Xbox 360 impressions: Lost Planet: Extreme Condition
Capcom's third-person Xbox 360 shooter shares many qualities with the brilliant Resident Evil 4, most notably in its emphasis on survival. The planet you find yourself on is unbelievably harsh, with thick banks of snow, blizzards and freakish monsters attempting to foil your progress at every turn. That's why you're equipped with up to three big and satisfying guns (with more mysteriously littering the icy wastelands) and a suit that keeps you nice and warm. Unfortuately, the suit requires an orange substance called T-Eng to maintain your body temperature and it is continuously exhausted as you traipse about in the cold environment. It's awfully convenient then, that the vicious creatures so fond of attacking you release this substance upon their death. Kill to stay alive.The combat itself is definitely enjoyable and quite visceral. Aiming is smooth and responsive, and the various machineguns and rocket launchers you'll eventually acquire inevitably lead to wanton alien slaughter and extremely impressive explosions. In terms of the presentation alone, Lost Planet truly comes across as a big-budget sci-fi action film. Naturally, this impression is strengthened when you leap into a mech and thunderously stomp about, blowing the snarling creatures to gooey smithereens and generally being an overwhelming destructive force.
One of the coolest things about the combat is that each enemy has a distinct weakpoint which they'll often expose to you for a few brief seconds--if you get a good shot in, the enemy will be destroyed instantly. You can still take out enemies through brute force, but the game will reward skill with a faster and a saving on ammo. Another point of interest is the ability to yank off one of the mech's gatling guns and drag it along with you. It certainly comes in handy when dealing with the enormous boss creature appearing at the end of the E3 demo, though it does hamper your running speed by quite a bit.
Lost Planet may not be the most innovative title on the E3 show floor, but the combat feels just about perfect. Toss in some huge environments, beautifully animated monsters and a giant robot and you have what looks to be a real winner on your hands. Last time we checked, this exact demo was available for download on Xbox Live. Be sure to try out yourself and see whether or not you agree with us.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Amos @ May 12th 2006 6:06AM
Sweet, I'm really looking forward to this game (and a 360 in general). Who would've though one of the original Next-Gen big hitters would come from Capcom of all companies? I'm pleasantly surprised they've chosen to put effort into a quality new title, rather than a bagillionth knockoff/re-make/sequel of one of their beloved franchises that wasn't good the 10th time they did it.
Jimbob @ May 12th 2006 6:08AM
Sweet, aliens guns and robots :)
CactusHat @ May 12th 2006 6:13AM
Downloaded the demo last night. Not bad at all.
docLEXfisti @ May 12th 2006 6:16AM
the demo really impressed me, especially the second level with all the human enemies. Very nice Capcom!
Troakey @ May 12th 2006 6:31AM
loved the demo! must have MORE!!
soco @ May 12th 2006 6:44AM
also loved the demo, and the game is still over 6 months away from release, so i'm hoping it only improves on what's there. it was a pleasant surprise to see.
Erik Novak @ May 12th 2006 7:04AM
I also love the demo, really a pleasant surprise. Anyone else get the warm fuzzy feeling of being partially a 3D Bionic Commando with the multi level buildings and the grappling arm? REALLY satisfying functionality right there.
If they follow through, Capcom may just have a must-have for the 360 on their hands.
Alex Keen @ May 12th 2006 7:17AM
This game kicks some serious ass. It's like the Battle of Hoth + Halo + Spiders = Bonus.
peeweejd @ May 12th 2006 7:55AM
add me to the "loved the demo" gang.
I really like how the snow plays a part in the game. digging weapons out of snow, monsters popping up, the way the character walks through.
and that shotgun with the big magazine on the back is friggin awesome.
woah @ May 12th 2006 8:15AM
yep... loved the demo too.
Multikonsolero @ May 12th 2006 8:26AM
Amazing graphics!
Wii Wii @ May 12th 2006 8:43AM
Before the demo - no interest.
After the demo - will buy when it comes out.
The power of Xbox Live.
xbox360dsPSP @ May 12th 2006 9:05AM
The demo is awesome and bodes well for the second-generation of 360 games.
By offering major E3 demos like MotoGP and Lost Planet on XBOX Live, Microsoft is really engaging the community.
Floppy Disk @ May 12th 2006 9:27AM
Who cares, it's not worth buying a crapload of a system for one good game. Wait for the Wii. Wii will Wii will rock you!!
