Lost Planet: Extreme Condition
Encyclopedia
Lost Planet: Extreme Condition is a third-person shooter
video game developed and published by Capcom
for Xbox 360
, Microsoft Windows
and PlayStation 3
. The game was released on the Xbox 360 in Japan in December 2006, and North America and PAL regions in January 2007; on the PC in North America and PAL regions in June 2007; and on the PlayStation 3 worldwide in February 2008.
The PlayStation 3 and Microsoft Windows version of Lost Planet received mixed reviews, but more positive reception for the Xbox 360 version. The game sold over a million copies worldwide by April 2007. In May, 2008, a gold edition
of the game, titled Lost Planet: Colonies was released. A sequel, Lost Planet 2
, was announced in February 2009 and was available for purchase in May 2010.
of E.D.N. III. After the Earth
's conditions become too hostile for humans due to war
, global warming
and pollution
, a fictional interstellar
megacorporation named Neo-Venus Construction (NEVEC) plans to colonize E.D.N. III, a new Earth-like planet in grip of a brutal ice age
. NEVEC discover that E.D.N. III is inhabited by an aggressive and territorial insect
oid alien species
named the Akrid, which come in all shapes and sizes and generate their own precious thermal energy. 150 years after a great war was fought in which the humans lost to the Akrid, the plot of the game revolves around Wayne Holden, a soldier who attempts to overthrow NEVEC, who still vie for control over E.D.N. III, and help colonization efforts for the remainder of the human race by destroying the Akrid, all the while attempting to survive both betrayals and the extreme conditions of the planet.
and third person at any moment. Players either travel on foot or ride various types of mechanized suits
called Vital Suits (VSs). VSs carry heavy weapons such as chainguns
and rocket
launchers. They can pick up weapons lying on the ground and fire multiple weapons at once. On foot, players are able to use a grappling hook
to pull themselves up to normally hard-to-reach places, or to hook onto a VS and hijack it. Driving VSs and using certain weapons requires thermal energy. Also, the planet's cold temperature causes the characters' thermal energy level to continually decrease. Players can replenish their thermal energy level by defeating enemies or activating data posts. Data posts also allow players to use their navigational radars to see incoming enemies. Each of the 11 levels is accompanied by a boss, which can be either a VS or a large Akrid.
. Post grab is a mode where players on opposite teams compete to capture as many posts as possible before the set time runs out. Team-Elimination is a 16-player team competition, and Elimination is a 16-player free-for-all mode. Finally, Fugitive is a game mode where one person is marked as a fugitive, and the other players try to take away all the fugitive's points before time runs out.
For the next year, Wayne and Luka initiate hit and run attacks against NEVEC, which has taken control over the human race. During one of their attacks, they discover Rick is still alive due to him being rescued by Basil. Basil and Wayne take a NEVEC trooper named Joe hostage. It is after taking Joe prisoner that Basil goes on to explain that the Harmonizer slows down the aging process and unlocks the powers to Gale's VS. After they interrogate him, they find out more about NEVEC's Frontier Project. Joe tells them it is NEVEC's plan to make E.D.N. III a safe place to live for humans. After joining the snow pirates, Joe arranges for Wayne to meet with NEVEC leadership, inadvertently leading to an ambush where Bandero shoots Wayne in the leg. During the confrontation, Wayne and Joe learn that the project will use T-ENG to wipe out all Akrid, but will also kill all humans left on the surface while all of NEVEC watches safely from the sky. Horrified, the pirates go on a final mission to stop the project. Wayne confronts Bandero a final time, killing him and regaining his father's rebuilt VS. Wayne finds Yuri and before dying from torture, Yuri gives Wayne an attachment to his Harmonizer which would allow him to unlock the true power of his VS.
While Wayne begins his attack on NEVEC's honcho, Commander Isenberg, Basil sacrifices herself to buy him time and Joe sets off explosives to destroy the elevator from which NEVEC would hide. Wayne confronts Isenberg and after fighting in VSs, shoots him in the head with a single pistol bullet right before he passes out, losing his memory again. Wayne wakes up to find Luka and Rick starting to melt all of the ice and snow from the planet, and slowly colonization begins once more.
