Lost Planet

Multi is the New Single

HIGH Jumping into a transforming Vital Suit and unleashing hell on enemy troops.

LOW The poor setup for mission 3-3 turns a great battle into a frustrating slog.

WTF Earning customization items is soul-crushingly slow and hatefully random.

Game Description: The next installment in the popular Lost Planet action series, Lost Planet 2 is a third-person shooter which continues the story of humanity's futuristic struggles and attempts at colonization on the planet E.D.N III. A blend of new RPG elements and features that made the original game a huge success, including massive boss battles against the alien Akrid creatures, rugged terrain, mech warfare and dynamic multiplayer support, Lost Planet 2 is sure to please both new and longtime fans of the franchise alike.

Earlier I finished Lost Planet 2 on PlayStation 3. It was a really bizarre experience for a few reasons, but primarily because it started off lukewarm and sort of middling, but then actually managed to get better and more exciting with each successive level. I wasn't feeling too hot on it at first, but the game had completely won me over by the time credits rolled.

Did you miss us? We missed you. After a tearful reunion, Brad tells us about his trip to see Lost Planet 2, Mike offers his unique take on Final Fantasy XIII (finally!), and we examine the challenges faced by decades-old franchises. With Chi Kong Lui, Brad Gallaway, Mike Bracken, Tim Spaeth, and Tingle.

Download: Right click here and select "Save Target As..."
Subscribe: iTunes | Zune | RSS
Read: Transcript

Topics discussed:

• Lost Planet 2
• Final Fantasy XIII
• Dynasty Warriors: Strikeforce
• The Legend of Zelda
• Shin Megami Tensei

  Please send feedback and mailbag questions to podcast (at) gamecritics (dot) com.

Although I wasn't the biggest fan of the original Crackdown, I did see a lot of potential in the title and I've definitely been looking forward to the announced sequel. However, the recently-announced news that there will be no playable female agents was incredibly disappointing to me.

So, Capcom was gracious enough to invite me in to get a sneak peek of Lost Planet 2's multiplayer the other day. I'd never been to Capcom before and there were a ton of great review/journo people as well, so it was truly a double treat to attend the event.

UPDATE #2: The Xbox 360 codes are ALL GONE!

However, we do have a small number of PlayStation 3 codes left. If you have a PS3 and want a code, there's still time!

What do you need to do?

Post a message in the GameCritics.com forums and tell me who/what your favorite big robot/mecha/android/mechanized thing of all time is. Comics, cartoons, anime, games, WHATEVER. Also, tell me why.

When you post, tell me you want the code for PS3 version. Winners will be picked tonight at random.

To every person who went out of their way to say that I must be blind, dumb, or mentally disabled; for every person who decided that I did not know the meaning of the word fun; for every person who tried to convince me that I hate games and was absolutely missing the point of Earth Defense Force 2017... I give you Lost Planet: Extreme Condition.

As I felt the controller rumble and watched as a hundred feet of worm crawled its way out of the ice, bellowing madly and flailing about, I didn't pause to marvel at the fantastic creature design. I just started blasting away without a second thought. At its best moments, Lost Planet creates something really special that only the best arcade games ever managed—an adrenaline-charged state of hyperviolence where pulling a trigger becomes every bit as much a natural process as breathing. It's the kind of game that sucks players into its world from the moment they start playing, and if that world doesn't have a lot of depth, it's pretty and noisy enough that no one will notice any faults until after they're done with it.

Game Description: In Lost Planet, human snow pirates navigate VS (Vital Suits) through hostile ice-covered environments, fighting against the indigenous Akrid creatures for the precious thermal energy they need to survive. For one such pilot named Wayne, death almost seemed imminent until he was fortunately rescued. However, he can only remember a few fragments of his past including the slaying of his father by the monstrous beings. Yet under the veil of ice, a devious plan has been set into motion for the termination of all Akrid and snow pirates alike. What really happened to Wayne? Who is plotting the destructive scheme? Encounter valuable allies and dangerous enemies on Wayne’s search for the truth.