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Lost Planet - Extreme Condition Review
Though it would be hard to judge by past reviews, I really do like simple games. The straightforward nature of Burnout Revenge is, in my mind, one of the best ways you can present a game. It's with a decided note of frustration, then, that I have to report my distaste for Capcom's latest offering - Lost Planet: Extreme Condition. Demos for this title have been downloaded endlessly since last year's E3, and in the format of a one-level demo there's a lot to like. How can you go wrong with the formula of a devastated Earth, giant bugs, and mechs? By fronting the game with an unlikable protagonist and following up with AI that alternates between mindless and cheap, Capcom fails to deliver on the promise of any of those concepts. Read on for my impressions of another simple game that I really wanted to like ... and don't.
The fact that I didn't care even a little bit about what happened to Wayne, the story's protagonist, made it especially hard to enjoy this game. Dead Rising's Frank was at least a likable guy. A soldier-guy with memory loss, Wayne hooks up with a band of opportunists fighting back against the bugs and ice pirates that stand in the way of their search for sellable goods. Wayne, like every other character in the game, suffers from terrible voice acting and a general airheadedness that makes it very hard to take anything he says seriously. When deep dark secrets about the world around them or the evil corporation start to be revealed, your reaction is one of boredom rather than intrigue.
Really, what you want to do, is get back to shooting Akrid. The beautifully designed bugs that inhabit the icey planet's subsurface are, for about half the game, a very satisfying foe to fight. The game offers you several different weapons with which to combat the bugs, and all of them 'feel' right and have a use for specific circumstances. The standard machine gun even feels suitably powerful, and it is in these ground battles against the swarms that Lost Planet feels at its most polished. Despite Wayne's plodding stride, the title manages to give an impression of agility with bumper-button quick turns and a grappling hook that can take you to higher ground and better firing lines. Akrid essentially line up for the slaughter, but they are so vicious (and numerous) in their simplicity that bug hunts make for enjoyably tense and action-packed battles.
The title also concretizes the icy nature of the planet by forcing you to 'deal' with the elements. You are essentially on a timer whenever you are out in the field, as a number representing the heat stored in your body armor steadily decreases over time. Slaying enemies or breaking open stores of a reddish gel replenish this substance, which also acts as an always-on shielding system. Like the energy shields common to many FPS titles nowadays, as long as you have heat energy available your actual health bar is very hard to damage. Another way of replenishing your energy is via the data posts scattered throughout levels. These act as save points, heat replenishers, and radar data points; activating one will net you information about the surrounding area in addition to the other benefits. Neither of these mechanics are unprecedented, but give the game an interesting tone that jacks up the tenseness of battle situations.
If fighting bugs, popping data points, and keeping warm were the whole game I wouldn't have a lot to complain about. The issue is that bug battles are but one portion of the game. The 'primary' villains of the game aren't the bugs at all, but other humans. The ice pirates, corporate soldiers, and mechs from both groups are going to be your primary opponents before too long, and they are much less enjoyable to engage in combat. Human soldiers are downright boring compared with the attractive Akrid, and what is an 'acceptable' level of AI from an insect makes a human look unfit for duty. Waves of cohorts can be slain before the eyes of an ice pirate, but his programming requires him to stand (unblinking and unfiring) as you advance on his position. Also: What does an ice pirate do, exactly? Penguin keel-hauling? Shiver me timbers.
Mech combat suffers from the same problem. While piloting the vehicles feels right, combat against human opponents is unfulfilling. Wading through baddies in a mech is great, again, when they're bugs. Against humans you'll mostly be walking down your cretinous fellow sapients, who are too slow-witted to get out of your way. A consistent worry when mech piloting is that you'll blunder into someone with a rocket launcher just itching to fire from point blank range.
