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Rating : 7.5 / 10 Developer : Capcom Availability : PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PC |
Lost Planet Extreme Condition is based on a planet called E.D.N III after the humans colonised it. However, the weather conditions were too cold and harsh, and environment too hostile due to the Akrid.
The humans were forced to leave but not all made it, becoming the Snow Pirates.
Eventually, an organisation called NEVEC returned, along with other humans, with Vital Suits (VS) to combat against the Akrid and complete the colonisation, however, not everyone agrees with their plans.
Wayne is eventually caught in between the fight after having minor amnesia and joins a small group running their own convert ops.
You play through various missions which your group undertakes, battling through herds of Akrid and slowly uncover more about your past and what you’re in for.
Each step of the way not only uncovers more of the story, but more unimaginable beauty of snow; you wouldn’t think a large open field of snow could ever look so good.
The polygon details are high and clean and most textures are very detailed. There are also blur effects to help soften the image and stretch the effects a little.
Although you will only play through a small number of different environments, each one is detailed and relatively unique.
Animation is also very detailed and quick as your body and torso twist and turn as you run and in various angles. It may not be fluid in the transition between some sets of animations, but there is a lot more variety and detail that most others.
The VSs though can be a little jerky at times but run relatively well.
Lost Planet is based on a planet called E.D.N III after the humans colonised it. However, the weather conditions were too cold and harsh, and environment too hostile due to the Akrid.
The humans were forced to leave but not all made it, becoming the Snow Pirates.
Eventually, an organisation called NEVEC returned, along with other humans, with Vital Suits (VS) to combat against the Akrid and complete the colonisation, however, not everyone agrees with their plans.
Wayne is eventually caught in between the fight after having minor amnesia and joins a small group running their own convert ops.
You play through various missions which your group undertakes, battling through herds of Akrid and slowly uncover more about your past and what you’re in for.
Each step of the way not only uncovers more of the story, but more unimaginable beauty of snow; you wouldn’t think a large open field of snow could ever look so good.
The polygon details are high and clean and most textures are very detailed. There are also blur effects to help soften the image and stretch the effects a little.
Although you will only play through a small number of different environments, each one is detailed and relatively unique.
Animation is also very detailed and quick as your body and torso twist and turn as you run and in various angles. It may not be fluid in the transition between some sets of animations, but there is a lot more variety and detail that most others.
The sound effects compliment the graphics further bringing each detail to more life. From explosions to gun fire to even the screams of the Akrid and humans. And although there is a lot of firing and explosions, what lacks most though is the stomping of the VSs. You will hear different footsteps as you run, but the VS will only generate a stomp regardless of the terrain.
Mind you a machine is a machine and will have a predominant sound, but there’s not extra effect to it.
Nonetheless, atmosphere is filled with ambience and voicing fills the gap.
Dialogues flow and portray the characters emotions, personality, and story. But at times, you may find that it is a little mediocre.
Music is kept low and dramatises at various points in the game. And although there isn’t a lot of it, it does very well to complete the game.
Put all this together and what do you get?
A game that looks good, sounds good, and plays good.
It plays well due to the ease of the game. The game runs on T-Eng which is a thermal energy which keeps you warm and alive while in the game. It’s also used to power the VSs. If it runs you, you die. If you get killed, you die. But on the flip side, as you get shot, blown up, and pounded, the T-Eng will rapidly drain to recover your health. So the only way to really die in the game is via depletion of T-Eng, or overkill. What this results in is challenging bosses. Though the Akrid isn’t as tough as they have weak spots, the VS opponents are tougher as they dodge your missiles or hammer you with their own.
VSs will have a separate life gauge and if it depletes, the VS will self destruct, but leave you a big pool of nice T-Eng to collect.
To equip both you and the VS also are a large mirage of weapons, mostly for the VS though. While on foot, you may find some favourites to you and you will most likely end up using them in most situations due to their versatility. The VS however will call for more varied uses of weapons but you may still find a favourite combination to use on your suit which will work relatively well for most cases.
You carry two weapons at a time and one type of grenade and most VSs will allow two types of weapons, one on each shoulder. You can de-tach and attach weapons to VSs as you see fit or even use one yourself. Although you will walk slower, you do have the heavy hitting power of a VS rattling gun afterall.
Taking the game online, you play through standard works of Team Elimination, Elimination, Post Grab, and Fugitive. Team Elimination and Elimination is your team deathmatch and deathmatch games, and Fugitive is a game of survival where one player is the target and everyone runs after them. Post Grab is a lot like capture the flag in the sense you activate data posts, giving you tactical advantage over the enemies in seeing where they are on the radar nearby.
Although relatively standard, the experience can be exhilarating because of the grappling hook that you have, playing in an open field and giving yourself a unique experience each time.
Bring on the weapons and VS and it comes down to who can make use of their resources more effectively.
All in all, Lost Planet runs very well as a great third person shooting adventure game as your unravel mysteries. Due to the ease of the game however, some people may find it relatively boring at times as stages can be long, only to finish with a simple boss. However, for casual players who are looking for a bit of fun, Lost Planet does deliver with nice and simple gameplay mechanics and delivering on destruction.
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