Lost Planet Review

The demo of Lost Planet was a great way to parade the highlights of this frigid title. It gave the player a sense of demolition, trudging through the snow, and mowing via mech via chain-gun action.

Jumping into the full retail version continues to provide that same exciting feeling. The demo ended up serving as a training session, so there's no need to adjust to the unfamiliar controls. As semi-seasoned demo-players blast their way through the first few levels, they will come to find that Lost Planet is willing to take some serious cheap shots to hinder your progress.

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To portray realism, nearby explosions will slow the main character down. A lot. And while running slowly through the snow makes sense, the same pacing applies indoors where no snow is seen. Surprisingly, this isn't as annoying as it may sound, but it results in feeling cheated during the intense boss fights.

While the levels aren't that difficult, the bosses toward the middle of the game will throw everything they have at you. Between the explosions and losing composure is a plethora of aggravation. At times it feels like there's no possible way to beat the boss without some an insane amount of luck, because death can come at any time.

Thankfully, the reward after each level is an actual cutscene, as opposed to Resistance's horrible narrated storyboards. The story builds fairly well, although it seems that some events aren't exaggerated as much as they need to be (to keep the excitement level up). With all the action packed in this game, the minor story-telling flaws are forgiven, just as in Gears of War.

The weapons and the mechs suffice, although nothing out-of-the-ordinary resides here. But ask yourself, will the classic rocket launcher ever get old? Nah, we like ridiculous explosions. It's also difficult not to shout, "Hell, yeah!" when picking up a mech-sized weapon for "hand-held" use.

The controls of the game are mostly functional, although I don't approve of the seemingly large movement required to move the camera left or right. Zooming in leaves a player with the annoyances of using the 360 d-pad; the response isn't exactly stellar. The adjustment time isn't long, but it seems unnecessary in the first place.

Running through the game is simultaneously satisfying and disappointing. That super-hero feeling of jumping through explosions, sniping the bad guys, and blowing up everything in sight with rockets leaves for plenty of praiseworthy moments. But Lost Planet doesn't want you getting comfortable with your Swartzenegger-type powers; it will take measures to keep its spot as "the Boss" of its own destiny. LP may not be Halo-esque, but there are plenty of good times to be had via single and multiplayer.

The good guys caused:

• Action packed, with a slight arcade-type feeling


• Graphics are outstanding; only Gears of War has bested these


• Story and cutscenes are well-crafted, as opposed to other games.

The Snow Pirates caused:

• Oddball Controls


• Frustratingly cheap shots by enemies (especially bosses)


• Questionable foot-soldier A.I.

Takes from:
Almost feels like Syphon Filter in the snow, but not quite. Any third-person Mech combat game could have given inspiration as well. The grappling hook is very Tenchu-ish in practice, although hanging there shooting enemies from above reminds me a little of Splinter Cell.

Rent or Buy:
For the general consumer, I'd say rent unless the multiplayer suits your fancy. There is some replay value in the achievements, but the value of that will differ per person. For the more serious gamer, this is definitely a buy.

MSRP: $59.99 USD

Suicide's Appraisal: $39.99 USD

Other Reviews:

8.4/10 at teamxbox.com
6.5/10 at 1up.com
8.5/10 at ign.com