Zack's Reviews: Lost Planet 2

Lost Planet 2 is a game that represents a very sad part of the quality spectrum in my mind. It’s in the same section as games like Prototype and…damn I’m out of ideas but the general point I’m trying to make is that these kinds of games bring really good ideas to the table but they are just lacking in certain areas. Lost Planet 2 is not a bad game at all, in fact it is quite good, but it is just missing some key elements that would have made it great.

Gameplay: This is where Lost Planet 2 sets itself apart from other games. The gameplay compliments the scenarios perfectly by giving you the ability to grapple through complex terrain while maintaining a rather fast paced feel in regards to the firefights. The gunplay works well with the game and while it may not be revolutionary, it’s fluid, intense, and thanks to the grappling hook, tactical. Now after you plow through whatever city, desert, ship, forest, or other various setting that was unfortunate enough to encounter you the chapters generally end with you participating in a kind of larger than life boss fight with a “Category G” Akrid. Now each one of these badboys requires a different tactic to fight and kill and while that may sound a bit like a gimmick they do a pretty good job mixing up the fights. An example of this is the boss fight everyone has seen since it was in the demo but you knock out one of the Category G’s legs and hop in its mouth and take a tour of its digestive track with your gun, and yes this includes the last stop on the line if you catch my drift. The part of all this that amazed me the most is that the gameplay doesn’t change much at all between the boss fights and the normal fights. The system they created worked perfectly for all situations and didn’t require huge changes, save the addition of a few extra giant mechs or the occasional laser cannon. Ahhh the mech-suits, what futuristic game should be without them, after all what kinda lame ass future has no giant robots pfft. Anyway the mechs control in a way similar to the normal player with a few tweaks such as the various mounted weapons. The mechs definitely help the gameplay flow smoothly and keep things tactical since you can switch the weapons that you mount on it and you can even take off one of the big guns and lug it around with you as you run. Now this game has no problem letting you know that it is meant to be played with more people than just yourself since it sticks you in a matchmaking-esque screen when you want to start a campaign mission. They do give you the option to do it by yourself with some AI partners but of course the catch is that the friendly AI is about as smart as a rock with a crack in it. The rock is also on fire and actively trying to kill itself. So yeah they get in your way more than help you, now people may say “Hey everyone says the friendly AI sucks in everything”. While that is true and people do call the friendly AI stupid all the time but this case was a bit different since I was killed by the friendly AI about as much as I was the enemy one. For example, I was fighting on a set of trains running side by side and when I grappled across the friendly AI decided it was also a good time to grapple except he walked right in front of me causing me to bounce off his head and fall to my death…did I mention he was running away from the enemies while this was happening? So in the end the gameplay works well except for a few things and it flows very smoothly and is a fun, enjoyable experience.

Overall Layout: Lost Planet 2 didn’t do so well when it came to their sense of continuity and while some degree of variation is nice, most of the level transitions left me baffled. How I start in a frozen wasteland and end up in some desert playing as a completely different set of people is a little flow breaking. The same applies to the levels and while the level designs were very different and constantly changing it would have been nice to be able to stay in one for more than one episode. I think over the course of the game I played as a Snow Pirate, Nevec Clone Trooper, Ex-Nevec Black Ops, Bandito, Oppressed worker/slave turned bandit, yeah you get the picture. Now if each one of these had its own campaign that would be awesome since giving different perspectives could help flesh out the general story. Unfortunately Lost Planet 2 had this idea and then butchered it. You end up playing as a different faction after most “Episodes” which are a collection of chapters which are basically just a couple of missions strung together with minimal guidance from the story. More often than not I found myself entering a new mission without a cutscene to advance the story or say anything other than “Hey look you are now these people go do this!”. I understand the goal of this is to show how everyone’s contributions have an effect on the end result of the game and while the last episode was pretty intense when you are in control of the Black Ops team and you get to see how the story tried to tie itself together. Sadly at at that point it was more of an “oh yeah I had forgotten about those people…look at em go”. Now the Ex-Nevec Black Ops are definitely the dominant faction that you are in control of which was nice but there were still major continuity issues. I’ll be including the story in this section as well since there really isn’t much to say about it since there wasn’t much of a story to begin with. Anyway the story basically starts out as a random bunch of missions that have you fighting all sorts of baddies and you have no idea why. Now putting you in a jungle and telling you to shoot them or die isn’t always a bad thing but there is literally no explanation for anything you are doing until about halfway through the game where they first mention the “OVER G!” (caps added for emphasis) which is apparently a big bad akrid it is roughly the size of a major city. Now one thing that confused me while I was playing this was the fact that every time I killed a Category G it made the part of the world I was in freeze and die. Now did I have a choice? Would I be thinking about the effects on the planet if I kill this giant dragon monster attacking me and my friends? No, I wouldn’t, my thought process would be closer to “HOLY HELL WHAT ON EARTH ARE YOU” and then I’d make a gattling gun look like the conservative option. But the story revolves around preventing the next super ice age and here I am contributing to it…I think so anyway I really couldn’t tell what the story was trying to do most of the time. But I did enjoy taking over the other bad guy’s orbital space station and their big shiny doomsday laser. The layout definitely needed work and had continuity and flow issues but it takes a backseat to the gameplay anyway. So I wouldn’t criticize the game too harshly for the lack of story since they make up for a lack of story with a surplus of bullets.

