Lost Planet Starring Wayne, Luka, and Yuri

What Makes Lost Planet Special

Lost Planet: Extreme Condition has received mixed reviews ever since its release. The most common grade being a C +, with the highest being an 8/10. This seems unfair for a newly created idea made by Keiji Inafune, Capcom’s famous creator of Mega Man and the Dead Rising series. Inafune thought the interesting game play with the enhanced idea of having thermal energy to keep the characters Wayne, Luka, and the gang alive was a good idea. It may not be the biggest break through in gaming but it makes it a diamond in the rough.

A Plot That Makes You Think

Lost Planet’s plot is an odd one that hasn’t stuck to Capcom fans in a positive way. The game is based on the fictional planet of E.D.N II, which has a brutally harsh climate and atmosphere that makes it not suitable for humans. It has extreme weather conditions, hence the title of the game, and is almost completely covered in snow and ice. In the year TC 80, Earth’s own conditions made it unsuitable for humans to live on. Earth has too much pollution, global warming, and a brutal war. Humans found that E.D.N II was suitable living ground, and after finding out the alien inhabitants have thermal energy, humans could use to keep warm and survive. The alien life forms, known as the Akrid are extremely hostile, and a mega corporation known as NEVEC wants to eliminate them all, including surviving humans, and colonize the planet like Earth.

The main character Wayne wants to create his own colonization efforts while keeping the remainder of humans alive. Sure, the plot can be considered corny, especially when the game starts out on a whim and shows Wayne’s dad die in the first ten minutes. For a new idea, the game does have some deep concepts, such as how eventually our Earth will be plagued by warming and pollution all because of our race.

The New Type of Game Play

While it is an action type shooter, Lost Planet adds some impressive new techniques that have not been seen in a single packaged game. While taking some elements from Capcom’s other series, Bionic Commando, Wayne and the other soldiers can use a grappling hook to get across rocky terrain and up onto steel boxes. The game also has mechs, which are very prominent in Japanese video games. The mechs in this game are somewhat more interesting than the common cliche, as some can jump into the air at high speeds. Others can use two gatling guns and rockets while using dodging maneuvers from the Akrid. Wayne has a variety of weapons including the standard machine gun, rockets, and plasma grenades which have never been introduced in a game before.

Will There Be More?

This game has received a bad rap from professional reviews, that many gamers have decided to turn away from it. It is not the best game ever, and the Lost Planet characters, especially Luka are Japanese stereotypes that can be dismissed. Taking that into account, the game itself offers some awesome new combat styles and is also simple to get the hang of. Here’s hoping the franchise doesn’t come to an end and gets better as the years go by.