When Capcom's Lost Planet hit the shelves, I was one of the first to
buy it. While I was not disappointed with its pretty graphics and
abundance of aliens to kill, its tangled and uninteresting story makes
it a pretty mediocre game.
h are in
essence mechanised suits that your character can climb into and dish
out a whole load of firepower in the form of chain-guns to devastating
grenade launchers. These suits are an imperative part of the game and
in destroying some of the more hardy Akrid creatures that your machine
gun just cannot kill.
While the game has some gargantuan monsters to face, there are also the
smaller Akrid. The weaker Akrid are more commonly found as you progress
through a level and usually emerge through noticeable spawn alien-like
pumping stations which will continually pump out these smaller aliens
until you destroy it. By killing the Akrid, you can gain thermal energy
from their carcasses which are used to replenish your health keep you
alive in harsh planetary conditions. As you play through the game this
energy is continuously drained until you eventually die. This energy
drain is an instant concept but from playing through the game on
various difficulties you will rarely have to worry about it on the
easier difficulties as it is so easy to get your hands on.
Graphically, the game is excellent and the game is not always played
out on snowy plains. The level design is also great and most levels
aren't too linear and offer a bit of exploration with the aid of your
grapple hook which can be used to grapple onto ledges or rappet down to
areas below. The levels are also pretty varied as on occasions, you may
find yourself in vast concrete-slabbed complexes, in rocky mountainous
regions and in what appears to be abandoned cities. There are also
various storage containers, barrels and machines which can be blown up
which creates some beautifully crafted explosions. Overall the game's
graphically and visually superb.
The game also has plenty of weaponry to use ranging from the standard
assault rifle to varied guns like a plasma gun. You can also pick up
the Vital Suit weapons which wield devastating attacks but severely
hinders your movement. The weapons also sound great to from the
pulsating rounds of the assault rifle to the huge explosions created by
the grenade launchers. Not only do the weapons sound great but
everything else sounds excellent from the screeching cries of the Akrid
to the crunching noise made from walking in the snow. Everything sounds
as it should on Lost Planet.
The online portion of the game is also pretty good. You can fight it
out on several different maps that are spacious and look and supports
up to 16 players in four game modes ranging from Team Battle to Data
Post Grab (capture the flag). There is also a basic level system so buy
playing games you can increase your level, while it bears no real
rewards, it is an incentive to keep playing.
Lost Planet is an action-packed game which will provide you with plenty
of fun and excitement. While the singleplayer is a short ride, it makes
up for it in an enthralling multiplayer mode that will offer you plenty
of enjoyment out of a game that is a lot of fun to play, overall.
