Lost Planet 2 Review
Some questionable design choices mar what is otherwise a varied and often enjoyable co-op shooter
The enemy AI is still fairly poor, but the game is a lot of fun, especially when you are fighting the giant cat-G Akrid, which will tower above you and move about the environment impressively. Like the original Lost Planet, the best missions have you fighting these fantastic creatures with glowing yellow weak spots that spout thermal energy, your life source, when they die. Unfortunately, most of the missions will have you fighting enemy soldiers, which aren’t nearly as interesting. Luckily the environments that you fight them in are interesting; each episode takes place in a totally different environment. You will fight in the Jungle, on the coast, underwater, and in space. Each level is gorgeous and for the most part reasonably well designed.
Emergency underwater repairs are sometimes necessary
Also like the original Lost Planet, the story takes a back seat to the spectacle. The game has you switching between a number of different squads who are in a number of different factions. Eventually, each group becomes aware of a giant Over-G akrid being developed by an evil corporation called NEVEC that if allowed to reach its final form will throw the planet into another ice-age because of its massive intake of the planets thermal energy. It’s a weak story with one-dimensional, nameless characters that are almost always fully covered in battle armour and masks. At least the cut scenes are of incongruously high quality and are very enjoyable to watch due to their great composition and the amount of action that occurs within them.
The game-defining mechanic in Lost Planet 1 was the thermal energy that you needed to stay alive in the freezing cold temperatures of the game. This mechanic was absolutely brilliant since because of the cold temperature your thermal energy, and life source, was constantly declining, forcing you to continue and adding a layer of tension to everything you did. This thermal energy has returned, but it makes much less sense here since you mostly fight in warm environments. Now you collect large amounts of the stuff and only use it when you are hurt to heal yourself. Thermal energy also powers the many vehicles found in the game which explains why everyone is after it, but when you use one of the games many vehicles there is no fuel gage to speak of. You can, however, get out of vehicles and repair them when they become damaged. The giant mech-like VS’s have returned from the original game, only now there are many different ones; some will have jetpacks while others will allow you to use two weapons at once. You will also find helicopters, and little flying scooters that you can use to traverse the environments. These don’t come into play much but they are fun to use when they are around.
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Dec 1, 2010 13:55:46 (Dec 1, 2010 13:55)