Mech to mech combat can be fun, especially in non-boss fight situations. Particularly appealing was the feel of the mech-sized shotgun, which has a punch and sound effect similar to Batou's 'Big Gun' from "Ghost in the Shell". Boss battles were an entirely different scenario. These long-lived pilots employ cheap tactics to offset the inadequacies of their AI, and it's endlessly frustrating. One fight featured a mech that would attack by leaping onto you with uncanny, pinpoint accuracy. Another has you scrambling into a mech while already under attack at close range. The attacking mech has a laser weapon which knocks about a quarter of your health bar off at every strike; several fights against that target began with the beam hitting me twice before I was given control of my combat suit. Likewise while there is entertainment to be had in mowing down on-foot opponents from your mech, I am the protagonist. Allowing the NPCs to have that kind of fun makes me feel cheated. The enemy mechs can fire heat-seeking rockets into your body at close range, but why do they? How is that in any way fun for the player?
It's not, and that's the bottom line for the entire game. Just beneath the attractive graphics of the title (some of the best snow and explosions I've ever seen), just past the game's satisfying 'feel', the game breaks down into a mishmash of unrealized potential. What is the point of the mechs feeling right, the weapons being suitably weighty, or the bugs being beautiful if none of it is fun? Just as with Dead Rising, original thinking fails to meet up with engaging gameplay; the whole thing is a disappointingly missed opportunity. We talk a lot on the site about the lack of originality in games, but sometimes I understand why game companies keep going back to the till. If you have a proven working formulae, one that engages players and is actually entertaining, how is that a bad game? I'd much rather play a satisfying sequel than face the disappointment Lost Planet offers: originality without entertainment.
- Title: Lost Planet: Extreme Condition
- Developer/Publisher: Capcom
- System: 360
- Genre: 3rd Person Action
- Score: 2/5 - This game has serious flaws, but may contain enough fun to be worth renting for a weekend.
The fact that I didn't care even a little bit about what happened to Wayne, the story's protagonist, made it especially hard to enjoy this game. Dead Rising's Frank was at least a likable guy. A soldier-guy with memory loss, Wayne hooks up with a band of opportunists fighting back against the bugs and ice pirates that stand in the way of their search for sellable goods. Wayne, like every other character in the game, suffers from terrible voice acting and a general airheadedness that makes it very hard to take anything he says seriously. When deep dark secrets about the world around them or the evil corporation start to be revealed, your reaction is one of boredom rather than intrigue.
Really, what you want to do, is get back to shooting Akrid. The beautifully designed bugs that inhabit the icey planet's subsurface are, for about half the game, a very satisfying foe to fight. The game offers you several different weapons with which to combat the bugs, and all of them 'feel' right and have a use for specific circumstances. The standard machine gun even feels suitably powerful, and it is in these ground battles against the swarms that Lost Planet feels at its most polished. Despite Wayne's plodding stride, the title manages to give an impression of agility with bumper-button quick turns and a grappling hook that can take you to higher ground and better firing lines. Akrid essentially line up for the slaughter, but they are so vicious (and numerous) in their simplicity that bug hunts make for enjoyably tense and action-packed battles.
The title also concretizes the icy nature of the planet by forcing you to 'deal' with the elements. You are essentially on a timer whenever you are out in the field, as a number representing the heat stored in your body armor steadily decreases over time. Slaying enemies or breaking open stores of a reddish gel replenish this substance, which also acts as an always-on shielding system. Like the energy shields common to many FPS titles nowadays, as long as you have heat energy available your actual health bar is very hard to damage. Another way of replenishing your energy is via the data posts scattered throughout levels. These act as save points, heat replenishers, and radar data points; activating one will net you information about the surrounding area in addition to the other benefits. Neither of these mechanics are unprecedented, but give the game an interesting tone that jacks up the tenseness of battle situations.
