Customer Reviews

Lost Planet 2

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

STORY *no spoilers* (7/10): Lost Planet 2 is a 3rd-person multiplayer action title that takes place on the planet EDN III, which used to be completely frozen over. However, escalating conflicts between human colonists and the planet's indigenous Akrid lifeforms have caused drastic climate changes to take effect, spawning dense jungles, arid deserts, and everything in between. All of this eventually culminates in a revelation about how the entire planet is threatened by a looming global calamity, and the involvement of the various interested factions will play a pivotal role in how it all will end. Pretty standard sci-fi action plotline, but it works. It's worth noting that there really isn't a "main character" per se, which makes it difficult to relate to the story and the people affected by it. But then, that's not really what LP2 is about. LP2 is all about...

GAMEPLAY (9/10): ...and here is where it shines. By default, LP2 is set up to allow players to link up via the internet and join each other in a cooperative Campaign mode. It's possible to tackle the Campaign mode in single-player, but as the maps and objectives you'll encounter are clearly built to accommodate multiple players, you'll invariably find them difficult to conquer solo. You've been warned. But if you've got a team of armed militants at your back, the experience is highly enjoyable. No, it's downright awesome. Playing in any mode earns you points that you can use to purchase new weapons, equipment, and armor pieces to customize your character. There's a HUGE selection of weapons, ranging from sticky grenades and magnum revolvers, to energy shields and rocket launchers, to mega-shotguns and Death Star-esque concussive laser cannons. And they're all a truckload of fun to decimate your enemies with. There are plenty of situations that actually call for real strategy between teammates in the pursuit of victory, and this is even more apparent in competitive multiplayer matches. Managing your team's T-ENG (Thermal Energy) reserves is critical to healing wounded team members and arming energy weapons. Teamwork is heavily encouraged by the wide range of VS (Vital Suits - mobile armor/weapon mechs) platforms, some of which can be operated by several players at once, each manning their own cannon or piloting the suit's movements. The grappling hook adds even more offensive/defensive options, allowing you to cross real estate quickly, reach high platforms, rappel down sheer drops, and cling to moving targets while you unload your clip at point-blank. A bloody good time. By the way, don't expect the AI to be very clever or tactical; your enemies are good shots, but they're generally not so hot at seeking cover. Best to challenge real human players. System Link and split-screen multiplayer modes are also available, for the internet-challenged.

GRAPHICS (8/10): I've always liked the unique visuals Capcom's generated using their MTF engine, and LP2 is no exception here. The jungle environments in particular are very colorful and vibrant, invoking images of a romp through Jurassic Park. Except instead of dinosaurs, there are huge, hostile aliens with many sharp protrusions. The Akrid foes you encounter come in all shapes and sizes, and for the most part, their animations are smooth and organic. Probably the most obvious eye-candy can be had in the huge, spectacularly colorful array of sparks, explosions, and electrical discharges issued from the business end of your chosen weapon. Watching as your foe is engulfed in a bright sphere of searing plasma, then launched across the map by the ensuing blast wave is a joy that never gets old. There are also plenty of destructive environments, which is a plus. It's been stated by a few professional reviews that there's a lack of character subtext/facial expression, but LP2 isn't a character-focused game, so I think that's a petty criticism. Aside from some negligible clipping errors, the visuals deliver a unique and engrossing experience.

SOUND (10/10): It's hard to describe the hair-raising chill of awesome that I get from hearing the sound effects in LP2. The thunderous cracks and earth-shaking booms emanated by all the bullets, bombs and plasma bolts flying around the battlefield are some of the most striking noises I've heard this side of a Hollywood picture. The epic musical score a pretty catchy too, lending itself well to the massive scale of the adventures and battlefields you find yourself surrounded by. The voice-overs aren't exactly A-list talent, but they're pretty good. Very solid sound work here.

OVERALL (9/10): This is a game about two things: multiplayer, and blowing stuff up. And in this regard, LP2 is a success. In fact, next to Monster Hunter 3, this is probably one of the best multiplayer experiences I've ever had the pleasure of picking up. Totally worth checking out.

The tag line to Lost Planet 2 is "Kill Big!' Unfortunately this doesn't necessarily translate into "Kill Fun" as some poor level designs, clumsy controls, and terrible AI in solo play sucks a lot of fun out of the game. The story is set 10 years after the events in the first game. Much of the frozen tundra of planet E.D.N. III has given way to tropical jungles and arid deserts, opening up new terrain for the player and also meaning that T-ENG (Therma Energy) doesn't drain as drastically as it did in the first game.

