Resistance: Retribution (PSP) Review

Posted by James McGee on 03.30.2009

The fight against the Chimera hits Sony's small screen, with mixed results.



Title: Resistance: Retribution
Publisher: SCEA
Genre: Shooter
Players: 8
Rated: M for Mature

The PSP has faced something of a software drought as of late. As a way of invigorating it’s hand-held, Sony has adapted another of its biggest console franchises for the portable screen (it worked for God of War, right?). The Playstation 3’s premier shooter has been scaled down and made travel-ready in the form of Resistance: Retribution. This side-story is set between the two console entries, and has players taking control of James Grayson, an ex-British marine-turned mercenary who is obsessed with destroying the Chimera (for very personal reasons). Gamers will guide Grayson on a personal journey that begins with revenge and ends with redemption. (As it turns out, redemption can be earned by shooting a lot of ugly aliens in the head. Go figure.)

Unfortunately, killing aliens with nifty guns is all this game has going for it. Retribution is a thoroughly generic shooter with a commendable but flawed control scheme. The story is serviceable, but unlikely to excite anyone other than fans of the franchise. Everything—from the campaign to the multiplayer—is a solid, relatively fun, but ultimately unspectacular effort.

Gameplay

The two-analog-stick configuration for modern controllers has made First and Third Person Shooters a viable staple on consoles. When dealing with just one stick, though, they’re still a bit tricky. Bend Studio developed a nifty solution with their Syphon Filter entries on the PSP: using the face buttons as the aiming interface, a job usually reserved for the right analog nub. Bend brought that same control scheme to Retribution, and while it is serviceable, it isn’t perfect. The controls don’t feel as natural, nor are they as precise as their console counterparts. The game implements an aim assist that compensate for these shortcomings, and it usually gets the job done. On the rare occasions that a more steely aim is required, the game becomes a bit unwieldy. One enemy type is nigh-unbeatable without a head-shot, which requires you to enter the games manual aiming mode and wrestle with the clumsy face-button scheme. With these enemies (which explode if they get too close) bearing swiftly down on you, precision aiming becomes a frustrating, often futile affair. Thankfully, the cover system that was so impressive in the demo still works just as beautifully, helping alleviate some of the pain brought on by the aiming issue. Bottom line: the controls are probably as good as we’re ever going to see under the circumstances, but they still aren’t ideal. (Note to Sony: I know I’m not the first to say this, and I won’t be the last, but we NEED a second analog stick on the PSP.)

Once you become accustomed to the controls, you’ll find Retribution to be fun in short doses, but so shallow that it struggles to keep your attention over an extended period. Grayson will face a number of different objectives throughout the single-player campaign (protecting an ally here, blowing up a reactor there), but it all basically boils down to killing wave after wave of enemies. If you’re looking for puzzles, look somewhere else, because this is a pure action game.


You again?

If variety is your bag, you’re also barking up the wrong tree. After the first few levels, you will have seen everything Retribution has to show. New enemy types are introduced frequently early on, but then Grayson simply faces down more of the same in ever- increasing numbers. That mechanical Hammer mech you have to defeat early on is pretty intimidating. Ditto when you take down your first Titan. But when you’re taking on two Titans, a Hammer, and a couple of grunt soldiers barely half-way through the game, you realize that the big, bad Chimera don’t have anything new to throw at you. Fighting larger numbers of the same old enemies doesn’t feel imposing so much as cheap. “Strength in numbers” may be an effective strategy, but it ends up being more frustrating than challenging, and it is anything but interesting.

At least you’ll have some interesting toys to use when mowing down those endless nasties. Just like its big brothers on the Playstation 3, Resistance: Retribution is defined by a host of crazy weapons. You’ll start with the standard assault-rifle/grenade launcher combo, but you’ll soon be picking up such wonderful contraptions as the Ripper (which can charge a super-shot that seeks out enemies), the Auger (which can shoot through barriers) and the Fareye (a sniper rifle with a time-slowing effect). You’ll even get to pilot one of those Hammers I mentioned earlier, which is an undeniable pleasure. But cool weapons can’t erase the fact that, outside of its arsenal, Resistance: Retribution is just another shooter.


Okay, sniping in slow-mo is still awesome

Sound

Like the overall gameplay, Retribution’s sound design gets the job done, but isn’t very exciting. Enemies all sound menacing, and feature distinct audio trademarks (the chattering of Leapers, the screech of Hags, etc.). Weapons all have satisfying reports, but explosions are a little subdued for my taste (could just be my love for things getting blow’d up kicking in there). The simple script doesn’t give the actors much to work with, but the voice-overs are all pretty decent, nonetheless. However, Grayson’s chatter stands out for being a little ridiculous at times (“I’m James Grayson, bitch!” Seriously, now…) and seems inconsistent with the way the character is portrayed in cut-scenes. Is he a troubled loner wrestling with demons from his past or just another jacked-up action hero? The story and the in-game one-liners offer two very different answers.

