Lost Planet 2, the sequel to the popular third-person shooter, brings back the joy of controlling mech suits and killing huge, ugly creatures – and I got my hands on a preview copy!
First announced in February 2009 and set to release later this year, the sequel starts off 10 years after the events that took place in its predecessor.
Developer Capcom has stuck with the planet of E.D.N. III as the backdrop; only this time, the snow has melted away and the terrain is now clearer, complete with jungles and tropical areas as the set pieces.
The story revolves around the same premise as the first one: A company named NEVEC Corporation is looking to colonise the planet in search of thermal energy. Besides that, the Akrid – an alien race of insects who were the original inhabitants of E.D.N. III – have returned and are seeking revenge against NEVEC.
The preview left me a bit unclear about whether our protagonist wants to go against NEVEC or just kill monsters, although I’m are sure there is a deeper storyline later on.
Get inside a Vital Suit and unleash hell!
The gameplay is similar to the first game, along with a few additions. I uttered a grunt of pure delight as I got to control the beloved mech armour Vital Suits (VS) in this sequel. What’s more, you also get to play in co-op with the VS, as one person pilots it and the other grabs onto its side to attack. There are also rumours of advanced scenarios where four players can pilot a single VS – an amazing feat if they can pull it off.
One scenario I came across had me trying to kill a giant, six-legged lizard-like creature with all kinds of weapons and even a couple of Vital Suits lying around. What was cool to know was that I could pick up some of the VS weapons that were scattered around the arena. Nice!
Naturally, upon seeing such an abomination of multiple legs, my first instinct was to take them out to halt the creature’s movement. But it simply grew them back! After a bit of wondering, I just stood there and let the monster eat me.
Now inside, there was a whole new environment. Before being completely digested, I had to find the inner core to destroy the creature, while staving off attacks from arachnoid creatures, somewhat like the antibodies of the monster. Gross and messy, it just proved that massacring weird monsters is something that will just never stop amusing you.
Overall, Lost Planet 2 was fun, although there aren’t too many changes in the gameplay to make this game as exciting as the original Lost Planet. Then again, the storyline has not been completely revealed, so you never know what’s the final version has in store…