. To capture the full essence of Lee, Capcom used a program called Face Robot. This allowed Capcom to use Lee's basic expressions and translate them to Wayne in the game. Capcom had Lee dress up in a recreation of Waynes attire and then did full body 3D scan to translate Lee into Wayne using a function called GATOR. But instead of using Lee for character animations, the developers did so manually. As for environments, Capcom used up to 300,000 to 600,000 polygons in the screen at once for a single battle. They then used an XSI program and then manually added in elaborate details. One of the main focuses of Lost Planet was to make a game that could be a commercial success in both North America and Japan.
Lost Planet also made an appearance at E3 2006. There, a new trailer debuted and a Xbox Live demo was announced for released by May 11, 2006, both multiplayer and single player. At the Expo, Keiji Inafune explained Capcom's reason for choosing the Xbox 360 as the prime console saying "What the Xbox 360 represents is a great balance. When you think about when it was released, what it can do, how much it costs, the type of games it will have, it's just in a very nice position. The PlayStation 3 being that expensive is going to put it out of the price range of a lot of people, but yet the 360 will still be there. It will still be something that's affordable for enough people. The one disadvantage, unfortunately, is that it did not succeed in Japan.". Lost Planet also made an appearance at Leipzig 2006
, where it showcased a brand new trailer showing glimpses on online multiplayer. Following its appearance in Leipzig
, Lost Planet also appeared at the 2006 Tokyo Game Show
and DICE 2009.
, and multiplayer maps that would not be released until months later for free.
Lost Planet: Colonies is a gold edition
version of Extreme Condition for Xbox 360
and Microsoft Windows
. The game includes new multiplayer maps, a Human vs Akrid multiplayer mode, and a selection of new multiplayer characters and weapons.
Colonies also introduces four new single-player modes: Score Attack (points are given for each kill using combos, akin to the co-op mode in Halo 3
), Time Trial Battle Mode (similar to the Arcade mode of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
), first person shooter
mode, and Unlimited Mode (which must be unlocked). The game also includes cross-platform
play between Xbox Live
and Games for Windows – Live users. The Colonies edition is not compatible with the original Lost Planet save games or multiplayer game, so players of each release may only play with others who have the same release. The game was released in North America on May 27, 2008, in Japan on May 29 and in Europe on June 6.
On July 16, 2007, Capcom announced the first downloadable content for the Microsoft Windows version. The content included new view modes resembling that of the Resident Evil series and new multiplayer maps downloadable on the console versions. The content also included 3 new characters, including Joe from the campaign, Dead Rising
's Frank West, and Frank West wearing a Mega Man suit (also unlockable in Dead Rising).
, with the Xbox 360 version the service's number one rental across all platforms for a time in early 2007. The PC version placed on the list of top 5 sellers in Japan. The combined sales for both versions of Lost Planet are of 2.8 million units.
, which Gamasutra
described as "impressive". The game's visuals and combat were praised, but reviewers criticized the controls, voice acting, and slowdowns in the frame rate
. Reviewers were generally in favor of the game's premise and mechanics, and the gameplay was compared to Bionic Commando and Mega Man. The frigid landscape of E.D.N. III was welcomed as a change of pace from the common settings portrayed in other shooters, such as World War II
. GameSpy
said "[The levels are] evocative in a way that yet another urban wasteland, spaceship interior, or burnt out WWII battlefield can't be." The game's system of forcing the player to constantly search for T-Eng to survive was considered novel, if not particularly challenging. IGN
's Erik Brudvig said "The energy doesn't drain fast enough to ever become a serious issue in most stages, but it does provide a nice nudge to the player to keep them moving along towards the next big fight."
Lost Planet' s graphics were widely praised on the Xbox 360 and PC versions. VideoGamer.com said "[The game has] some of the most impressive visuals seen on the Xbox 360". Other reviewers referred to the visuals as "astonishing", "gorgeous", and "brilliant looking". There were complaints, however, that the PlayStation 3 version's graphics were not as good. Australia's PALGN
said "The Xbox 360 version leaves the PS3 version for dead in terms of overall polish and running speed, though the difference is primarily noticeable when you put the two next to each other. This is very disappointing, given that it’s come out a year later." The audio received comments ranging from mediocre to good, and the voice acting was widely panned. GameSpot said "The voice acting is stiff at best, and sounds completely phony at worst."
