Tuesday 13 Mar 2007

Bugs, kick ass mechs and a whole heap of ammo - thank you, I’ll take one. Lost Planet: Extreme Condition has arrived with all the bells and whistles that one would expect from a respectable third-person shooter on the Xbox 360. Is it as good as Gears of War? Well, that is frankly down to personal opinion but I had a lot of fun playing it so it doesn’t really matter to me which is better.

Give me a gun and something to shoot at and I’m generally a happy “camper” so my friends would tell you. Throw in a half decent story and I’ll start buying all the overpriced marketing merchandise. Top it off with epic boss battles followed by beautiful cut scenes and now you have taken my breath away.

After playing Gears of War and being completely smitten with it I did not think anything coming out soon would be nearly as entertaining. I am thrilled to reveal I was proved wrong by my recent experience of Lost Planet: Extreme Condition. The game is beautifully rendered, suitably paced and, most importantly for me, action-packed with tons to blowup and turn into pretty explosions. Thank you Capcom!

Revenge is a dish best served cold

Now the ever important story goes that man left Earth in search of planets to colonize. E.D.N. III is a lovely planet covered with rolling hills of snow, more snow and not much else…or so they thought. The early colonization period was without event until the colonists encountered the Akrid who aren’t too thrilled with your presence. You play the role of Wayne, which is no mean feat as he has big shoes to fill in order to live up to the hero status required of him. Being a “Wayne” myself, I know how challenging a task this is, so be sure to prepare mentally and physically before you attempt this game. Not just anyone can fill the shoes of a “Wayne” so consider yourself forewarned. Now the story is imperative so pay attention, as without a story there is no purpose to your wanton destruction of the locals, environment and millions of dollars of equipment. Wayne was found in the snow and unfortunately for him he has lost most of his memories, except the one that will drive him. His father died protecting him from a fierce Akrid called Green Eye. Revenge is a powerful ally when you are in the driving snow and just want to quit, so embrace Wayne’s anger and you’ll have no problem wiping out a species that existed for eons before mans arrival.

Thermal Energy and Vital Suits

Given the overwhelming inhospitability of the E.D.N. III environment and hostility of the Akrid, your survival is always in the balance. In order to exist you need thermal energy, which fortunately is abundantly available in normal difficulty mode. Your energy bar is constantly depleting and whilst it is only refilled at the start of each level, you can top it up by activating data posts. These beacons replenish your energy and in addition activate a map to guide you in the right direction. Another key component in your survival kit is the Vital Suit (VS). The VS is essentially a mech with heavy armour and two configurable weapons. You can pick up weapons to customize your VS to suit your preference, but this is no Need for Speed so don’t be thinking you can put deals or spinners on the thing. I found one gattling gun complimented with a grenade launcher to be a killer combination for any boss level. Although the VS’s are tough they don’t last long, especially during a boss battle, so don’t get too attached to one. You’ll find yourself scrambling from one VS to the next in a mad sprint whilst dodging rockets and menacing bugs. They can be slow and at times annoying in their limited dodging ability, but gave me goose bumps through the sheer joy of squeezing out a thousand rounds through the twin gattling guns as the mother of all Akrids bore down on me. Picture the scene from the Matrix when the sentinels breach the docks in Zion. Now put yourself in the mech cockpit and unleash your fury on the evil that has come to annihilate you. Sheer magic worth every cent!

Vast array of weapons

The weapons offer something for everyone and don’t disappoint! The standard issue assault rifle will see you through the majority of the game although your journey will be made easier through prudent use of the sniper rifle. The grenades are brilliant for clearing out clustered enemies which happens quite often thanks to some quirky AI. The shotgun and plasma rifle held little appeal for me but I did enjoy the rocket launcher immensely. Another feather in the Lost Planet cap is the ability to take the weapons off the mechs and lug them around individually. Now this option seriously limits your ability to move and looks ridiculous, but it can be a heck of a lot of fun having that much firepower wielded by your wee character.

Without giving too much of the plot away I can share that there are 11 levels in the single player campaign. When I was researching Lost Planet many people complained that it was too short but was saved by the multiplayer aspect. I played the game on normal difficulty and took around 12 hours. Now for my lifestyle that is perfect and it ended before it got boring or repetitive. There was a clear start, goal and finish without countless insignificants steps in between which is how I like my games. Each level you need to fight your way through the Akrid’s to reach a new waypoint on your path to revenge and ultimately the liberation of E.D.N. III. At times the path is simple but you may need to drill through rock or use you handy dandy grappling hook to climb ledges or repel down cliffs. The standard units don’t put up much of a fight but are important cannon fodder by which to build your thermal energy reserves. Killing them leaves a thermal energy deposit which needs to be collected before it dissipates. Collect as much thermal energy as you can and the boss battles will go a whole lot better!

Prepare to face hostile foes

Opposition comes mainly in the form of Akrids, however, Snow Pirates feature throughout the game. Snow Pirates are early colonists that broke away from the colony when the Akrids were first discovered. You will have the pleasure of fighting Akrids and Snow Pirates in some scenarios as you cut a path to the fearsome Green Eye. Once you have destroyed these minor annoyances you get to the meat of the game…queue the boss battles. Right from the first boss battle you are thrown into the deep end, left to figure out how to kill the Akrid. Each boss has their particular weakness and, fortunately for us less cerebral gamers, the right method becomes clearly evident after dying from the wrong strategy a couple of times. The boss battles are highly enjoyable and took me back to my early gaming experiences and more recently to my Shadow of the Colossus endeavors. Boss battles are sacred things and Capcom has managed to pull them off perfectly with just the right level of difficultly and splendor they deserve.

Multiplayer experience

The 16 player multiplayer online experience is where the longevity of Lost Planet lies. There are 8 maps to start with and these can be configured to change the placement of key artifacts to keep them fresh. An additional map pack has just been released for a small fee to freshen things up. You get the standard death match format, as well as several other team scenarios. If you have a good net connection you will have no problem locating a game and getting stuck into the action.

A must have title for your collection and kudos to Capcom for pulling off such a thrilling experience.

Pros: Boss battles!; stunning outdoor and indoor locations; engaging models and cut scenes; simple control scheme with advanced options; Vital Suits; online play.

Cons: Framerate drops during high explosion areas; story difficult to follow at points.

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Contributor:	Wayne

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