The fact that this game is no longer in my possession should give you an idea of exactly the direction this review is heading.

Lost Planet 2 takes place ten years after the events of LP: Extreme Condition and things on E.D.N III have changed a little, with pockets of jungle popping up all over the planet’s surface, you will spend some time in the desert and you’ll even travel into space.

As far as graphics are concerned the game is quite well presented, all the different areas you visit are distinct and easy on the eye, the characters are well animated and especially in multiplayer can be equipped with quite a large amount of changeable and customizable parts all of which are nicely rendered. The weapons and vehicles also carry the visual style and have character of their own and in this regard the game was enjoyable.

The music and sound in the game is well done, but after about half an hour of play the music will start to become a grating and invasive experience, but the sounds of the weapons and vehicles give them gravity and character, the enemy bug monster things (the Akrid) also make all manner of suitably non human noises when they attack or are being attacked.

The gameplay, however takes any of the game’s triumphs and knocks them down. There are numerous times when the game actually feels like it is working against you, this is most noticeable in the combat with grenade throws and healing yourself being interrupted by a single shot from an enemy and almost any type of attack is likely to knock you down, even projectile goo balls or another character falling near you is enough to tumble you over. It seems at times there is a sliding scale of distances from which you can use your grappling hook effectively and there are times when you can be underwater and times when being underwater is tantamount to suicide. Some boss battles are impressive and outright fun, others are just an endless process, most seem too long and too drawn out for too little pay off in the end. There is one boss the one that was featured in the multiplayer demo that you can go inside and attack from within while your teammates destroy it from the outside, this is fun to play as long as you’re part of a non A.I. team, there are a few others that seem nigh on invincible.

Add to that the camera will often do its best job of finding the most unserviceable angle behind a rock or palm frond just as you get attacked, and any A.I teammates you have will busy themselves with sightseeing and daydreaming most of the time and you have quite an aggravating experience, not an overall bad one, just not a fun one.

The multiplayer is one section of the game that can be a lot of fun and rewarding, and the loading times seem to be universally quick, with the time it takes to fill the 16 spots passing with very few drop outs or restarts, this is probably the most enjoyable surprise of the game. The options for character customization that you can unlock and gamble for seem varied and almost limitless, though some like the Nom De Guerre system seem a little pointless.

Overall, the game does little other than a change in settings to differentiate itself from its predecessor it isn’t a bad game but it is a frustrating one, and it doesn’t do enough to improve on the first game, there are a few nice touches, but as a whole the experience never really makes itself worth the ordeal of reaching and then battling the larger bosses. There might well be something here that newcomers will find worth their time and the multiplayer may offer some condolences for those willing to slog away at it, but other than that Lost Planet 2 is for hardcore fans only.

Recommended if you’re a fan, if you aren’t a fan – Not Recommended.