- "Victory is infectious"
- ―Tagline
Resistance: Retribution is the third installment in the Resistance franchise developed by Bend Studio and published by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was released in March 2009 for the PlayStation Portable. The game is a third-person shooter, and featured an 8-player multiplayer mode before Sony discontinued online support for the game.[1] The game takes place between Resistance: Fall of Man and Resistance 2.
An emulated, multiplayer-less port was later released on February 20, 2024 for the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5, both as a purchasable title via the PlayStation Store and as part of the PlayStation Plus Classics Catalog. In addition, the updated version supports trophies, a feature not available on the original PSP version.[2]
Gameplay[]
The aiming system is designed differently, instead of pressing buttons to lock against cover, it will automatically lock the player to cover when they goes near cover. Aim assist, as observed in Resistance: Fall of Man, is also present in Retribution. It also features new weapons, as well as a non-replenishing life bar.
On October 9th 2008, it was announced that players with a copy of Resistance 2 in their PlayStation 3, while having their PSP 2000 or 3000 connected via AV output to the television, will be able to play Resistance: Retribution with a DualShock 3 controller. This is a new, cross-link feature of both games dubbed PSP Plus. While PSP Plus is enabled, aim assist is disabled and that players are able to remap their controls to better use the extra inputs on the PlayStation 3 controller. DualShock 3 rumble is also supported.[3] This feature does not work with a PS Vita.
Infected Mode[]
- Main article: Infected Mode
Retribution includes an Infected Mode which, by connecting Resistance: Retribution to Resistance 2 using a USB cable, going into the R2 options screen, and selecting "Infect your PS3!" provides an alternate story within the alternate history. While in prison for desertion, Grayson is recruited by Specter Lieutenant David LaSalle (from the Resistance 2 storyline) and is infected with a mutated version of the Chimeran virus, a different version of the virus that infected Nathan Hale.
While playing in Infected Mode, Grayson wears a Specter uniform and has glowing Chimeran eyes. Characters in the story will be aware of Grayson's Chimeran infection which will alter their behavior accordingly. Due to his infection, Grayson possess regenerative health, which he no longer needs health packs, and can now breathe underwater, allowing him to reach hidden areas that he could not reach before and can inhale toxic gases emitted by the Chimeran Burrowers with no harm or side effect. Also an another whole class of Intel are hidden throughout the levels. Collecting all of the “infected” intels unlocks plasma grenades and an expanded story. The HE .44 Magnum from Resistance 2 is unlocked in the game. Infected mode ends when the player quits the game.
Multiplayer[]
- Main article: Retribution multiplayer
Retribution features an 8-player multiplayer component. It offered five game modes: Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, Containment, Capture the Flag, and Assimilation.
Plot[]
Two months before the Chimera's defeat in Britain, British Royal Marine Lieutenant James Grayson raids a conversion center and discovers his long-missing brother, Johnny, partially converted into a Chimera. Following protocols regarding infected soldiers, Grayson reluctantly euthanized Johnny. As a result, Grayson suffered a nervous breakdown and he deserts his troops, launching his own personal vendetta against the Chimera. After destroying 26 conversion centers, Grayson is eventually captured by the British authorities and tried for desertion, in which he is sentenced to death after his former commanding officer Major Stephen Cartwright testified against him. The night before his execution, Grayson is visited by Lieutenant Raine Bouchard of the Maquis, a European mainland resistance group. Bouchard offers Grayson a reprieve in exchange for his aid and knowledge for conversion centers, as Bouchard and her father Claude Bouchard are developing a serum to counteract the Chimeran virus. Grayson agrees to the deal, though he demands his brother's jacket as an extra condition, and is released as a mercenary contracted to the Maquis.
The Maquis and the British forces, including Grayson, launched Operation Overstrike, the liberation of Western Europe; the allied forces planned to enter Europe through Rotterdam, in the Netherlands, and into Luxembourg to help secure the Maquis stronghold there, and ultimately moving onto the main Chimera tower in Paris, France. Though they suffer many casualties from coastal Chimera gun towers, Grayson and his allies secured Rotterdam and allowing safe passage for human forces. Bouchard later takes Grayson and Maquis commander Colonel Roland Mallery on a special mission to investigate a new type of conversion center in Bonn, Germany, where the Chimera are creating new strains from human women. The group becomes separated, with Bouchard captured and infected, but Grayson manages to rescue her, believing her to be unaffected, before destroying the facility much to Bourchard's ire, as Bouchard wished to conserve the facility to aid in the development of the anti-Chimeran virus serum.
