PlayStation 3 launch game Resistance hit the spot with one of the most innovative weapon lineups in the history of games and an interesting alternate-history starring alien invasion in Europe. The shooter will be followed up by a full-fledged sequel on PlayStation 3, and Resistance: Retribution for PSP, by the same crew responsible for Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror and Logan's Shadow.

Like the original Resistance, this PSP shooter will focus primarily on using a series of funky weapons to shoot down enemies as the plot plays out on screen. The hero (or anti-hero as the case may be) is James Grayson, an average soldier who survived the Chimera's occupation of Western Europe. Post-war, he's been destroying conversion centers, where Chimera have been turning humans into monsters. In a gut-wrenching scenario, he finds his lost brother in mid-conversion and is forced to kill him, which sends him on a revenge mission that leads him into the company of a buxom blonde Raine Bouchard, a member of the French resistance.

In a brief demo of the game, we watched Grayson and Bouchard infiltrate a Chimera facility, shooting down hybrid Chimera by using a combination of weapons such as a Razer (a gun similar to Resistance's Bullseye -- charge is up and it will target enemies for you...) , the Auger which can shoot through walls and deploy shields, a LAARK rocket launcher and a rapid-fire carbine. A new quick tap system lets players change weapons on the fly and, like the original Resistance, you'll use different weapons to destroy different types of enemies. A new, friendlier aiming system makes the game more accessible, though we're assured that it won't alienate hardcore shooter fans either.

Just like Resistance, the game will mix up the action with a series of boss battles. We watched Grayson face off against a two-legged robotic tank, alternating taking cover and leaning out to shoot his LAARK, stopping the projectile, hiding again and then aiming the projectile toward his enemy and letting it fly. Wash, rinse and repeat several times and the boss goes tumbling...

An achievement system will be built into the game, as will a hint system, which will help you figure out how to kill different kinds of enemies. The PSP version will also contain a "robust" multiplayer mode, though details on that are scarce for now.

Though we're not always the biggest fans of shooters on handhelds, Resistance: Retribution looks like it could shape up to be one of the exceptions, provided that the weapons and action sequences translate correctly on the PSP. Look for this small-screen shooter in Spring 2009.