Lost Planet was a relative success for Capcom when originally released on the Xbox 360 but as is the way in today's high budget climate, to succeed the sequel is going to have to pull something quite special out the bag to stand out amongst the likes of Modern Warfare 2 and Bad Company 2.

Fantastic action; Co-op aodes for whole campaign; Great graphics; Huge creatures

Framerate dips occasionally; Frustrating continue points; Grappling could be better

Without a doubt, Lost Planet 2 is one of the most disappointing games of the year so far. The story and gameplay might sit better with fans of the original, but that doesn't hide the fact that the controls are clunky, the AI is average and the level design is terrible.

Lost Planet 2 has always looked impressive at preview, a high-octane mix of giant aliens and super-powered mechs battling against a backdrop of bombastic music and even more bombastic action sequences.

Mechs, enormous weapons, and snow pirates operating out of the jungle - welcome to Lost Planet 2.

Despite its shortcomings and lukewarm response from the gaming press, the original Lost Planet showed signs of greatness that boded well for future iterations of the franchise.

Lost Planet 2 is better by leaps and bounds from the original. Still, there is room for improvement, especially in a more cohesive storyline. It's better in a lot of areas, but could be even greater.

It would seem to me that when a game comes out offering you, and three of your friends, a chance to team up against giant bugs that can eat you and poop you back out in an all-out, guns-a-blazin' action experience… then ups the ante by throwing in giant robot suits, it's going to be pretty hard for...

Online multiplayer competitive modes; Giant robots; Experience being bug poo

The train level; The train level (so bad it's on here twice

Lost Planet 2 is a decent sequel, but it fails to push the series forward in terms of gameplay or originality. I wanted to love it, but instead it all felt very samey and was over before I knew it.

With inspiration from Modern Warfare and Gears of War, Lost Planet 2 delivers action by the bucketload. When you're battling against the biggest bugs the game has to offer, Lost Planet 2 can be a blast particularly with a few friends.

Looking back over my experience with Lost Planet 2 in comparison to the first installment, you can easily see that Capcom wanted and succeeded in providing the same great experience you found in Lost Planet with Lost Planet 2, while also fixing several of the issues that plagued the first...