Sounds/Visuals: The soundtrack really didn’t stand out to me, kinda struck me as the typical game soundtrack but that doesn’t make it bad or anything it just wasn’t epic but then again I doubt they were looking for an epic soundtrack anyway. The voice acting was alright and they had some nice variety (I particularly liked the wasteland bandits, very funny). Unfortunately there wasn’t a great need for a lot of voice acting since there was little dialogue that went on outside of what you hear during the missions which is disappointing but it still worked alright. As for the visuals they were very nice and the level of detail was quite impressive, especially on some of the Category Gs. The character designs on the other hand needed some work. The few you see are well done but there is very little variety. Each type of baddie usually only comes with one or two alternates with the exception of a few and the same holds true with the characters you play as, hell they even have clone troopers who of course even look the same without their helmets. There really isn’t much more I can say about this, yeah I loved the Category G’s designs but I didn’t really feel the character designs except for a few cool ones but there was still a huge need for variety. The multiplayer on the other hand let you pick from basically every character design in the game plus a few added ones like Marcus and Dom from gears and Wesker from the RE series.

Overall: Gameplay was good, graphics were impressive, variety of weapons, and the heavy reliance on tactics made this game an enjoyable experience for me and it is definitely a title that I would recommend at least renting (which I did) and playing. Don’t expect much from the story since it can be a little hard to follow and really isn’t emphasized as much as the boss fights and gunplay are. If you choose to buy it I suggest you read up on the multiplayer which I didn’t have a chance to check out unfortunately due to lack of time (I needed to start Red Dead for next week) but if it just takes the single player and tosses it into a multiplayer setting then it couldn’t be too bad. Well that just about wraps up my first review, I hope this was helpful to those of you thinking about checking this game out and I certainly enjoyed writing it for you. Be sure to check back every Wednesday for a new one!

End Notes: You may have noticed I didn’t mention the first game and how LP2 measured up against it. Well that just has to do with my opinions on reviewing, I feel that I need to judge a game based on its playability and playability alone which has nothing to do with anything but the game itself. Also I don’t use a number scale since a number can’t tell you how much you will personally enjoy a game. So take from this review what you will, I hope I touched all the main issues that people would be concerned about so take care everyone! -Zack

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Time Honored Tuesdays: Mario

Out of all the video games I could have started out with in my youth, Super Mario World just so happens to be the very first for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES). Yes, of all games that a child could get introduced to when starting an adventure into the gaming world, why did it also have to be one of the greatest games game creators have ever produced. This game is the true perfection of any 2D platform adventure game. Super Mario Brothers started its legacy, but Super Mario World for the SNES is the true birthright of all Mario games. Top-Nintendo seller, Mario is indeed the father of this company. The Mario series has always had its trend as a launch game for the Nintendo systems that has been going on for nearly forty years and has its reasons. This game had a huge impact on not only the series, but also the success of Nintendo. As proof of this, majority of the Mario cast (i.e. Wiggler, Bob-omb) that you still see today originated from this Mario Era and continues to stem from this game alone. Now let’s get on with the review.

