Lost Planet: Extreme Condition

The moment Capcom’s single player demo for Lost Planet was released back in May 2006, I downloaded it from Xbox Live. I played it over and over again, and can’t even count the number of times I beat it. I eventually downloaded and played the multiplayer demo as well, but now I don’t have to wait anymore for the game’s full version to hit the market since Lost Planet: Extreme Condition is finally here!

According to Capcom, the Lost Planet demos (both single and multiplayer) were downloaded over one million times by the global Xbox community. If you just want to try the game out without having to pull any money out of your wallet, these demos are great. Both are available as a free download on Xbox Live (for the multiplayer you need Xbox Live Gold), and lets you participate in heated online matches with the “Pirate Fortress” stage, up to 16 players.

The game is a fast-paced third person shooter that takes you into the distant future and frozen lands of Planet E.D.N. III. Humans left Earth in to colonize other planets, and the colonization of E.D.N. III seemed successful until they ran into strong opposition from the Akrid, massive insect-like alien creatures. After fighting with the Akrid, the humans discovered a thermal energy source within the aliens’ bodies that can be used as a source of heat and energy – two vital sources that keeps them alive in the frozen land.

Staying motivated to shoot the monsters is easy since they leave behind this heat/energy in the form of little orange things. Picking these up keeps you alive, by sustaining your levels up and if you run out, you die quickly. The more you have, the longer you live, as long as you’re not taken out by an Akrid or don’t fall off a cliff. I find it fun to run around and collect this “orange gold” . . . for some reason it reminds me of collecting gold as in other video games (i.e. the old role playing game Diablo II – yes, I know it’s strange).

Through the game you play in the shoes of Wayne, a snow pirate who was discovered buried under snow and ice. You have little memory of your past, but you remember that your father was killed by the Akrid Green Eye. You set out to hunt Green Eye and avenge your dad’s death. In a way the game offers you two modes of gameplay since you have to either fight the monsters on foot, or pilot a heavily armored Vital Suit (VS), similar to a man-powered mech robot. The VS moves slow compared to you running on your own feet, but the firepower and armor the VS provides make it worthwhile.

The full version of the game is much shorter than I thought it would be. If you go through the single player campaign mode, you can finish all 11 missions of the game in less than a day (around seven to eight hours) if you play straight through. If you look for all the hidden things and go out of your way to collect the orange gold, then it will take a little longer. In general though, just when you feel like things are just getting started, the game is all over (at least in the single mode). That’s when the multiplayer mode is the savior. There are four of those modes to choose from – Team Elimination, Elimination (every Snow Pirate for him/herself), Post Grab (capture-the-flag style by finding each Data Post in your team’s level) and Fugitive (tag). The multiplayer mode is not only fun to play with your friends (and strangers across the globe – servers are not segregated by areas), but you’ll earn points to raise your level. It also allows you to unlock new character skins to use in future matches.

If you like to play action games, Lost Planet: Extreme Condition is definitely for you. The tense, lag-free battles keep your mind occupied and your finger constantly on the trigger since there’s hardly any downtime, and always plenty of stuff to shoot at. This game captured my attention back to my Xbox 360. Since I was playing my Sony PS3 and Nintendo Wii from a couple months ago, my 360 has been neglected, but not anymore.

The game is rated T for Teen (ages 13+) and is available for $59.99 ($69.99 for the Collector’s Edition) at your nearest GameStop, Toys N Joys or CompUSA. The Collector’s Edition includes exclusive access to a multiplayer map that will not be available to the rest of the world until Summer 2007 (when it becomes a free download on Xbox Live Marketplace).