all games are not created equal

Battlefront II did not.

I purchased the recently released "Colonies Edition" of Lost Planet, having been passingly familiar with the original. I'd read online that there were new multiplayer additions, including a very exciting new mode called "Akrid Hunter" that actually allowed players to take on the role of the titular insectoid giants while other players battled against them.

I should've read up more, because one of the reasons I'd purchased the game was because copies of the original Lost Planet were plentiful and I thought I could play with my friends online. My mistake. Apparently, the new version of Lost Planet is a brand new game and does not allow cross-version multiplayer. That alone should've reduced the value of the game significantly. More tellingly, the Akrid Hunter mode is quite one-sided, because the Akrid gameplay is stiff and results in nothing more than a drawn-out slaughter in favor of the humans, who can use their mecha to easily wipe out the awkward, difficult to control Akrids.

Battlefront II, on the other hand, is just as compelling and exciting as I remember. Despite being on the prior Xbox console, the game is just as fast paced and fluid as Lost Planet, and considering the amount of on screen action, quite visually pleasing, particularly the Droid Army. In addition, the vehicles available are far more interesting and varied than the mecha in Lost Planet, with the ability to have a pilot and gunners. In addition, the split screen mode allows two players to join LIVE and revel in sweet victory together. I've heard a few complaints about the seeming futility of winning or losing the battlefield, but in the end, it's more about individual performance than whether your side won or lost.

If you were considering trying Lost Planet, I suggest you pass it up, as it is a perfect of example of half-baked ambition prettied up to compensate for an ultimately lower-value experience. Instead, pick up Battlefront II for half the price and relive the glory that is Boba Fett vs. Darth Vader in the midst of a raging battlefield. It's all about the gameplay, people. All about the gameplay.