As everyone knows, when it comes to new intellectual properties and highly publicized products, Capcom can most certainly deliver. For the next generation of gaming, Capcom has so far unveiled three titles. The first, Dead Rising for the Xbox 360, became a big hit when it launched back in August, recently selling over one million copies. The second, Resident Evil 5, is still in development but will not be anywhere near store shelves for some time to come. The final title, Lost Planet Extreme Condition, debuted at E3 2006 alongside a complete singleplayer demo on the Xbox Live Marketplace.
But as the second of the three games to launch, does Lost Planet show the potential of a next generation game? Read on and find out…
Lost Planet tells the story of Wayne, a snow pirate who has lost his memory on an ice planet selected for colonization. The majority of the singleplayer campaign follows his exploits thereafter, as he fights rival gangs of snow pirates and the Akrid, an insect-like race native to the world. Spread out over about a dozen missions, the game mostly takes place on the ice-encrusted landscape, though it does make a few jaunts through volcanic areas and the occasional enemy stronghold. The campaign is pretty solid, but rather short; it can be blown through in roughly 8 hours or so. The story isn’t going to blow you away either. What will though are the mechs, known as Vital Suits. The variety and scale of the mechs is impressive, but they also allow you to customize your weapons load out on each one. The game requires you to rely on mechs more often than not however, as many boss fights are near impossible without them.
The multiplayer segment of the game is just like how one would expect it to play. Consisting of the standard set of modes, the game isn’t very interesting or convincing enough to play for a while. The multiplayer also suffers from small text displays for names and scores which are hard to read even when playing on an HDTV. Many multiplayer maps are recycled from the singleplayer campaign as well, with only a handfull being unique. In addition, many of the weapons are overpowered for the multiplayer. This, combined with the use of mechs, can lead to many one-sided conflicts.
Overall, the game plays well, but minute, condemning features of the game lead to a less than ideal gaming experience.
- Rating: 3.25 out of 5
Lost Planet, by far, is one of the most visually impressive games for the Xbox 360. This game, quite possibly, has some of the best looking snow and ice seen to date on a console. All of the models and characters are impressively well done, but one of the more impressive things is their movement. Characters actually move as if they are impeded by the snow and ice and actually sink into it. In addition, characters react very realistically, especially in response to tremors and explosions. The sound design is nicely done as well, though the music isn’t exactly memorable.
- Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Capcom has graced us with a shining example of what the next generation of gaming has in store for us. While the game is quite short and doesn’t promise to be the multiplayer game fix for people waiting for Halo 3, it is a promising example of what the second generation of gaming on the Xbox 360 can deliver.
- Overall Rating: 3.75 out of 5
Single and Multiplayer: 3.25
Technical Specs: 4.5
Overall and Replay Value: 3.75
Developer: Capcom
Publisher: Capcom
Genre: 3rd Person Shooter
Players: 1-16
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