Lost Planet 2

After reading the IGN review and many others complaining about how LP2 lacks “proper” gameplay mechanics I figured it is about time I put my two cents in, because in all honesty this game has been on the wrong end of the “this is what I would have done with this IP and it would have been so much better for it” stick. At the very least, I try and keep my reviews closer to facts than nothing but “I can do better than this crap”. First off let me start with I’ve always been a fan of the Lost Planet IP. Despite its consistent lack of interest from big name reviewers, I have always found Lost Planet to have that individualized flare. Something a lot of the major developers these days seem to not really care about. Granted they have to answer to higher-ups, most of which will only OK an idea if the terms “CoD-like” or “WoW-like” appear in the presentation, but who are we to blame them for their narrow-mindedness when we the consumers keep begging for more. For me. Lost Planet 2 is a overly welcomed reprieve from this.

Ladies. Gentleman. Let us kick some ass.

Gameplay

Hmmmm…. How to do this. Since this is by far not the first review of the game to come out I guess I can take this time to belittle others. Key things I’ve noticed that people complain about are the movement controls and the grappling hook. Other gripes come from the odd separations in chapters and a supposed incoherent story.

So let me think about this. For one, the movement controls are basic when it comes to games like Monster Hunter and for this genre they work. Let me put it this way. So far I’ve put about 50 good solid hours into this game and not once have I really found issue with any movement or camera angels. The camera makes things translucent when they are in the way of my crosshairs. It stays on key with the direction I’m aiming. The movement is something you have to get used to as a gameplay mechanic. When I say this is an action game I mean it. Actions have consequences. When you land after a 20 foot fall you are not running full speed while shooting, your character has to recover. When a grenade goes off near you or a VS blows up near you, the shock wave is going to shake you, toss you, stun you. That is why dive roll is in the game. For the epic dive out of the way moment. “Oh noes, you can’t spam dive roll. That means the game mechanics are broken.” By no means is that the case. In all games your given a set of tools to use and use well. If you don’t use them well in Lost Planet, expect to die often. I made it through the whole campaign and didn’t die once. Not really seeing the issues others are having with this.

Lasers...LASERS!!!!!

The grappling hook issue, or as I’ve come to understand it, the “Why am I not spider-man” issue. That is an answer in of itself. Your not spider-man. A lot of people are pointing out that the higher end games these days that use a tether item allow for free form flying about. Which games I ask? Because most of those games involve superheroes. One key game that comes to mind that involved a grappling hook and is considered one of the best of its kind was Arkham Asylum, and correct me if I’m wrong but those were triggered effects, not free form. Technically the Lost Planet IP gives you more freedom than usual. The thing is it keeps it within parameters acceptable to the game. Its not a get out of jail free card. Its not an uber-bionic-commando weapon. Its a tool. Granted, there were a few things I wish they did with it. Namely, pulling yourself towards a ladder then climbing on it. Other than that, I’ve used it as a method of transport hanging off a Triseed like a drop ship. I’ve also used it to cling to things and either use them as transport or point blank blast them. Other than that the complaints seem to be more about wanting to play a different game all together.

Tactical tether

On to the awkward chapter breaks. These are mostly only in the beginning of the game and if people have a huge issue with them, maybe they didn’t get further in? After the first handful of short chapters get you acquainted with the game the intricacy gets kicked up a notch, and all the while, the focus of co-op never seems to be forgotten. The levels lend themselves to tactical maneuvers done between a very synergistic team. One player distracts while the others grapple up for the ambush. Some players cover from the rooftops while others complete missions from below. Every episode is littered with these set ups. And an even bigger thing that Lost Planet co-op has introduced me to is the concept of not actually starting out near each other due to story based reasons. The prologue and the prison break chapters stand out in my mind for this. Especially the prologue. Player one and three are trekking across the icy tundra in broken down VS units while player two and four are covering a convoy of aircraft from flying Akrid. At the end of the chapter, both teams meet up for a boss fight. Its those details that keep popping up in the game and bringing me further and further into the Lost Planet camp.

The story seems to throw people for a loop but I truly don’t understand why. Its written to be very forward about itself. NEVEC is going to screw everyone, so everyone is going to stop NEVEC. Its the classic David and Goliath match up, which is the common theme in all of this. Little people versus large monsters and ships. Maybe it was written with a little too much focus on the key storyline. It probably could have benefited with some side story but that wouldn’t have been truly necessary. All the factions hate each other. In the end they come together to try and save their world from a greater threat. Whats not to get. I understand its not as simple as – you are a soldier trying to stop a group of people from setting off a nuke – but really… is it that confusing.

Now its issues time. My biggest problem is that right now I am unable to debunk any of the complaints with or even describe multiplayer pvp. The reason is the lack of community, which is partially due to a gap in software between the digital download side and the retail side. The other part could be written off as either Capcom’s lack of presence in the market for the release of Lost Planet 2 on PC or the astounding amounts of negative reviews that plague this game,but, short of the co-op campaign, there isn’t a major community. I feel a lot of us are missing out on this untapped potential. Large scale maps. Tactical battles. And the most interesting of all of these, faction battles. I wish I knew more than just the basic descriptions, but sadly the world seems to be against this game. The worst part about this is that I’m starting to run into people who bought the game on a whim. They walked into it thinking all these horrible things, but in playing it they seem confused as to why the game gets so much hate.

Night vision room raid.

Sure, I’ve run into some game mechanics that seem awkward to the genre as a whole. The lottery system for unlocks. The scoring system at the end. The shield laser that requires team mates to emote near you to use it. The very rare quick-time event that seems to have no bearing on the overall game. But these are genre differences. As a gamer who has played so much from Capcom, I can say these oddities are at home with the company.

Graphics

From what I hear the graphics weren’t that bad on the consoles. On PC….DX11. Enough said really. I’m a believer that no company should create giant boss battle elements in a game without tessellation as an option. For the uninitiated consolers, tessellation allows polygon models to gain more polygon detail the closer you get to it. You should probably just go look up a video of it or something seeing as your gonna be stuck where you are for yet another three to five years. I wouldn’t say the graphics are astounding, but the tools used to push the visual effects that were drawn from the DX11 tool box were good options. I feel the game could have benefited from an advanced anisotropic filter but I could be wrong.

SNACKS!!!!!

Sound

Sweeping orchestra music. Triggered fight music. Decent voice over talent. This game has at least a tier two level of quality in sound. Nothing really awe-inspiring but everything fits. Past the basics, there does seem to be some lost in translation moments. Repetition of words during some monologues. Moments of anger portrayed with an odd collection of words. “I’M GONNA SHOOT THE SHIT OUT OF YOU!” being one of my favorites.

Closing Thoughts

This game is fun. Fun to it’s core. They added a lot to it over Lost Planet: Extreme Condition that it was in dire need of but I feel they dropped one of the most interesting features from it. Pure cross console. The ability for people on PC to play along side the herds of console only people. I understand why this had to happen. New tech. Revamped levels and balance. I just wish it didn’t have to be this way. Other than that this game is ultimate-replayability. A locked level of difficulty. A ton of different builds to go and try in campaign and pvp. A fair level of player customization. If people would break free from the horrible reviews out there and give it a try they might find that they like it. Then maybe the faction battles will become that much more incredible. I mean lets face it, its $40. There is a ton of stuff in that $40 package.