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Yesterday, Sony surprised PSP fans by announcing a brand new PSP-exclusive expansion of the Resistance franchise. Very little was known about the game from its initial debut: all we knew was that it came to us via Sony Bend, the incredible studio that brought us last year's PSP Game of the Year, Syphon Filter. The engine that they developed for that third-person action title was stellar, but from the early looks of Resistance, the team at Bend has just begun flexing their PSP muscles.
Unlike Resistance on PS3, the upcoming PSP titles will play from a third person perspecitve, just like the Syphon Filter franchise on PSP. The story takes place in between Resistance and Resistance 2. Set in the weeks after Fall of Man, Retribution follows the story of former British Marine James Grayson. He is forced to kill his own brother inside a Chimeran conversion center, and thus inspires his bloodlust to destroy every conversion center he can find. Unfortunately, the Chimera have figured out a new way to convert humans ... and he must join the Mquis, the European resistance, in their fight against the deadly Chimera army.
Weapons to be featured in the game will include favorites from Resistance: Fall of Man, like the Auger, Carbine, and LAARK, as well as new weapons based on hybrid Alien/Human technology – including the BM001 Razor and the Longbow 1S-1K "One shot, one kill" sniper rifle. There will be over 10 kinds of enemies, including the Titan, Slipskull, Hybrids and Leapers. New enemies, like the Hag and Cloven will also be introduced. Finally, multiplayer will feature five game modes: Team Deathmatch, Capture the Flag, Containment and Assimilation, all available via ad-hoc and infrastructure. The much-too-ambitious title is being scheduled for a Spring 2009 release.
Considering the proven track record of Bend, and the quality associated with the Resistance franchise, this is going to be one heck of an incredible killer app for the PSP. This is easily our most anticipated game for any handheld system and we cannot wait to play it.
