As one of the very early titles for the Xbox 360, the original Lost Planet: Extreme Condition set out to change the game when it came to third-person shooters; which it did, with its unique T-Energy system and inclusion of massive mechs, and massive alien-like monsters. Thus, another Capcom franchise was born and six years later Lost Planet 3 arrived at our fingertips.
For those who are familiar with Lost Planet: Extreme Condition, you will be sorely disappointed if you go into this third game expecting the same familiar gameplay. Lost Planet 3 is a complete revamp of the series, its mechanics and play style aren't even recognizable if you're looking for the same format from the first title. It's still a third-person shooter, although you will be in first-person view when you are in your giant mech rig; which you will be for a large chunk of the game. Thermal Energy (or T-Energy) is no longer collected to sustain life, but rather as currency for rig and weapon upgrades. The largest majority for down-votes on this game are due to people having expected a similar experience to the first Lost Planet, so be forewarned that if that is what you seek, you should go ahead and bypass this installment.
Lost Planet 3 is also a prequel in terms of story. You will take on the roll of Jim Peyton, a man who has taken on a contract from the NEVEC Corporation on the planet E.D.N. III to harvest T-Energy and help with various other large issues with his mechanized rig. He simply wants to earn money for his family, a wife named Grace and a newborn baby named Hank, and go home. His contract is set to last only one or two years, but what happens to Jim on E.D.N. III will surely prevent that. The events that unfold finally explain what happened on the planet long before the first Lost Planet title, and help to clear up any questions that may have been raised from the previous two games. The story itself is solid and straight forward, due to it being a prequel players do not need to have any background knowledge on the other two games in order to enjoy it.
The atmosphere in this game is absolutely stunning, and Capcom have done an excellent job in bringing the deadly, ice-filled world of E.D.N. III to life. There are monstrous storms, treacherous cliffs that will require a grapple-hook, frozen caverns, gratuitous snow and fog effects, and many snow-filled landscapes to breathe in and enjoy. There's a little bit of everything in this game, to appeal to all kinds of players; aside from the many action sequences, the game also flirts heavily with horror and gently caresses stealth. These moments are really what make Lost Planet 3 stand out as a third-person shooter game, and once I had put my 11 hours worth of play time in, aside from the story it's what I was left remembering the most.
The biggest downfall that this title comes with are the tedious walking sections, where you're either stuck running through the massive landscape by foot, or even tromping through it with your mech. It really feels like a hefty 1/3rd of the gameplay is simply walking from one place to another, until you finally unlock Fast Travel about halfway through the game; which you will only use a handful of times, because you can only travel to and from areas that you have already explored. These large walking simulator areas really drag on, and at times they can be enough to make one want to stop playing the game all together; especially since the first five hours is filled heavily with this aspect. Once you get past that point, you're pretty well golden.
When it comes to mechanics and gameplay, Lost Planet 3 feels really solid. The controls are a bit different than that of typical shooters, but it's something that people should come to expect with Capcom as they've always had a bit of a different control layout. All of the guns feel really powerful, and it's fun to blast the heads off of the plentiful Akrid that are thriving in every corner of the map. Handling the rig can be a bit clunky at times, especially in the heat of a boss battle, but it just adds a tiny bit of realism to the game as I can't imagine handling a 5 ton piece of giant machinery would ever go smoothly. As for optimization, the game ran at a stable 62 FPS at all times for me, on a mid-high end rig; however, the cutscenes always render in 30 FPS. All in all, an extremely well done PC port, kudos to Capcom.
There are plenty of objectives to complete aside from the main story. It really seems like Capcom were going for a hybrid cross between Mass Effect, Dead Space, and Gears of War with this title. You have many people that you can go out of your way to talk to, to get some background on them in an RPGish manner, you can go back to collect full T-Energy harvest posts, there are plenty of side-missions to tackle, there are many audio and text logs scattered throughout the world, and after you obtain a magnetic grapple-hook you can explore to find various mementos. By the time you finish everything, you should clock in at around 15 hours of game time.
One thing that can tack on to the monotony of the game are the Akrid, which are what the enemy species are called. There are, in total, 17 different foes that you will face, but in general you will only see three or four of them on a regular basis. There also aren't very many true boss fights, but rather a slew of mini boss fights. The enemies are extremely predictable, and if you get your dodge roll down they're also very easy to take out without much hassle. In addition to the long walking sections, this may be too boring for some individuals.
Overall, Lost Planet 3 is a solid rebuild of the entire franchise. Long gone is the worrisome timer threatening to deplete all of your T-Energy, leaving you to freeze to death in the frigid E.D.N. III landscape. If you can overlook the aforementioned issues regarding monotony in some areas, you will find a rather pleasant experience lying at the heart of Lost Planet 3. The horror sections really drive this game forward, and give it a new life unseen in any previous Lost Planet title. Even though you're not missing out on a world of entertainment if you choose to pass this one by, if you do happen to pick it up you're going to have at least 10-15 hours of fun with a solid third-person sci-fi shooter.
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