Jason B @ May 12th 2006 9:28AM
Gotta agree with everyone else. Really cool game especially the second level. Anyone know if this is gonna be a multiplayer game?
CheekyLee @ May 12th 2006 9:37AM
It's STARSHIP TROOPERS in game form! And, it fucking rocks! The E3 demo's are a fantastic idea, and they have got me buzzing over 2 games that I wasn't really bothered about beforehand.
Dave @ May 12th 2006 9:40AM
This game rocks SO hard! I've played the demo through several times... definitely one of the best things I've gotten for free. On surface level this game shouldn't really be fun; it's too cliche'd and screenshots don't really do it justice. When you're playing it though, oh man. Smooth as butter and twice as many aliens buggies. Feels like Starship Troopers with less bad acting. Unfortunately, less boobs too.
Hey Floppy Disk, did you know that you're a retard? Yeah, you are. See, here's the deal: this may seem foreign to you on the $4 you get a week for cleaning your room, but many of us can afford the Xbox 360 AND a Wii. And here's another little factoid: I plan on owning a PS3 as well. Enjoy playing your Wii in 6 months on the 13" display in your mother's basement though.
matthew @ May 12th 2006 9:44AM
To 14: Can we all just agree that we all do or don't like all or only one of the systems? Really, this post had nothing to do with Wii and definitely didn't say anything bad about Wii. I can't wait for Wii myself it's true, but I also really enjoy the 360. If you've played a good game on 360 you can't seriously think it's a crap system. You can into a post about an Xbox360 game and talked about the Wii for no reason? Nintendo fanboys (I'm one myself, along with being an Xbox fanboy) don't usually do this sort of thing, but maybe I'm just getting old and you're part of the new wave. With that said...
I was slightly interested in this game upon some print and internet info I saw. I thought it would be worth picking up on a rainy day. But after playing the demo I'll be adding this to my must have list (Mass Effect, Enchanted Arms, Too Human, Splinter Cell, etc.). Once I fifred up the demo I just kind of ran around a bit looking at the environment. It was the first time I got the super "Wow" factor during actual gameplay since the first time I exited the Imerial Sewers in Oblivion.
Jason W @ May 12th 2006 9:50AM
This demo has shown me the 360's evil plot to make me buy full price games the day they come out. : ) Before this demo I would have never bought a game day one (after launch that is, I would wait and get a used copy or from play asia for a better price. But now with a 6 month wait on this master piece of gamming I must have it day one. I love live and the free demo's and now I see the brillance in releasing GREAT demos so early. It tells me that I will go and blow the money day one instead of being the cheap ass gammer i usually am. Thanks MS. You got me again. And I like it.
Catastrophic @ May 12th 2006 9:50AM
Floppy Disk, can you please take your biased fanboyism some place
else? You're not funny, at all. One could argue that the Wii, is in fact, a crappier system. I don't think it is, (I have an Xbox 360 and i'm having great fun on Live and i'm also getting a Wii too, which, 2 systems is cheaper than the PS3!), but one could go on about
most games been over used (Mario, Zelda and Meteroid
Prime).
Anyways, downloaded this demo, loved it. I'm gettin'
it at launch most probally. Amazing graphics. I wasn't interested at this when I saw it, but the demo convinced me. Marketplace is a godsend.
hoos30 @ May 12th 2006 9:54AM
I never would have given this game a second thought, but after playing through only the first half of the demo on Live, this is a definite must-buy for me. The grappling hook is a lot of fun. The enemy AI could use a boost, but besides that, this game is ready to fly.
The1 @ May 12th 2006 9:56AM
I LOVE THIS GAME.
swoosh bnd @ May 12th 2006 9:56AM
This demo was definately a really good one, imagine how much they tweak it to make it an even better game by the time it comes out. This game will rock and I will get it. The power of demos is strong.
helo @ May 12th 2006 10:00AM
Floppy Disk, please STFU. Fanboyism usually results because some schmo, like you, can afford only one system and needs his justification. I can go on and on about how Nintendo rehashes the same franchises over and over again but I won't. You see, I'll be buying a Wii in addition to my 360. I love Nintendo. But to think the 360 is crap just shows what an idiot fanboy you are. Some of us like the best of both worlds; systems that complement each other's strengths and weaknesses.
GH @ May 12th 2006 10:03AM
Does it control like RE 4, or like a standard 3rd person shooter?
MosquitoControl @ May 12th 2006 10:20AM
I didn;t make it to the second level of the demo.
It just reminded me very much of a Playstation era game (probably more accurately a PC game from around that time.)
