Gadgets and New Technologies

Lost Planet: Extreme Condition first came out on the Xbox 360 back in January 2007. In October of last year, Geek.com learned the title would be released on PlayStation 3. The third-person shooter sold about 1.5 million units on the 360, and it received generally favorable reviews. Read on to find out whether it’s worth buying again or for the first time on the PS3.

The first thing to address is Capcom’s continued exploitation of the PS3 hard drive. As was reported a few weeks ago, Capcom is forcing 20-minute hard drive installs on its latest titles. It certainly did not hurt the outstanding Devil May Cry 4, and knowing about it in advance, most people should be able to find something to do while the game installs. It’s basically still not an issue, but it’s worth mentioning because people seem to freak out no matter what.

The game is pretty much identical to the title I played on Xbox 360 about a year ago. Graphics and story are practically identical, if not completely identical. I’d say the PS3 version is slightly improved in most areas, but that’s just a guess. I’d need to see the game’s side-by-side to really tell the difference, so suffice it to say, there’s nothing glaringly different.

The PS3 version does include all 16 previously released multiplayer maps, including the DLC from Xbox Live, straight out of the box. The game also now includes new unlockable characters for single- and multiplayer mode, including Megaman and Frank West from Dead Rising.

The game’s multiplayer is the definite draw here, and since the game comes out today, it’s hard to say how big it’s going to be on the playstation Network. If a lot of people pick up the title, then it could fantastic. You’re getting a lot of action packed onto that disc.

The single player missions leave something to be desired, however. I didn’t particularly enjoy how ridiculously slow the character moves, for example. I understand that I’m walking through snow sometimes, but there’s not much improvement in speed when you are inside. This drives you to get in the special suits, in a way, but they’re fairly slow themselves.

Another aspect of Lost Planet that drove me crazy was that heat, the main motivating factor driving gameplay, is fundamentally flawed. Your suit loses heat constantly, and one of the only ways to recoup that heat is to kill bad guys. In sub-zero temperatures, I’ll accept that you would need to replenish your heat supply. However, the ticking energy meter should not drop to zero when you are in warm climes–and there are so many torches, you’d likely be sweating. It’s just very hard to believe that with such high tech futuristic weapons and suits that you couldn’t somehow conserve energy when it’s hot. But then again, I never understood why in Doom III I had to use either a gun or a flashlight.

If you aren’t annoyed by a slow-moving character or bothered by the heat issue, then you’ll find an enjoyable trigger-happy experience. You can use big guns to blow up essentially giant ice planet bugs. Think “Starship Troopers,” and you’ll have an idea of the scale of the baddies.

All told, Lost Planet: Extreme Condition is probably not worth re-purchasing, if you already own it on the Xbox 360. It may, however, be worth buying if you only have a PlayStation 3. It’s not a sure thing, so I’d suggest renting it first.

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