We’ve all been disappointed by a video game at some point, to some degree. However, I honestly expect one of my biggest disappointments to come from a project helmed by Keiji Inafune. I can easily say that Lost Planet 2 is one of the most frustrating big name titles I have played in years. Lost Planet 2 takes place on EDN III years after the events of the first game. EDN III is melting and snow pirates and Akrid plague the planet, and it’s up a squad of NEVEC troops to try and clean up the mess. It’’s poorly told, almost non-existent If you play or have played LP 2 and can find the story, please let us know. Since the game is heavily influenced by the co-op mechanic, there are practically no main characters to speak of and the characters that you follow throughout the plot are so generic that you’ll have a tough time finding someone to care about. The first Lost Planet had a narrative that was fractured and poorly told, but at least it had a protagonist whose name you cared to remember. Even if you have a game revolving around co-op, that doesn’t mean you can get away without writing in a plot. The little story that does exist is just a cliché space marine vs. giant bug scenario.
The gameplay adds even more clutter in to the mix, with the exception of some enjoyable boss battles that give a glimmer of hope but that hope is quickly dashed by poorly implemented controls, lack of checkpoints and issues with the co-op mechanic. LP 2 is meant to be played with friends, but you’ll have a tough time making that happen when each chapter can take an hour or more and a death at the end of the chapter results in being sent to the beginning. I’m not an angry person by any means, but I found myself wanting to throw my control after playing for an hour and having one of my friends die, resulting in a failed mission. Yes, there is a “pool” of lives in LP 2. When you play with friends, a death results in a loss of a life for the whole team, whereas when you play alone the AI players don’t affect the total lives left. There are also many cheap deaths throughout the game, especially I found myself feeling safer playing by myself, than with friends since I knew that a failed mission would be my fault. Drop-in co-op is nowhere to be found, so if you attempt to join a friend’s game, you’ll be waiting in a lobby until they complete the current chapter. You could be waiting for a very long time. Along with the sloppy co-op, the controls are a disaster with the B button having far too many uses throughout the game.
You’ll find yourself running instead of activating a data post far too often due to this fact. Another complaint I have is the lack of clear objectives. It wasn’t a common issue I experienced, save for a few parts of the game such as an Akrid encounter on a train. There are ridiculous segments that involve trial and error and with the lack of checkpoints this is bound to be an issue for almost everyone on their first play through. Sure, there are a few enjoyable moments over the course of the campaign, but the game is bogged down by too many issues to make the experience enjoyable. There are also 16-player multiplayer options available once you complete the campaign but it’s more of the same from Lost Planet. There are a few modes that can lead to good times, but in the midst of much better competitive multiplayer titles LP 2 fails to grab onto anything unique. The one component of the game that tended to grab me was some of the great visuals, especially with some of the boss encounters and varied locales. The soundtrack has epic scores that don’t show up far enough, but memorable nonetheless.
I honestly wanted Capcom's Lost Planet 2 to be a great experience and it had all the makings to do so. 4 player co-op, massive boss encounters, badass vital suits and a grappling hook. Where could you go wrong? Apparently everywhere. Since all the gameplay mechanics, missions and much more have glaring flaws it’s hard to recommend this game to anyone. Sure there are some good times to be had, but odds are you’ll be spending more time rage quitting from losing an hour of play time. Lost Planet 2 isn’t unplayable, but it’s a mess. For every great component, along comes a major flaw. If you value your controllers as well as your sanity, avoid Lost Planet 2.