The design of the Akrid was praised, and the enemies were compared to the monsters of Panzer Dragoon
, Dune
, and Starship Troopers
. IGN said "From the giant earth worm that looks like it was ripped straight from Frank Herbert
's imagination to the giant flying moth that toes the line between beautiful and scary, the big bugs are a sight to behold." The boss battles against giant Akrid were considered massive and epic; PALGN compared them to Shadow of the Colossus
. The character design was received less positively, especially the protagonist, Wayne. Reviewers criticized his name, lack of character development, and inability to look up. A common complaint was Lost Planet' s story; It was described as confusing, convoluted, and poorly translated. GameSpot said "The story plays out initially as a revenge tale. As the narrative progresses, however, it gets more and more convoluted as characters are introduced and the plot swerves out of control."
Lost Planet' s multiplayer component received mixed remarks. Reviewers were generally pleased with the game options available to players, but were disappointed that multiplayer was online only, with no opportunity for cooperative play. GamePro
criticized the Xbox 360 version's matchmaking system, which would drop all players from a match if the host
disconnected. At the time of its release, the PC version suffered from numerous technical glitches
, making online play impossible for many players.
gave the Xbox 360 version their Editor's Choice award, and it won the award for best Xbox 360 game at the Leipzig Games Convention
. It
ved 1UP.com
's award for best action game at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) video game convention in 2006, and an "Award for Excellence" at the 2007 Japan Game Awards. The game's marketing campaign won several awards at the 2007 MI6 awards show hosted by the Association of Electronic Interactive Marketers, including the "Gold" award for its limited edition packaging and "Silver" awards for its promotional poster and theatrical trailer. Lost Planet' s audio was nominated for Best Cinematic/Cut-Scene Audio and Sound Design of the Year at the Game Audio Network Guild's 2007 ceremony, but lost both awards to Gears of War
.
Third-person shooter
Third-person shooter is a genre of 3D action games in which the player character is visible on-screen, and the gameplay consists primarily of shooting.-Definition:...
video game developed and published by Capcom
Capcom
is a Japanese developer and publisher of video games, known for creating multi-million-selling franchises such as Devil May Cry, Chaos Legion, Street Fighter, Mega Man and Resident Evil. Capcom developed and published Bionic Commando, Lost Planet and Dark Void too, but they are less known. Its...
for Xbox 360
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
, Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
and PlayStation 3
PlayStation 3
The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
. The game was released on the Xbox 360 in Japan in December 2006, and North America and PAL regions in January 2007; on the PC in North America and PAL regions in June 2007; and on the PlayStation 3 worldwide in February 2008.
The PlayStation 3 and Microsoft Windows version of Lost Planet received mixed reviews, but more positive reception for the Xbox 360 version. The game sold over a million copies worldwide by April 2007. In May, 2008, a gold edition
Special edition
The terms special edition, limited edition and variants such as deluxe edition, collector's edition and others, are used as a marketing incentive for various kinds of products, originally published products related to the arts, such as books, prints or recorded music and films, but now including...
of the game, titled Lost Planet: Colonies was released. A sequel, Lost Planet 2
Lost Planet 2
Lost Planet 2 is a third-person shooter video game developed and published by Capcom. The game is the sequel to Lost Planet: Extreme Condition, taking place ten years after the events of the first game, on the same fictional planet. The game was developed for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and...
, was announced in February 2009 and was available for purchase in May 2010.
Plot
Lost Planet takes place in the year known in the game as T.C. -80 on the fictional planetPlanets in science fiction
Planets in science fiction are fictional planets that appear in various media, especially those of the science fiction genre, as story-settings or depicted locations.-History:...
of E.D.N. III. After the Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
's conditions become too hostile for humans due to war
War
War is a state of organized, armed, and often prolonged conflict carried on between states, nations, or other parties typified by extreme aggression, social disruption, and usually high mortality. War should be understood as an actual, intentional and widespread armed conflict between political...
, global warming
Global warming
Global warming refers to the rising average temperature of Earth's atmosphere and oceans and its projected continuation. In the last 100 years, Earth's average surface temperature increased by about with about two thirds of the increase occurring over just the last three decades...
and pollution
Pollution
Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into a natural environment that causes instability, disorder, harm or discomfort to the ecosystem i.e. physical systems or living organisms. Pollution can take the form of chemical substances or energy, such as noise, heat or light...
