SpawnPoint - Where Game Begins

Lost Planet 2 Review

Lost Planet 2 Review

  
[Xbox 360]

Also on PS3 and PC

Return to E.D.N. III

            Strap on your shotguns and blast your way through the Akrid masses in Capcom's Lost Planet 2.    With a rich campaign mode and endless online play, Lost Planet 2 attempts to keep gamers gainfully employed for countless hours.  At the end of the day, however, you will find yourself wondering exactly what is the point of this game.

 

 

Campaign

            As mentioned, the campaign mode in Lost Planet 2 is huge.  Coming in at around fourteen or so hours, there are six episodes which lead you through jungles, tundras, underwater colonies, and deserts.  You will fight as a member of one of the six different factions in each episode as you try and extinguish the Akrid alien race while securing the mineral T-ENG (Thermal Energy).

 

            The big weakness of the game is the storyline.  There really is no great explanation as to what each of the playable factions are trying to accomplish..  I quickly found myself lost in the story trying to figure out what was going on.  While each episode is is somewhat self explanatory,  the story as a whole fails to gel into something of meaning.

 

            Each of the six episodes follow the same formula, which is to make your way through the level and end in a classic boss battle.  I found that some of the levels became pretty mundane as the common theme of activating data posts quickly became the objective. I found myself, as I did with Capcom's Dark Void, wishing there were side objectives or something else to do besides the formulaic game play that had been set down before me. 

 

            You fight alongside three fellow players to accomplish your goals.  These players can either be computer controlled or human players.  While I was not able to secure any human team mates during my gaming, I am sure that it would have enhanced the game play. The computer team mates were at best somewhat helpful.   More often that not, I found them to be just standing idly by while I was getting shot from all angles.  They did at times activate data posts on their own, but usually they were doing their own thing.         

 

            Lost Planet 2 does however offer plenty of firepower.  There are a plethora of hand held weapons and you can always hop aboard a Vital Suit (VS) if you find that you need to exert more aggression upon your enemies.  What I liked about the Vital Suits, was that there were several different varieties.  Some of them even allowed for team mates to ride alongside with you and man the guns.  There is even a shield that can be used somewhat like a riot shield to help cover you and your mates from the sometimes oppressive fire you will receive.  One tool that I thought was poorly incorporated into the game was the grapple hook.  I found myself becoming frustrated with the use of this tool as sometimes the game would let you jump onto the ledge you had shot your grapple into and other times it would not, and you would fall back to the ground.

 

 

Online

            As with most other shooter-type games, the online mode allows you to level up and increase your character's strengths through experience.  You are offered several different playable characters to choose from for online play.  The only difference in these characters, from what I can tell, is appearance.  It would have been nice if each character would have offered some different abilities or weapons. 

 

            You earn points through online play which will in turn allow you to “purchase” different looks and weapons.  One interesting aspect of Lost Planet 2 is that the online mode and campaign mode are somewhat linked.  By this I mean, that you also earn points through the campaign mode which you can spend on your online character.  This was a unique and well received facet to the game.

 

            Online play offers several different game modes.  They run the gamut of team elimination to the capturing of Akrid eggs. In addition, there is a nice offering of maps.  They range in sizes and VS offerings, but the most unique is a map with an arena environment that pits its players in gladiator-like battle with an exuberant crowd yelling for bloodshed.

 

            The only major setback for the online gaming was the pace of it all.  While the trot at which the characters move is perfect in the campaign mode, it seems to really drag down online play.  I often became frustrated at the slow movements of the characters.  While there is a sprint feature, it seems as though this is the pace at which online gaming should be at all times. 

 

            The machine gun also was vastly underpowered in the online facet of this game.  The power level of this weapon seems to be right on target in campaign mode, but it felt like I was shooting blanks in the online play.  There were several instances where I would be spraying a barrage of rounds into my enemies face with the machine gun only to be blown up by one rocket or VS shotgun shell.

 

 

Visual Effects

            I personally, was blown away by this game's graphics.  I wholeheartedly believe that Lost Planet 2 offers some of the best graphics I have seen on the Xbox 360.  Not only is the world of E.D.N. III beautifully expansive and detailed, but the characters themselves are greatly thought out and complete.  The movements of the characters were effortless and smooth.  Some of the best graphics were reserved for the Cat-G Akrids.  These monstrous insect-like creatures were at once beautiful and grotesque.  Even the the Vital Suits, which one would expect to be awkward would glide across the screen.

 

            The cut scenes at times felt like I watching a movie.  Lighting is the aspect of most games which, in my opinion,  fails.  The developers of Lost Planet 2, however, did an amazing job with this.  While I was working my way through the desert, I could almost feel the torrid heat coming through the controller.  I really felt the grunginess of the the cities in which I engaged my enemies, and even the lengthy ride on the weaponized train made me feel like I was truly swaying back and forth.

 

 

Overall

            I loved the Lost Planet 2 experience.  While some aspects of the campaign were lacking, the visual presentation of the game was enough to make you wanting to carry on.  I was really surprised by the length of the campaign as well.  This was a huge plus as most games are over so quickly that you wonder if they even used up the full capacity of the disc they are printed on. 

 

            The online mode, as with most games, is a very dynamic experience.  The game has a nice offering of maps and game types to keep the gamer from becoming bored.  As stated though, the pace could stand to be sped up.

 

            Lost Planet 2 was a very entertaining title that I will continue to play for quite some time.  If you are into long single player campaigns and extensive online gaming, here is your title.  With every game, however, some things could have been done better.  Happy Akrid hunting!