Perhaps the biggest growth in video gaming is in online play but its nice if a game still gives you the option of playing online or solo. The first thing you notice when selecting the campaign mode in Lost Planet 2 is that the options all appear to be online options such as selecting a quick match or a custom match to join where you select the episode and chapter you wish to play. This puts you into a multi-player game with three other players in a cooperative environment. So how do you play solo? Good question...The game virtually hides solo play (never even calling it solo play) in the Create your Own Game option. To play solo you have to set the AI players to three. You also have to set the connection type to offline so you can pause your game. More on solo play later...

The muddled storyline finds you and the other players taking the roles of various factions who are battling for control of the planet's T-ENG and fighting off hordes of E.D.N. III's native aliens known as Akrid which are giant bugs that make the monsters in Starship Trooper look like fleas. The problem here is that you're essentially playing as a nameless grunt so there's little in the way of character development. Playing cooperatively is the key to having a successful campaign, as some of the levels can be long and frustratingly difficult. In one sequence you're battling a giant worm while riding on a speeding train and given little hint as to what to do to defeat the creature. Fail, and you're doing the whole thing over again with 20 - 25 minutes of gameplay lost. The game is played in six episodes, which are divided into several chapters that you'll get to know well by repeating them over and over.

One of the stumbling blocks of the multi-player campaign play is the wait to join a game. Even selecting the quick match can leave you waiting for several minutes for an opening to join. You can't join a game that is already in progress until the level is complete or a checkpoint is reached. This all pales next to the solo play which Capcom and clearly discourages. The AI of the NPCs is awful. The three NPCs will often all converge on the same data post, seemingly fighting over who gets to access the info. Even worse, they'll stand about staring off into space as you are getting attacked. I can't imagine it's even possible to complete the campaign playing solo.

One of your main tools is your anchor which is a projectile rappelling tool that allows you to scale walls, mountains, giant Akrid, etc...Recently Just Cause 2 came out which had a similarly device that was simply a joy to use. You felt like Spider-Man shooting out a web strand and propelling yourself along...here your anchor is as likely to pull you off the edge of a cliff, as it is to save you.

Lost Planet 2's strength lies in its visuals, which are fantastic. The monsters are big and there is a large variety of them. The cutaway videos are gorgeous, making you feel as if you are in the midst of the action. There's great special effects and explosions, usually courtesy of some of the many cool weapons you get to use and its in this area where Capcom did a great job.

The multi-player online play gets a nod over the campaign play by far. It's no Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, but it's a lot of fun. The usual options of Deathmatches and capturing the flag (i.e. Akrid Eggs), Team Elimination and more. Fugitive mode is back as well and pits a small team of lightly armed fugitives avoiding capture against a fully equipped team of hunters. There's a good number of map choices and Capcom promises a lot of downloadable content as well.

The bottom line with Lost Planet 2 is that if you enjoy cooperative or multiplayer online play, then its worth at least a rent or two but if you like to fly solo you'll want to pass on this one.

Not being a fan of 'shooters', especially FPS. Lost Planet 2, to my surprise, is really fun. Tactically and strategically, I am not the best compared to some of the other players I've co-op'd with or battled against, but this reason does not detract from the fun of obliterating giant insectisoid aliens. A gripe that is very easily overlooked is that some of the boss battles seem a bit drawn out or that some of the objectives in order to pass a level isn't particularly clear... but hey, I've already beat the game so really, it's a very minor gripe. The graphics are outstanding, there are minor glitches and the replay value is high due to all the character/weapons/noms de guerre/etc. unlockables.

This game successfully builds on the Lost Planet original. In the original there is only one player while in this one there are up to 4 players, or you can play online with teams. In the original you pretty much kill monsters and some people but are you from start to finish. In this one you play a variety of characters in different (sometime opposing) sides of the conflict. And in the original you pretty much fight on land while in this one you do this, fight in space, under water, inside monsters, on trains and large vehicles...

As for graphics, I am not sure. I did not use HDMI so cannot gauge the graphics, but they looked okay on my TV for one player, less so for 2 players. I did not play the online game (and playstation network has been down for awhile so I cannot until they fix the network).

The confusion in some of the reviews lies in the fact that they think the game is only online and they were gypped. This is not true, but it may seem difficult to traverse the menus to get to the local (not online) game. Must create a game and designate 3 AI players if they want a single player, 2 AI players for 2 player games, etc... (I got that from other reviewers here!).

