Push Button B

Sony’s Playstation Network offered only one demo freebie this week: Lost Planet 2 (Read “Lost Planet Squared”). Having not played the first installment of what I’m pretty sure was a game whose primary focus was a single player campaign, it seemed logical to pick apart this 360 MB multiplayer demo for this week’s installment. Bearing that juicy little nugget in mind, proceed at your own risk, this could be a bumpy ride.

The demo starts out with a fairly straightforward menu, offering you the choice to either select from a list of previously established games, or to create a private game, inviting friends at your leisure. The total time it took to find a game to join, wait for enough players to fill the map (most games were between 4/16 players to 8/16 players), and get started was roughly 3-4 minutes – not bad at all. Once the action got started I had to play the “I Wonder What This Button Does” mini-game familiar to most demos that don’t offer any solid map for the controller before launching you into the fray. I quickly found the grenade button, then discovered what the respawn screen looked like. I’d be seeing this screen again very soon.

Having eventually figured out which buttons did what – and making a mental note to not push the grenade button ever again -  I set out on my quest which was to, well…that much really wasn’t made clear either, but I assumed it involved shooting as many moving targets as possible. During this timed match, I ran across these strange antenna-looking contraptions which invited me to run up to them and repeatedly mash the Circle button. Doing so seemed to activate it to further my team’s cause. I could only assume that there were many of these devices scattered across the jungle terrain. Also conveniently located at key strategic points on the map were large turret guns, manned by people who I’m sure had spent more time in the demo than I. Cue the respawn screen; it was considerate of the developers to let you choose where you would like to return to life, as this was apparently the main way I was to find my path along the map.

Sadly, large-scale boss fights aren't a part of this multiplayer demo.

Graphically, the game should meet the expectations of anyone currently playing a top-notch action/adventure game on a next-gen console. The terrain is stunning, lighting effects are well done, and the attention to character detail is, well surprising. Yes, the character models look good according to today’s standards, but I’m talking more about the wardrobe decisions, here. I was able to find a “Character Customization” screen at one point, which showed my digital avatar as a muscular guy, clad head-to-toe in an advanced battle suit, ready for whatever combat may come his way. Upon loading into the game’s demo, I was surprised to see that I wasn’t that grizzly war hero, but instead a tawdry girl in this strap-and-buckle get up who was in dire need of some…support, one might say. Someone on the design team had a bit too much fun with the game’s physics engine, as everyday action video game elements such as running and jumping had to be taxing on this poor girl.

Some other news surrounding Lost Planet 2′s release date of May 11, 2010 is the inclusion of some other Capcom icons. Rumors, verified and otherwise, say that players can expect to see Marcus and Dom from Gears of War (360 exclusive), The Guy From Monster Hunter With That Great Big Sword Gun Thing from, well, Monster Hunter (PS3 exclusive), Frank West from Dead Rising and most importantly, Wesker, from Resident Evil. Do some of these character choices seem a bit out of place? Sure. Does this openly proud Capcom fanboy care? Not one bit.

This is reason enough to give Lost Planet 2 a chance.