, a fictional interstellar
Interstellar medium
In astronomy, the interstellar medium is the matter that exists in the space between the star systems in a galaxy. This matter includes gas in ionic, atomic, and molecular form, dust, and cosmic rays. It fills interstellar space and blends smoothly into the surrounding intergalactic space...
megacorporation named Neo-Venus Construction (NEVEC) plans to colonize E.D.N. III, a new Earth-like planet in grip of a brutal ice age
Ice age
An ice age or, more precisely, glacial age, is a generic geological period of long-term reduction in the temperature of the Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental ice sheets, polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers...
. NEVEC discover that E.D.N. III is inhabited by an aggressive and territorial insect
Insect
Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...
oid alien species
Extraterrestrial life
Extraterrestrial life is defined as life that does not originate from Earth...
named the Akrid, which come in all shapes and sizes and generate their own precious thermal energy. 150 years after a great war was fought in which the humans lost to the Akrid, the plot of the game revolves around Wayne Holden, a soldier who attempts to overthrow NEVEC, who still vie for control over E.D.N. III, and help colonization efforts for the remainder of the human race by destroying the Akrid, all the while attempting to survive both betrayals and the extreme conditions of the planet.
Gameplay
The game is played through a third person over-the-shoulder view. Players are allowed to switch between first personFirst-person shooter
First-person shooter is a video game genre that centers the gameplay on gun and projectile weapon-based combat through first-person perspective; i.e., the player experiences the action through the eyes of a protagonist. Generally speaking, the first-person shooter shares common traits with other...
and third person at any moment. Players either travel on foot or ride various types of mechanized suits
Mecha
A mech , is a science fiction term for a large walking bipedal tank or robot, including ones on treads and animal shapes.-Characteristics:...
called Vital Suits (VSs). VSs carry heavy weapons such as chainguns
Chain gun
A chain gun is a type of machine gun or autocannon that uses an external source of power, rather than diverting energy from the cartridge, to cycle the weapon, and does so via a continuous loop of chain similar to that used on a motorcycle or bicycle. "Chain gun" is a registered trademark of...
and rocket
Rocket
A rocket is a missile, spacecraft, aircraft or other vehicle which obtains thrust from a rocket engine. In all rockets, the exhaust is formed entirely from propellants carried within the rocket before use. Rocket engines work by action and reaction...
launchers. They can pick up weapons lying on the ground and fire multiple weapons at once. On foot, players are able to use a grappling hook
Grappling hook
A grappling hook is an anchor with multiple hooks , attached to a rope; it is thrown, dropped, sunk, projected, or fastened directly by hand to where at least one hook may catch and hold. Generally, grappling hooks are used to temporarily secure one end of a rope. They may also be used to dredge...
to pull themselves up to normally hard-to-reach places, or to hook onto a VS and hijack it. Driving VSs and using certain weapons requires thermal energy. Also, the planet's cold temperature causes the characters' thermal energy level to continually decrease. Players can replenish their thermal energy level by defeating enemies or activating data posts. Data posts also allow players to use their navigational radars to see incoming enemies. Each of the 11 levels is accompanied by a boss, which can be either a VS or a large Akrid.
Multiplayer
Online multiplayer versus also requires players to monitor their thermal energy level, but here, reaching zero does not cause death. Instead, the characters cannot use VSs or fire the weapons which require thermal energy. Online multiplayer versus consists of four modes, called Elimination, Team Elimination, Post Grab, and Fugitive. Players score points by killing other players and activating posts, and they lose points for being killed or committing suicideSuicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
. Post grab is a mode where players on opposite teams compete to capture as many posts as possible before the set time runs out. Team-Elimination is a 16-player team competition, and Elimination is a 16-player free-for-all mode. Finally, Fugitive is a game mode where one person is marked as a fugitive, and the other players try to take away all the fugitive's points before time runs out.