Wonderful graphics, no doubt, but the gameplay felt very dated to me. Mostly the control.
devi8i @ May 12th 2006 10:58AM
I do enjoy the demos on XBL......it has definetly influenced a few of my purchasing decisions.
I was totally hopped up on buying Blazing Angels...until I played the demo. I was totally not interested in Lost Planet. Now I am going to preorder it..... :)!!!!
Demos are the strongest aspect of XBL in my opinion. They help gamers make better purchasing decisions and help introduce us to games we may not have had much intrest in.
Levi @ May 12th 2006 11:13AM
Orange substance that sustains your life, and is called T-Eng? Sounds like a funny tribute to Tang. Hope there are more subtle jokes in the game.
Hunty @ May 12th 2006 11:15AM
You have a misprint: TANG is the orange substance that spacefarers consume to stay alive, not T-Eng.
coalhalo @ May 12th 2006 11:18AM
The power of xboxlive marketplace is being demonstrated again by the Lost Planet demo. Like other posts above I was none to excited by what I had been reading on the net and in mags. Last week I downloaded the trailer for Lost Planet. The result was mt interest went up some, if nothing more than to add to my 360 games. With ms pushing demos E3 content on live all week, I decided to get the demo for Lost Planet. Why not? It's free, and while it downloads I'm checking the blogs, etc.. for info. I get download confirmation, fir up the demo and BAM, I'm sold. Decent enough game to add to my list of purchases. Now if only they will give us a Gears demo...
Kirk @ May 12th 2006 11:23AM
This game is f'n sick. Nice demo.
It's like a cross between Blaster Master and Bionic Commando. Riding the mech is awesome...and getting out to manually change the guns adds suspense. Very cool game...looking forward to the rest!
Kirk @ May 12th 2006 11:29AM
oh...and for the record...I'm a Wii fanboy...picked up a 360 because the PS3 price can lick my nuts...
I have to admit...The 360 delivers more than I first expected. It's not that bad of a system. I can't wait for Wii...but for now, I'm LOVING the 360. Plus...Sonic on the 360 is soooooo mine when it comes out!
Hunty @ May 12th 2006 11:29AM
Levi! Get out of my MIND!!!! :)X
dsub @ May 12th 2006 11:31AM
AMAZING. I've been following this game since day one, and some of the screenshots i'd seen had be a bit worried. Not anymore. As long as capcom integrates a good and long story to go along with it, it should though since it's being made by Keiji Inafune (the creator of the Mega Man series and Onimusha) and maybe some online multiplayer deathmatch style with all the mechs and stuff, this game will be great. The demo is getting great reviews everywhere you look...and the game doesn't even come out for another 6 months. Can't wait for this one.
Falkinator @ May 12th 2006 11:58AM
Loved the demo. The sound blew me away. Don't think I've heard such delightful sounding explosions coming out of my subwoofer.
lefty @ May 12th 2006 12:03PM
first to the fanboy there are plenty of great games out and comming out for the 360. i am sorry u feel the way u do but trust me most 360 users will get a wii as well just as i got a gamecube so pipe down
i knew i loved this demo when i got in the robot and was messing stuff up but i knew i wanted to sleep with the demo when i took the guns off the robot and carried it around and used it lol. if u have not done this go to the first level, go to the robot and remove the gun and have fun. boy it has some kick
Razor @ May 12th 2006 12:20PM
I'm with just about everyone who has played the demo. IT IS WICKED! The explosions and destructable environments are amazing and the attention to detail is spot on. I did read somewhere that Capcom has stated they plan on doing a lot more work to the controls and the enemy AI. But they made a great decision in releasing this demo now because I think they've peaked the interest of a lot more people than before the demo. Also was reading in the final version you will be able to find and steal different weapons to mount on your mech so you can make a type of hybrid ala Chromehounds. YES!
007craft @ May 12th 2006 12:48PM
Im going to have to play devils advocate here.
After watching the lost trailer, I was very interested in this game. Then E3 rolled along and now im somewhat less interested, but still interested in it. LEt me explain.
After playing the demo, I found the gameplay to be more fun then what I expected. Shooting down bugs ala starship trooopers was very fun, and the mecs which I thought would turn this game into some crappy mech assault type game, did nothing of the sort. You also got to fight humans. Now I didnt enjoy fighting the humans as much as I did the bugs, but it was still fun.
