With this hands on we got a much clearer indication on how the story is going to go. The game is set on a planet that was found to have a remarkable source of thermal energy. Humans start colonizing the planet, only to find that an enigmatic, hostile and unstoppable alien race (the Akrid) start wrecking havoc. The colonists leave, only to return with more powerful weaponry. Some colonists were left behind and they became Snow Pirates. The story revolves around the trials and tribulations of a young man named Wayne, as he tries to regain his memory from a fight with a huge Akrid creature.
Wayne initially teams up with a couple of rag-tags that are looking to wipe out Akrid hives. The interactions between these characters were what was driving the story. The game has a straightforward mission structure. After a cutscene, you’re presented with a screen that outlines your objective, which for the five missions we played, was rather simple. The basic structure was to follow the path, eliminate everything in the way and then defeat a boss. The level design was well above par and some portions of the game required some slick maneuvering up into elevated areas. Wayne’s “anchor” was handy in these situations, as it could pull him up to those areas.
This is real-time.
The first two missions were the two levels from the E3 demo. They’ve had a few different item placements, seem to have had the difficulty toned down and now include voice-overs from your crew to help you out. The first mission has you exterminating your very first hive and the second mission has you single handedly raiding a Snow Pirates base to retrieve some important items. The following three missions were based around whatever you saw in the preceding cutscene. Missions three, four and five gave the players a taste of the big nasties that they’ll encounter in the game. One Akrid resembled the worm colossus from Shadow of the Colossus, another was like a giant wasp and the last was a much larger version of a kind of Akrid that was encountered early in the game. The first was unbeatable the first time we met it but the other two were bosses and could only be beaten by aiming for the thermal weak-points.
One of concerns from the multiplayer was alleviated in that the weapons in the single player were much more effective in practice. Furthermore, the game implements some mech-like units known as Vital Suits or VS. These mobile suits were equipped with much heavier weaponry, used for taking down the big nasties. We were surprised to discover the variety of VS that were available, with some able to dash, one able to jump very high and one able to transform into something of a land-speeder/bike.
There will be plenty more where it came from.
The best thing about the game was also its biggest point of concern. The game is an action shooter and the action is very, very frenetic. There are explosions and tremors going left, right and centre and you’re caught in the middle. Visceral and gritty, it kept the game going. However, as the game progressed, it almost became too hectic. Often, we were tossed around like a rag-doll and unable to do anything. It was frustrating and disengaging. If it weren’t for a very generous health system, the experience could have been much worse. The game also seemed to be in need of a dodge or roll button.
Visually, the game shines in its details and smooth animations. While on the surface it may appear like an upgraded title from the previous generation, playing through reveals so much more. Sound-wise, the voicing was very good, the music sounded appropriate and the sound effects almost shook the room. The game is doing a good job of showing what the Xbox 360 is capable of.
Overall, Lost Planet: Extreme Condition was not a revelation in comparison to other games from the previous generation. What it does do, is up the ante and create an intense and visceral pure action game that will push gamers in ways that they may not have been pushed before. Whether the simple structure can hold up and whether the action will satisfy or frustrate are the main issue that seem to stick out. Otherwise, come January, it will be Akrid hunting season.
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