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Lost Planet 2

5/12/2010

KILL BIG or get stepped on by an Akrid

Developer: Capcom Publisher: Capcom Format(s): XBOX 360 & PS3

Lost Planet 2 sequel to the highly acclaimed and best selling title Lost Planet: Extreme Conditions by Capcom sees you returning to E.D.N III ten years on from the end of the original.

Since the end of Lost Planet: Extreme Conditions the planet has under gone some big changes, snow is out and jungle and deserts are in as well as several other different locations that bring some much needed landscape change from the previous title, in stead of playing thought the game as a single character like last time you now take control of several different factions of snow pirates and NEVEC soldiers that populate the planet, sadly thought there seems to have been a rather large lack in the expansions of enemy Akrid that you fight though out the game when compared to its predecessor how ever those that you do encounter are much larger then any previously seen, the games tag line KILL BIG seems very fitting indeed.

All so making a welcome return are the games signature VS suits that the inhabitants of E.D.N III pilot to fight off the Akrid enemies and all so get around on , Capcom has taken special notice of fan request’s that asked for the ability to ride on the side of a team mates VS suit this time in order to travel around the map quicker as a group when playing online.

Capcom have spent a lot of time working on the 4 player online campaign co-op mode that allows you to either play though the game with three friends or to find three random team mates, not to worry though if you don’t have any friend the computer will control three bots for you to play with although if you are doing this I would advise knocking down the difficulty level a bit as with most AI they are next to useless, in fact playing thought the game on a lower difficulty level first time around is not a bad idea at all as this game will have you almost snapping your controller in half at points due to Capcoms dedication to over delivering character movement, when you get knocked down you stay down as it seems to take an age for you stand back up only to inevitable be knocked down again by some sort of large Akrid sweeping attack that is all but unavoidable unless you are in a VS suit due to that character jumping around seemingly with pockets full of rocks.

The games online multiplayer mode has been left relatively unchanged from the last game apart from the addition of a couple of extra new game mode‘s, Faction match mode standing out as some thing quite unique as it is not limited to a single game, rather the faction you join is fighting the same game type all over the world for a preset amount of days. Capcom have all so gone to great length to allow for full customisation of your online character this time around, this is done by earning Good Job awards thought out the campaign and online, GJ awards unlock new colours and clothes for online multiplayer use as well as full character skins that allow you to play as other well know Capcom characters including Frank West from Dead Rising and Albert Wesker from Resident Evil as well as XBOX 360 exclusive’s Marcus and Dom from EPIC’s Gears of War series.

Despite having every thing going for it that a sequel could want Lost Planet 2 can not help comeing undone at times, sadly due to Capcom adding more expositions then there are celebrity trash mag’s in to a single frame this does cause the game to slow down at times and the control layout is any thing but user friendly with the B button being used for almost every thing, and in trouping the flow of the game by adding in elaborate VS activation cut scenes that you have to watch when ever getting in to or out of one of the VS suits is just a pain the arse also they have seen fit to over look the one thing that everyone wanted and that was the ability to use your grapping hook whilst in the air either in a jumping or falling scenario.
+ Thomas

In short - Lost Planet 2 takes the idea of online co-op play and builds a entire game around it with varying results, online competitive multiplayer is a good as ever and expands slightly on the original, if your not going to even attempt the campaign co-op I would knock this score down one or two as that’s where most of the enjoyment is to be had with friends.

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Super Street Fighter IV

5/3/2010

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More than just an update. This is truly something super.

Developer: Capcom Publisher: Capcom Format(s): Xbox 360 & PS3

Street Fighter IV was nothing short of a smash hit when it was released last year, so it was obvious that another game in the series would be coming round the corner. Enter Super Street Fighter IV; an updated version of the previous game with new characters, added gameplay modes and new online content; but can fans of SFIV justify buying SSFIV?
With all of this added content is SSFIV just the same game we were introduced to last year, but with a new coat on? Well, sort of.

Super Street Fighter IV’s main selling point is it’s new characters. Ten new fighters have entered the ring, bringing the total roster to 35 who are all unlock from the very beginning. Old favourites from SSFII Dee Jay and T. Hawk make a welcomed return after being absent from SFIV. Final Fight’s Cody and Guy are joined by Sagat’s rival Adon from the Alpha series and fans of SFIII will be pleased to see Ibuki, Makoto and Dudley making their long overdue return to the World Warrior Tournament.
Along with these familiar faces, two brand new fighters have joined in on all the action. Juri, a Taekwondo master working for Seth who has lightning fast kicks, and the eccentric Turkish oil wrestler Hakan who has to keep oiling himself up in order to fight.
All the new characters fit in very well with the current cast, and just like before you have to study each opponent and learn when to strike and when to defend. You can’t just keep hitting Zangief’s Spinning Lariat against Hakan, or he will punish you.
But it’s not just about the new characters, as the old fighters have all been re-balanced. Characters like Sagat, Abel and Zangief have all been toned down while the likes of Sakura, Cammy and El Fuerte have all been made slightly stronger. Although, you’re probably not going to notice the differences seeing as the changes are so minimal.
Another change is that every fighter now has two Ultra moves which can be chosen at the character select screen. Similar to SFIII you can now choose the Ultra that you’re comfortable with, but there are some great one to choose from and some pretty poor ones aswell. Ryu’s new Metsu Shoryuken really packs a punch, while others like Rose’s Soul Satellite are practically useless. But having the choice is very much welcomed with opened arms.