If fighting bugs, popping data points, and keeping warm were the whole game I wouldn't have a lot to complain about. The issue is that bug battles are but one portion of the game. The 'primary' villains of the game aren't the bugs at all, but other humans. The ice pirates, corporate soldiers, and mechs from both groups are going to be your primary opponents before too long, and they are much less enjoyable to engage in combat. Human soldiers are downright boring compared with the attractive Akrid, and what is an 'acceptable' level of AI from an insect makes a human look unfit for duty. Waves of cohorts can be slain before the eyes of an ice pirate, but his programming requires him to stand (unblinking and unfiring) as you advance on his position. Also: What does an ice pirate do, exactly? Penguin keel-hauling? Shiver me timbers.
Mech combat suffers from the same problem. While piloting the vehicles feels right, combat against human opponents is unfulfilling. Wading through baddies in a mech is great, again, when they're bugs. Against humans you'll mostly be walking down your cretinous fellow sapients, who are too slow-witted to get out of your way. A consistent worry when mech piloting is that you'll blunder into someone with a rocket launcher just itching to fire from point blank range.
Mech to mech combat can be fun, especially in non-boss fight situations. Particularly appealing was the feel of the mech-sized shotgun, which has a punch and sound effect similar to Batou's 'Big Gun' from "Ghost in the Shell". Boss battles were an entirely different scenario. These long-lived pilots employ cheap tactics to offset the inadequacies of their AI, and it's endlessly frustrating. One fight featured a mech that would attack by leaping onto you with uncanny, pinpoint accuracy. Another has you scrambling into a mech while already under attack at close range. The attacking mech has a laser weapon which knocks about a quarter of your health bar off at every strike; several fights against that target began with the beam hitting me twice before I was given control of my combat suit. Likewise while there is entertainment to be had in mowing down on-foot opponents from your mech, I am the protagonist. Allowing the NPCs to have that kind of fun makes me feel cheated. The enemy mechs can fire heat-seeking rockets into your body at close range, but why do they? How is that in any way fun for the player?
It's not, and that's the bottom line for the entire game. Just beneath the attractive graphics of the title (some of the best snow and explosions I've ever seen), just past the game's satisfying 'feel', the game breaks down into a mishmash of unrealized potential. What is the point of the mechs feeling right, the weapons being suitably weighty, or the bugs being beautiful if none of it is fun? Just as with Dead Rising, original thinking fails to meet up with engaging gameplay; the whole thing is a disappointingly missed opportunity. We talk a lot on the site about the lack of originality in games, but sometimes I understand why game companies keep going back to the till. If you have a proven working formulae, one that engages players and is actually entertaining, how is that a bad game? I'd much rather play a satisfying sequel than face the disappointment Lost Planet offers: originality without entertainment.
and stick with it. preferably first. second doesn't really work because this game hasn't left me cold, my reaction hasn't been boredom and so on. maybe i'm turning into a grammar nazi - but this just drove me nuts because the review keeps saying things about me and they aren't true.
It's hard to believe that's how Micronians are made. Why don't we see it right now by having you both kiss one another?
I remember reading that the game's "immersion" factor suffered due to there being levels where you're walking by fire and lava and all sorts of things that basically give off more than enough heat for the whole "cold meter" or whatever to seem ridiculous. Lava is really hot, and you'd actually need a cooling suit for those scenarios I suppose. Anyway, being big on "immersion" myself, I decided that was enough to keep me away considering the number of other great games out there at the moment.
Has anyone who played the game gotten an impression of the music? Good music can do a lot for a game which tries to create some sort of mood.
I like basketball!!1!
This game gives the goods pretty well. You shoot, pilot big ass robots around that shoot, kill a bunch of bugs, and kill a bad guy in a bigger robot suit then yours. What's not to like?
Sure the storyline is kinda flat, but your not playing it to be emotionally propelled into something right?
Shoot the bugs, get their guts to stay warm... Love the game.
It really reminds me of a Sci-Fi version of Gunsmoke. Pretty linear, can be difficult at times and pretty much all you do is just wade through baddies to get to an end boss. Easy to play and just plain fun.
