Introduction

Ever since the announcement of the Xbox 360, a couple of games, such as Oblivion or Gears of War have been in the spot light from day one. And while hype can be a very good thing, aiding games reach legendary status before they’re actually released, it can be a double-edged sword, sometimes leading to people’s expectations being way too high and resulting in utter disappointment when the title is finally available. Clearly, every publisher wishes to avoid such a scenario, and of course, it was no different with Capcom as they launched their eagerly anticipated Xbox 360 exclusive, Lost Planet.

Hmmm, lost what?

It must be said, in the times we live in, it’s rare to hear of a new franchise from publishers and developers, given that most games end up being predictable sequels. Personally, I prefer exploring a fresh world revolving around an innovative story than diving deeper and deeper into an already stale environment that hasn’t got much left to offer.

Starting with the story, as you can probably tell from the various screenshots, Lost Planet doesn’t take place on Earth but instead, you find yourself in the near future as Humanity attempts to colonize a frozen world called E.D.N. III. However, everything doesn’t go as smoothly as expected, seeing that an indigenous alien life form called the Akrid (think giant bugs) begins to relentlessly attack Mankind’s new home.

Out of this turmoil, two major factions are born; NEVEC, a scientific group attempting to terraform the planet and the Snow Pirates, people who simply want to live their lives. You take on the role of Wayne, a young man who joins a couple of Snow Pirates to seek out revenge on a particularly large Akrid called Green Eye. Obviously, the story doesn’t stay so simple for very long and before you even realize it, Wayne will be fighting NEVEC itself… for some strange reason. Although Lost Planet has various cutscenes to flesh out and develop the story, it just doesn’t help, given that characters appear out of nowhere, plotlines change without a moment’s notice and nothing stays coherent. While this might not disturb many gamers, I always find it slightly disappointing when there isn’t a captivating tale to accompany your actions. But I’ll admit, seeing as you’ll never anticipate the major twists and more than enough questions are left unanswered for a future sequel it serves a basic purpose.

Frozen eye candy

Lost Planet literally took my breath away when I started it up for the first time, that’s how gorgeous it is. And this was even after playing games like Gears of War! Capcom put a lot of effort into the visuals, honing all the power of the Xbox 360 and it really shows as the game’s engine can easily render endless landscapes, as well as impressive detail up close. Even though E.D.N. III is an icy wasteland, the environments are stunning, whether you look at the barren plains, treacherous mountains, majestic caves or abandoned human cities. All the levels somehow feel alive and real, never boring you or disturbing your sense of immersion.

But even more impressive is the level of detail put into everything living and breathing on this lost planet. All the human characters are well modeled and animated, making them look almost lifelike, especially during the numerous cutscenes rendered via the game’s engine. As for the Akrid, I can only say one thing; you’ll never see bugs as gorgeous as these anywhere else. They’re all artistically designed, bringing a sense of awe and wonder as Wayne runs into some of the larger enemies that are trying to ruin his day. But topping all this are the various Vital Suits (think giant mechs), which are just a joy to watch in action, and of course, the superb special effects. When it comes to smoke and explosions, Lost Planet puts everything to shame. The icing on the cake is the High Dynamic Range and Motion blur effects which are exceptionally well coded, it would be fair to say that this is without a doubt one of the prettiest engines to grace the Xbox 360.

Lost Plant’s party piece is that it manages to do all this without ever dropping it’s framerate during the more intense sections of the game. Even when over fifty Akrids bugs are charging towards you and Wayne is blasting his rocket launcher in every direction, the game never slows down.

Frosty noise

As for the aural department of the game, I had mixed feelings. On the plus side, the sound effects are sensational, making each gunshot and explosion come to life, helping gamers get totally immersed into the game. The Akrid screams are also particularly enjoyable, blending noises of common insects and adding a certain alien touch to them. The music is professionally handled, giving each level a distinct atmosphere, again, making the whole game more believable.

