Lost Planet 2 super review

Can Capcom's big bug blaster do better the second time around?

Why you can trust GamesRadar+ Our experts review games, movies and tech over countless hours, so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about our reviews policy.

And don’t expect an epic or affecting story to pull you through the crap bits if you’re playing on your own. The (often literally) faceless cast, stiff acting and muddled genero-story will leave you with little idea of who you’re playing, what you’re doing, or why. And even less ability to care.

Above: Lost Planet 2's storytelling is little more engaging than this

Still though, the action never stops, the mechs are brilliant fun, and shit blows up real good. If that’s enough for you, you can handle sporadic boredom and frustration, or you can guarantee a full co-op team every time you play, Lost Planet 2 is ready and waiting for you.

Is it better than...

Lost Planet?Yes. Both games offer balls-out action, huge mechs, bigger beasties and explosion upon glorious explosion, but the sequel's break away from consistent snowbound wastelands gives it the edge in terms of level variety, and if you're playing in co-op, it offers even more.

Gears of War 2?Absolutely not. Although not as frequent, Gears 2 throws up equally scaled-up spectacle, but it's shooting is tighter, it's AI cleverer and its level design tighter all round. Also, you can happily play Gears 2 on your own without any hassle.




Uncharted 2?No. The PS3's premier third-person actioner is a much slicker and consistently more inventive blockbuster. There's more variety, more personality, greater flair, and it goes without saying that Uncharted's cast and story will engage you a million times more than LP2's mumbling dullards.

Just for you, Metacritic!

Fast, frenetic, and frequently spectacular in scale, Lost Planet 2 will do the job if you have an itchy destruction finger, and provides some fun and well thought-out times in co-op. But ultimately, it's just all about the carnage, and frequently seems to have no care for the needs of the solo player.

More info

GenreShooter
DescriptionReturning to the land of ice and snow, where death comes from giant bugs and mercenaries alike, Lost Planet 2 hopes to warm our hearts - and the rest of our bodies - all over again.
Platform"PS3","Xbox 360"
US censor rating"Rating Pending","Rating Pending"
UK censor rating"Rating Pending","Rating Pending"
More
CATEGORIES
David Houghton
Long-time GR+ writer Dave has been gaming with immense dedication ever since he failed dismally at some '80s arcade racer on a childhood day at the seaside (due to being too small to reach the controls without help). These days he's an enigmatic blend of beard-stroking narrative discussion and hard-hitting Psycho Crushers.
Latest in Third Person Shooter
Helldivers 2 Ultimatum
Helldivers 2 has a Major Order problem, but the solution isn't simple because "having 100% participation means the MOs will always be won and that introduces other issues"
Marvel Rivals Clone Rumble
Marvel Rivals' new Clone Rumble mode sounds like the kind of absolute chaos multiplayer games need more of
Helldivers 2
Helldivers 2 has an endgame problem, but a developer assures us "things are coming," they just can't say what yet because otherwise our expectations will be too high
Jeff the Land Shark as he appears in Marvel Rivals
"Sounds like a skills issue": Jeff the Shark co-creator says Marvel Rivals players "should get better at the game" if "my boy is beating your ass every night"
Helldivers 2 intro cutscene helldiver thumbs up
Helldivers 2's Galactic War resumes as Arrowhead fixes its broken liberation rates, and High Command insists anyone who saw anything weird "may be suffering from Illuminate mind-influence"
Helldivers 2 Ultimatum
Sweet liberty, a Helldivers 2 update "is breaking the Galactic War" so now the whole thing is paused, but good news: "We are not going to revert any of the damage done by this"
Latest in Reviews
Doggerland player board
Doggerland review: "A delicate dance of survival and management that doesn't feel weighted toward a single strategy"
Logitech G Pro X Superlight 2 DEX gaming mouse standing upright on a wooden desk
Logitech G Pro X Superlight 2 DEX review: "a force to be reckoned with"
Daredevil: Born Again
Daredevil: Born Again season 1 review: "There have been far worse Marvel projects, but few as disappointing as this"
RTX 5070 Founders Edition and Asus Prime OC graphics card standing vertical on woodgrain desk next to plant and monitor
Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 review: "far from a RTX 4090 rival, but I’d still call it a solid 4K GPU"
The two characters in Split Fiction dressed in fantasy gear each with a dragon on their back
Split Fiction review: "Cements Hazelight as the master of co-op games"
Acer Nitro V 14 gaming laptop on a wooden desk
Acer Nitro V 14 review: "a solid value proposition… if you can find one"