While the original Lost Planet was a brilliant sci-fi blaster, what most players will remember is its expansive, icy worlds, where the frantic action saw you battling aliens while wading through knee-deep snow drifts.

But for the second instalment in Capcom’s ambitious series, a greater sense of variety has been brought to the bloodshed.

Following the plucky pioneers’ victory in the first game, in turn making planet EDN III safe for human colonists, the blanket of snow melted to reveal lush rainforests, abandoned cities and arid deserts hidden below.

And even though most of the aliens routed in Lost Planet have decided to keep their distance this time, the rise of surly space pirates has given rise to a fresh wave of blood-letting, the gunplay now staged in a wider selection of luscious environments that lend themselves to new battle strategies.

Aside from its environmental facelift, Lost Planet 2 also improves on its predecessor by introducing a range of new multiplayer options.

Top of the pile is the fresh co-operative mode where four players can plough through the main adventure, allowing you to work in teams and hatch plans to fell the game’s bosses.

Oh, the bosses! That’s one of the best things about the game. On your travels you’ll meet towering alien beasts that rise, skyscraper-sized, from the desert sands and slobbering, crab-headed dragons, but our favourite is the giant salamander as you can climb inside the bugger’s mouth and blast it from the inside.

Essentially, if you liked the original Lost Planet, this is gonna slay you. And while some of the levels are a little linear for our liking, this is still one of the best games you’ll play this summer, and a damned fine way to waste time with your gun-nut mates.

An epic blaster, beautifully executed, LP2 is one of the most accomplished shooters so far this year

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