Lost Planet 2

Written by Matt Swider  on April 07, 2010

Multiplayer Hands-On Preview: Getting serious about multiplayer.

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УActually,Ф a Capcom rep corrected a journalist, Уwe're not calling it Сsingle-player.' We're using Сcampaign mode' because of the four-player co-op.Ф It was then I knew the publisher was serious about Lost Planet 2's multiplayer focus. I picked up on this telling exchange while previewing the soon-to-be-released multiplayer demo as a guest at the Capcom's offices in San Mateo. There, the company drove home that it's listening to fans and critics of the first game and providing exactly what the people want: battling alien enemies with online friends in co-op, then taking each other on in an expanded multiplayer mode.

A four-player co-op demo has been available for download on Xbox 360 and PS3 since last year, so this week's event was all about the 16-player battles. Here's what we found:

It's not Lonely Planet 2 (Looking at you, Just Cause 2)
By now, you've jumped out of an airplane, pulled your parachute's ripcord and grappled to a moving vehicle for the millionth time in Just Cause 2. It's a solid game, but a lonely single-player affair. I can't say for sure what percentage of people said, УThis is fun, but I wish it had multiplayer.Ф I'd wager the number is close to 100%. Lost Planet 2 doesn't begin with BASE-jumping from an airplane, but it does have a grappling hook of sorts, and while it isn't as advanced or central to the gameplay, it makes for an interesting escape mechanic in multiplayer. That's exactly what we wanted from Just Cause 2.



Any of the 16 players can employ this clutch hookshot by using the X button to sail across a gap or reach new heights. The rope isn't as long and can't be used more than once before landing, but it has a unique feature you won't find elsewhere: automatically deploying when falling off the side of a platform. I found this safety strand to be perfect for the all-to-frequent moments when I encountered an enemy who possessed a more powerful gun. I simply fell off the side of a high platform and the chasing foe jumped off the side to meet me on the ground. Only I didn't fall all the way down: hanging off the edge, thanks to the game's trust anchor, I could press the left analog stick up to safely return to the top of the platform or down to bravely surprise my powerful - but now completely clueless - opponent.

Sure, you can do all sorts of neat hookshot tricks on the AI in Just Cause 2. However, outsmarting real human opponents in Lost Planet 2 increases the game's longevity past, say, two weeks thanks to multiplayer that feels anything but lonely.



16 players is far from MAG's 256, and we wouldn't have it any other way
Before Just Cause 2 arrived, you may have been busy leveling up your soldier, one of 256, in MAG, an online-only shooter that was a technical feat in player count. Let's face the facts: Zipper sacrificed a lot of quality to get to that record number. Lost Planet 2 supports up to 16 players, a total of 240 less than MAG. But I could sit here and name 240 ways in which Lost Planet 2 was able to keep a lot of extras that MAG had to throw away in order to support that many people. So, don't let the player count alarm you one bit. Bigger isn't always better, sometimes it's the motion of the chaotic multiplayer ocean.

Vital Suits = Variety
The Vital Suits, or VSs, are mech vehicles that are as creative as the campaign mode's alien enemies are utterly disgusting. Multiplayer matches include everything from personal hovercrafts to imposing, multi-person helicopters. Several of the VSs resemble insects, including towering mech spiders and low-to-the-ground centipede robots with rocket launchers strapped to their backs.

Fans of the first Lost Planet will be pleased to know the VSs from the original game make a comeback. УWe didn't want to leave anything out of Lost Planet 2,Ф said Community Specialist Shawn Baxter. УSo, we brought back them all as well as adding in dozens more.Ф These returning VSs will include new moves and certain vehicles have the ability to traverse land and water. This function is especially important because he also revealed that water plays an important role in the sequel. Maps include extensive underwater areas and the team wants to encourage exploration.

Harnessing the arsenal of VSs is a sure-fire way to overpower vulnerable enemies, but it's also a guaranteed way to attract attention. A lot of Davids can't resist going toe-to-toe with your Goliath, even though they're better off running around the map for a bit and finding their own mech or high-powered gun first. Eventually, all VSs can be taken down, at which point mashing the circle button initiates a convenient last-second ejection. Performing a similar Quick Time Event using the square button will repair a damaged vehicle.



Global Warming = Lush Jungles
Sometimes, global warming isn't so bad if you're a right-wing pundit or live on the frozen planet of EDN III. The snow-covered environment from Lost Planet: Extreme Conditions has melted in the ten-year period between the first game and its sequel, allowing a jungle to flourish in its place. Both the campaign and multiplayer modes benefit from this change in climate, giving us a stark contrast to the first game and allowing for new visual effects to take place. For example, I was impressed to see leaves on plants sway with lively animation whenever a hovering mech whoosh overhead.

I was also thankful to see that the snow, while melted for the most part, wasn't cleared away entirely in the multiplayer map collection. The snow-filled fan favorite Pirate Fortress is one of two returning multiplayer maps from Lost Planet: Extreme Conditions. The other is the popular Island 902, now dubbed Return to Island and has been enhanced with the new swimming mechanic.