Graphics

Technically, Retribution is one of the best looking PSP games to date. Grayson and his enemies all animate well, environments feature a fair amount of detail, and there are a handful of beautifully-rendered cut-scenes inhabited with characters who actually emote. The best part is that everything runs very smoothing, with no major visual hiccups and minimal load-times.


Brown is the new…well, everything

If you feel a “but” coming, give yourself a pat on the back. Retribution plays it safe by keeping to the tried-and-true shooter locales of ruined cities, caves, and industrial settings. And, of course, everything is either brown or gray. I know what you’re thinking: “This is the 21st century! If you want variety and an actual color palette, go back to the ‘90s, you old fossil!” You could say that it’s just the conventions of the genre, but must aliens always be shot in drab, repetitive settings? Coming soon: Martians Invade Rainbow Land! Next-Gen action today! You heard it here first.

Lasting Appeal

If you happen to dig what Retribution has to offer, there are plenty of incentives to come back. After the lengthy single-player campaign is finished, players can revisit levels to earn Skill Points and search for Intel Documents. Skill Points are essentially Achievement- or Trophy-style accomplishments (preventing the ally you’re covering from taking any damage, for example), while Intel Documents offer an often poignant glimpse into the mind of our protagonist through journal entries. In addition to fleshing out the story and characters, collecting Intel also unlocks a few new weapons to play around with.

One of the game’s most-hyped features actually lets you change the complexion of the single-player game all together. Linking the PSP to a Playstation 3 running a copy of Resistance 2 opens up two new modes of play for the handheld version. Resistance: Retribution Plus allows you to play the game with the PS3’s DualShock 3 controller, alleviating some of the control issues, but also disabling aim-assist and ramping up the difficulty. “Infected Mode” gives Grayson a regenerating health bar, the ability to breath underwater, and adds the HE .44 Magnum to his arsenal. While these new modes may not be enough to warrant another full play-through, they’re interesting things to experiment with.

When you’ve absolutely exhausted the single-player experience, you have multiplayer to fall back on. As with the campaign, there isn’t anything new here, but all of the old favorite match types (Team Deathmatch, Capture the Flag, Capture and Hold, etc.) work well and are a fun way to kill time (and opponents).

Fun Factor

Players unfamiliar with Resistance and its alternate-history backstory may feel a little disjointed when first delving into Retribution. This portable chapter takes place in between the first and second console iterations of the franchise, and doesn’t do much to ease new gamers into the “What if” scenario of an alien invasion occurring in place of the World War II we’ve all learned about in history books. That being said, the story of James Grayson’s search for personal redemption is compelling in its own right. While Retribution is clearly aimed towards fans of the series—and those are the people that will get the most out of the narrative—you’ll find yourself caring about the characters even if you don’t know who the Cloven are and how they fit into the bigger picture.

The question is, does Retribution offer enough gameplay to draw in non-fans for Grayson’s story? The answer is “Meh, kinda.” Despite the deficiencies I’ve already mentioned, the gameplay is relatively solid. However, it isn’t very compelling in its own right. This is a simple run-and-gun affair, and unless you’re a rabid Resistance fan simply clamoring for every last morsel of the story, the generic action isn’t likely to thrill you.

The 411

With “as good as it gets” controls, repetitive gameplay, and a barebones story, Resistance: Retribution doesn’t do much to distinguish itself from better games on the PSP. You certainly can’t call the action “bad,” and the weapons in particular are a lot of fun to use, but it just all comes off as fairly average. All in all, Resistance: Retribution is a decent shooter, but it’s hard to recommend it to anyone other than hardcore fans of the series.

Graphics	6.5	The music and sound effects get the job done, but they don’t really stand out…unless you count Grayson’s one-liners, which stick out like a sore thumb.
Gameplay	6.5	Solid? Yes. Exciting? No. Retribution doesn’t do anything wildly innovative, but it does it fairly well, albeit with a tendency toward the repetitive.
Sound	8.0	Well, it’s all brown, but it’s a beautiful brown. Everything runs smoothly, and characters are expressive during cut-scenes.
Lasting Appeal	7.5	A long campaign with lots of extras supplement the multiplayer. If you like the game, you’ll have incentive to stick with it.
Fun Factor	6.0	By-the-numbers shooting here, which is nice for a diversion, but doesn’t sustain interest for long. Fans of the series may get a kick out of this side story, but there isn’t a lot to entice newcomers.
Overall	7.0   [ Good ]

Screenshots
All 4 Resistance: Retribution Screenshots