“Lost Planet: Extreme Condition,” a game for the XBOX 360, is an adequate third person shooter filled with ho-hum game play and some “holy crap” moments.
“Lost Planet: EC” involves two of my favorite things, big giant insects and the weapons with which to make them go boom.
In the game, players take on the role of Wayne, a soldier charged with ridding a Hoth-like planet of its alien insect menace and kick the butt of more than a few renegade snow pirates.
Wayne has the age-old problem of amnesia (funny how many people in the real world you encounter with that same problem), and it’s up to you to help him unlock the deep dark secrets trapped within his skull.
To be honest the plot doesn’t make much sense, but it does serve its purpose of getting you from one action sequence to the next.
This is the best thing “Lost Planet” has going for it, the nonstop “balls to the wall” action; just as soon as you leave one battle ground, you are quickly whisked away to the next.
If you like meeting big bugs with more legs than you have and blowing them up really nicely with an assortment of weapons ranging in size and power, then this might be the game for you.
An example of this is evident.
Early on in the game you have to cross a barren field of ice, and, while you are trying to cross, you encounter not one but two giant worm-like creatures, (think “Dune,”) that keep popping out of the ice trying to crush you.
The problem is that you are armed with what equates to nothing more than a spit gun; it’s up to the player to find heavier artillery and bring the big worms down.
Capcom, the creators of “Lost Planet: EC”, must have spent an awful lot of time staying up at night watching the re-airing of the movie “Starship Troopers” because they borrowed heavily from that film.
In fact, saying “borrowed” would be an understatement. It’s like saying Anne Frank played an extended game of hide-and-go-seek. Although if you are going to rip off someone, you might as well rip off the best.
The graphics are top notch, with everything from the muzzle blast from your rifle to the “soiling myself because this giant bug popped up from the ground in front of me” part.
Esthetically, you would be hard pressed to find a better-looking game on the market. The smoke effects, in particular, are breathtaking and for some reason reminded me of the smoke monster on “Lost.”
One problem I had was that the cross-hairs are white and so is much of the ground to travel on. In the thick of combat, I often couldn’t figure out where my gun was pointed, and, while this never directly got me killed, it was a major annoyance.
The Audio is pretty straight forward. If you’ve played an action adventure game before, then you know what to expect. Things go “boom,” “pow,” and “splat” in various degrees. Nothing really stood out in this area.
Game play is one area that doesn’t shine very brightly. The control is stiff and at times slow to respond.
“Lost Planet: EC” also has some of the cheapest hits of any game I’ve played in a long time. I hate getting knocked down by a boss only to wait to get up and just get knocked over again. Yes, it amps up the difficulty but in a cheap unfair manner.
Another cool feature that tends to be poorly executed is the use of the grappling hook (think Bionic Commando); while it’s a cool feature, the problem is that you have to be on the ground to use it.
Why couldn’t players be allowed to use the grappling hook in midair or while falling?
“Lost Planet: EC” can be a fun game, just not a perfect one. Beautiful graphics do little to cover problematic controls. “Lost Planet: Extreme Condition” gets a 6 out of 10.