Controlling both Wayne and the Vs mechs is a breeze and become easier as the game goes on. Using only a few buttons and virtually no combo’s Capcom tried to input one of the simplest control scheme’s out there. Jumping between the human character and the mechs should be harder than it is, but it is just too similar, too easy. Not that we want game’s to be overly difficult of course, but there should be a little more too it, is this game made for children or gamers? Other than guns you also have a “Batman like” grappling hook that shoots out from your arm. This gives Wayne the ability to reach places otherwise un-discoverable. A super small thing such as a grappling hook can take a decent game and make it amazing. This option opens up so much room for exploring and conquering. I guarantee the second time you play through the artic terrain that is Lost Planet you will see a much larger, much more complete videogame.
Once again, as with the controls, this openness aspect of Lost Planet is a double-edged sword. Being such an open-ended title really makes you feel like you are in the game, giving you plenty of room to explore. This also can open up doors for ways through the game otherwise not available. Meaning if you want to play through more than one level rarely shooting your gun, you can do this by moving around and avoiding the alien bugs. Speaking of Akrids, the variability is there with Lost Planet and you will rarely bore from seeing the same bug over and over again. What really sets this part away from other so-so action games are the boss battles. The sheer size of these bosses is simply amazing and brings you into the arcade type action that the game oozes with. Telling you about the final battle would be rude of me so I going to simply ask you to have an open mind about this game until you complete it, the last fight really is that good. All bosses are fought using a mix of hand weapons and by utilizing the power of the Vs mechs. These machines have guns that can be handled with your human character but the effect is not there, offensively or defensively.
While the single player experience may not be all that gamers have been salivating for it is still a decent experience that will leave you wanting more, even though you may not understand why. On the other hand the multiplayer aspect of Lost Planet is a treat that you will keep on coming back for more of, over and over again. Online only (no single machine co-op campaign, etc) is the name of the game and there are plenty of modes to battle it out with up to 15 other players. The online modes include elimination, team elimination, post grab, and fugitive hunt and take place in some well designed levels that range from small to insanely large. Most of the modes are pretty basic, even elimination is a name that you have seen in online modes many times before. Most of the games revolve around what are known as “thermal posts”, which are basically check-point style health packs that are found throughout the single player campaign and used to even up the playing field. These posts work as flags in most, if not all of, the online competitive game modes. The multiplayer modes of Lost Planet add up to be a nice addition to an already good single player game and you should be glad that Capcom added them in – where were they for Dead Rising?
Visually, Lost Planet: Extreme Conditions is one of the better-looking games out there on any system right now. It takes place mostly in a frozen terrain that the developers must have spent lots of time working on. The textures are on point and really pull off what is otherwise a very hard terrain to virtually create. The game goes from the side of an icy mountain to a snow base undergoing a grueling blizzard. One of the most amazing environments you get to shoot your way through has to be the Alien Hive, this cave is awesome and really tests the power of the Xbox 360. Blurred backdrops and average Hollywood lighting are things of the past and with Lost Planet it only gets better with time. By the end of this game everything from the character models to the crazy lighting will shock and awe you time and time again. The Akrid aliens are so diverse that you will be scared or get a jump each time another boss enters the screen. All of the little details are there which really makse the boss battles even more fun than they should be.
