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Categories: Review
Tags: pirates, shooter, xbox 360
Despite its third-person shooter trappings, Lost Planet: Extreme Condition (Xbox 360) is a platformer–albeit one for the next generation. From the constant pressure of a timer through the undisguised boss battles, Lost Planet is a modern game with classic gaming sensibilities.
Earth is doomed (again) and a new planet is discovered and colonized. This planet, resembling Hoth on a cold day, is also home to the Akrid–an alien species made up of hostile oversized bugs and worms. After a series of losing skirmishes against the Akrid, humanity withdraws only to return later with Vital Suits (VS=Mech). The humans left behind now survive as snow pirates and they’re a little pissed at the second wave of colonists. The Akrid are still around, too, but the internal energy keeping them alive has become a valuable resource.
Players control Wayne, a teenager rescued from a frozen VS by a band of snow pirates. Wayne’s memory is a jumble, but he remembers how to pilot a VS–which means he can escort the snow pirates across the planet towards pools of much needed energy. Wayne also has an interesting device on his arm which converts the Akrid energy into health, but the head snow pirate doesn’t want that getting publicized.
There’s more story here: a sinister corporation, father-son drama, betrayals and redemption, but that’s better left for the cutscenes which bookend each of the game’s eleven levels. The heart of the game is out on the snow. Capcom has created a wondrous landscape where giant moths fly around mountains, Dune-like worms erupt from snowy plains, and massive Akrid hives scuttle with life.
Much like Shadow of the Colossus, Lost Planet dwarfs the player. There are massive bosses with lengthy health bars. Smaller Akrid overwhelm with sheer numbers, pouring forth from nests acting like Gauntlet’s generators. However, even before Wayne sets foot in a VS, he is well-armed.
Machine guns, shotguns, sniper rifles are all here, plus Akrid-energy powered weapons. Grenades and rocket launchers also abound, although you’ll have to dig the first rocket launcher out of a snowdrift. Once you’re strapped into a VS (which covers a multitude of armored vehicles from spider-like drills to Iron Man’s leftovers), oversized weapons take precedence.
I mentioned the game has platform sensibilities. Much of Lost Planet is snowed under and dilapidated, but Wayne has a grappling hook which helps him ascend. The grappling hook is Batman-esque, attaching and launching you towards your target. The timer I mentioned comes in the form of a meter which counts down your remaining energy. Surviving on the planet requires a constant drain of energy even before you power up weapons, VSes, and heal Wayne. In one of the coolest graphical touches, enemies Wayne kills freeze and shatter.
Lost Planet teems with graphical flourishes. The requisite explosions are followed by photorealistic smoke. Wayne trudges through the snow instead of pulling a Legolas act. Even the Akrid, with their thermal pulses, are often more beautiful than grotesque.
While the Akrid are memorable opponents, the game’s human adversaries are one of Lost Planet’s few weak areas. Save for bosses, human enemies are fodder rather than obstacles. Bosses, however, are strong and frustrating–and sometimes cheap. Wayne reacts to getting hit, interrupting whatever he was doing. All too often, I was repeatedly stomped to death, effectively being frozen in place while desperately trying to force Wayne to move (and cursing). However, beating bosses left me with a sense of accomplishment, genuine satisfaction at the end of each level.
Having only dabbled in the multiplayer (after getting booted for not wearing a headset), I can only say that there are a number of usual modes (with Fugitive Hunt being pretty damn cool). The post grab is cool, too, and benefits from actually making sense in the context of the game. Lost Planet doesn’t have split-screen multiplayer, so I can’t hunt the webmaster down, but he’s offended by the number of disposable mechs just laying around.
Also, if you want a small taste of this, try Akrid Attack, a Galaga styled web game.