Now heres the parts that sorta got me on the down side. The whole T-Energy thing. Im not liking it at all. I like how you need to activate energy beacons and collect T-energy from enemies, but I cant stand the fact that you DIE if you run out of energy. They really should make it so if you run out of energy, something happenes like your character moves slower, losese his jump ability (to cold to jump perhaps), and cripples you in some sort of way, but still allows you to get back into the game by finding more T-enery and restoring yourself to normal. As it is now, T-energy is just a checkpoint system. If you dont move along fast enough, you die. Simple as that. I enjoy taking my time and searching every part of the environment, but in this game, your somewhat rushed to move along because of the T-energy.
Furtheremore, another thing I did not enjoy was the Invisiable walls. This game has a really neat grappling hook which can lift you up places. Its disaapointing to see me use this on a building to my left, perhaps thinking there is a gun or something else hidden behind it, when instead, im presentted with an invisable wall when trying to land on the roof. Instead of invisable walls, They should block areas off with obstacles and whatnot so I can see from a distance that I cannot get there, and dont waste my valuable T-energy trying to climb a small building that just has an invisable wall at the top. Same goes for some slopes in the game. Make them steeper if you dont want us going up them, not invisable walls.
I know they can iron out the invisable walls in the game but Im pretty sure they are gonna stiuck with the your dead when your out of T-energy thing. I really think the game would work better by crippling you instead. Ill give this game a rent or hopefully play a 2nd demo of it when its closer to release. The graphics in this game look amazing and I would really like to explore the environments more.
Mal F4cti0n @ May 12th 2006 12:51PM
I picked up the 360 on Tuesday after learning of the PS3 price. I transfered over my Xbox Live account and went to town downloading every demo they had.
You can actually buy the premium package and start playing games before even buying one. Kick-ass.
I watched the trailer for this and I was hooked on the brief bit of story that came through. When I played the demo, WOW. The explosions look great! and the sound kicked ass, what with the wind howling and the great explosions pumping out of the subwoofer.
I thought the control scheme was a bit quirky at first, but I got used to it real quick. And the flying monsters made me think of Pitch Black, anyone else?
Add this to my short, but growing list of games after watching the trailers....
Halo 3
Gears of War
Huxley
Mass Effect
Lost Planet - new on the list
Too Human - new on the list
Alan Wake (OMFG, this game looks SICK!) - new on the list
Prey - new on the list
Teph @ May 12th 2006 1:35PM
I do want to add to these fellas' comments.
I wasn't super excited about the title from the few trailers that have been available over the last several months, but the demo COMPLETELY changed my mind.
This game is a must have. Fucking sweet.
lefty @ May 12th 2006 2:15PM
the reason u have t-energy and u die when u run out is because its harsh outside. u donlt die when u run out of t-energy u have no shields basicaly. than u loose health than die. if u was not fighting ot not out in a blizzard u would be fine with no t-energy. u see how the t-eng now is diff than regular shields because ur not just battling the game but battling the element hence the Lost Planet name and the storyline
KilgoreTrout XL @ May 12th 2006 3:03PM
Who said this was a playable Starship Troopers?
Because you're right. This demo f*ckin' rawks. It's as good as the rediculously fun Fight Night 3 demo.
TiaMaster @ May 12th 2006 3:42PM
Demo is all the cool and a bag of more cool.
I love when you look behind yourself and he just twists his body. Then you switch weapons and he switches and then WHIPS himself around so he's pointed backwards again.
Jor @ May 12th 2006 3:55PM
I use to say, Xbox 360 1.5 but Microsoft has prove me wrong.
buying a 360 next week.
Zanch @ May 12th 2006 5:16PM
This game seriously has some of the best animation I've ever seen and it's fun as hell to boot. I was sold pretty instantly when I downloaded the demo.
audioeric @ May 12th 2006 5:17PM
I also wasn't too interested in this game at all. But decided to download the demo and loved it. The big spider is AWESOME, and very fluid. It was weird to see an enemy that was that large act as if it was quick and agile and flowed like a regular sized character.. If that makes sense..
As far as MS.. WOW.. Every year I've watched E3 as a spectator from far away. The demos might be in next months OXM, but usually 2 months down the line. Also, the videos have usually been smaller, and not very good. With XBL Marketplace, I can download some of the demos that people are actually playing right away, as well as watch a lot of the trailers that are being shown. For me, it's gotten me very pumped about these games, and makes me appreciate MS. Yeah, the servers have been a bit slow during peak periods, but I've been able to download loads of demos and trailers over the past few days without any problems.. Good work MS..
eric