Lost Planet 2 was my first introduction into the Lost Planet series in 2010 after hearing great things about Lost Planet Colonies at the time of 2's release. To my surprise, I found the game extremely enjoyable and found myself playing the game on the Xbox 360 rather religiously. So much so that I started streaming it often when Justin TV was still a thing. I made it my mission to unlock all the weapons, all the character parts, all the nom de guerre, etc and I had a lot of fun doing it.
Coming back to the game in 2022 with the PC version, what surprises me is how well the game still holds up. The characters animate well, and the Akrid are still a sight to behold. Of course, the characters eyes don't blink and mouths don't move but they're mostly in masks and helmets anyway. I think what helps is the cool camera work/choreography that goes into the cut scenes.
What I like about Lost Planet 2 is the game play. It's a dynamic mix of on the ground combat and mechanized weapons of mass destruction called Vital Suits, or VS for short. Switching between the two is what makes Lost Planet 2 enjoyable, more so when you have friends to co-op with. The ability to pick up large, oversized weapons to use or equip on your VS is also a nice change of pace and adding into the mix is the grappling hook which allows you to scale high terrain for a better vantage point or scale a giant Akrid to shoot at its weak points or plant a gum grenade before back flipping out of danger.
Along side the game play are what I consider memorable stages. Each with unique set pieces that keep things fresh, introducing new scenarios and new enemies for the player(s) to deal with. Some stages even had branching paths, with hidden nooks & crannies, allowing either a shortcut to your destination or a nice selection of equipment to find.
Overall, this game still holds up in 2022! I'd really love to see an optional 4K texture pack, the removal of GFWL (Games For Windows Live), allowing an alternative way to play Online, and Steam Cloud! This game doesn't have Steam Cloud! It would be nice to switch between the Steam Deck and continue where I left off on PC.
With that said, how did you feel about Lost Planet 2, era? What did you like and didn't like?
Here's a fun fact! Lost Planet 2 helped me get into the Earth Defense Force series, so I hold the two pretty high up when it comes to fun couch co-op games to play with friends. Of course, I still think these games are fun to play even solo.
(Screenshots taken on Steam Deck, might not look super crisp as I'd like xD)
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