Unfortunately, I can’t really say the same for the voice acting that appears during the various cutscenes or radio talks. While they do sound relatively convincing and usually convey the feelings they were aiming for, they somehow don’t sound natural. I blame it on the fact that the characters pause their sentences at very strange moments, creating awkward silences when none are needed and forgetting silences when the extra tension is required. While it doesn’t ruin the aural experience for me, I feel it could have been handled a little better.

Heating Up

Although there are many quality third person action games on Microsoft’s console right now, Lost Planet is able to stay unique and innovative thanks to the inclusion of Vital Suits. And for all those people thinking that this makes Capcom’s game similar to an Armored Core or Zone of the Enders, nothing could be further from the truth. In essence, you’ll find yourself fighting on foot throughout a large majority of the game, using your trusty guns and grenades to kill anyone or anything that gets in your way. While this might sound old school, it’s nicely executed and even though it doesn’t have an elaborate cover system like in Gears of War, in the thick of the action the game flows very well. In fact, fighting swarms of enemies is only fun when you rush into the thick of the battle, chucking grenades left and right, blowing up everything that moves. But just because Snow Pirates can’t cover doesn’t mean they can’t do other interesting feats, like use a grappling hook. When you start playing for the first time, it isn’t very easy to use this hook properly and usually, you won’t end up doing what you had intended. But after some practice, the grappling hook becomes your best friend, helping you reach higher ground for cover and stronger tactical positions.

In Lost Planet Wayne has a large arsenal of weapons, ranging from typical machine guns to trusty shotguns and futuristic laser beams. As for the grenades, you also have plenty of choice, seeing as there are five very distinct kinds to throw at your enemies. But the real treat is when you finally get to use Vital Suits, which are more readily available towards the middle of the game. Again, as with the weapons, a variety of different VSs exist, some with the capability of smokescreens and others with the possibility of transforming into semi-tanks or snowmobiles. This adds another level of gameplay to Lost Planet, making it standout from the other games of a similar genre. But don’t think that when you find a powerful VS, you’ll be able to stay inside it for the rest of the mission and easily complete the level, because that just won’t be possible. In fact, Capcom has introduced a special energy called T-ENG that helps keep the player alive in the freezing cold environment. The catch is that this energy is always decreasing and that it’s scarcely available, forcing the player to constantly kill to increase his slowly dissipating levels. In addition, VSs use the T-ENG much quicker than being on foot, forcing the player to balance out the amount of time spent inside them. The beauty to this approach is that only rarely are you forced to use the VS over “naked” Wayne. This gives everyone a certain degree of freedom to play the game how they wish.

Unfortunately, you’ll only be able to play Lost Planet for around seven hours because after that very short amount of time, the single player campaign will have been completed. And yes, you read correctly, seven hours. Thankfully, a multiplayer experience exists, helping the game’s lifespan but nonetheless, you can’t help but feel a bit irritated at the very short campaign. As for the multiplayer, you basically have four different modes; elimination, team elimination, post grab and fugitive. To understand the first two, simply replace elimination with deathmatch and you’ll understand the aim of the mode within seconds. As for post grab, each level has various data posts to capture and secure and the team with the most points wins after a certain time duration. Fugitive on the other hand is an innovative multiplayer game where one player must run away from the others players (the hunters) and survive till the timer runs out.

Chilly ending?

So in the end, is it worth buying Lost Planet? I definitely say “yes” without any hesitation, simply because the game lived up to my expectations, and I trust me, I was expecting a lot. It’s visually stunning, really showcasing the Xbox 360’s powerhouse graphics capabilities and best of all, it has excellent gameplay to match. Third person action, endless bug killing and giant mechs make for a fun and diverse gaming experience. The only real disappointment is that Lost Planet is far too short; lasting around seven hours in single player mode. Even if there is multiplayer, it still can’t hide the fact that the singleplayer experience can be completed in a casual weekend of gaming.