All in all it is definitely worth the price since it is so low.

Im gonna start by saying this game single-handedly eliminated all credibility I had for game reviewers. Pretty much every negative point stated by this people is false. The game is pretty much perfect in what you`d expect from a shooter.
Graphically there is not much to say. The game looks fantastic, your character is nicely detailed as are the imposing Akrid. There are some graphical glitches here and there particularly clipping. Music and sound effects are dead on with pumping musical scores that accompany the action and awesome weapon sound effects. (I just love the pumping sound of the rocket launcher reload ;)). The controls are tight and responsive.
In terms of replay value this game has tons, so its defenitily worth a full retail price in that this game will last you for some time. The campaign is lengthy (around 15 the first playthrough) with multiple difficulty modes to tackle. Then there`s the multiplayer which is shockful of playmodes and every battle is hectic and action packed. Then there is the training levels which help you hone your skills as well as serve as a challenge arena which reward you with points to use in the slot machine where you buy your upgrades, perks, weapons, and other goodies. The only complain I do have in this part is that there are way to many useless stuff (emotes, war names) that you might get over the good stuff (abilities, weapons). Although I like those extra things I just wish the ratio of extras to perks was more balanced. Still its kinda fun hitting the slot machine to see what you get.
This game is heavily focused on co-op. For me thats a huge bonus. Being able to play with friends, having to support each other in order to survive is one of the most fun experiences I can have in a video game. Not only is the co-op evident in the campaign but also in some multiplayer modes (special note VS annihilator). But if you choose to go solo I wanna say that if you have never played a shooter or simply lack the common notions of a video gamer, then you can believe what reviewers said, if not you will; as I did; find absolutely nothing wrong with the AI or difficulty of a solo play. If anything solo is kinda easier since the death of the AI partners dont count only yours unlike co-op and the AI IS helpful, it just wont win the game for you. Of course the game is much more fun with friends or human companions but its still enjoyable and challenging on your own. I highly recommend it.

If you are 14 years old, you're really gonna like this game! With it's endless repetition of button-mashing and enemies that materialize out of nowhere this disgustingly misleading game is perfect for spending nearly an hour "killing all the enemies."

The game is frustrating to learn, with lots of information in the game booklet, little of which is really useful in helping you avoid getting repeatedly killed as you attempt to kill all the enemies.
There is no useful way to learn the controls or movement in-game. You've got to do the learning in the "Training Mode" for which there is almost no instruction and comes complete with designed-in frustration (for example, finishing the first section of movement training you are greeted with a large splash screen that reads "FAILED!" with no explanation of how, having completed the course, this constitutes failing. Only later, after repeatedly "failing" are you able to deduce (without there ever being any clear statement) that you only don't fail if you complete it within a set time (which you have to figure out on your own).

The screen is filled between scenes with "hints" that scroll across the screen ... partially scroll across the screen then disappear before they are done scrolling, that is, before they even complete displaying rendering them impossible to read, let alone understand. Some of which, that are readable, contain truly useful gems like "Try not to make too many sacrifices" and "The Enemy ... You ... 'Nuff Said!" Right.....

In gameplay, the enemy (who is equipped exactly as you are) are able to move magically fast, grapple unerringly (again magically fast) and perform maneuvers that when you are similarly equipped are impossible for you to perform.

Several of the controls are multi-function, depending on where you are standing at any given time (Such as the "O" button). Delightfully, whatever action you want to take the game seems to know and performs exactly the opposite function for you. Nice....

There is very little in the way of attractive scenery to be explored, or reason to do any exploring or getting to know the game beyond moving endlessly forward "killing all the enemies."

It's indeed a pretty complicated game. Lots of different weapons, lots of ways to get killed and lots of ways of killing all the enemies. This complicatedness does add to the sense of there being a lot to the game, but it does little to add to the enjoyment of the game as much of the complicatedness is contrived (activating data posts takes hitting the "O" button 20 times, or deactivating force field panes required hitting the "O" button 20 times. Because, why, exactly???).

The game has episodes, chapters and missions. Three missions to a chapter, three chapters to an episode. The first couple of missions are easy. Kill all the enemies. The you have to kill the big bad Akrid (boss), which is hugely more difficult and frustrating. The next chapter is a couple of easy missions (kill all the enemies), then kill the boss Akrid. The next chapter is a couple of easy missions (kill all the enemies), then kill the boss Akrid. The next chapter is ..... well, are you getting the idea?