Gameplay: 10/10

Present here was everything that the Mario franchise had been made famous for including running, stomping, flying, and swimming. All was reproduced faithfully and kept the classic Mario feel to them. One change Nintendo made was increasing the over-all size of the levels, instead of doing the same old small run to the right before time ran out ordeal, now levels grew in all directions that you had to travel in to beat the level. As the level changed direction so did the environment. It wasn't uncommon to travel through four or five different climates in the course of a single level. Even on top of that were multiple other types of levels including the standard underwater level to my personal favorite, Tubular, a level with no floor. The second and most famous of the changes was the inclusion of Yoshi the Dinosaur as Mario's sidekick. Hit an egg block and Yoshi sprang to life. Yoshi's came in four colors each with their own ability. Green was your standard Yoshi which featured no special offensive move but could run slightly faster than the others and depending on the color of a shell he ate adopts the ability of said colored Yoshi for a short time. Blue, which is a fan favorite, allowed the Yoshi to grow wings whenever a Koopa was consumed, Red allowed Yoshi to throw fireballs after eating an enemy, and finally Yellow allowed for a powerful stomp. One should also note that not only does Yoshi grant you extra protection; you also get an extra jump in exchange of hoping off and potentially, in most cases, losing poor old Yoshi (as demonstrated in my video 2:54). The use of Yoshi certainly makes the levels less difficult and is required to access certain secret parts of certain levels. In any case, even if you disregard Yoshi, the game still has a new twist, which you'll love. The previous items are indeed present but now have new a new blend, such as the spinning fireball and caped Mario instead of your flying raccoon. You also now learn new tactics to fight enemies. Sure the game isn't terribly hard and you'll find you can catch on to it in no time flat. The map is split into different climates each guarded over by a son or daughter of Bowser. Go on one of the multiple paths to the castle and defeat the Koopa inside to open up the next exciting area. That's right, some levels have an alternative route to reach the bosses like a shorter way or through a fortress. Once inside the castle you were presented to a host of more challenging elements than the ones found in the levels which all leads up to a unique battle with a Koopa. Sometimes you have to defend yourself from a charging Koopa or bounce on of a small island floating in lava.

Story: 8/10

Something has gone wrong, and Mario is out to save someone from the clutches of his arch-nemesis, Bowser. This time, the Koopa Kids have come returned from Super Mario Bros. 3 and have stolen the Yoshi eggs. On top of that…yup, you guessed it: the princess has been kidnapped by Bowser once again. Mario has to go around Dinosaur Land and retrieve the eggs, then commence the final showdown with Bowser for the princess. Not much you wouldn't expect from any Mario game but can you get any more classical with that plot?

Graphics: 10/10

Super Mario World pushed the graphical capabilities of the SNES to its limits. The graphics were colorful, and although they didn’t have much texture, the lighting effects were very well done. The graphics even had a 3D feel to it, and I don’t think there is a single person out there who popped this cartridge into the console after years of NES games and was not awestruck by the graphical presentation. In fact, the graphics were nearly unrivaled by any SNES game until Donkey Kong Country, which did not come out for another 3 years or so. This game perfectly presented the system’s capabilities graphically at its time.

Sound: 10/10

I’m sure you guys remember the classic tune for the NES; well I could tell you that playing this game will only make your ears become more appeased. Being a retro fanatic, especially for the sake of music, I cannot stress to you how impressed I am with the musical quality of this game. The enhancement from its predecessors of the Super Mario Brothers series is phenomenal. Much like the Mario Bros., the music in this game is classy and some people may even listen to it on their iPods. When I was snooping around in the game, I couldn’t help but air dive to my television set to crank the volume just to get that nostalgic feeling to flow though my veins. By only playing a few minutes of the game, the entire soundtrack has resurged back into my head and I cannot stop singing the tunes. All the songs have been redesigned from the ground up and with this music, any player can move to the wonderful and catchy tunes as Mario glides through the air, jumps floating islands, or runs through a spooky area filled with the infamous hard-to-defeat Boos. If you catch yourself humming a tune to this game, then you know that this game is truly classic. This game contains more songs than the typical Mario game in the past, and its songs are longer, not as repetitive, and more pleasant on the ear.

