The upcoming PlayStation Portable spin-off Resistance: Retribution may not be developed by franchise creator Insomniac Games, but it will be linked to that studio’s efforts in more than name.

In a post on the official PlayStation blog, Sony Bend Studios creative director John Garvin revealed a couple of ways his team’s Retribution will link up with the Insomniac-developed Resistance 2. When connected to the PS3 game, the PSP running Retribution will become "infected" until the user turns it off.

While running in this mode, Resistance: Retribution will let players play through an alternate story in the game. There will also be changes to the gameplay, as the infected story gives players the ability to heal themselves and breathe underwater, as well as the chance to unlock a new plasma grenade weapon.

Additionally, when linked up to a PS3 running Resistance 2, gamers will be able to play Retirubtion using the Dual Shock 3 controller. To keep things challenging, the developers are making it so controller players will face a steeper difficulty level and won’t have any auto-aim assistance. To mimic the console gameplay experience that much more, Sony Bend is also making sure players with newer-model PSPs can use the system’s video-out capabilities to display the game on a TV while playing it with the PS3’s controller.

Resistance 2 is set for a November release, while Resistance: Retribution is expected to arrive in the spring of 2009.

By Polybren