Swi
... but I have no idea where Zonk is getting the idea that the game is not engaging. On the contrary, I feel the game is very engaging - tons of stuff to do, battles that are always slightly different, good weapons, an intriguing story, great atmosphere, great graphical effects. I understand that these are all things that are in the eye of the beholder, and accept that people might not like the same things I do.
So Zonk, please don't tell me what my reaction will be to certain things. What's more, I have no clue what your beef is with the multiplayer or mech battles. I understand that there is some issue with fun, but really, what is it? It's not fair that other mechs have rocket launchers? That they are too powerful? Quite honestly, it sounds like you're whining that NPCs get to do stuff you can't. Wow. It's a game with different characters, who are different because... wait for it... they do different things.
It's reviews like this that make me understand why people block all your submissions. I want the ten minutes of my life back that I spent trying to understand this review.
Those who can, do. Those who can't, sue.
The review is wrong, dataposts aren't savepoints... only a couple of points per mission have loading sequences which is where the "save" points are. The game only saves if you finish the mission or quit. That was my major complaint in the game. It was fun if you ignore the mindless cutscenes and manage to get through the couple of frustrating boss mech battles. DO NOT play this game on HARD... NORMAL was unfair enough at times.
I own and have beaten this game. I thought it was great! There are times where you will get knocked down and get up and then knocked down again without a chance to fight back. I think that's just my fault for sucking at the game. Though the mechs are what this game is all about. You start off with some mediocre mechs, then half way through the game you come upon the coolest mech ever. Your dads mech. It then turns into a more Armored core game than anything. With the gattling guns you can essentially hold down the trigger and rain death upon your enemies! The best part of the game though are the boss fights. They hold a certain nintendo feel in the way the weaknesses are displayed.
Eat sleep die
Reviewer hated it, but had to admit that being "murdered by ice pirates is good."
While I can understand some of the frustrations stated, there are some things I disagree with- one of those being the complaint the enemy mechs would fire at the player while the player was on foot. How is this a bad thing? One thing thats always bugged me about FPS styles of games- You carry a whole arsenal of weaponry, and can switch them out to accomodate different situations. Why can't the enemy? I'd like to see a game with sufficient AI and enemy design that after seeing several of his allies laid low by my shotgun, the enemies switch to their longer range weapons. A game where rather than blindly rushing me all the time, the enemy will fire at me from a mech while I'm earthbound? Sounds good to me. That aside, the poor quality of the AI described is somewhat of a letdown, admittedly. But it seems like the author keeps alternating between complaining that the game is too easy or too hard. Maybe that is the case; randomly fluctuating difficulty does sound pretty frustrating.
"I'd much rather play a satisfying sequel than face the disappointment Lost Planet offers: originality without entertainment."
How fun will gaming be when all the developers make sequels? If no-one tries for originality then we will never see any, ever again.
Indy gaming studios are getting squeezed out of the action. SOMEONE has to try something new once in a while...
I've lost my car keys before, but an entire planet?!?
I've not finished the game yet, but I'm pretty far into it and I have to say I'm having a lot of fun with this game. The storyline is, naturally, ridiculous, but the bosses are great and there are tons of them (and the AI tactics are not 'cheap', IMO.) Graphics are also excellent, especially the particle effects. The ability to change your mech's weapons around, mix and match, is great, and the mechs are all well-designed and fun to drive. (I especially like the 'motorcycle' one and the 'tank' one.)
I do agree that your character, both on-foot and in a mech, gets knocked down too often and for too long, sometimes giving you a helpless feeling at certain points. It's not a game-killer. Also the controls are slightly goofy if you're used to Halo, but you'll get used to them very quick.
Comment of the year
He calls the Akrid attractive far too many times in this review. What do we call that? Insectophile?
You constantly struggle for self improvement - and it shows.
