Lost Planet 2 Review PS3

The original Lost Planet was a game that was known for enormous bosses in the single player campaign and fun multiplayer, but was also infamous for one of the worst convoluted storylines of all time. Lost Planet 2 was touted by the developer, Capcom, for having even larger bosses and improved single player and multiplayer gameplay. Unfortunately, the only promise Capcom was able to keep was having even larger bosses in the sequel…

Lost Planet 2 takes place 10 years after the events of Lost Planet on the planet E.D.N. III, with several factions fighting over control of thermal energy and weaponry. The icy planet has warmed and now lush jungles and deserts dominate the landscape. The game places the player in the roles of several warring factions and loosely ties the alternating storylines in the last chapter of the game with a disappointing ending.

Lost Planet 2 consists of a 6 episode single player campaign and a multiplayer mode. The single player campaign can be played with up to 3 online players, up to 3 AI controlled bots, or offline split screen with another player. It is highly recommended that the player find competent online players for cooperative play. The AI controlled bots are incompetent when it comes to battling regular enemies, and completely useless when it comes to battling bosses. It becomes very apparent how useless the AI bots are when the player reaches Episode 3-3 and battles the large Sand Worm Boss with the Train Cannon. The player will die on that level at least once and it seems to be a rite of passage to the torture that is yet to come in Lost Planet 2. Cooperative online play is essential to beating Lost Planet 2, since the AI bots will wander aimlessly through the level or just stand still and die. Unfortunately, finding players to join a coop game is rare since no one wants to endure the pain of the single player campaign more than once.

Fortunately, when a player does find teammates to play online with, taking down the ridiculously enormous bosses is gratifying, but when done solo, success is more of a relief than a satisfaction. The bosses are unique in design and attack tactics, such as a boss in a desert level that detects enemy movement and uses a sonic wave attack to decimate them. The last boss sequence is one of the most tedious battles I have ever endured, with section upon section of pointless mini battles up until the final encounter that lasts about 30 seconds with absolutely no danger of dying. The alternating storylines converge on the last boss sequence and make for a ridiculous story and absurd ending.

Multiplayer is comprised of 6 modes varying from standard Elimination and Capture the Flag, to capturing data posts and a cops and robbers mode. The Capture the Flag mode substitutes Akrid Eggs for Flags. Elimination is split between Elimination and Team Elimination. Data Post Battle is basically Unreal Tournament Domination with Lost Planet 2 data posts replacing UT control points. Fugitive mode is basically a watered down version of Grand Theft Auto IV Cops and Robbers. Online multiplayer is actually quite boring, the Vital Suits (VS) are extremely overpowered compared to the first game and the levels are so open that there is basically nowhere to establish a strategic plan of action.

Overall, Lost Planet 2 promises a lot of improvements over the first game, but fails to deliver on basically everything. The game installs on the PS3 hard drive, but has so many loading screens that the player will feel like they just hopped onto a Sega Saturn. Even small levels, especially towards Episode 6 have loading screens every 30 seconds to the point of absurdity. Why have a game install on the hard drive if it is constantly reading off the Blu-Ray disc? Between horrible loading screens, poor AI, lackluster multiplayer, convoluted storyline, and steep solo campaign difficulty, this is a game left in the bargain bin and even then, it’s still not worth it since no one will want to play online, leaving the player with an expensive Frisbee. do not buy this game, hell do not even rent this trash.