The camera angles suck-ass, with walls and your character getting in the way of the aming reticle entirely too often.

This game is hugely frustrating. Far more frustrating than it is fun. The frustration is only added to and made more acute by the dialogue, which is atrocious, and the subtitled messages (for example, if an Akrid sweeps you off whatever you are standing on, a bridge, platform, or you are shot off of a moving sandship, you are "helpfully" advised that "you committed suicide. Yeah, right.

This game could be SO much better. It could be SO much more. The cut scenes are the best part of it. If only we could play what is depicted on the cut scenes. But no, those actions are just follow-along and watch. After the cut scenes it's back to the same old frustrating "Kill all the enemies". Oh, and the next scene: "Kill all the really big, bad enemies!" Followed by the ever popular "Kill all the enemies" scene. When you're done killing all the enemies, you can prepare for your next scene by gathering all the weapons you think that you might need for the next mission. Except that, for whatever reason, sometimes you get to keep your weapons, other times the new scene starts you off with only your basic weapons and you have to start from scratch all over again, losing all the effort at collecting and preparing weapons. With the next mission of course being a scene in which your orders are: "Kill all the enemies." followed by that ever popular "Kill the big bad Akrid scene."

Oh, and you'll love the Chapter in which you play Jose' and Manuel, a couple of Mexican-Americans dressed like Apaches from the Chihuahuan desert, with accents worse than the two desperados from Blazing Saddles ("Badges? We don't need no stinkeen badges!").Y ou think I'm kidding? I'm serious.

If you enjoy a game in which for hours your orders are "Kill all the enemies," and that you would swear is deliberately designed to be frustrating, in which you get multiple invitations to throw your controller across the room in disgust, then this truly is the game for you.
For my own part, I am disappointed with myself that I wasted as much time with this game as I did. I actually believed that it would get better, when all it really did is get worse.
Sure, buy it. But buy it used. It's not worth buying new, that's for damned sure.

I purchased this expecting an in-depth multiplayer system, both local and online, but was met with, for lack of a better word, nothing. I managed to get through around 4 hours of this game, but i never enjoyed it. I was always hoping that the next level, or next weapon would be a game changer. But, as previously stated, i got absolutely nothing from this game. Sound is nearly non-existent, the "bosses" are absolutely silent, the weapons are generic and boast nothing eye-catching. The graphics are fairly good, particularly in the jungle setting, but even they are crippled by major flaws - namely piss poor particle effects, and a laughably sad amount of 2d vegetation and metal works. Overall, i was at a loss when it came to describing this game, as it plays more like an alpha than a polished product.

When I first started playing this game, I loved shooting stuff in the jungle.

You can use a grappling hook to climb high, but it only reaches 40ft. There's great variety

in scenery and level design. Shooting foot soldiers and bugs is great fun, but I did not like

bringing down machinery, be it a mech robot, turret or a goliath. The boss battles are over the top, occassionally have

a dramatic impact on gameplay and visual experience, but tend to get drawn out, making you wondor if you're

utilizing effective combat techniques. The game can abrubtly end due to a team mate's death, as you don't get a cetain # of

lives, but rather a battle gauge, which represents T-Energy. Even though I was strictly single player for a while,

I could tell this was a multiplayer-based game, as you rely on teamwork to keep machines running while under attack.

Once you learn the game mechanics, the game grows on you. The level design and graphics are decent.

The cutscenes are entertaining if you're into that, but I'm glad you can skip them. I you're playing online,

all players need to desire them to be skipped, so you may get bored between scenes, but it may be a good opportunity

to take a break. I'm somewhat amazed the multiplayer community's still holding on, so play on!

Despite it's flaws, Lost Planet 2 has redeeming qualities, being a sporadically fun 3rd person shooter.

You know, I was gonna pass up on this game listening to all these website reviewers giving this game an average if not poor rating. I guess the reviewers think a shooter has to be first person with blood and guts all over the place. They are idiots! That's why I am glad that I listened to my heart and stepped out on faith and grabbed this title for myself cause it is awesome!!! The game is beautiful from the menu to the multiplayer. The cut scenes are great and I read on some review that the story was hard to follow? Not sure where they got that from as the story is very entertaining. Its about a group surviving on a planet during a civil war. The local co-op is great and works out because I'm not big on online play but then I went online and it was awesome too! This game is deep and when I say deep I mean playing for 5 hrs not knowing where the time went deep! Capcom Does it again!