Grayson's group soon receive news Major Cartwright that the Chimera have discovered the Maquis base in Luxembourg and planned to attack with three gigantic Chimera machines called Earth Movers. Grayson is forced to go alone to help Cartwright to destroy the Earth Movers in Gerolstein before racing to Luxembourg, where the Chimera have launched a full-scale assault. Grayson assists Cartwright and Colonel Rachel Parker to defend the base long enough to evacuate the personnel to their last stronghold in Reims. Grayson also discovers that Bouchard had purposefully infected herself in Bonn to allow her father to gain a sample of the virus as to develop a serum which is designed to eradicate the Carrier strain, and thereby grounding the Chimera's conversion process to a halt. Dr. Bouchard refused to leave in order to finish completing the serum. However, before the serum can be created, Dr. Bouchard is killed by the Chimera, but his daughter is able to finish her father's work and gains a sample. Bouchard and Grayson are forced to evacuate with the surviving refuge as the base falls to the Chimera.
In Reims, the British and Maquis begin to finalize their plan to assault Paris. Cartwright would lead his forces on the tower while Bouchard's serum is to be smuggled to the Chrysalis Lair, the center of the new Chimeran conversion process, and injected into its systems and eradicating the Carriers. However, Grayson and Bouchard argue on who will take the serum over to the Chrysalis Lair. Bouchard is eventually chosen with Mallery accompanying her. Grayson tries to warn his allies about Bouchard's infection, but Mallery refuses to believe him and locks him up for insubordination. While in the brig, Grayson is visited by Bouchard, who seduces Grayson into having sex with her, before she leaves on her mission. After Mallery and Bouchard leave, Grayson is freed by Cartwright and Parker, and given a second sample of the serum to take to the tower in case Bouchard fails. Grayson travel and fight his way to Paris through the catacombs before coming across thousands of dead and mutilated female bodies awaiting to be converted by the Chimera. By this point, Grayson comes to the realization of how selfish he has been in his vendetta against the Chimera. Before reaching the Lair, Grayson leaves his brother's jacket behind, symbolizing the end of his vendetta.
Grayson encounters Mallery, who has been infected with the virus and attempts to stop Grayson's mission. Grayson manages to kill Mallery and continues into the tower itself and the lair of the Chrysalis, the being believed to be controlling the Chimera. After using the serum, Grayson discovers the Chrysalis to be Bouchard who has now been fully converted into a Chimera. Following an intense battle, Grayson defeats the Chrysalis. As it dies, Bouchard's human self resurfaces and warns Grayson that the serum is only a temporary measure, as the Chimera have evolved a more advanced method of converting humans (Spinners), and that they are already developing new ways to recover from their losses: she also remarks that the Chimera have already conquered worlds beyond Earth, and they are simply too evolved to defeat. As the virus consumed what is left of Bouchard, Grayson kills her by shooting her in the head.
With the Chrysalis Lair destroyed, British and Maquis forces are able to destroy the Paris hub tower and free Western Europe from the Chimera. After memorializing Bouchard's death at a small memorial, Grayson is offered by Parker and Cartwright a commission with the British Army as a major, and Cartwright returns his brother's jacket to him, encouraging him to keep it instead of placing it at Bouchard's memorial. Grayson declines Parker's commission, instead enlisting as a colonel in the Maquis.
Grayson in Moscow.
One year later, Grayson leads a Maquis force into the heart of Russia to discover the source of the Chimera invasion. Grayson is later declared to be missing in action during the liberation of Warsaw. However, rumors began to spread of a British soldier travelling through Russia whom is referred as the "Cloven Killer", indicating Grayson is still alive. The last scene shows Grayson standing before Saint Basil's Cathedral in Moscow before turning around after the end credits; revealing his eyes now golden yellow, a symptom of having been infected by the Chimeran virus.