Background
Lost Planet begins in the year of T.C. -80 where the Earth has become too hostile for human life. A company named NEVEC (Neo-Venus Construction) tries to start colonization on the planet E.D.N. III. Upon arriving on the planet, NEVEC discovers an alien race called Akrid and are forced off the planet, momentarily stopping colonization efforts. Returning to E.D.N. III with an army prepared to fight, they find that the Akrid contain a thermal energy source (T-ENG) that is needed to survive on the planet. NEVEC builds the first Vital Suit (VS), powered by T-ENG, to fight the Akrid. Meanwhile, civilian colonists and E.D.N. III military personnel continue to seek out a nomadic existence as "snow pirates," harvesting T-ENG from fallen Akrid.Synopsis
The game starts with Wayne, his father Gale, and their unit taking on a mission to kill a giant Akrid known as Green Eye. During their mission, Wayne is separated from his squad and watches his father's VS explode. Wayne is left drifting in the snow and is frozen solid for 30 years. Wayne wakes up and finds himself in the care of Yuri Solotov and her crew of snow pirates; Luka and Rick. Apart from his name and the Green Eye, Wayne remembers nothing of his previous life. Yuri is particularly interested in the thermal extension (or Harmonizer) attached to Wayne's arm, which has enabled Wayne to survive all this time. Yuri tells Wayne that NEVEC is working on a project designed to thaw out the planet to make it safe to live on. Wayne joins Yuri's band, and while on a mission to wipe out a Akrid hive, fights a woman named Basil. Basil tells him that Yuri has killed her husband and that she was looking for revenge. At the same time, Yuri mysteriously disappears, leaving Wayne to question his loyalty. With the help of Rick and Luka, Wayne discovers the Green Eye's location and destroys it with Gale's (his fathers) VS. Shortly after, Wayne and his VS are attacked by NEVEC's field commander, Bandero. Slowly, after escaping the attack, Wayne remembers that it wasn't Green Eye who killed his father, but Bandero and a few NEVEC soldiers did so. Wayne barely escapes, only to find that their pirate fortress (trailer) has been sieged, and that Rick has been taken captive.For the next year, Wayne and Luka initiate hit and run attacks against NEVEC, which has taken control over the human race. During one of their attacks, they discover Rick is still alive due to him being rescued by Basil. Basil and Wayne take a NEVEC trooper named Joe hostage. It is after taking Joe prisoner that Basil goes on to explain that the Harmonizer slows down the aging process and unlocks the powers to Gale's VS. After they interrogate him, they find out more about NEVEC's Frontier Project. Joe tells them it is NEVEC's plan to make E.D.N. III a safe place to live for humans. After joining the snow pirates, Joe arranges for Wayne to meet with NEVEC leadership, inadvertently leading to an ambush where Bandero shoots Wayne in the leg. During the confrontation, Wayne and Joe learn that the project will use T-ENG to wipe out all Akrid, but will also kill all humans left on the surface while all of NEVEC watches safely from the sky. Horrified, the pirates go on a final mission to stop the project. Wayne confronts Bandero a final time, killing him and regaining his father's rebuilt VS. Wayne finds Yuri and before dying from torture, Yuri gives Wayne an attachment to his Harmonizer which would allow him to unlock the true power of his VS.
While Wayne begins his attack on NEVEC's honcho, Commander Isenberg, Basil sacrifices herself to buy him time and Joe sets off explosives to destroy the elevator from which NEVEC would hide. Wayne confronts Isenberg and after fighting in VSs, shoots him in the head with a single pistol bullet right before he passes out, losing his memory again. Wayne wakes up to find Luka and Rick starting to melt all of the ice and snow from the planet, and slowly colonization begins once more.
Development
Capcom first introduced Lost Planet on December 10, 2005 at a invite only press conference announcing Jun Takeuchi as both the producer and executive producer, Kenji Ohguro as the designer and Shin Kurosawa whom wrote the original story . At the conference, Capcom announced that they would follow the tradition of basing the main character of their game after a real person. Capcom decided to base the main character Wayne after the famous South Korean star, Lee Byung-hunLee Byung-Hun
Lee Byung-hun is a South Korean actor, singer and model. He has starred in popular television dramas such as Iris , All In and Beautiful Days...
