[HEADING=1]Review[/HEADING]
[HEADING=3]Platforms: PS3, 360, PC (PC version not out yet.) (Review of PS3 Version)
Genre: Sci-Fi Third-Person Shooter
Developer: Capcom
Producer: Capcom
Released: North America: May 11, 2010
Europe: May 11, 2010
Japan: May 20, 2010
PC: Quarter 4 2010[/HEADING]
Lost Planet 2 is a Sci-Fi Third-Person shooter about the planet of E.D.N. III, 10 years after the first game. To just up the story, it is about a group of pirates and Ex-NEVEC soldiers fighting against NEVEC to stop them from awakening the Over-G Akrid and taking all the thermal energy that will freeze the planet to its core if the thermal energy is taken. Though I will be honest, the story isn't the main focus of the game and so if you are buying this expecting a great story, then you might want to go somewhere else. The story is split into six episodes, all which are Co-op centric.
The first boss
To get the full experience of this game, you need to play Co-op with friends or random people. While you can play the campaign alone (like I did at first) with A.I., you will have a harder time due to the A.I. being really stupid. During the campaign you will fight massive Akrid bosses which are the highlight of the game. Though I wished the game had more bosses and I wished you fought Akrid more since they are for the most part the highlight of the game. While playing you will also pick up boxes which drop money that you can use in a slot machine to get new weapons, titles, emotes, and clothes. After unlocking many weapons, titles and emotes, the slot machine which normally costs 2000 credits, costs 10,000 credits but give you unlocks that normally you would have to rank up to get. You will also gain experience which helps to rank up (total of 99 ranks)
A VS or as many know, Mechs.
During your first run of the campaign you won't be able to use your custom looks or character choice but once you do you can use any character in the campaign. You have five characters (all of them also have their own ranks so you can technically get to rank 99, five times.), all of them play the same but all have different unlocks (though since you can unlock them in the slot machine, it could feel almost like they are useless since you can also at Rank 80, use anyone's clothes.) This game has many unlocks which also gives the game high replay value as many people who love customization will love this game. Lost Planet 2 also has a great selection of weapons which all of them are fun to use.
A player using a VS weapon that can only be picked up or found on a VS.
Gameplay in Lost Planet 2 is for the most part the average Third-Person shooter but with no cover system, which is okay since the game doesn't lend itself well to a cover system since its hectic Gameplay and the fact that you have a hook shot to latch onto stuff. It's fun and fast and with the large variety of weapons, grenades, and VS's, it will make the game a blast to play. The only problem I have which hampers the Gameplay is the weird control scheme, while you can change it to B:1 which is the closest to you will get to other third-person shooters, it still feels awkward. This problem though also depends on the person playing, some people (like me) can easily adjust to control schemes, while others sometimes will take awhile but after a couple of multiplayer matches or the campaign you should be used to it.
Nice looking jungle!
Lost Planet 2's graphics are great looking, all the level designs are great and the character designs are also very nice (which helps a lot which customization being fun.) The game has a large variety of environments, such as deserts, jungles, underwater, space, cliff sides on the ocean, frozen wastelands, and a Akrid infested city. They are all nice to look at and never make anything feel tried to look at. With nice graphics comes with nice sound, all the sound effects are top notch and the voice acting (despite the story being quite bad, is quite good.) Though the guns sometimes and grenades sound awfully similar and sometimes it doesn't seem like there is even music these aren't game breaking and with the fun you will have most likely you won't notice.
Multiplayer!
Multiplayer is also a huge part of this game, you can play competitive multiplayer, three ways. One, Ranked Matches, which effects your Leaderborads rank, Second, Player Matches which has more modes and doesn't affect your Leaderborads rank but still gives you exp to rank up, lastly, Faction Matches, each of the five characters is part of a faction, which you pick which faction you will be part of that week and you fight on three maps which changes each week and whichever faction wins gets a lot of credits. Your Rank in campaign is the same rank you have in Multiplayer, including your weapons you have. Though the only downside to Multiplayer is that you can't get credits from it, only exp. Despite the games low reviews, the multiplayer is very much alive and it is easy to find matches. So if you're a multiplayer only kind of guy, the community lives on. Sadly also, there is no Party system and only you can invite your friends into games.
Weapon selection menu.
Also a unique way of selecting weapons is that the weapons you choose in the menu are the only weapons you can pick up during matches. So if you have a Machine Gun II you can only find Machine Gun II. Also what is good is that for the most part the multiplayer is balanced, which is nice though there are some guns which are annoying when people use them. Such as one gun that when you charge up, it locks onto someone and hits them and knocks them over and by the time you get up, they have already charged up again and hit you. There is also a large number of single-player challenges you can do to earn credits (didn't play that many but I saw lots.)
Mechs and Characters.
All in all, Lost Planet 2 is a great Gameplay for Co-op with Friends (Split-screen co-op also) and fun competitive multiplayer. With Capcom planning more DLC (such as Rush Arena which you see how fast you and three others can take on the bosses in a row. for $3 it's cheap, fun, and you level fast and get many credits from it. Also two map packs.) and Patches to support the game and large replay value of this game is great If you are a fan of hectic, multiplayer and co-op games you should this game very much.
Previous Reviews:
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.215731-Kortens-Reviews-Alien-Swarm
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.205690-My-First-Review-Gothic-3-Possible-Spoilers
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.208160-Poll-My-Second-Review-Metro-2033-Possible-Spoilers