Development[]
Motion capture technology was used during the development of Retribution.[4] According to the Creative Director for the game, John Garvin, cutscenes played an important part in the development of Resistance: Retribution because there was a "big story" to tell.[5] The developers decided to go for a combination of pre-rendered cutscenes and in-game cutscenes. The pre-rendered cutscenes were similar to the ones in Fall of Man, with a focus on narrative, documentary-styled sequences that were narrated by Rachel Parker. The soundtrack for the game was composed by award winning composer Gary Schyman. Schyman stated in an interview that he was allowed a great deal of "freedom from a creative standpoint" and that the game's soundtrack was designed to increase adrenaline and evoke a sense of urgency and fear.[6]
Collector's Edition[]
Resistance: Retribution Collector's Edition, released in Europe, includes four concept art postcards and a promotional code to download an exclusive Resistance: Retribution theme for the PSP.
Demo[]
On January 16, 2009, Sony announced that a downloadable demo of Resistance: Retribution would be available for those who pre-order the game. The offer was exclusive only to Amazon until it was expanded to retailers Best Buy, GameStop, and Game Crazy. The demo features single player gameplay and the option to try Resistance Connect with both the Infected mode and Resistance: Retribution Plus. On February 12, 2009, the demo was released on the European PSN Store for download. It was also released on the North American PSN Store on March 12, 2009.
Reception[]
Resistance: Retribution received generally favorable reviews, according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[7] GameTrailers praised the presentation and gameplay and also awarded the game their Best PSP Game of 2009 title.[8] GamePro reviewer Heather Bartron praised the game's cover mechanics for evading enemy fire and the game's well-placed checkpoints and level designs. Bartron wrote the game would appeal to both casual and experienced gamers, although she disliked the repetitiveness near the end and that most of the game's elements were left unchanged from the previous titles.[9] In Japan, Famitsu gave it a score of all four eights for a total of 32 out of 40.[10]
Gallery[]
Videos[]
Trivia[]
- Resistance: Retribution is so far the first and only third-person Resistance game.
- James Grayson is the only British protagonist is the Resistance series.
- In an early build trailer for the game, Resistance: Retribution was initially called Resistance: Rise of the Chimera.
- A planned sequel for Resistance: Retribution by Sony Bend was ultimately scrapped in favor of developing Uncharted: Golden Abyss for the PlayStation Vita.[11]
References[]
- ^ Makuch, Eddie (February 11, 2015). "Another Resistance Game Going Offline". GameSpot.
- ^ Wesley Yin-Poole (February 20, 2024). "PSP Game Resistance: Retribution Hits PS Plus Classics With New Trophy List on PS4 and PS5". IGN.
- ^ Garvin, John (October 9, 2008). "Resistance: Retribution & Resistance 2 Interoperability and Then Some". PlayStation Blog. Sony.
- ^ PlayStation (March 6, 2009). "Resistance: Retribution™ Motion Capture". YouTube.
- ^ PlayStation (March 6, 2009). "Resistance: Retribution™ Cutscenes and VO". YouTube.
- ^ PlayStation (March 6, 2009). "Resistance: Retribution™ Music". YouTube.
- ^ "Resistance: Retribution for PSP Reviews". Metacritic.
- ^ GetThumble (December 31, 2009). "GT [GameTrailers] GotY Awards 2009 – Best PSP Game". YouTube.
- ^ Bartron, Heather (June 2009). "Resistance: Retribution". GamePro. Vol. 21, no. 6. GamePro Media. p. 83.
- ^ Leonardi, Domenico (March 5, 2009). "Resistance Retribution: voto da Famitsu" [Resistance Retribution: Voted by Famitsu]. Everyeye.it.
- ^ Colin Moriarty (January 18, 2012). "The Resistance Game That Never Was". IGN.
| Resistance: Retribution | |
|---|---|
| Content | Characters · Levels · Enemies · Intel · Locations · Weapons |
| Gameplay | Controls · Infected Mode · Multiplayer · Skill Points · Trophies |
| Organizations | British Army (Royal Marines) · Maquis |
| Resistance series | |
|---|---|
| Main games | Resistance: Fall of Man · Resistance 2 · Resistance 3 |
| Spin-off games | Retribution · Burning Skies |
| Special Editions | Resistance Dual Pack · Resistance: The Trilogy · Resistance Collection |
| Viral marketing games | Project Abraham · America First - America Only · Get A War Job · SrpaNet · Metastasis |
| Comics | Resistance |
| Novels | The Gathering Storm · A Hole in the Sky |
| Strategy guides | Resistance: Fall of Man Signature Series Guide · Resistance 2 Signature Series Guide · Resistance 3 Signature Series Guide |