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| | Title:
Lost Planet: Extreme Condition
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System:
Xbox 360
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Genre:
Action
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Publisher:
Capcom
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Developer:
Capcom
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Release:
January 12, 2007
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Online:
Yes
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ESRB:
Teen (T)
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Capcom has numerous successful franchises to its name. From the little blue bomber known as Mega Man to the frightening exploits of Jill, Leon and Clair in Resident Evil to the legendary 2D side scrolling Street Fighter, it seems like no matter what genre Capcom tackles, they produce amazing games. With the Xbox 360 now on store shelves, Capcom is beginning to create titles for Microsoft's system and take its first steps into the next-gen arena. The first game in what Capcom hopes will a long list of successful games is a title known as Lost Planet. A third person action shooter, Lost Planet is shaping up to be a surprisingly well crafted experience. I got a chance to sit down with a demo of Lost Planet and take the game for a whirl.
Graphically, Lost Planet is a feast for the eyes. Utilizing the Xbox 360, Capcom thus far has created one amazing looking game. The level I played primarily featured a snow covered base. Everything from the snow and character models to the torn down buildings were realized in amazing detail.
Being that this is an action shooter, one of the biggest things the game is concerned with is making sure the action looks frantic and chaotic. The best way to pull this off obviously is to make the explosions rock the screen, and to have the firearms unleash some impressive firepower. Lost Planet delivers on both. Explosions (usually when shooting exploding barrels or firing a rocket launcher) almost fill the entire screen with some of the most realistic explosion effects ever conceived; the guns follow suit. One great example is the energy rifle. When charged up, the energy rifle launches a ball of crackling green energy that not only mows down anyone it hits but does so with style. Capcom obviously is very capable of utilizing the power of the Xbox 360.
But no matter how good a game looks, if the gameplay is lacking no one is going to buy the title. Good thing that the gameplay in Lost Planet mimics the quality of its graphics. At the core, Lost Planet is a shooter, so the majority of the time players are going to be involved in some intense combat. Armed with some of the more powerful looking weapons to be found in an action shooter, players are going to have plenty of options when taking on the enemies. Only two guns can be held at any one time, however. As a result, there is going a lot of switching between guns to suit the situation. For example, while rockets are great for taking on turrets, they really have no place when attacking infantry.
The firearms showcased in the Lost Planet demo were the rifle, machine gun, energy rifle, shotgun, rocket launcher and gatling gun. Not surprisingly, each firearm acted uniquely and worked best in certain situations. When confronted with the task of taking out enemies in close quarters combat, the shotgun proved best suited for the job. When a huge lumbering mech attacked, the rocket launcher was chosen. Most impressive, though, was the gatling gun.
Requiring two hands, it made walking across the battle field slow but dealing with enemies a breeze. Any Metal Gears Solid fans out there who always wished they can could play Raven, here is the next best thing. On the downside--it was rather clunky to pick up firearms. While it was a quick and rather cool looking animation, it resulted in receiving some undeserved damage from enemies. Hopefully, Capcom fleshes this part of the game out before launch. Also, the aiming felt very floaty; the aiming cursor just didn't respond with the sensitivity or ease that typical shooters do. While I figured it was just because I was new at the game, even after several plays the aiming still felt odd. It needs work.
In order to separate itself from the other third person action shooters, Lost Planet is bringing some unique elements to the table. The first is a contraption that can best be described as Lost Planet's version of Link's hookshot. Fired from the wrist of the main character, this "hookshot" allows for some entertaining vertical elements in the game. If enemies are surrounding you, simply look at the wall and press the Y button, and you'll be on top of the building firing down at enemies. The hookshot does have a limited range but it was surprising to see how well this mechanic worked during heated battles. Pulling myself up to a higher vantage point never got old and resulted in some life saving moments from what would have been a quick death.
As if the action weren't frantic enough, Capcom is also infusing a timer-like element into the whole gameplay experience. In the upper left-hand corner of the screen is a read out of health and also a timer of sorts. This timer shows how long the gamer has before the cold begins to eat away at their health. But there is a way to keep this counter from hitting zero. After certain enemies are killed, they drop what can best be described as magma. Yellow in color, this "magma" adds time to the timer and is a vital component to getting through some levels. If the timer ever hits zero, the health falls quickly and almost always results in immediate death. Collecting this "magma" is going to be a big part of the gameplay of Lost Planet.
As a whole, Lost Planet looks like it is shaping up pretty well. It has all the components which make a triple A title: great graphics, easy to learn gameplay and even replay value (how quickly and effectively can someone get through the levels). While the aiming and reloading times need work, Capcom has time to fix these problems. Whether it will be a hit or not is still up in the air, but so far all signs points towards, "yes."
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More Reviews for this game: (displayed by authors name)
Crusader
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