Lost Planet 2 Catch-All

Lost Planet 2

IMAGE(http://img19.imageshack.us/img19/4188/lostplanet2capture00485.jpg)

Four player coop can overcome a lot of shaky elements in a game. Here's hoping Lost Planet 2 is one of those classic cases. Who wants to play tonight?

I just may.

My pre-ordered copy is in, but I haven't picked it up yet. If I get done eating and get my game for the SC2 beta tournament out of the way early enough I'll go pick it up and hop on.

I need to somehow exchange my PS3 copy for a 360 title.

I cleared a little room on my friend list. Friend up "Certis" if you want to play!

Seems there was a group of 4 playing (no room for poor me) and now one of them has gone offline but I don't have any of the others on my friends list.

Anyone have room for one more? It kind of sucks playing through with stupid AI-bots... even if they let me hog the cubes.

Well, I'm popping on. Let's see how this goes.

Any impressions? I was just listening to Brad talk about the game on the Bombcast, but the franchise is still intriguing for some reason.

I enjoyed the first well enough, but I never felt as if it was fun enough to bother finishing. Is the second an improvement?

I would love a four player co-op game that's not Left 4 Dead to play (and lacks the glitches of Gears 2's horde mode), but I don't know if any of my other friends are getting it.

Oh, and also: *cough*

I'm having more fun than the reviews lead me to believe I would. It's still a flawed game. You NEED other players. Sometimes it's a matter of firepower (a boss that took me 27 minutes to solo took only 5 with two other players), sometimes it's a matter of intelligence (we sounded a bit like a real gunnery crew calling out status updates to each other when using the railway cannon and I can't imagine doing all those jobs by myself), and sometimes it's a matter of multitasking.

I've hit a wall on 5-2 where the game tells me to defend a location, then suddenly tells me to stop enemies from using a control point at a different location, all while dropping a bunch of VS's on the first. If I don't immediately stop defending, dodge around the VS's and go to defend the other point, it's mission over. All because I need to be in two places at once and there's no way to tell the AI to stay and/or go.

I'm also less than thrilled with the character customization. I was kind of expecting them to make me use a specific character on the first playthrough (I've heard you can unlock an option to use your custom character by beating the game). I was not expecting each customization item to be locked to one of five separate models, seemingly for no reason other than theme (and keeping your big burly jungle pirate from having a nice pair of lady legs).

And I'm really, really sick of unlocking stupid "Noms de Guerre" when all I want are new weapons. I'm on Episode 5 and I've found two new weapons: the revolver, and Plasma Grenade II. Plasma Grenade II is exactly like Plasma Grenade I, except it has a longer fuse. That makes it less useful to me. So, hey, awesome.

I'll be around tonight at about 7 if anyone wants to play. I don't mind doing earlier stuff, though I'd love to power through 5-2 at some point.

Love BestBuy exchange policy. The game is pretty good on single player, now time for some dinner and back in to check out MP.

I got it. Who's up for some coop?

I'm logging on now.

Huh, that was some weird connection problem. I did my first roulette spin and got the whistle emote. Fantastic.

I'm slammed this week, not expecting to find much time to play online. Argh!

I played the demo with two friends last night to see if it was interesting at all, and...hrm.

The core gameplay hasn't changed much from the original, including how awkward it is to get used to the moving crosshairs (which are much more suited for a Wiimote control scheme). However, the addition of two other people somehow makes it more worthwhile.

Unfortunately I can't tell if there's anything that actually forces us into working together or not from the demo. The boss merely took a lot of hits and without all of us concentrating fire it would have taken much, MUCH longer than it did (as it was it took us...three tries? to get it right).

I found the multi-user VS to be interesting, but in that situation a bit useless. The best tactic was to divide and conquer, whereas multiple people in a single Mech just gives the foe one target to focus on. Without two gunners the machine is pretty weak, slow and ultimately worthless. In other situations I can see it being a devastating machine of ultimate destruction, but in the demo...not so much.

In the end it feels as if it would have been better to have a longer stage of smaller foes to take on rather than one giant boss fight that is supposed to impress, but instead just left me wondering how the game actually plays.

So generally, my greatest concern:

What moves are taken to force teamwork? Are environments open-ended enough for teams to split into two or more groups and fight tactically? Is there anything even slightly RE5 or Left 4 Dead style where not working together means death? LobsterMobster's post gives me some impression that the game is worthless if you don't have three people, which already makes me hesitant (especially since, as I said, the first game was fun, just boring). Is part of that because it requires a lot of team work that will make me want to go back to it as much as I've gone back to Left 4 Dead?

ccesarano wrote:

In the end it feels as if it would have been better to have a longer stage of smaller foes to take on rather than one giant boss fight that is supposed to impress, but instead just left me wondering how the game actually plays.

They kind of drop the ball with some of the bosses. There's one boss that you kill, then you get a radio message that OMG it's not dead and its entire health bar regenerates.

