In other video news. For the past week, IGN has been running a series of Behind the Scenes videos for Resistance: Retribution with topics that focus on the storyline, the motion capture sessions, the music, and voices behind the characters. Head over there and see how much work we’ve been putting into this game.

Don’t forget, Resistance: Retribution is coming exclusively to PSP on March 17th!

Connect R:R to R2 using a USB cable. Go into the R2 options screen, and select “Infect your PSP!” That’s all it takes.

Infected mode lasts until you power down your PSP. So, what is “Infected mode”?

Infected mode provides an alternate story within our alternate history. While in prison for desertion, Grayson is recruited by Specter Lieutenant David LaSalle (from the R2 storyline) and is infected with a mutated version of the Chimeran virus … a different version of the virus that infects Nathan Hale.

While playing in “infected” mode, Grayson wears a Specter uniform and has glowing Chimeran eyes. He gets to use one of the new weapons from R2: the HE .44 Magnum, which fires explosive rounds that can be triggered remotely. He has regenerative health and no longer needs to look for health packs. He can breathe underwater, allowing him to reach hidden areas that he could not reach before. And we’ve added another whole class of Intel that are hidden throughout the levels. Collecting all of the “infected” intel will unlock another R2 weapon, the Plasma Grenades.

Another cool feature we’re including is something we call PSP Plus!

Activated from the R2 options screen, PSP Plus! allows you to play Resistance: Retribution using your Dualshock 3 wireless controller. We remove aim assist and increase the challenge level of the game. We even support the vibration function of the controller. If you’re playing at home and want to experience Resistance: Retribution in an all new way, this is it.

That’s it for this update. In the near future we’ll have some news on our multiplayer game. Stay tuned.

Here are a few we’ve seen:

IGN.com – Review Score 9.5 out of 10
“Logan’s Shadow is easily one of the best titles to come out on the system this year.”

Game Informer – Handheld Game of the Month, November
Review Scores 8.75 and 9 out of 10
“Exhilarating, adroit, and unstoppably fun, Logan’s Shadow fires direct hits with nearly everything it attempts, and gifts the PSP with one of most accomplished espionage thrillers in recent memory.”

GameSpy.com – Review Score 4 out of 5
“It’s truly remarkable how many command options Sony Bend managed to pack into Logan’s Shadow.”

Game Daily – Review Score 9 out of 10
“One of the best PSP games to date.”

EGM – “This is the handheld stealth-action series to beat.”

And more.

We’re especially proud of the Editor’s Choice award from IGN: Logan’s Shadow is now the highest ranked PSP game on their site, and our 9.5 score ties Halo 3, one of the highest scores of 2007.

While we love hearing praise from the press, it’s you guys that we were thinking of when making the game. We’re hoping that as you play the game that you’ll enjoy the same things the press is responding to: the amazing sound track by Azam Ali which will soon be released on iTunes, the story by Greg Rucka, the advanced graphics and physics made possible by uncapping the 333hz processor, the new gameplay modes, and the full featured online game.

Our goal all along was to take everything we achieved in Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror, and kick it up a notch; a daunting task considering that Dark Mirror was one of the highest rated games on the PSP in 2006.

Speaking of Dark Mirror, last month we launched the PS2 version of the game. We debated the pros and cons of doing a PS2 version of the game for a long time. We really liked the idea of Dark Mirror being an exclusive title for the PSP because we’re all huge fans of the handheld system. But in the end, when we were presented with the opportunity to share the game with all of our fans on the PS2, we couldn’t resist. We were able to uprez the textures and some models for display on bigger monitors, and we made adjustments to the game to take advantage of the Dualshock Analog controller. So if you never got a chance to check out Dark Mirror on the PSP, check it out on the PS2. It’s the same great game, but now you can play it on a bigger screen with Dual Analog controls.

Finally, don’t forget to check out the Syphon Filter: Combat Ops sneak preview that we included on the Logan’s Shadow UMD. I won’t say anything more about it for now, but keep checking back — we’ll have an announcement about Combat Ops in the near future.

Thanks!

*Note – in the video above, the narrator mistakenly refers to a salvage expert who helps Gabe as “Dane Cook.” He meant to say “Dane Bishop.” Comedian Dane Cook does not make an appearance in the game.

This guy is awesome. I’ve been writing Syphon for 10 years now, and I’m not saying I’m getting burned out or anything like that, but 10 years is a long time to write for a franchise. I was looking for a way to bring some fresh perspectives to the series. Connie Booth, our director of product development, has been a fan of the espionage genre for years and had read Greg’s stuff, including two series of novels he wrote called Queen and Country and Atticus Kodiak. She had worked with Greg once before on another project, so she hooked us up. Greg writes in a realistic, gritty style and his stuff is authentic and well researched – he was perfect for Syphon. I had come up with the title a couple of years before when we were working on a PSP prototype. Greg liked the title and we started kicking ideas around for what the “shadow” might be. And boom, there it was (mild SPOILER!): Lian Xing, Gabe’s long-time partner, has a past that’s catching up with her and suddenly she disappears. Evidence piles up that she’s a double agent. I can’t say too much more without giving the plot away, but Greg’s brought a lot to the Syphon experience. You can read more about our collaboration here.

Anyway, Greg will be at the Playstation booth on both Saturday & Sunday, from 11:00am-12:30pm and again from 2:00pm-3:30pm, so stop by and say hello.