With all the mixed opinions about Lost Planet, it is hard to take it
very seriously, but after playing this game for about four hours I was
sold. At first the game seems to move much too quickly, starting you
off in a underground complex with your father and a group of men,
retreating from a horde of alien creatures known as the Akrid. Pretty
soon you find yourself immersed in a cinematic like experience, running
from a giant Akrid known as Green-Eye, your squad mates cover your back
while you run to meet up with your father who is struggling to fight
the beast in his VS ( Lost Planets unique mech-like vehicle) .
The
single player campaign from what I have played so far is well
structured and overall a very fun experience. There are 11 missions in
all, which usually last anywhere between 25-45 minutes, or even longer
on a high difficulty. Difficulties include Easy, Normal, Hard, and
Extreme. In the campaign you fight both the menacing Akrid and angry
Snow Pirates in fast paced, action-packed battles. You use T-ENG (which
you collect from fallen enemies and scattered radar posts) to keep
warm. If your T-ENG happens to run out, then you unfortunately die…but
T-ENG is plentiful, and does not go away too fast, so does not really
become the “BIG” problem other popular review’s make it out to be. I
think it provides a realistic spin on the game. At the end of every
mission there is a boss battle to be fought. Unlike most games where
you absolutely despise fighting the boss and feel like throwing your
controller into the wall, in Lost Planet Boss battles are very fun and
entertaining , as a matter of fact you might look forward to them. VS’s
are scattered all around most of the maps, and provide a different
approach at the levels. They are easily one of the best parts of the
game.
The one major problem in the game that I find rather annoying is
simply the enemy Humans (or Snow Pirates) AI …it is absolutely
terrible. Most of the time they simply stand there starring at you,
squeezing off a few shots for the hell of it. Every once in a while
they might decide to randomly dive into a wall to avoid your shot, but
end up getting stuck in some random snow drift. But, it still proves
fun.
Graphics and Sound are brilliant, even rivaling the Xbox 360’s
current number 1 game, Gears of War. Snow and outdoor environments will
simply make your jaw drop, while explosions and beautifully detailed
shrapnel and debris fly past your characters head or impale your VS’s
armor plating. Level design is awesome. I love the different
environments, especially the awesome abandoned frozen cities with
scattered frozen Akrid bodies everywhere.
Multiplayer is not too shabby
either. There are plenty of great designed levels to keep you busy, all
of them boasting multiple VS’s and weapons to use against your
opponents. Gametypes include Elimination, Team Elimination, Post Grab,
and Akrid Hunter. My personal favorite is Post Grab, it adds a lot of tactical
aspect to the experience. Lost Planet’s Multiplayer experience might
not be the best on the 360, but it is certainly not to be overlooked.
Overall Lost Planet IS a must buy for the 360. If you already have
Gears of War or Halo 3, then make sure you get this game to add to your Xbox 360
collection, you won’t regret it.