Hooray for bad Engrish on fortune cookies
I have felt that games recently lack the kind of quality that I usually look for in something that I will invest time and money into; however, I'm not sure that it is really a widespread idea. Game vendors still make sales, and there are obviously people playing these games. One look at it might be that people are just settling for what they got, but I feel it is more the fact that I am from a different generation of gamers, and the newer players are where the market is geared. At the risk of sounding like an old whiner, younger people don't have the attention span like the previous generations. They are about fast, cheap thrills and when they got them, they move on to the next game.
I believe it is just not marketable to make a truly quality game, since it will sell just as much as the crappy ones, and take twice the time to make. Then again, quality is a personal preference, and I might just be the one on the outside complaining, while these stellar games go on.
"I only know 2 things: The love for me, and the fear of me."
There was a documentary made about what Ice Pirates do that you might find helpful. :)
Maybe I missed something to turn on, but with a nice surround sound system, the contrast between the level of audio immersiveness between this game (not much) and gears of war (incredible) is worth noting...
That being said, I haven't really gotten into the game yet, what with Burning Crusade coming out...
"Waste not one watt!" - CZ
"How can you go wrong with the formula of a devastated Earth, giant bugs, and mechs?"
I'm not sure how you can miss the fact that it isn't Earth - if memory serves it's covered in the very first minute of exposition before the game actually starts.
Don't you have to pay attention to a game if you intend to review it?
Other posters have commented on how it doesn't make sense to simultaneously call the game too easy and too hard, but that's the same reaction I had. The on-foot AI frequently blows itself up trying to shoot you from behind cover (protip to AI: you have to aim outside of the cover) and seem to be largely irrelevant. Then you start fighting mechs and bosses, whose tactics consist of knocking you down, then hitting you again in the overly long timeframe between when you become eligible to be hit again and when you get control of your avatar. Being juggled wasn't any fun in Mortal Kombat, and it's still no fun in Lost Planet. Since boss tactics are often random, you end up dying and reloading numerous times until you don't get juggled.
It's also telling that your best tactic in a first-person action game is to run past the enemies until you hit a stage transition. Collecting heat and weapons is useless, as when you transition, you will more often than not be reset to 1000 heat and a machine gun.
The multiplayer is much improved over the single-player experience, but the single-player experience is downright awful.
I noticed that this review didn't discuss the multiplayer in Lost Planet at all. Is it fun to play with others? Does it have a good lobby system? I've had some friends that've been asking me to play LP with them, but I've got so many other games to play that I haven't even removed the disc from the case yet.
Our normally vigilant Slashdot Editors made a mistake? I'm Shocked and appalled.
On Topic...
I want this game. Any chance it will be on the PC in the Future?
OSGGFG - Open Source Gamers Guide to Free Games
I played the game a few times, had a little fun, and haven't really gone back to it since. There's nothing that really pulls me back to the game.
Shooting bugs is fun, but the storyline makes no sense and the cut scenes are long and boring (although fortunately skippable). The "heat/health" system is poorly implemented; your heat continues to run when you press select to check your (unhelpful) map.
I also agree that the hero is unlikeable, although I can't believe that anyone would refer to the hero of Dead Rising as more likeable than anyone else. That guy was like a skinny, more annoying Fred Durst.
When's the last time Capcom made a good game, barring the first 1/5th of Resident Evil 4?
For all we know the moon may be as conscious as a poet or a realtor, and extremely weary of its monotonous round. - HLM
Don't buy it for the storyline, but the graphics are excellent. Combined with multiple ways to do the same stuff (lots of bullets or rocket launcher? Hmmm...) it really becomes a fun game that you can tailor your playing style to.
LoL @ More Shooters for the Xbox
My own review... currently playing up around mission 7 or 8...
:)
Overall? Same as Zonk, I'd say: 2/5
This game could have been so much fun. When I played it at last year's E3, the action seemed nailed down, the weapons (and more importantly, the feel of combat) was also fun. Pretty sad to finally play the game and find that so many things have gone wrong.