The gameplay in SSFIV is not much different from the previous game; all the moves require the same input as before, but this time it’s slightly easier to pull off combos. Once again you can try out different and unique combinations in the Trial mode where you’re given a list of move to use against your opponent. But just because the combos are easier to pull off doesn’t mean that the game is a walk in the park; the Arcade mode is still challenging, especially on the harder difficulty settings.
Speaking of the Arcade mode, the animated cut scenes that book-end each characters story have returned, however they’re not as good as they were in SFIV. For some reason the opening cut scene is nothing but still images with a characters voiceover, but at the ending is fully animated; not only that but the character designs are different in the beginning than they are at the end.
But who plays a fighting game for the story? Thankfully the Arcade mode is still as great as it was before. The famous Car Crusher and Barrel Buster bonus stages have returned and break up the Arcade experience nicely, but Capcom insist that they are brand new “game modes” and have removed the Survival and Time Attack challenges from SFIV in favour for these bonus stages. We’re not sure how you can call a bonus stage a “game mode,” but whatever.
Along with the new bonus stages, new levels are thrown in too and look far better than the older ones from SFIV, particularly the Solar Eclipse in Africa and the Exciting Street in South Asia. There’s also a kind nod to any Final Fight fans in the Skyscraper Construction Site stage, which is set in Metro City and features SFIII’s Hugo in the background. No sign of Mayor Hagger, though.
The Fight Request option is still available, giving you the feeling of playing in a real amusement arcade, but if you don’t want to be interrupted during you Arcade session then the option can be turned off.
Rival battles are also back and nicely complement the story of each character. Although some fighters have brand new Rival battles like Ryu and Guile, others like Zangief and Ken have remained unchanged.

Super Street Fighter IV’s online modes have been getting a lot of attention in the run-up to the games release, but unfortunately they’re not as great as first expected. Ranked matches remain mostly the same as in SFIV, but this time you gain points for each character you use as-well-as points for how skilled you are, so not much has changed.
Endless Battle simulates a ‘winner stays on’ experience you’d get in a real arcade. While it’s a good idea in theory you spent most of you’re time just watching the action unfold; you could sit through 4-5 matches before it’s your turn, and if you happen to lose the match then you’re more likely to leave the group rather than waiting all over again for another chance to fight.
Team Battle puts you into teams of 2, 3 or 4 players where you face off against the opposite team, but it too suffers from the same ‘sit and wait’ problems as Endless Battles. It’s nice how you can all communicate in both Endless and Team battles and cheer each-other on, but we’d much rather ditch the Endless Battle and bring back 1-on-1 Player Matches from SFIV.
In terms of the actual gameplay online, it run’s very smoothly; far better than in SFIV. It actually feels as if your opponent is sitting right next to you on the sofa, rather than being miles away.
The final online mode is called the Replay Mode. As the name suggests players can view replays from other matches; you can slow the footage down and study how people play and perform combos that you might not of thought of, or you can invite a group of friends and watch the replay together. You can also look through your own previous battle records and see where you might need more training, or you can send the replay to a friend and show off your sweet victory. Replay Mode really should have been in the original Street Fighter IV and many serious gamers will take advantage of it’s functions, in order to perfect their game.

As you may of already expected, the graphics and presentation of SSFIV are the same as the previous game, and that’s fine with us because SFIV was one of the nicest looking games of this current generation of consoles. The character animations are smooth and the game runs at a fast pace with no slow-down what-so-ever.
The voice acting for the characters is as good as before, with all of the previous voice actors returning from SFIV to lend their voices again. However the commentator has been replaced with a guy who sounds like he’s shouting into a cup and can get irritating quite quickly. Sadly there’s no option to turn him off, but there is an option to replace any characters English voice with a Japanese one. It’s a nice touch, which die-hard fans are sure to use.
The music from Street Fighter II has always been memorable, unfortunately the same can’t be said with Super Street Fighter IV. Although there are some remixed version of songs from II, III and Alpha, they don’t really stick in your head. Don’t get us wrong, they’re fantastic to listen to, but you’ll forget one song as soon as another one starts.

So could Super Street Fighter IV been released in the form of DLC? Simple answer is No. There’s just so much on offer in SSFIV that you’ll see this as a true sequel to SFIV and not just an update. This isn’t like a yearly update of FIFA or Pro Evo, this is the ultimate version of Street Fighter IV. However with a price tag of £25-£30 we’re not sure if you should be throwing away your original copy of SFIV.
We know it sounds strange, considering how much we’ve praised SSFIV so far, but when you play it you’ll get a feeling of déjà vu. Even though Super adds so much more, the fighting system and gameplay is still the same, but with some minor differences.
What we’re saying is: If you already own SFIV and haven’t played it in a few months then we’d suggest that you should stick with what you’ve got, because SSFIV won’t offer much to you. But if you’re new to the Street Fighter series or a die-hard fan then this is an essential purchase which is made even better thank to it’s budget price.
If we’re ever asked the question “what’s the best fighting game out at the moment?” Our answer will always be Super Street Fighter IV.
+ Adam

In short - The best fighting game of 2010 and a must buy to any newcomer or series fanatic, but if you’re happy with SFIV then knock this score down to an 8 and seriously consider if SSFIV is for you.

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VGS

Lost Planet 2

Super Street Fighter IV

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