Replayability: 10/10

After a player has conquered this game, he or she may have to take another look through it before washing up and hitting the sack. There are many secrets that the player has yet to determine than he or she has still not discovered. Besides having epic replay value, let me emphasize the power that this game incorporates in its game length. To complete all the portions of this game is quite a stunning feat and most players will find that they spent their money well on this game, especially a 2D platform action game that can deliver hours upon hours of varying fun and adventure. So you beaten the great King Koopa Bowser, but have you found every nook and cranny bottled up inside? Well I highly doubt it. With this game, it may take several more hours to try to solve all the mysteries and many players will resort to guides figure out all the secrets. Not only will players try to explore every single aspect of this game, but they will also take note that in these discovered secrets a player can easily beat the game in less than half an hour, if he or she takes advantage of the secrets that litter this game. It is no surprise that many players return to this game, especially after several years of activity. With the advent of technology and the internet, people can post videos and show off their skills at a game that has garnered much respect from all gamers. Once you play through a game a couple times though, nonetheless it will be time to move on, but after a few months or years, when you have the option and the availability of this game, there is no doubt that many players will return just to relive the experience. Not many games offer this and most gamers can only count a couple games as true classics – which not only have all the aforementioned content, but they also possess immense replay value.

OVERALL RATING: 10/10

Final Comments: This game has everything that any person would want. It is so marvelous that even people who are not big into games would surely enjoy having a go at it for at least a few well-spent minutes. Now then, what makes this game incredibly awesome? Well due to the fact that it has everything a classic game should have – a classic story, flawless gameplay, astounding graphics, great music, and epic replayability- it serves its purpose on those grounds alone. When I play a game, I do not play a game hoping that it will live up to some false hype. I want all the games I play to be classic. The reason? Well, I do not like wasting my money on games that don't offer the same nostalgic feeling or just games that generally don’t live up to my standards. With it being a nice action game, most players will enjoy the full extent of this game in a few hours and if a player wants to draw it out for a couple days, then yeah, that is possible. If you do not have anything to do and want to kill some time, Mario is infamous for being a time killer. Unfortunately though, the Super Nintendo Entertainment System and its Super Mario World game are not easy to find anymore, but fear not, because Super Mario World is a lot more common for the Gameboy Advance as a port, although the system itself is becoming a little obsolete due to the Nintendo DS. Whatever the case, a player can either take pleasure in a world of portability or be stationed on that lazy boy. With the graphical nature of the Gameboy Advance, nothing is lost and everything is maintained. So if you don't happen to have a friend with this old game, then why not go out there and experience in a portable world, because that is quite fun as well. I will stress to my fellow gamers that if you want to play a true Mario game, then there are two that are not worth missing and those are this game and Super Mario 64. No other Mario game before and since has been able to live up to this sort of legacy.

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Introductions!

Welcome one and all, Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls, Gamers and Nerds, and everyone in between: We are Team Infestation (and the crowd goes wild AHHHHHHHHHH). Hello everyone this is Stack and I'm here to tell all of you a little bit of what we are here to do. This team is made up of a group of friends who, for lack of a better word, LOVE games. Whether it is on the computer, a video game system, a children's card game, a cell phone, or a dice game in the alley, I guarantee we have something to blog about for you all to enjoy. We focus on bringing outlooks, opinions, mods, tips, artwork, all on life, games and anything else we feel relevant (but honestly who needs a life when you have games pffft). Let me introduce the team and their area of expertise: First we have Zack Bell, this young man has the biggest and loudest headphones this side of the Mississippi and a computer face for all of your moods, but that is beside the point, he is a true gamer. He will be blogging to you about games new and old, and he will be the main worker on mods for the team. Next we have Benji, no not the dog, but still a loyal friend with a bone. This young man reviews games and movies. He will be as harsh he feels in whichever fashion he believes will satisfy his urge to absolutely tear apart or completely praise certain aspects of all our favorites. Now myself (Stack for all those who forgot or blatantly want someone to blame for a general problem) I will be blogging on anything and everything I can to catch anybodies interest because honestly I strive for attention or I die... or not. I will be helping the team by keeping you all up to date with my weekly updates on what the team has in store for you over the course of the week. Darnell is our next team member who will be writing articles on retro games that have modern titles as well. We also have a newer addition to the team and his name is Michael Duque, he is our resident anime freak and will be giving you the lowdown on all the anime you could possibly want. Last and certainly not least we have April who will be doing the artwork for the team. She will be our artist extraordinaire along with helping out with the mods and anything she feels like. Thank you one and all and once again Team Infestation welcomes you and hopes we can bring a little sunshine into your miserable lives.

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