Gamespot score:7.0(good)
my score:7.0
(+)Pros:-Pretty damn fun with friends,- large scale battles against gigantic monsters are a blast,- outstanding visuals,-lots of modes to keep you entertianed.
(-)Cons:-Lackluster story,-very boring to play alone,-foolish partner AI.
Gameplay time:10-20 hours
Lost planet 2 has a pretty lousy story. One of the things lost planet actually did right was having a half decent story. Lost planet 2 however....has almost zero story value. The characters are non existant, they dont even have names, and the story switches in between the many featured factions and their characters. Theres really nothing much when it comes to the story. It starts off as you playing as a bunch of snow pirates trying to save thier homeland, then switches to nevac agents going on an undercover mission, then switches to another bunch of snow pirates etc etc. It involves a shitload of switching between characters and after lots of playing, you will eventually lose yourself, and just give up. The characters keep talking about different stuff, its like theres zero link between the different conversations between the different people in other factions. It all comes together during the final chapter, but there will still be alot of question marks in your head by the time it comes.
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| The game is visually stunning. |
Luckily, the story is probably the weakest point of the game, the gameplay is downright solid....with friends that is. Much like the 1st game, it is a 3rd person shooter, retaining much of the original's gameplay, with a few tweaks. Instead of going around the maps alone like in the 1st game, you will always have 3 allies alongside you this time. These 3 allies are either AI controlled, or controlled by other players. Needless to say having 3 player controlled buddies accompanying you through these levels are great to have, much better than the clunky partner AIs. You and your pals can play through 6 campaign chapters, filled with beautiful environments and enemies.
The game is downright visually stunning, easily one of the most beautiful PC games I have played. The areas you play through have some awesome variety, ranging from forests, deserts, ocean levels, secret bases, snowy mountains and many more. Each and every one of these areas are filled with thier own unique akrid enemy types and soldiers. While soldiers most of the time only have a few types (just the basic few holding different weapons), what makes them a little bit more special are thier VSes. They may comes in different types of VSes to kick your ass over and over, and while you might feel pissed off, its definetely better than getting shot to death by puny soldiers. The akrids however are much more solid when it comes to variety. There are lots of different akrids, those that fly, jump around, have nasty claws or rock hard shells that protect them. Depending on the stages you visit, the different types of akrids appear, and its always great to see what different types of monsters lurk in the next area.
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| Shit, thats one big ass worm. |
When it comes to weapons, lost planet 2 has thier fair share of those as well. You can only hold 2 weapons at once, and you always start with your machine gun. You can find other weapons scattered in crates of after you beat soldiers. Weapons include shotguns, grenade launchers, sniper rifles....you know the deal. Of course there are more unique weapons like the plasma gun, but we wont be going into that. You also have your secondary weapons, while you can hold 2 of these, you can only change 1. Your T-eng supplier is permanently there, and it helps you to heal health in exchange for T-eng. The other slot for secondary weapons are grenades, explosive items or anything tossable, basically. Gum grenades, plasma discs, you name it. There are also those huge ass weapons that you can detach from a VS or attach to a VS. VSes are another part of your combat arsenals. Just like enemy soldiers, you can pilot them and unleash incredible destruction of soldiers and akrid alike.
There are many different types of VSes, those that move slowly and fire weapons from thier sides, those with arms that can fly around and unleash mass destruction, or even those huge ones that can host 3 drivers. With so much at your disposal, you are ready to combat the bosses of lost planet 2, which are probably some of the coolest things to exist in PC gaming. Bosses in lost planet 2 are usually huge ass akrids the size of buildings, towering over you like the behemoths they are. You have to shoot the weak points to dismember them or deal damage. Tackling these big bosses with friends is definetely the way to go, as you scream desperately at each other to run or attack. Its good fun. There are also lots multiplayer modes that can net you some extra play hours if you manage to get some online buddies to play with you. You have the basic team elimination, elimination FFA, capture the posts, blah blah blah. Its nothing special and is much like COD or other shooters. Still, its extra content, whos complaining?
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| Big monsters vs Big guns. |
Like many of the reviews stated, lost planet 2 has a lot of flaws. Well to me most of the flaws they mentioned arent that big of a deal to me. Yeah, as said earlier, the story is bland is totally lackluster. The lack of proper characters fail to make it appealing, and to be honest, the story itself is quite a drag, its the gameplay that drives it. Next up is the clunky AI. If you play alone, the AI is stupid beyond belive. They cant shoot shit, they always die, and they ALWAYS use the machine gun. Ridiculous. Plus, during certain missions where you have to multi task with 1 character per task, the AI does nothing! You have to do what 4 ppl have to do BY YOURSELF. That being said, playing the game alone is a total drag. Yep, you heard me. Shitty AI, no friends to spice things up and the lousy story....Damn, playing this alone is quite boring.
Thats really all there is to lost planet 2. Its a superb multiplayer experience and if you do the campaign on multiplayer, you are sure to have one hell of a fun time. Play it alone however, you will have to coup with the ridiculously stupid AI and play through the entire 6 chapters alone...that is saddening, really. This game is really fun, and its visually stunning too, but let me tell you, you need to have at least 1 buddy to play it with you, to make the most out of your time and money. Find that buddy, and lost planet 2 will deliver to you an experience unlike any other. In my opinion, this is much better than lost planet 1 (for the PS3).
Happy gaming.
