Extreme Condition improves upon the original in many aspects.
Lost Planet: Colonies is the same game that was released in January 2007, approximately a year and half ago. While I rented Lost Planet when it first came out, I didn't enjoy it very much and never bought it. That being said, I've changed my mind about this title. I'd like to break it down first by the Pros/Cons, then gameplay, multiplayer, sound/graphics, and value. But before I go into that, you may be asking what's different from the original Lost Planet. Well not only is it cheaper, but it comes with all 20 maps (previously most of these were downloadable), new character skins for multiplayer as well as modes, and "Unlimited" mode (more on this later). Another great addition is the ability to play cross-platform, that means Xbox 360 users and PC users can play together.
Pros
- Awesome, crisp graphics even for a game a year old.
- Solid gameplay with no bugs or glitches.
- A hefty and fun multiplayer counterpart.
- Only $30.
Cons
- Lackluster story.
- Soundtrack could be more varied.
- Couple frustrating multiplayer nuances.
Gameplay
So you play this game in third-person perspective. This means right behind the character. You control Wayne, the protagonist, very simply by moving the thumbsticks and using the triggers to throw grenades and shoot. You have the ability to roll, turn 90 degrees using the bumpers, and a variety of options to accomodate you to this game (like a fixed camera, look sensitivity, and so on). Throughout the story you will explore different areas in your goal to make this "Lost Planet" able to be colonized by humans. Out to stop you are Akrids, creatures that have thermal energy embedded into them to keep them from freezing, and subsequently live on this planet. Another problem are the snow pirates, to stop you in your ultimate goal of colonization.
As you traverse the frozen environments, you come across both types of enemies as well as mechanical robots called VS (vital suits). Seeming to be sprung from a rough concept of a Gundam, these suits hold your character inside a metal shell with legs and arms that can wield two heavy weapons. But usually you are just on foot with weapons ranging from your standard machine gun to rocket launcher complete with a variety of different grenades. To be put bluntly, most of them aren't very creative but weapons like the Energy Gun which can eject pilots from their VS as well as inflict decent damage are great from the norm. Other than that, there are four difficulties in the game (Easy, Normal, Hard, Extreme) and target marks (just collectibles) to collect on each level of each difficulty. The single-player should last 7 hours, if not more.
Multiplayer
Featuring the same controls, you can choose from 20 different maps and 11 different modes, and customize your character model. The maps range from enormous to small, and never scale down based on the amount of players (which doesn't really matter if you know the maps). Game modes are the usual Elimination, Team Elimination, to Akrid Egg games (Capture the Flag), Post Capture (Territories), and more. The best new addition to Colonies is a mode where up to 4 people are Akrids, and the rest are humans. The goal is to kill the Akrids, and try your best not to give them points. If you don't deplete the energy bar by killing them, they will then win. As you can tell, there's a lot of variety, as well as a levelling system where you can unlock more character skins, so you should sink 50 hours, if not 100, easy into the multiplayer.
Sound/Graphics
Let's begin with the sound. The sounds are very solid, and sound great. The soundtrack is just as good, but with the same song repeating on the multiplayer screen (the waiting screen, not in-game), it can get old fast. I think a bit more variety would have worked wonders. The graphics though, like I said, are still great. They stand out very well, and the environments as well as character models just look great. The Akrid enemies look equally impressive with not only their design but how unique they are. I think the whole "futuristic" look worked fine for Lost Planet, but with so many games coming out with futuristic games, Lost Planet never really set itself apart. Sure there are VS' and you are on a planet iced over, but it felt like the year of early 2000 anyway with the cars and buildings looking exactly the same. All it needed was a bit more creativity.
Value
For $30 you get a great deal, but with Colonies coming out in the fray of upcoming Summer titles you may wonder where to spend your cash. If you love third-person shooters, you'll definitely enjoy this. There's also a demo on the marketplace for the original if you wish to try it out. If you have the scratch, go ahead and try this game out.
[I originally reviewed this game on GS May 31st, 2008.]
