, synching your PSP and PS3 opens up a new campaign in Retribution, titled the Infected mode. This campaign is slightly different from the game's standard one, both in story and play mechanics. In Infected mode, Greyson will constantly regenerate health, and there is a whole new set of unlockables to dig up, along with some never-before-seen weapons. The mode remains in effect until you turn off your PSP, and provides some genuine bank for your buck. Sure, the PS3 in notorious for dropped connections, but its worth the pain to give it a shot.
Aside from the paint-by-numbers hero, music and voices, I can't think of too much wrong with the overall game. The single player campaign is lengthy for a portable game, and the PS3 connection squeezes even more out of the experience. The online component can be a lot of fun, there are plenty of secrets to unlock and the ideas presented with connectivity are original and very exciting. And since the PSP is in a bit of a dry spell right now when it comes to new games, you'd be stupid not to pick this one up. I'd bet that it has enough content on the UMD to keep you busy until the next high-profile PSP release.