It's got flaws to be certain, but sweet graphics, addictive online, and tactical co-op make this worth a purchase!

User Rating: 8.5 | Lost Planet 2 X360
Gamespot really has to stop letting people review games that aren't good enough at them to do the basics. This same scenario happened with AvP earlier this year when they complained that the controls were too difficult for the Aliens (among other things), but upon purchase of the game I had absolutely no problem moving and fighting with that very race.

This same logic applies to Lost Planet 2, which Gamespot has given the second lowest score it has to date because its "too hard" and "cheap." If you play the game for yourself, what you will find is a game that is perfectly functional in single player (just nowhere near as much fun), and a total blast in 4 player co-op online (or 2 locally, which I greatly appreciate). The competitive multiplayer has also gottten an amazing reboot with better gun balancing and variety, there are many, many maps, all of which are top notch, and there is already DLC adding more maps to the game. The graphics and sound have also received a sweet overhaul and look better than ever. It definately has some problems, but not to the extent described in other reviews, and this is one experience you shouldn't miss out on.

Let's get the flaws out of the way first. The biggest problem I've seen is that the game does rely a little bit too much on stopping power online than the first game did. Meaning, if someone is shooting you with a machine gun, good luck firing back with anything. This can be quite frustrating at first, but then I realized that I can just use a burst machine gun instead. It's weaker and fires slower, but you can always fire shots without a problem and can easily break their stream of shots to take the kill. This nice balance between the two guns is pretty cool, and it gives players incentive to use both instead of hogging the rapid fire gun. Nevertheless, it could still get annoying.

The other noticable issue is (somewhat) the controls. I thought the one in the first game was great, it just needed to let you look higher up, which this game does. However, there are a couple new issues that'll take getting used to, such as having sprint mapped on the melee button, pick up guns mapped on the swap weapons button, and activate mech mapped on the grappling hook button. I feel that there had to have been some way to let you sprint more easily instead of hogging up one button with so many actions, but you'll get used to it after enough play time.

In other smaller things, the plasma grendes as of now do seem a tad cheap. While in the first game you could stun someone for a long time as well, once you shot them they could get out. Not the case here, you can unload to your hearts content until they die. Patch please! There are also some odd ommisions from Colonies, such as Titles, Medals, Egg Hunt (their equivalent of Oddball from Halo 3), Akrid Hunter (just what it sounds like), and made some other changes to Fugitive. Personally, I don't think this is a big deal, but the omission do stand out as being odd to me.

In the middle of good and bad there's the training mode. Some may be put off that the game doesn't really tell you what to do or teach you controls, but what it does teach you is how to play tactically. There are a HUGE number of challenges, each of which are varied and helpful in their own way. If you really can't grasp the controls, just play the first level or two of campaign, it tells you how to play right freaking there. In my opinion, training is pretty good, and it has more lasting power and can cover more ground than in other typical games.

Ok, now I can rant about the great stuff this game has! First off, the campaign is supportable for 4 player co-op, and playing with 4 people is a total blast. I have never played any shooter before that requires you to use real team tactics to take down the hardest scenarios. While Halo and Gears have fun co-op, it never reaches the real "i'm working together with a team" feel that only Left 4 Dead has accomplished before on 360. Gamespot said that it was too hard, but in all honesty I found that it was challenging, but not too bad. And who wants their games to be a cakewalk, honestly?? The campaign is still do-able in solo mode, but it is a heckuva lot harder and not quite as fun. SO if you're offline and don't have someone on hand to play 2 player split screen with you, you might want to pass on this game unless you start on easy or normal, both of which are managable. Good luck on Extreme by yourself though. Even still, the campaign is alot of fun, and has more length to it than you'll find in any modern shooter (14 hours to MW2's 4? Hmmm...), and it's greatly replayable if you want more unlocks. It took me close to 45 hours to unlock all of the guns, emotes, and character parts. Not too shabby in my opinion.

The multiplayer here is just phenomenal. You get 10-12 maps right out of the box, and each one is varied in size, setting (an arena, an island, a forest, outer space, etc), and tactics. The game modes have been SLIGHTLY decreased from the earlier released Lost Planet: Colonies Edition, but they kept the ones that mattered most and, like all sequels, made sure to add some more. The faction mode in particular is jsut awesome. Being a fan of Chromehounds and Mechassault before it, this game mode really excite me, and I expect to invest alot of time here. The gameplay itself is tight and tactical all around, and plays differently from your typical third person shooter. You may find yourself getting knocked back or stunned from grenades, which some could find frustrating. I call it realistic and welcome in an age of arcadey shooters where you can take bullets and regenerate it without a problem (cough*MW2*ahem). Plus it doesn't get more satisfying to chuck a grenade,watch an enemy try to run away, only to get thrown into a rockface and try to get back up while you blast him with a shotgun. It's impeccably balanced, amazing to look at, and most importantly, its fun to play. Capcom really went overboard on this, but in a good way. And like the campaign, the prospect of more unlockables is just exciting and provides a nice incentive to come back.

This games presentation is also near perfection, and may very well be the best looking game I've ever played. Excluding the fact that characters don't blink, the character models, environments, weaponry, cutscenes, and everything else are almost photorealistic in their depictions here. But it still has an amazing art style that, unlike many games before it, manages to suck you into its world and the events that happen on it, even though the story itself is unremarkable (not hard to understand, just unremarkable. How Gamespot didn't understand such a simple story is kinda sad).

The sound is also great. The musical score is just epic and comes close to equaling the masterpiece soundtracks of Halo and Advent Rising, and the sound effects all feel strong and beefier in comparison to the originals somewhat weak sounding guns. The voice acting isn't perfect, but its a step up from the first game and like most Japanese made games with bad translation, it didnt want to make me gouge out my eardrums.

In summary, Lost Planet 2 is a game that always "wow's" you. There's an incredible amount of stuff to do, whether its the lengthy campaign, the varied training challenges, or the addicting, varied multiplayer. It has some minor misfires (you'd think SOMEONE could've seen how strong the plasma grenade is here) that can get on your nerves, but all in all its still a great playing and great looking shooter that is superior to many other shooters on the market. This is one epic sequel, and Capcom (almost) delivered on all fronts. Now move out soldier, and KILL BIG!

The Good:
+Every single aspect of the presentation
+Constant unlocks keep you coming back
+A longer campaign than almost every shooter you'll find now.
+Addictive, varied multiplayer
+Training mode (contrary to popular belief) is more fleshed out than most, and helpful!

The Bad:
-Some annoying stopping power issues
-Plasma grenades. Really??
-Too much stuff on one button
-Some unusual omissions from the previous game

The Verdict:

If you have online, you owe it to yourself to BUY THIS GAME.
If you're stuck offline, consider a purchase if you have someone to play split-screen co-op with. If you're on your own, rent first or don't bother.