Lost Planet: Extreme Condition lives up to its name. The story is set on a cold snowy planet where humans have come in search for a new place to live on due to the polluted state of Earth. The natives of this icy domain are monstrous insect-like creatures known as Akrid, and theyre not all too pleased about humans invading their home and harvesting them for thermal energy.
Snowflakes Keep Fallin on My Head
The hero of Lost Planet is Wayne, who is found in a vital suit (VS) buried beneath the snow. He wakes up surrounded by unfamiliar people and realizes he has lost his memory – all but the violent death of his father. So begins an adventure fuelled by revenge and filled with innocent bug monsters, evil corporate thugs and snow pirates.
Youll have to wade through snow and ice as you play your way through the 12 missions. The environment varies from vast snowy plains to hot volcanic caverns and deserted cities. A device attached to Waynes arm heals him as he gets hurt, but also uses thermal energy. If the thermal energy runs out, Wayne dies. This life giving energy can be collected from fallen enemies and special thermal energy beacons that you activate along the way.
Theres also quite a selection of different types of vital suits. Vital suits are robot-like machines that you can utilize to fight your way through the hordes of Akrid and other foes. Vital suits use a ton of thermal energy, but carry more efficient weapons. Vital suits come in handy especially in the final battles at the end of each mission.
Wheres My Insect Repellent?
The world of Lost Planet is stunning. The coldness of the snow and the chilly arctic winds are tangible and make you want to put on your woolly undergarments. Wading your way through the snow looks like hard work which adds to the feel of adventuring in extreme conditions. The most astounding thing about the game are the proportions. It isnt enough to say that the Akrid are big, they are veritably massive! When a bug the size of the Empire State Building bursts through the snow, you cant almost move due to the gigantic sight in front of you. The Akrid are very credible and well made. Theres no point in shooting them anywhere; you have to find their weak spot which is specific to each type of bug.
The firearms are fairly traditional: shotguns, machine guns, rifles, bazookas, a few types of grenades and energy weapons. The vital suits have the same weaponry, only larger and more efficient. The vital suits can be helpful in battles, but some variations are awkward and clumsy and wont help you much. The game has an auto-aim feature, which is basically an aiming aid to help you hit your opponents. For more experienced gamers it is not recommended. Sometimes you have no control over you aim, and that can get quite frustrating. The 90 degree spin enabled by the bumpers is a really handy feature especially in the heat of combat.
The old-school final battles are fantastic. At the end of each mission, youll face a tougher and nastier Akrid, thatll really test your nerves. The principle is always the same but the styles with which the monster can be defeated vary. Victory requires some planning and a clever strategy.
From Easy to Insane
The difficulty levels are well-balanced. The normal level is quite easy with lots of thermal energy lying around, but it is still challenging enough. The extreme difficulty level is for the hardcore gamers looking to get hurt from deadly shots or freezing to death due to the lack of thermal energy. The only real annoyance is the shortness of the missions (only about ten hours). Audio-visually Lost Planet is everything youd expect from a next-gen game.
The multiplayer mode is fun, fast and intense. The maps are big and therefore well-suited for larger battles. A refreshing feature is the fact that you can take advantage of the vertical dimension of the maps. There are four different multiplayer modes: elimination, team elimination, fugitive and capture the post. After hours of gameplay, you get an uneasy feeling of monotony. The multiplayer simply repeats itself leaving you wanting for something new and different.
Find Your Own Lost Planet
What do you get when you mix together a bit of Starship Troopers, Tomb Raider and Transformers? You get Lost Planet. Its a fun game that suffers from being to short and too monotonous. These flaws prevent Lost Planet from reaching 90 points, but its still loads of fun. If thats what youre looking for, then Lost Planet is the game for you.