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Developer - Capcom
Publisher - Capcom
Features
Xbox Live Multiplayer: 1-16
Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround
HDTV Support: HDTV 720p
Lost Planet: Extreme Condition (Lost Planet for short) is the first big release for the Xbox 360 in 2007. In the months leading up to the release of the game, much anticipation was generated as Lost Planet was previewed on all the major gaming websites, magazines and TV shows. Capcom must have spent a lot of dollars on marketing and it certainly showed with some of the initial sales figures. Does Lost Planet live up to the hype? For the most part it does, however there is still much room for improvement as this is sure to be the start of a great franchise for Capcom.
Graphics
Overall, Lost Planet graphics are very good. The graphics are arguably the best selling feature of the game. Not only do the visuals look outstanding in the single player campaign mode but Capcom did a wonderful job maintaining the visuals in the online play as well.
The environments in Lost Planet are very clean and only add to the gameplay. The snow filled environments give you the sense you are wandering through a winter not-so-wonderland fighting for your life and searching for some meaning in for your existence. The constant snow covered landscapes do become monotonous at times however this is to be expected given the premise of the game. The lighting is also very strong and realistic as you work your way through each of the games individual missions.
The most impressive visual for me was unquestionably the smoke effects. It ultimately makes the game a little more challenging as you wait for the heavy smoke to disappear. The overall effect is very realistic. At some points during the game the smoke-filled action becomes so intense and chaotic, frame-rate issues appear, however for the most part this is not problematic.
In terms of the character design (human and Akrid) the detail is very impressive. Without giving much away, the Alien creatures are truly a sight to behold and worth the price of the game alone as there is lots of variety with the amount of alien types you come across. All the character's animations are very fluid too and this becomes quite apparent when fighting hordes of on-screen enemies and coming across the bosses that you must battle to progress. As you make your way through the game the enemies and characters only become richer and more complex which will certainly create some lasting memories.
Overall the visuals in Lost Planet hit the mark and should Capcom decide to make a sequel, I look forward to seeing what other magic they can perform on the 360 given what they did here.
Sound
As far as the sound is concerned, Lost Planet falls a little short in this area as nothing really stood out for me. The music blends nicely into the game but the true measure for me is if I am humming the music immediately after playing or even the following day. In this case, I was not. Simply put, there is nothing unique about the music and it is somewhat easily forgettable. Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing particularly bad about it but it just didn't stand out.
For the most part the weapons, mechs and aliens sound good, however many do not deliver that big "oomph" that you may expect. For example, the rocket launcher and the mechs found in the game sound great but their sounds are nothing we have not heard before. That being said, the most unique sound of the game to me was the enemies shrieking and screaming as they fall to their death. It definitely conveyed a sense that these creatures were not human and that they did not come from our world.
The voice acting in Lost Planet is somewhat weak as well, and some may even consider it a little cheesy. This would not be the first time we have heard lousy voice acting in a game but some parts of Lost Planet were truly difficult to watch due to the low quality of the voice actors. Lost Planet really needs to take a page from Gears of War or Far Cry when it comes to effective cut scenes and voice acting.
Overall, the games 5.1 Dolby Digital sound does not disappoint but I couldn't help but think that the short coming listed above that so much more could have been done with Lost Planet's sound.
Gameplay
In terms of the storyline, Lost Planet takes place on a planet filled with bug-like aliens called Akrid’s. Human snow pirates navigate Vital Suits (VS for short) through hostile ice-covered environments, fighting against the indigenous Akrid creatures for the precious thermal energy they need to survive. It is here is where you come into the picture. You play the part of Wayne, a pilot whose father dies at the hands of the Akrid’s. Soon after, you hook up with a collection of snow pirates in hopes that you can piece your life back together. The games storyline starts out very strong but it’s not long before you are confused and wishing perhaps that you had paid more attention to who all the characters were in the game. Fortunately, the game features a number of stand alone missions where the storyline is essentially irrelevant.
In Lost Planet you fight a large variety of enemies in each of the game's missions. The alien AI can be challenging however I found the human AI enemies to be a little on the weak side. What will truly keep you entertained during your adventure in the snow is the wide variety of unique weapons featured in the game and at your disposal throughout the campaign. While you are likely to spend the majority of your time using the standard machinegun or shotgun, there are also a number of energy weapons and some unique grenades at your disposal. I particularly enjoyed using the disk-like grenade.
While online or offline, there is no doubt that much of your time will be spent hunting down the best weapon or the best mech on a map, but even a simple machine gun fight can get very intense. When you are being hit you cannot fire your weapon so when engaged in a close quarter gun fight you must roll and evade your opponent in order to get a shot off. In addition to the arsenal of weapons, you also have a hook like attachment on the end of a zip line that you can fire to assist you in climbing up or rappelling down steep walls. This was great feature that I would like to have seen a little more of.
Thermal Energy keeps the enemies alive and is the key to your own survival throughout the game. Every time you kill an enemy, some of the Thermal Energy (or T-Eng) appears and once collected it will replenish your constantly dwindling supply. This forces you to keep moving from battle to battle. Of course, the best way to conserve your T-Eng is to equip yourself into a Vital Suits which are scattered throughout the missions.
In terms of the controls Capcom does a wonderful job creating effective and customizable controls. For instance, the right bumper and left bumper are quick turn buttons that will turn you 90 degrees in the respective direction. They are vital in order to get a jump on your opponent, be they computer or human controlled.
It took me approximately 10 hours to complete the game and I actually found myself taking my time throughout many of the missions. I could see many of my friends completing this game in 6-8 hours. So for this reason, I find the single player campaign a little short.
Lost Planet's online gameplay is relatively well done and will keep you coming back for more. It is clear Capcom spent many hours attempting to create a superb multiplayer environment. On the downside, there are a limited number of multiplayer options and I experienced a number of connection errors. Although Lost Planet features full 16 player support which makes for some crazy battles with friends or random public gamers there are only four basic multiplayer set ups: Post Grab, Fugitive, Team Elimination, and Elimination. There are also some options which you can customize to make the games vary.
During my time online I found the weapons and mechs somewhat unbalanced. Some are extremely powerful while others are overpowered. The online play is all about getting in the best mechs or nabbing the best weapon first and it is my honest opinion that I don't like an online game to be about who gets to the super weapon first. If all else fails then you better stick with your teamates or jumping into battles where the enemies health has already deteriorated. I should also noted that although the map environments do vary the constant snow environments leave you wanting more variety and greener pastures.
Conclusion
Lost Planet: Extreme Condition is great start for what is sure to be a successful franchise. The games graphics are sharp and the gameplay is enough to keep you coming back for more. While the sound and storyline disappoint somewhat the addition of a pretty good online multiplayer component helps somewhat even though there should be more modes. Overall Lost Planet is still offers plenty of action for any level of gamer in your house.
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