Story and Narrative - well it just plain stinks. The narrative and story doesn't make much sense, and the way the game is setup there is no continuity. Here is how the game plays: watch narrative... read still screen giving you mission objectives (boring and kills the "immersiveness" factor)... play through level... beat boss. Repeat. With every mission you start with the same weapon: your trusty machine gun, at 300 ammo. I guess you really don't need that really nifty plasma rifle you picked up on the last mission huh? Again, that just further kills any kind of continuity and flow this game had.
The boss battles are basically a practice in frustration. Their attacks are usually high-damage types that make you fall over in a lengthy animation. Then you get up. However in the meantime you've got another boss attack coming down at you. Expect this to be repeated quite a few times. Once you are able to get up, there's another problem: the pretty smoke. I have to say, this game has got some really nice graphics, and one of the best explosions/smoke effects yet. However the problem is that it totally obscures your vision and does not fade out fast enough. In the meantime, the enemy/boss/ai can totally see you. Again, not fun.
The tech in this game is great. But the design just falls flat on its face. It's not all bad however. The actual playthrough of a level is usually pretty fun. But expect to turn that amount of fun you had into an equal amount of frustration when you get into that boss fight. I really, really wanted to like this game. Heck, I spent $60. I *should* be liking this game.
Honestly I'd stop playing at mission 5 if it weren't for achievement points.
Aside from obssessing over videogames, there isn't much else worth doing in life except getting high and having sex, and you still have time to do those last two: the world isn't going to go completely to hell for another few decades.
Zonk Sucks!!!
I rented the game and (mostly - I didn't replay any of the difficulties or find all the coins) finished it over the 5-day rental period. It was a lot of fun. I wouldn't have regretted buying it, though I'm rather glad I decided to just rent it instead.
The gameplay is a lot of fun. The action is really fast and hectic, more so than Gears of War (though Gears is an overall better game). The AI isn't particularly great, but I don't think I'd want to face off against the huge mobs in Lost Planet if they were any brighter. Besides the fast twitch action against grunts, some strategy is required for larger enemies - there's no way you can face down a mech or giant worm while on foot without the proper weapons or planning. The boss battles are absolutely incredible. Nobody, NOBODY does boss battles better than Capcom. Always difficult and always varied, each boss requires very different tactics to take down. The bosses aren't just puzzle bosses, either. While they invariably require shooting specific parts, both that knowledge AND great twitch skills are required.
The controls are also great. I'm not a fan of the default floating aim, but there are tons of different configuration options. There are enough different options that most people will find one that suits them. I personally set it on Fixed 6 with button layout B, with aiming assist turned off. The on-foot movement can take a bit of getting used to, since Wayne actually runs in the direction of the analog stick as opposed to strafing. This can get a bit odd when running backwards and moving the stick a little to the left or right, which causes Wayne to switch weapon sides. Still, it isn't a bad movement scheme, just different than the usual third-person shooter. In some ways, I prefer it - running in any direction is equally fast, no matter which way the camera is aimed. Mechs are slower and control a little clunkier, but they're supposed to be like that - they're large walking tanks. Each mech has very unique handling, as well. There are enough mechs scattered throughout the levels to provide a wide range of choices in control, weapons, and special abilities. A couple sequences do force you to use specific mechs, however.
The graphics are absolutely stunning. The levels and characters lack the detail found in Gears of War, but Lost Planet's levels are much larger and there are absolute hordes of enemies onscreen. There's some slowdown, but it only happens in rare (and very insane) circumstances. The designs for the Akrid and the mechs are very nice. I'm not a fan of the odd mixture of realism and anime found in the character designs, but they aren't horrible either.