Nothing dramatic happens. It just gets back up. You don't use some new technique to kill it "better," it just stays down the next time (and given, it takes more damage the second time around). All of its attacks are the same, just powered up. On the one hand it felt pretty lame. On the other, it's very Capcom.

ccesarano wrote:

What moves are taken to force teamwork? Are environments open-ended enough for teams to split into two or more groups and fight tactically? Is there anything even slightly RE5 or Left 4 Dead style where not working together means death? LobsterMobster's post gives me some impression that the game is worthless if you don't have three people, which already makes me hesitant (especially since, as I said, the first game was fun, just boring). Is part of that because it requires a lot of team work that will make me want to go back to it as much as I've gone back to Left 4 Dead?

You can handle just about everything solo. There are no RE5-style security systems designed under the assumption that no one ever has a partner. There are some situations where they ask you to do multiple things at once and those work poorly since the AI just follows you around shooting at stuff and occasionally activating an objective (slowly). It isn't nearly as team-focused as Left 4 Dead. When you die it won't be because a teammate failed to do something very specific, it will be because you lacked the presence or firepower to get the job done. There are situations where it would be feasible to split into teams or have everyone run off and do their own thing. I don't think it's ever required, in the typical cliched, "let me get that switch for you, other guy" kind of way.

I'm having fun with it solo (and occasionally going back to help someone else with their early game stuff). There is zero question that it's meant to be played co-op and is more fun with other people.

YMMV.

I'll probably wait for a price drop on it then, or for GameFly. It doesn't really sound worthwhile to buy it new.

Thanks for the input.

I am unhappy with my purchase.

That's about all I got. Phooey.

I do like the way that the levels feel much more claustrophobic than the first one.

MaxShrek wrote:

I do like the way that the levels feel much more claustrophobic than the first one.

This is actually the thing that most frustrates me about the game. Pinning me into a smaller area with the same giant style bosses from the first game gets really annoying.

I've died more times in the first episode of this than I probably did in the entire first game. It's just not fun.

Fun game tonight guys. It's more fun with more people. Not sure if I enjoyed the gameplay more or the gay banter it seems to encourage. Some of the segments can only be done by multiplayer. The one that gave us four a good ass-whupping today would be a good example.

I picked it up tonight because Wal-mart has it for 40 bucks here in canada, if anyone wants to play send me an invite

I've run into another part that's virtually impossible solo. You're in a low-gravity environment, climbing this big open tower with platforms on the edges. At one part all these cyclops robots pop out, and all these laser turrets along all the platforms, and I think... three? Maybe two, maybe three, of the most powerful VS's come after you. They're armed with miniguns (meaning they can keep stunning you so you can't fight back) and can transform into a mode with missiles. You basically have to destroy them to move on. Keep in mind that you have no VS of your own and no real firepower, except for a single missile launcher with sparse ammo. Oh, and also there's a VS EM Laser. You just need to lug it all the way from the beginning of the level and hang on to it while fighting all the other enemies, including infantry with insane spread-shot laser grenade launcher things.

So that part is pretty hard. What makes it worse is that the AI is glitched on that part. They run ahead (up) as fast as they can, ignoring objectives, ignoring you, and largely ignoring enemies. Basically, you need to fight those two VS's, and the cyclops robots, and the turrets, alone.

I finally got through it on Easy when one of my AI teammates seemed to get stuck on the geometry and so accidentally ended up helping me in the fight. He didn't do much damage but he did draw fire now and then.

Thirteenth wrote:

Fun game tonight guys. It's more fun with more people. Not sure if I enjoyed the gameplay more or the gay banter it seems to encourage. Some of the segments can only be done by multiplayer. The one that gave us four a good ass-whupping today would be a good example.

There were some things we could have done better on that gun. We weren't really clicking (by the way, Thirteenth, when you're looking for more ammo try the train, not the desert. ). The first group I did it with blew through it on their first shot without even having to use the coolant.

It is really asinine of Capcom to start you over so far back. It's basically having to replay two levels just because you screwed up on the boss.

I think our biggest problem was that people weren't always standing on the same side as the boss. That way when he slammed us, instead of falling on the other side of the platform they'd go over the edge.

LobsterMobster wrote:

There were some things we could have done better on that gun. We weren't really clicking (by the way, Thirteenth, when you're looking for more ammo try the train, not the desert. ). The first group I did it with blew through it on their first shot without even having to use the coolant.

It was all the mirage. And the giant worm smashing the train. You weren't there, you just don't know!

What do you mean I wasn't there? I was right next to you.

I'm thinking the ideal way is to have someone on the gun (aiming and firing), one person backing them up (helping them rotate the gun when necessary, energizing shells and blasting akrid when not doing that), and two people running around retrieving ammo. Even when the gun's fully loaded you can still move rounds up next to it for easy reloading.

Though really if we'd just figured out how to stop falling off the stupid train we would have won. And by "we" I mean "everyone but me because I was safely strapped in to the gunner's seat."

I also read that in 3-1 where you're trying to keep the thing from eating the train, you can actually shoot the couplings off the red barrels on some of the cars. Time it right and the baddie will get a face full of explosion and spray out some wonderful little boxes.

