Lost Planet 2 Co-op Hands-on

by Nate Ahearn - IGN.com | 11 February 2010 12:00
 
Unleash four-player mayhem on those Akrid scum!
 
The first Lost Planet was a non-stop action smorgasbord set in an icy environment and featured an enemy that strongly resembled a spider. I hate spiders. Everyone hates spiders. Thus it felt damn good to rid the Lost Planet world of all of these little bastards. Apparently the Akrid are a resilient bunch of creatures, because they're back in Lost Planet 2. And though the icy locale has been replaced by a tropical jungle setting, that certainly hasn't deterred your ruthless enemy from returning to bring a world of hurt to you and your friends.
 
During Microsoft's X10 event in San Francisco, I got the chance to take part in some wonderfully chaotic four-player action in Lost Planet 2. Once I hopped in front of the game's kiosk I was surprised to learn that I was taking the reins of Wesker of Resident Evil (another of Capcom's famous franchises) fame. Beside me was Dom Santiago and Marcus Fenix from Gears of War as well as some guy from the Lost Planet universe. I was told that these were only a few of the numerous costumes that you can use in multiplayer. As customization is a cornerstone of Lost Planet 2, you'll now able to put Marcus' head on a bikini body with Wesker's legs. Other, even crazier permutations are also possible, but that's the best I could come up with thanks to my limited look at the multiplayer.
 

Fighting alongside these guys again was fun.

The level that my three compatriots and I played was the second part of the first episode. It's set in the aforementioned jungle setting and pitted me and my buddies against swarms of Akrid. Some familiar, and some that were unique to Lost Planet 2. The roly poly Akrid make their return and are said to be much more aggressive this time around. My shotgun didn't seem to care about that very much, but the Capcom representative on-hand made a point to tell me about their new found anger. At another point in the stage I met a huge Akrid that featured several bright orange spots on its spiky body. These were easy targets for me and my team. We made short work of several limbs which brought the creature's head to our feet. Naturally his head was his weakest point. After several grenades and point blank shotgun blasts, the monster submerged back into the water from whence it came.
 
The Capcom representative who was fighting right alongside me as Dom told me that while he was sure I thought it was an end-level boss (he was right) it was actually just a mid-level boss fight. Color me impressed.
 
The stage progression uses what is essentially a safety line that all of your team members must cross before you can continue to the next point in the level. These instances are followed by loading screens and a quick readout of how you're doing in the level. Lost Planet 2 grades you on how many enemies you've killed, what you've used to kill them and several other factors to establish how much experience you're given. This experience will go towards new weapons and customization options for your character. If you use the shotgun to kill a lot of Akrid, you'll earn shotgun upgrades. In addition to all of these core elements, Capcom also said that they've added more than 100 taunts, eight of which can be equipped at a time. I have to admit, it was pretty funny to see Marcus Fenix wagging his finger over a bunch of dead Akrid.
 

So would you call this a boss character?

My time with Lost Planet 2 contained much of what you'd expect from a sequel to a nonstop action game. In other words, there was lots and lots action. Swarms of bad guys came hurdling across the level, only to get gunned down by me and my squad. The aiming has retained the same, slightly strange feel to it. It's almost like playing a Wii shooter, in that there's a certain rectangular area for you to aim in without physically rotating your character. Cross the threshold and your character will start to turn. It's a strange change from typical shooters, but with time I was able to adapt.
 
The campaign mode that I was playing cooperatively is said to feature six playable factions, all of which are at war with each other. I was told that one campaign pits you against the very soldiers that you'll be playing as later in the Lost Planet 2 experience. The points you earn as one faction are unique to that group of soldiers, so if you're playing as Jungle Pirates, those experience points won't bleed into your missions as a Mercenary. You'll also be able to play with up to 15 other players in competitive multiplayer. The Capcom rep mentioned that there will be standard modes like Deathmatch and Team Deathmatch to go along with some "Lost Planet specific" modes that will be announced at a later date. Rest assured, we'll be there to tell you what they are as soon as humanly possible.
 
Stay tuned to IGN.com for more on Lost Planet 2 as its May 18 release date on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC nears.
 
Supplied by IGN.com