The sound is hit-and-miss. The weapon sounds are nothing special, but they get the job done. The voice acting isn't Resident Evil level garbage, but it isn't very good - much of it is overacted and oddly emphasized. Enemy yells are similarly overacted (and repeat far too much). The Akrid sounds are fairly nice, and the glass shattering sound made when you hit a weak point is particularly satisfying.
The music reminds me a lot of Metal Gear Solid 2. There's a strong main theme and some tension-producing tracks in-game, but a great deal of the game is played music-free. It's okay, but nothing really great. I wouldn't buy the soundtrack, but the music certainly didn't get in the way of anything.
Lost Planet does have some major flaws. The plot starts off fairly strong but quickly wanders off into incomprehensible pointlessness. It feels like half the cutscenes are missing. Character personalities are never truly developed, only inferred.But I don't play games for plot, and Lost Planet has fun enough gameplay to more than make up for it. Unfortunately, that gameplay comes to an end fairly quickly. It only took me 8 hours to finish all 11 missions on the normal difficulty. An attempt at replay value has been made with the inclusion of hidden achievement-related coins scattered throughout each level and difficulty, but I didn't bother looking for them. The levels
I'm also working my way through Lost Planet (on the last level). I'm doing research on various 1st and third person shooters for a title I'm scheduled to work on. So I've already got a summary of the game ready.
;)
The Premise: "Been there, done that" plot of a amnesiac mech pilot, a "perky" female sidekick, and a nerdy kid who's good with tech, all fighting against the evil corporate empire that's out to destroy the world. Think Smilebit's GunValkyrie meets Syphon Filter in Antarctica.
The Good:
Overall solid graphics engine. While art style isn't anything I haven't seen before,the number of units/geometry that they fit onscreen coupled with top notch special effects is impressive.
More weapons than you can shake a stick at. Various lasers, machine guns, rifles, rockets, shotguns, and a host of mechs (and mech weaponry) round out your arsenal. Major props to the Grapple Anchor, which provides the player with some travel versatility when a mech is not available. Additionally, some of the humanoid mechs transform into different shapes, like a drill or snowmobile.
Almost everything is destructible, which makes combat a pleasure. It's quite a surprise to play hide n' seek behind some cover, only to have units blow your cover away.
The warmth counter and (as mentioned above) the save points are innovative.
The Akrid. They put the "A" in alien. The first time you walk into a room a face what looks like hundreds of flying worm creatures is quite intimidating, and proceeding to the blast them all of the sky is satifying. Then the angry mom shows up.
The Bad:
Extremely sluggish controls. I found myself disliking this game not for the difficulty of some of the fights, but that I didn't feel it had anything to do with the AI itself. I was simply unable to move fast or respond quickly enough. When you're knocked down or stunned, you often gain control of character just in time to get knocked down again by the same enemy.
The AI is practically non-existent. (probably to accommodate for the absurd number of objects on screen) As mentioned above, the enemy just stands in place. Often, this means you can just make a run from one side of the level to the other by just running, without having to combat a single enemy. (since they are so slow to react.)
Unintuive button controls. That !@#$'n 'B' Button. If you run to a mech, one of two things happens. By pressing the same button, you either a)jump in the mech, or b)remove a mech weapon. Depending on timing/location, this could change, sometimes resulting in unintentional death.
Also, the B button controls mech weapon pick up, but location on the mech is inconsistent. You may wind up dropping a weapon unintentionally, which in some battles again results in unintentioned fragging.
Inconsistent level of difficulty - I was stumped by a mid level boss (the green eye) for over 45 minutes of play. I then played 3 bosses in a row that were a cakewalk. One particular hyped up boss took under 30 seconds to kill. Difficulty seems to depend less on skill or pattern recognition, and more on what sort of weapon you happen to bring to the party.
It's hard to differeniate the various power-ups from each other, especially if you're in a mech.
Overall: Gamerankings 7.9 is probably accurate. The Single Campaign does not live up to the hype. The insipid plot, the generic characters, and the cantankerous controls all push me away. I haven't played the Multiplayer yet, but I hear it's good. Yet another example in a long chain of high-production value title that doesn't have enough filling once you bite into it. A rental if you don't play online.
