Resistance first appeared on the PS3 as a launch title and since then has had a sequel, but this is the series’ first outing to the PSP. The game takes place shortly after the end of the first game - Resistance: Fall of Man - following the destruction of the Chimeran tower in London. Retribution follows the story of British Royal Marine Lieutenant, James Grayson, through Europe as the Marquis, the European resistance movement, attempt to liberate Western Europe. Resistance takes place in an alternate World War Two era with an alien invasion. Despite this continuing on from the PS3 launch title, Retribution can be enjoyed without having ever playing the first game as everything is new, but for fans of the series there are a few returning familiar faces.

Although now on the PSP the story is as gripping and well made as any console game and the campaign is a good ten hours long. The game is set across several different locations which unlock new ones as the story progresses. Each area has separate challenges and ‘Intel’ to find to keep you coming back for more. These challenges come in the form of ‘skill points’, anyone who has playing the other Resistance games or any Ratchet and Clank game will know about them but for those who haven’t; each skill point is basically an individual challenge such as “kill so many enemies with one grenade” for example.

The control system is very easy to “pick up and play” with, and would be straightforward even for someone new to the PSP. The controls are similar to other PSP first person shooters but with one difference; this game has aim assist. This may be seen by some as bad but it is quite helpful, especially considering the variety of enemies on screen and the number on-screen at once. The aim assist can be intrusive as it seems to aim for you, locking on to the nearest enemy which just leaves you to decide when to shoot.

This game does have a couple of bonuses if you own a PlayStation 3. Firstly what the developers have called ‘PSP Plus’. This is where the PSP is plugged into the PS3 system via USB and when Resistance 2 is loaded on the PS3, a Dualshock 3 or Sixaxis controller can be used to play the game. This makes the game considerably harder as the aim assist is turned off and the player will turn slightly slower than before. There is only one problem with this. If you do not have an AV cable to allow output of the PSP screen onto your TV then even if you are playing with a PS3 controller then you will be stuck using the PSP screen while playing, and this can seem quite small when playing with a full size controller!

Resistance Retribution is exactly what the PSP needed, a new high-quality first person shooter, which can easily be picked up by anyone, whether they are a fan of the series or not. It is also great as you can easily dip in and out of it, playing when you want. The only problem is the game is plagued with a slightly too helpful aim assist that, unlike the PS3 version, can’t be turned off. However, if you have a PSP and have been looking for a good shooter for a while then look no further, I highly recommend this.