. To capture the full essence of Lee, Capcom used a program called Face Robot. This allowed Capcom to use Lee's basic expressions and translate them to Wayne in the game. Capcom had Lee dress up in a recreation of Waynes attire and then did full body 3D scan to translate Lee into Wayne using a function called GATOR. But instead of using Lee for character animations, the developers did so manually. As for environments, Capcom used up to 300,000 to 600,000 polygons in the screen at once for a single battle. They then used an XSI program and then manually added in elaborate details. One of the main focuses of Lost Planet was to make a game that could be a commercial success in both North America and Japan.
Lost Planet also made an appearance at E3 2006. There, a new trailer debuted and a Xbox Live demo was announced for released by May 11, 2006, both multiplayer and single player. At the Expo, Keiji Inafune explained Capcom's reason for choosing the Xbox 360 as the prime console saying "What the Xbox 360 represents is a great balance. When you think about when it was released, what it can do, how much it costs, the type of games it will have, it's just in a very nice position. The PlayStation 3 being that expensive is going to put it out of the price range of a lot of people, but yet the 360 will still be there. It will still be something that's affordable for enough people. The one disadvantage, unfortunately, is that it did not succeed in Japan.". Lost Planet also made an appearance at Leipzig 2006
Games Convention
The Games Convention, sometimes called the Leipzig Games Convention and abbreviated as GC, was an annual video game event held in Leipzig, Germany, first held in 2002. Besides video games, the event also covers Infotainment, Hardware, and Edutainment...
, where it showcased a brand new trailer showing glimpses on online multiplayer. Following its appearance in Leipzig
Leipzig
Leipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...
, Lost Planet also appeared at the 2006 Tokyo Game Show
Tokyo Game Show
The , commonly known as TGS, is a video game expo / convention held annually in the Makuhari Messe, in Chiba, Japan. It is presented by the Computer Entertainment Supplier's Association and the Nikkei Business Publications, Inc...
and DICE 2009.
Collector's and Colonies Edition
The Collector's Edition of the game was released on January 12, 2007 worldwide. The Collector's Edition included a special edition Steelbook case, an art book including exclusive cover art, multimedia cut scenesCutscene
A cutscene is a sequence in a video game over which the player has no or only limited control, breaking up the gameplay and used to advance the plot, strengthen the main character's development, introduces enemy characters, and provide background information, atmosphere, dialogue, and clues...
, and multiplayer maps that would not be released until months later for free.
Lost Planet: Colonies is a gold edition
Special edition
The terms special edition, limited edition and variants such as deluxe edition, collector's edition and others, are used as a marketing incentive for various kinds of products, originally published products related to the arts, such as books, prints or recorded music and films, but now including...
version of Extreme Condition for Xbox 360
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
and Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
. The game includes new multiplayer maps, a Human vs Akrid multiplayer mode, and a selection of new multiplayer characters and weapons.
Colonies also introduces four new single-player modes: Score Attack (points are given for each kill using combos, akin to the co-op mode in Halo 3
Halo 3
Halo 3 is a first-person shooter video game developed by Bungie for the Xbox 360 console. The third installment in the Halo franchise, the game concludes the story arc begun in Halo: Combat Evolved and continued in Halo 2...
), Time Trial Battle Mode (similar to the Arcade mode of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare is a 2007 first-person shooter video game, developed by Infinity Ward and published by Activision for Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Wii. A handheld game was made for the Nintendo DS. The game was released in North America, Australia, and...
), first person shooter
First-person shooter
First-person shooter is a video game genre that centers the gameplay on gun and projectile weapon-based combat through first-person perspective; i.e., the player experiences the action through the eyes of a protagonist. Generally speaking, the first-person shooter shares common traits with other...
mode, and Unlimited Mode (which must be unlocked). The game also includes cross-platform
Cross-platform
In computing, cross-platform, or multi-platform, is an attribute conferred to computer software or computing methods and concepts that are implemented and inter-operate on multiple computer platforms...
play between Xbox Live
Xbox Live
Xbox Live is an online multiplayer gaming and digital media delivery service created and operated by Microsoft Corporation. It is currently the only online gaming service on consoles that charges users a fee to play multiplayer gaming. It was first made available to the Xbox system in 2002...
and Games for Windows – Live users. The Colonies edition is not compatible with the original Lost Planet save games or multiplayer game, so players of each release may only play with others who have the same release. The game was released in North America on May 27, 2008, in Japan on May 29 and in Europe on June 6.
