Understanding Lost Planet

After the human race lifts off into the heavens in a historic attempt to colonize planet EDN III, they are driven off by the vicious alien race Akrid. In the midst of humanity's defeat, they discover a precious energy that dwells within the Akrid race, and they determine to strike again—first to succeed where once they failed, and secondly, to harvest and understand the precious thermal energy.

Get ready for the swarms.

So begins Lost Planet™: Extreme Condition, Capcom's unique, mysterious, and tension-filled third-person shooter for Xbox 360™.

Lost Planet Fundamentals
You play as Wayne, the son of a military hero, and a determined soldier and talented Vital Suit pilot. The game is presented from the third person perspective and utilizes dual-analog control. Lost Planet presents its own take on this classic control scheme, which differs from current shooters in a couple of important points:

• Precision over speed: When using the right analog stick to aim, you notice the reticule doesn't speed across the screen like in Halo® 2. Instead, it moves at a more deliberate pace to ensure not only a smooth progression, but pinpoint accuracy. You rarely "overshoot" your target and have to readjust your aim.
• Right turns: In other games, the bulk of your turning is accomplished by cranking the right analog stick to the left or right. Because Lost Planet uses a smoother, slower aiming system, turning in this fashion can be laborious. To avoid cumbersome turns, use the left and right bumpers to perform immediate ninety degree turns in either direction.

Energy Dependant
The energy humanity finds so appealing on EDN III is also your lifeblood for surviving. The environment surrounding you is a wasteland of ice and snow, and frigid enough to be nearly instantly fatal should your suit lose power.

Not only is this an interesting subplot, but it ties directly into the game's mechanics. You must constantly farm energy from the enemies you kill, as well as tools among the environment (for example, data posts provide energy boosts when you activate them).

Sometimes extra firepower is required.

Throughout every moment of play, your energy meter slowly drops, and if it reduces to zero, your life meter rapidly depletes. This mechanic adds constant tension to every combat, and even more tension in between combat as you watch your energy fade away while keeping your eyes peeled for your next source.

Vital Suits
While a large percentage of your Lost Planet experience will be spent on foot, you will find consistent use of the powerful, mechanized Vital Suits. These walking tanks offer increased firepower over your standard weaponry, as well as the ability to leap high into the air, hover, and even perform a swift speed-dash at enemies. What's more, some Vital Suits come equipped with a viciously effective melee saw capable of tearing through any Akrid in its path.

These Vital Suits provide a two-pronged effect. They offer a change of pace from the predominant run-and-gun gameplay, and they're used as a reward, allowing you to feel instantly more powerful from the moment you take control of a Vital Suit.

Alien Patterns
Standard shooters use waves of enemies tied to an artificial intelligence engine that informs their actions and reactions, but what they don't typically provide are unique weaknesses required to bring down said enemies.

Lost Planet brings that classic "weak spot" boss mentality to even its lesser enemies. It's not good enough to simply point and shoot, as you have to watch, learn, and understand both an enemy's weak spot, as well as the pattern of behavior which exposes their weak spot.

Find that weakness.

Moreover, even some of the most basic enemies require a second glance. For example, you may be able to easily decimate wave after of wave of lesser Akrid, but if you don't track down and destroy the hive from which they spawn, they never stop coming.

Of course, this mechanic spills over into the true boss encounters, which are Lost Planet's finest moments. The boss creatures are epic in size and rich in strategy, and while their weakness may be easily noticeable, the variety of ways to expose that weakness is not.

Space Pirate Conundrum
While the Akrid represent your most immediate threat in Lost Planet, rogue camps of space pirates prove to be equally troublesome. Much like the Vital Suits, missions pitting you against human opponents provide that refreshing change of pace you need as they present challenges unseen when fighting the Akrid.

Lost Planet is as unique a shooter as has graced a home console in a long, long time. While it adheres closely to classic genre gameplay, it does so with its own style. The energy system alone is enough to set Lost Planet apart, but you'll find much more than just that when you immerse yourself in Capcom's latest next-gen offering.

Article by Ryan Treit