Lost Planet: Extreme Condition – PC

The latest title from Capcom is proving a hit on the Xbox 360. With stunning graphics, an anime storyline and characters as well as robust multiplayer, it scores well on all fronts. Now it has been ported to the PC, although somewhat less successfully. Nevertheless it stands up well, delivering the same elements that secured its success on the new platform. Steam powered, it serves as a nice addition to the new DirectX 10 repertoire, though older DirectX 9 systems can still play it.The story of Lost Planet is somewhat anime in style. You play as Wayne, the amnesiac son of a lost father who fights to get revenge and then later for the sake of the planet on EDN 3, the newest Earth colony planet. Wayne is a spiky haired dark hero, one of the newest colonists equipped with the VS (Vital Suit) technology that allows him to survive the gruelling frozen wastes of the planet and fight its natural inhabitants, the Akrid. The Akrid fought off the first colonists, and forced humanity to abandon the planet, but when it was discovered that the Akrid contained within their bodies a virulent new power source, mankind returned, fighting with mechs and specialized forces against the insectoid foe.During the course of the game the player forms new stormy relations along with uncovering the secrets of his father’s demise, and engages in epic battles that shape the future of man kind’s expansion. The sheer number and size of bosses, along with the stormy relationships and tragic family histories is what definitely sets this title into the realm of Japanese/Korean animation, and the fact that the lead player is modelled after notable South Korean actor Lee Byung-Hun only reinforces this.Predominantly a third person FPS, Lost Planet features stunning graphics and an excellent atmosphere. Each level is fairly linear but generally culminates with some pretty epic boss battles, in true anime style. This can get a little repetitive but is enjoyable nevertheless, as apart from standard armaments like assault rifles and grenades the player can also drive the VS suits, which are mech-like walkers. On top of this some of these mechs can transform into other vehicles, and players can remove the gigantic weapons from vehicles and walk around firing them from the hip. Improbable? Yes, but nevertheless pretty badass.  It’s unfortunate that the Xbox Live achievements couldn’t have been ported over into Windows Live. On top of that the game feels a bit sluggish and clunky, symptomatic of the move from controller to mouse. Somewhat destructible buildings, deformable snow and copious combat decals further improve the enjoyment of combat.Lost Planet is a good fun game, if you have got the system to play it. The PC version is definitely inferior to the Xbox 360 version, so if you have a choice, go for the latter but otherwise it is definitely worth playing. Truly epic battles, an engaging if not stellar storyline and interesting game play dynamics keep the game interesting all the way through, so if you crave for a top shelf game in anime styles then Lost Planet is definitely for you.