Surviving the Chill: Lost Planet Tips

Capcom's Lost Planet™: Extreme Condition honors the old-school roots of the company it hails from. The difficulty is unforgiving, and the challenges are unique. From classic boss encounters to the game's singular control and energy management systems, there's a lot of strategic bases to cover. Keep these tips in mind while playing Lost Planet for immediate success.

Better find your own VS to even the odds.

Bumper Turns
Veteran gamers accustomed to classic dual-analog control will find themselves caught off-guard by Lost Planet's unique control scheme. Because the emphasis here is on slower, more precise aiming, turning with the right-analog stick is inefficient. In order to survive, resist your natural urges and instead use the left and right bumpers to initiate ninety degree turns in either direction.

Data Posts
Activating these small towers will not only give you a boost of thermal energy, but more importantly, they will indicate where you next need to head. What's more, after activating a data post, you will see more details on your map.

You may notice that there are data posts that glow purple instead of the standard orange. These posts are currently controlled by snow pirates. You can take control of them the same way, however, simply walk up to them and press B.

Track down their spawn point!

Akrid Strategy
While smaller Akrid can be shot down with little effort, most enemy creatures require you to locate and destroy the pocket of thermal energy that keeps them alive. Follow these basic guidelines for success:

• Pattern: Examine the enemy's behavior pattern closely. You should easily be able to spot a movement or animation that exposes your opponent's weakness.
• Attack and Retreat: When the Akrid's weak point is exposed, hit it with everything you have, but only in short bursts. The Akrid will typically unleash a heavy attack after being hit, and while you can handle them early on, you will need to avoid them in later levels as your enemies grow more powerful.
• Experiment: While an Akrid will eventually leave itself open to attack, it is more efficient to force the issue when you can. A well placed grenade, for example, can put Akrid on their backs for a short period of time, leaving them vulnerable. This is especially handy when facing several large Akrids at a time.

Anchor Tactics
The anchor, launched by the X button, is used throughout the game to access hard to reach places. There are a few points to bear in mind:

• Green Means Go: Your targeting reticule will change from grey to green when you target a surface you can latch onto.
• From the Side: When trying to access ledges or platforms above you, make sure you aim your anchor to the side of the ledge, not the underside. Otherwise, when you auto-jump, you'll only hit the underside and fall back down, often to your death.
• Monster Grappling: You can also use the anchor to latch on to and pull yourself toward larger Akrids. This is especially useful for getting directly behind the enemy in a hurry.

Use the Vital Suit to take out the alien nest.

Energy Awareness
The most unique aspect of Lost Planet is the use of thermal energy. In order to survive, you must constantly harvest energy, from both items and defeated enemies. Don't expect to have time to stand around.

In addition to collecting energy from enemies and data posts, look for breakable items like barrels and crates, frozen enemies, and what look like water towers, which actually store massive amounts of energy. Destroy these objects to harvest the energy they store.

Vital Suit Tactics
Vital Suits, the dominating mechanized units, offer a much needed boost of firepower and protection. Consider these tips when manning a Vital Suit.

• In the Beginning: Often you will have access to a Vital Suit at the beginning of a level, but they won't always be obvious. When powered down, they often blend into the environment, and they may be covered in snow. Look around carefully at the beginning of each level and you may spot one.
• Dual Guns: Most Vital Suits carry two guns. Each is operated with the corresponding trigger.
• Y Dash: Though Vital Suits lack mobility, many of them offer the ability to jet to the right or left by pressing the Y button. Master this ability before you begin tackling enemies in Vital Suits.
• Transform: Occasionally a Vital Suit will have the ability to transform. Early on, for example, you will find a VS that is able to transform from a vertical tank to a speedy bike at the press of a button. When you do find a VS that transforms, odds are you will find a nearby puzzle or obstacle that will require the use of its secondary function.

Down but Not Out
Space pirates have the nasty of habit of falling to the ground and getting right back up again. You will only be sure that the kill is complete when you see a unit of energy spawn next to the body.

Spawn Points
When fighting off the smaller Akrid creatures, focus more on their spawn point and less on the enemies themselves. Until you destroy the Akrid nest, they will continue to pour out of them.

Article by Ryan Treit