Lost Planet - multiplayer hands-on

In the world of videogames, there are three evergreen enemies that we'll always look forward to splattering: Nazis, zombies and giant bugs. Lost Planet deals with the latter, then has the good graces to throw in giant robots armed with senses-shattering missiles. This formula sounds absolutely bulletproof on paper - and it's just thesingle-player game. The multiplayer madhouse we sprinted through was devoid of oversized insects, but it retained every ounce of the explosive gameplay we've been devouring since the game was announced.

Our first foray into the icy battleground was, at first, exactly what we expected - a gorgeous display of gritty detail, lighting effects and oh-so familiar shooting action; yet another four-player free-for-all with everyone scrambling for bigger guns, higher ground or hidden items. That's when the radar towers were brought into play.

To see what's going on around you, scattered radar posts must be activated. You've got to run up to them and jam on the B button as fast as you can, slowly hacking into the machine. Once the post is up, you can see your enemies on the radar, but they still can't see you - unless of course they double back and steal the post. Xbox 360 owners will recognize this idea from Sega's Chromehounds, but in Planet you've actually got to do something to take the tower, rather than just stand around in a bipedal tank waiting for an icon to change color. On top of that, Planet 's got its own set of death-bringing war machines that shame those oversized, trudging dogs of war.