Underrated...Beautifully rendered...unapologetically difficult are the many ways to describe this game. Don't play alone

User Rating: 8.5 | Lost Planet 2 PS3
By Double_Wide | Review Date:
Lost planet 2 is almost a completely different animal than its predecessor. From its story, storytelling style, and right down to how the game is played. Let's first touch on the gameplay. You're still on the same snowy planet, fighting akrid, collecting thermal energy, and operating VSs...that much hasn't changed. Now, you're in controll of a 4 man team which is often faced with swarms of human enemy units or larger than life akrids that a few gun shots aren't going to take down. You're other 3 allies can either be A.I. controlled or controlled by another player via online access. That's right...the online connectivy on Lost Planet 2 goes beyond just the competitive multuplayer mode but is well integrated into the main campaign. The amount of enemies faced and the difficulty of boss battles (especially in the latter episodes) strongly implies that more than 1 human controlled character should be tackling these challenges. Many boss battles require that more than one team member to be doing a specific task at once...needless to say that the A.I. doesn't always do the most vital of tasks by default. For example, you may be fighting a boss that requires the use of a cannon to take it down...well not only does some need to be operating it but another person needs to be loading it with ammunition WHILE someone else deals with incoming enemies trying to interfere with this process. Can something like this be done on your own? Sure...but:

1. The game doesn't do any hand holding, so often times you'll have to figure out on your own how to take down certain enemies

2. Even once you've figured it out, the friendly A.I. doesn't perform at the same level as another person who knows what to do as well

The story and the way its presented is entirely different than what was delivered in the first game. It takes place 10 years after the events of Lost Planet and there's no appearance or even mention of any of the characters from the original's story. The games plays out more like a chronicle...you play different episodes (which have their own chapters) with a different group people on the snowy planet, all facing a common threat: Another catastrophic NEVEC plan to harvest thermal energy from the planet. Of course, in the end everyone's story collides into an epic showdown that'll determine the planet's fate. This approach to the storytelling is a common complaint amongst reviewers and some who play through the game...personally, I enjoyed it! I thought it was pretty great to play as and see through the perceptive of many different character with their varying agendas. Its what made the ending worthwhile in my opinion.

My Breakdown:


What's Good:

- Wonderful integration of online gameplay into the single player campaign
- Beautiful Graphics
- Challenging: Latter boss fights require more strategy other than mindless shooting
- Interesting approach to storytelling

What's Not-So-Good:

- Offers great customization options but they can't be used until after one complete play through of the campaign

- The story was a bit too similar to the first game's
- The online multiplayer was decent but only really good for trophy hunting

What's Bad:

- Total disregard for the complete cast of character in the prior entry
- Trophy hunting is a pain! Seriously...if you're trying Platinum this game (legitamitely) it requires players to at least spend six months playing the game!!!

In all, Lost Planet 2 is very misunderstood game and seems to generally get a lot of negative feedback for reasons outside of being a quality experience. Do not be decieved however, while it is very much different than its predecessor (and may not be the most ideal sequal), it is a very enjoyable game that many can enjoy if given the chance.

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