Downloadable content
Capcom announced three maps packs and another single map for downloadable content. The first map pack was released on March 9, 2007. The pack included "Radar Field" and "Island 902". The second pack was released on April 6, 2007 and contained the maps "Hive Complex" and "Trial Point". Then Capcom released the single map pack, "Battle Ground" on June 7, 2007 and the final pack on August 16, 2007 which included the maps "Lost Technology", "Ruins", and "Ice Drop".On July 16, 2007, Capcom announced the first downloadable content for the Microsoft Windows version. The content included new view modes resembling that of the Resident Evil series and new multiplayer maps downloadable on the console versions. The content also included 3 new characters, including Joe from the campaign, Dead Rising
Dead Rising
is an action-adventure, survivor horror video game, developed by Capcom and produced by Keiji Inafune. It was released on August 8, 2006 exclusively for the Xbox 360 video game console. The game was a commercial success. It has been introduced into the Xbox 360 "Platinum Hits" lineup, and a cell...
's Frank West, and Frank West wearing a Mega Man suit (also unlockable in Dead Rising).
Appearances in other games
One of the mech-suits, PTX-40A, appears as a playable character in Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars, as one of the two largest characters in the game. There is also an unlockable mini-game set in the Lost Planet universe.Sales
The demo for the Xbox 360 version was the second-highest downloaded demo on Xbox Live as of September 2007, and the game was the 10th-most played game on the online service in 2007. The Xbox 360 version was a best-seller in North America and the UK, and was the highest-selling Xbox 360 game in the United States in January 2007 with 329,000 units sold. Capcom shipped a million units of the game worldwide by January 17, 2007, and by the end of March 2007, it had sold 1.37 million units. A year after its release, the Japanese Xbox 360 version had sold 61,555 units and was the 10th-highest selling Xbox 360 game in the region. The PlayStation 3 version was a best-seller in Japan and North America, and entered the British sales charts at position 34 the week of its release. The North American version received a boost in sales in December 2008 when Amazon offered a sale on the title. Both console versions were popular titles on American video game rental company GameFlyGameFly
GameFly is an American online video game rental subscription service that specializes in providing games for game consoles and handheld game consoles....
, with the Xbox 360 version the service's number one rental across all platforms for a time in early 2007. The PC version placed on the list of top 5 sellers in Japan. The combined sales for both versions of Lost Planet are of 2.8 million units.
Critical reception
Reception of Lost Planet was mixed with the exception of the Xbox 360 version, which received more positive reviews, including a score of 36/40 from Japanese gaming magazine FamitsuFamitsu
is a line of Japanese video game magazines published by Enterbrain, Inc. and Tokuma. Currently, there are five Famitsū magazines: Shūkan Famitsū, Famitsū PS3 + PSP, Famitsū Xbox 360, Famitsū Wii+DS, and Famitsū Wave DVD...
, which Gamasutra
Gamasutra
Gamasutra is a website founded in 1997 for video game developers. It is owned and operated by UBM TechWeb , a division of United Business Media, and acts as the online sister publication to the print magazine Game Developer...
described as "impressive". The game's visuals and combat were praised, but reviewers criticized the controls, voice acting, and slowdowns in the frame rate
Frame rate
Frame rate is the frequency at which an imaging device produces unique consecutive images called frames. The term applies equally well to computer graphics, video cameras, film cameras, and motion capture systems...
. Reviewers were generally in favor of the game's premise and mechanics, and the gameplay was compared to Bionic Commando and Mega Man. The frigid landscape of E.D.N. III was welcomed as a change of pace from the common settings portrayed in other shooters, such as World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. GameSpy
GameSpy
GameSpy Industries, Inc., known simply as GameSpy, is a division of IGN Entertainment, which operates a network of game websites and provides online video game-related services and software. GameSpy dates back to the 1996 release of an internet Quake server search program named QSpy. The current...
said "[The levels are] evocative in a way that yet another urban wasteland, spaceship interior, or burnt out WWII battlefield can't be." The game's system of forcing the player to constantly search for T-Eng to survive was considered novel, if not particularly challenging. IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
's Erik Brudvig said "The energy doesn't drain fast enough to ever become a serious issue in most stages, but it does provide a nice nudge to the player to keep them moving along towards the next big fight."