I put off purchasing Lost Planet 2 for a long time. Many people initially said the game was a terrible SP game and/or had impossible boss fights.. to sum it up just an overall lack of polish. I was a giant fan of Lost Planet and at first glance Lost Planet 2 really has nothing to do with the original, but this is completely wrong. Lost planet 2 is a game that might not be a greatest hit or all time classic but it is a lot of fun and provides many different avenues for said enjoyments.

Gameplay: Lost planet 2 handles similar to the original. Controls at first feel a little strange and there are times you'll want to toss a grenade but oddly your character won't. This isn't broken mechanics but simply trying to make things realistic. You go to toss a grenade and get shot in the face you get interrupted. The game wants you to play smart and not stand out in the open like Rambo. Anyhow, the game funnels you through 4 different storyline moments with 6 different scenario areas. Snow covered areas, jungles, underwater etc. Very diverse and just when it might start feeling repetitive or old the game changes locations to keep it fresh. To enhance gameplay each chapter contains "good job" awards that are mostly hidden... such as get headshots, or transfer T-eng. VS kill streaks etc. These make for a sort of challenge to partake in while fighting monsters and enemies. Boss battles are impressive as these Cat-G akrid made the monsters from Lost Planet look like normal enemies. They are a lot of fun to battle and you can tackle them quite a few different ways really.

** With Patch 1.02 recently released in the past few months changes to the game have been made. On Easy and Normal (solo) the game is easier to manage where as in the past.. many bosses were hard to solo and Episode 3 was just absolutely ridiculous (the infamous TRAIN) This has been resolved. Co-Op campaign returns the difficulty to how it used to be, with Hard and Extreme getting a small difficulty boost! **

Sound/Story: Awesome sound effects. Guns sound strong and akrid sound creepy. Voice acting in some spots can be a little silly, especially when you unlock Femme Fatales Faction and can play as female characters. Female characters actually have male voices LOL that is a bit of a disappointment as it wouldn't of been so hard to get a female voice actress in there for a handful of cut scenes. The story takes place over 6 episodes w/ chapters breaking up the episode; and picks up after Lost Planet 1. Basically rebel factions have sprung up and are raiding NEVEC and causing havoc. As the story unfolds you find there is more going on than you think and there is a reason the planet has been changed so much. The opening to 6-3 is pretty epic I think and links Episode 1-5 together nicely

Graphics/Presentation: Amazing graphics. Some of the best out there I think at the moment still. The Cat G akrid just look amazing and there is such fine detail. The game is well presented also, and sets up nicely. You can play Offline, Playstation Network or play Multiplayer Online. There is even an Offline Training setup which tests your skills and has Bot based MP matches. The bots actually don't play fair reminding me of Unreal Tournament set to Hard or higher difficulty. A lot of fun I think, trying to overcome a cheating AI. To setup a Co-Op match all you do is campaign w/ playstation network enabled. Set your private slots and go. if you set up 0 private.. at anytime a random person can join your game for instant co-op fun. Set up 3 private , you play by yourself unless you invite friends Very simple and works nicely

Length/Replay: The game has some good length to it. I think it took me around 8hrs to complete on Normal , but I took my time and was learning where things are. Replay is amazing. I've played this game non-stop since getting it. There is so much to do! *Voice supported Co-Op *Multiplayer modes *Career points to level up factions for unlockables *Collect ? boxes in campaign to get money, weapons, emotes etc *use money to play the slot machine for goodies *Customizable character skins, weapon loadouts, emotes, names, abilities etc I started as a normal character, changed myself to WESKER from Resident Evil 5, then changed myself to a two legged Akrid fighter which has made my friends LOL . There is a lot of fun in this game especially if friends own the game, and even if you have none, I set the game to Open (no private slots) and within a minute I had 3 random people in my game ready to blow up some akrid. MP also is still alive and kicking, took less than a minute to get a 8 v 8 team game going

Overall Score: 87%
A great game especially now at this low price. You could say Lost Planet 2 got "lost" in the mix. A bad launch, w/ bad reviews and a unbalanced solo campaign at first hurt it, but now the game really has matured to a point in which you can have constant fun and almost want to beg Capcom to make a Lost Planet 3. The reason why it gets 4 stars (87%) is simply because despite all the fixes you will find a few parts in which the game clearly needed more polishing that never was addressed. Minor but playing "solo" it kills the pacing totally. Not nearly enough though to cost it to many points.