Wow, guess I'm outnumbered but I'm enjoying Lost Planet more than GoW at the moment. I was just so tired of the dark, brown, enclosed world of gow, that a white, blue, open world of LP was a nice change. And I laugh when i see people talking about how bad the storyline is. Sure, its pretty cheesy, but good lord GoW's script was just plain awful. I'm not complaining mind you, I just hope the people say the same thing about GoW though.
When you're firing your gun there is some level of auto aiming, at least at the level I'm playing. I guess you could call it cheap and makes it too easy but I enjoy it. I'll admit i'm a bit spastic with the controller on a console FPS, so i enjoy the change. Also the fact that mechs are all over the place, you really get a different game experience from it. Whereas GoW, you're always pressing A to hide behind the next whatchamacallit.
I'm not far along at all, so maybe it'll get to me after awhile. The mission 3 boss took me for freakin' ever. Lots of swearing and things being thrown later, I beat her, and what can i say, I felt a level of satisfaction i haven't felt from a game in awhile.
I do admit the knocking down and getting back up thing can be really frustrating. Especially when the same boss has beaten you for 30 minutes straight and you just want a goddamn chance to win. But when its just here or there, I enjoy the realism of it. Somethings rising, you get knocked down, it takes awhile to get back up. Fair enough, thats the game play.
Also read someone else mention the "pretty smoke." Wow... I think the explosions in this game are the best looking graphics i've seen on a console yet. Personally I enjoyed being surrounded by the smoke of a boss's rocket having no clue which way is up, until I run out of it.
Meh, obviously its not for everyone. It does surprise me though that its getting canned on slashdot, I thought it was decent. I guess I'm an idiot. In summary if you're an idiot too, give the game a shot, I, your fellow idiot, enjoyed it.
- White Knight of the Order of Mihoshi Enthusiasts
Where's the multiplayer review? That's a whole different game.
I just got done with level 4 last night, the game is awesome. The game play IMO is better than Gears of War becuase it is more varied, and the enemies are a lot more varied. Gears looks beautiful, but the game play was a lot of the same thing. I just love mechs, and this game does them justice, they are simply awesome to control and fight agaist. Some of them transform into other things which kicks it up a notch.
The major flaw, and only flaw I have seen thus far, is the voice acting and story, man is it bad, the characters and animation are beautiful, but the dialog is just terrible. Who the hell plays this game for the story and dialog though? This is the only reason this game doesn't get 5/5 from me.
I give it 4/5.
The worst part about 360 games are all the trailers etc for the movies(sometimes constructed from cut scenes). They are all very pretty including the ones for Lost Planet, but they make promises the games can't keep because the actual gameplay can never be so cinematic.
Of course I have gotten used to that now so that I don't get tricked anymore.
Look at Bioshock. Looks real cool but I think the gameplay looked a bit boring from the preview.
Games that deserve a 2/5 do not sell over a million copies. This wonder reviewer sidesteps the embarrassment of not liking Dead Rising by providing a very brief and unsubstantiated opinion. X-Play, a far more believably neutral review outlet, gave Lost Planet a 4/5, denying it one point for what was admitted to be minor control quibbles!
Chief, a story on Slashdot isn't going to suddenly make the PS3 a success or the 360 a failure, leastwise when the targets of attack are two of the best games in years, conspicuously on the same platform. And shame on Slashdot for treating this rubbish as webpage worthy.
Yeah, I can imagine a second-person shooter wouldn't be nearly so much fun. I mean, who wants to play from the viewpoint of the hapless minion, watching the protagonist mow down your foot-bound colleagues all around you with his awesome mech suit?
Why would anyone engrave "Elbereth"?
Why is it that the people who are incapable of enjoying video games always write reviews for them?