I've figured a pretty reliable way to get through the 3-3 railway gun sequence with just two people, even if one is prone to falling off trains. One person sits on the gun the entire time (you can't fall off if you're in the gunner's seat) and I do... everything else. Then at the end of the round they get a huge amount of points and I get an honorable mention. Just call me Eddie Riggs. I really don't mind doing it, though, so if anyone's had trouble with that part just friend me up and I'll drag you through it whether you like it or not.

So the new rumor is that you CAN mix and match customization parts from each of the factions. You just need to get faction to rank goddamn 80 in order to unlock it for that. I think that means in order to actually mix factions you need to get at least TWO of them to rank 80. That is no small task. When I first heard this I thought it was the result of some GameFAQs noob passing off their idiot conjecture as fact. Then I started seeing it on cheat lists and the like, mixed in with much more believable information. Stuff that I've found to be true. In other words, God dammit Capcom.

I've also found that my first roadblock isn't as hard as I thought it was, with a little aggression and a little luck. The aggression part comes because the moment it tells you to defend the hatch you need to drop everything and defend the hell out of the hatch. Fortunately, badguys stop coming after a while so you can make your way back up topside and finish off the attackers.

Unfortunately, if your AI buddies decide you'll be cool all by yourself and don't follow you, you're pretty much screwed. Totally outgunned and shot so steadily you won't even be able to get off a grenade before you died. Hope you got that data post down there because there's no time to do it now.

The plus side is that the boss that comes after that is a piece of cake and if you solo the first part you're pretty much guaranteed an S-Rank. It's one of those missions where you need to kill X enemies to get a gold medal and you can't win unless you kill all the enemies.

When all goes according to plan, if I do that on hard with Superstar equipped then it's about 20,000 career points in 15 minutes. If the AI doesn't come with me for the hatch defense, it's about 0 career points in 10 minutes. Maybe I'll try a perk other than Superstar. It gives the biggest point bonus but it also lets the enemy know where you are at all times and makes them more aggressive.

As for 3-1, it keeps you very busy for a solid 7-10 minutes and is only worth 6,000-8,000 points (with Superstar), but it's hard to screw up. I've got the timing and strategy for releasing cargo down and now I can get about 20-40 boxes per run. Not that I really need them. I've already won every Nom de Guerre from the slot machine (it's not nearly as much as you'd think as my total is still only at 40%) and I think I've won every weapon (some are only unlockable as rank rewards). Pretty soon I won't have any need for credits, which means I'll only grab those stupid boxes because they're so, so pretty. What a sad day that will be.

Another lonely, quiet thread...

I've played the game to hell and back and thought I'd clarify some things about the unlock system, since it's very complicated and kind of confusing. It seems to be based on a philosophy of forcing you to do things "right" before allowing you to do them stupid.

The first time you play, you need to use the particular characters they wrote into each scene. Once you beat the game you unlock the ability to use your custom character. They show up customized in cutscenes but nothing else is changed about them. Voice acting is the same. Even the occasional grunt in-game is the same (it's funny to see a pretty lady grunt like a space marine). This is a setting on players rather than games, so once you've unlocked the option you can use your custom character in someone else's game even if they haven't beaten it yet.

Career points you earn will go toward the faction of the character you're using rather than the character you're "supposed" to use. That's useful as the Femme Fatale and Snow Pirate Elite factions don't have their own episode.

When you reach rank 80 (something like 500,000 career points), you unlock "full customization," which means that faction can use all character parts you've unlocked, not just their faction-specific ones. Again, they seem to make you earn this because it lets you make really stupid characters, like a big burly Vagabundo with a cute lady face, or a guy in a full ghillie suit except for his swim flippers. Since a rank 80 can use any character part from any faction, you really only need one. The only differences between factions are the faction icon, the posture in the pre-game/post-game lobbies, and whose side you're on in online faction battles. Each faction grants its own unlocks as you rank up, including weapons and character parts, but that's not the only way you can get them.

After you've won all the emotes and "personality"-type Noms de Guerre in the slot machine it turns into a new flavor of slot machine. The new slot machine costs 10,000 per spin (instead of just 2,000) but always spits out either a new weapon or a new character part. This includes a selection of rare weapons (like the SPII "gold" weapons and the more powerful grenades), as well as rank reward unlocks. You can't unlock the "full customization" ability in the slot machine but you can unlock everything else.

So in short... have fun playing Red Dead Redemption, JERKS... I'll be over here collecting boxes till my copy shows up.

Right, GameFly decided it would be a good idea to send me Lost Planet 2, and I was like "okay that works" for five minutes, then realized this game is supposed to suck without four players.

So um...who still has the game and who is still interested in playing it?

My gamertag is Grohdinger (and to make sure no confusion is made, I'm playing on Xbox 360).

It's possible to play through it without partners but it is much harder at places. Then again, if your human partners are idiots they can make it impossible.

I have it on X360. Send me a PM here or on Steam if you want me to get online.

Sent a friend request. Since it's Labor Day weekend I have no clue when the game will be arriving, but I'm unemployed anyway so I'm basically free all day.