Lost Planet
PALGN
The PAL Gaming Network is an Australian based video game news and reviews website that focuses on the videogame industry and culture in PAL territories, particularly Australia and the UK. It was launched in 2003 by a group of PAL forum members on the IGN message boards who were disenfranchised by...
said "The Xbox 360 version leaves the PS3 version for dead in terms of overall polish and running speed, though the difference is primarily noticeable when you put the two next to each other. This is very disappointing, given that it’s come out a year later." The audio received comments ranging from mediocre to good, and the voice acting was widely panned. GameSpot said "The voice acting is stiff at best, and sounds completely phony at worst."
The design of the Akrid was praised, and the enemies were compared to the monsters of Panzer Dragoon
Panzer Dragoon (series)
Panzer Dragoon is a series of video games by Sega, created first by its internal Team Andromeda and later, the Smilebit development team. Aside from the RPG Panzer Dragoon Saga, the games are of the rail shooter genre...
, Dune
Dune universe
Dune is a science fiction franchise which originated with the 1965 novel Dune by Frank Herbert. Considered by many to be the greatest science fiction novel of all time, Dune is frequently cited as the best-selling science fiction novel in history...
, and Starship Troopers
Starship Troopers (film)
Starship Troopers is a 1997 American military science fiction film, written by Edward Neumeier , directed by Paul Verhoeven, loosely adapted from Starship Troopers, a science fiction novel by Robert A. Heinlein. It is the only theatrically released film in the Starship Troopers franchise...
. IGN said "From the giant earth worm that looks like it was ripped straight from Frank Herbert
Frank Herbert
Franklin Patrick Herbert, Jr. was a critically acclaimed and commercially successful American science fiction author. Although a short story author, he is best known for his novels, most notably Dune and its five sequels...
's imagination to the giant flying moth that toes the line between beautiful and scary, the big bugs are a sight to behold." The boss battles against giant Akrid were considered massive and epic; PALGN compared them to Shadow of the Colossus
Shadow of the Colossus
Shadow of the Colossus, released in Japan as , is an action-adventure game published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 2. The game was released in North America and Japan in October 2005 and PAL territories in February 2006...
. The character design was received less positively, especially the protagonist, Wayne. Reviewers criticized his name, lack of character development, and inability to look up. A common complaint was Lost Planet
Lost Planet
GamePro
GamePro Media was a United States gaming media company publishing online and print content on the video game industry, video game hardware, and video game software developed for a video game console , a computer, and/or a mobile device . GamePro Media properties include GamePro magazine and...
criticized the Xbox 360 version's matchmaking system, which would drop all players from a match if the host
Host (network)
A network host is a computer connected to a computer network. A network host may offer information resources, services, and applications to users or other nodes on the network. A network host is a network node that is assigned a network layer host address....
disconnected. At the time of its release, the PC version suffered from numerous technical glitches
Software bug
A software bug is the common term used to describe an error, flaw, mistake, failure, or fault in a computer program or system that produces an incorrect or unexpected result, or causes it to behave in unintended ways. Most bugs arise from mistakes and errors made by people in either a program's...
, making online play impossible for many players.
Awards
IGNIGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
gave the Xbox 360 version their Editor's Choice award, and it won the award for best Xbox 360 game at the Leipzig Games Convention
Games Convention
The Games Convention, sometimes called the Leipzig Games Convention and abbreviated as GC, was an annual video game event held in Leipzig, Germany, first held in 2002. Besides video games, the event also covers Infotainment, Hardware, and Edutainment...
. It
ved 1UP.com
1UP.com
1UP.com is a video game website owned by IGN Entertainment, a division of News Corporation. Previously, the site was owned by Ziff Davis before being sold to UGO Entertainment in 2009....
's award for best action game at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) video game convention in 2006, and an "Award for Excellence" at the 2007 Japan Game Awards. The game's marketing campaign won several awards at the 2007 MI6 awards show hosted by the Association of Electronic Interactive Marketers, including the "Gold" award for its limited edition packaging and "Silver" awards for its promotional poster and theatrical trailer. Lost Planet
Gears of War
Gears of War is a military science fiction third-person shooter video game developed by Epic Games and published by Microsoft Game Studios...
.