Cold War

Game: Lost Planet: Extreme Condition
System: Xbox 360
Release date: January 12, 2007
Developed by: Capcom
Published by: Capcom

Game developer Capcom certainly has a diverse portfolio. Known primarily for perhaps the greatest fighting game franchise ever made Street Fighter, Capcom has in the last five years made software for the Game Boy Advance, Playstation 2, Nintendo Wii and Xbox 360. One of their projects, originally exclusive to the Xbox 360, is Lost Planet: Extreme Condition, a third-person shooter with some great play mechanics but a cryptic, sometimes convoluted storyline.

Lost Planet is set in the future on a hostile ice world (E.D.N. III), the third planet to be colonized by humans. Players learn that the original colonization experiment was interrupted by the Akrid, a territorial and dangerous insectoid species native to the planet. When colonists discover inside the bodies of the Akrid precious "thermal energy," an energy source superior to all known fossil fuels, they become determined to reclaim E.D.N. III, wipe out the Akrid and harvest thermal energy. In the interlude between colonization attempts, the colonists who were not rescued remained on the ice planet and eventually formed small bands of "snow pirates." Lost Planet is the story of one such group of pirates.

Lost Planet is more or less a typical third-person shooter, although its setting on a frozen planet allows Capcom to introduce a few unique elements. For example, players control Wayne, an amnesiac rescued by snow pirates, who must constantly replenish his thermal energy supply (by defeating enemies and activating data posts) to survive the harsh weather conditions of E.D.N. III. Thermal energy is also necessary to operate mechanized walkers called "Vital Suits."


The art direction and creature design in Lost Planet are especially impressive. As Wayne, players walk through dilapidated buildings and snowy avenues littered with overturned cars and frozen bodies. They also enter Akrid hives, glowing orange with thermal energy, and military bases, swarming with sentry robots. The Akrid, which come in all shapes and sizes, are similarly well-designed. Lesser drones, some which look like flying trilobites, some which resemble the creatures from Starship Troopers, are easy to dispatch; larger Akrid, which tower several stories high, are incredibly tough to destroy and often appear as boss enemies.

The greatest drawback in Lost Planet is its confusing storyline, which begins as a simple revenge story and becomes increasingly convoluted as the game moves ahead and more characters are introduced. A sequel, Lost Planet 2, is scheduled for release in May.

Score: 86/100