Lost Planet: Extreme Condition

Lost Planet: Extreme Condition is a third-person shooter video game created by Capcom for the Xbox 360 and Microsoft Windows. A PS3 version was released on February 26, 2008. The game was produced by Keiji Inafune, the creator of the Mega Man and Onimusha series.

The game utilizes both vital suit (also known as VS, which is like a mecha or robotic armour) piloting and on-foot exploration and features Korean actor Lee Byung-Hun as the model for the main character, Wayne. Lost Planet was released on January 12, 2007, in North America and PAL regions. Lost Planet: Trag Zero, a prequel which focuses on the character of Gale, Wayne's father, has been released on cell phones.

Lost Planet: Extreme Condition was released on Windows in June in Europe and North America. The Windows version includes DirectX 10 support, when run in Windows Vista, and enhanced graphics. A demo for the Windows version was released on May 15, 2007, which was the first playable game to showcase DirectX 10.

On 17 October 2007, Capcom announced a PlayStation 3 version, including all 360 downloadable content and PC bonus characters,it was released on February 29, 2008. The game offers 16 player online play.

Background

Lost Planet takes place in a dystopian future (the year is given as T.C. -80) where planetary conditions on Earth have become too hostile to support human life. A scientific enterprise known as Neo-Venus Construction (NEVEC), led by Commander Dennis Isenberg, spearheads a colonization effort, ultimately choosing the planet of E.D.N III. E.D.N. III is perpetually cold and snowy, originally inhabited by a species of aliens known as the Akrid, who forced humanity to abandon E.D.N. III by strength of numbers and surprise. Initially, the Akrid deterred humans from colonization, but this changed when T-ENG was discovered. Thermal Energy, or T-ENG, is a powerful energy source, found only in Akrid bodies, which made humankind determined to fight the Akrid, for which purpose NEVEC created the Vital Suit, or VS, technology, essentially mechs powered by T-ENG, carrying mounted weapons.

Plot

The game's plot focuses on the amnesiac character Wayne Holden, his father, Gale Holden, and the past and future of E.D.N. III. After a particularly vicious battle against a large Akrid creature known only as "Green Eye", Gale is killed, and Wayne is lost on the icy plains of E.D.N. III. Wayne is found on the snow plains by a small band of snow pirates, colonists left behind after the evacuation. The band consists of the cool-headed leader, Yuri Solotov, the wiz-kid Rick and his sister Luka. References from Rick suggests that the gang may have been larger at one point, but because of an attack by a rival gang, Crimson Unity, they are all that's left. From the beginning, attention is put into a device implanted in Wayne's arm. Called the Harmonizer, this device feeds from Wayne's T-ENG reserve, and uses this energy to heal his wounds. The game starts off with the gang suiting up for the trek through the mountains leading to the dome where Wayne last saw Green Eye. Wayne soon discovers that Yuri is collaborating with NEVEC. Although Wayne initially agrees to keep this secret from Luka and Rick, Yuri ultimately leaves the party, pledging his loyalty to Isenberg and his mysterious "Frontier Project." As Wayne, Luka, and Rick continue on their journey, they meet a woman named Basil, who has VS piloting skills and an arm-mounted device similar to Wayne’s Harmonizer. She's looking for Yuri, who she blames for the death of her husband. She reveals to Wayne that 30 years have passed since Gale's death; the Harmonizer technology slows the aging process. Shortly afterwards they find Gale's VS, described by Rick as possibly the most advanced VS ever produced, and use it to defeat Green Eye. After the battle, they are surprised by a NEVEC patrol led by Isenberg's second-in-command, Shane Bandero, who also has a Harmonizer-like device though far more crude. His appearance triggers Wayne's memory, making him realize it was not Green Eye who killed Gale, but it was Bandero who made his soldiers kill him. After a short battle between Wayne and Bandero's VS's, Wayne is forced to retreat on Luka's scooter. They leave the dome to discover that their trailer has been destroyed and Rick captured by NEVEC troops. To compensate for their losses, and continue hitting NEVEC, they resort to guerilla-tactics, hitting NEVEC convoys and the like. After one of their raids, they discover Rick and Basil in a small shelter. Rick was actually attacked by NEVEC, but Basil rescued him and helped him though the year following his separation from Wayne and Luka. Now big events are afoot. By capturing a NEVEC soldier named Joe, and negotiating with him, they learn more about NEVEC's Frontier Project, a terraforming operation to make E.D.N. III habitable by humans without the aid of T-ENG. At first, it seems harmless enough, though the truth is far from benign.

The Frontier Project will not only wipe out the entire Akrid race, but will also kill any human beings left on the surface of the planet. The Frontier Project was to use a nearby volcano's T-ENG to warm up the entire planet, and NEVEC forces were supposed to go to the orbital elevator which would protect them from the energy of the system while they hibernated. Wayne battles Bandero a final time, and after killing him, he reclaims Gale's VS. The Rick and Luka find Yuri, who has been imprisoned and tortured by NEVEC for "sniffing around too much", and they call for Wayne who rushes to the scene. Before succumbing to his injuries, Yuri then hands Wayne an attachment to his Harmonizer, allowing him to realize the true power of Gale's VS. Their plan to take down the Orbital Elevator goes into action. Basil sacrifices herself to hold off NEVEC troops, while Joe plants high-powered charges to take out the Elevator itself. At this point, Wayne is seen installing his Harmonizer's attachment, which causes great transformations in his VS that, amongst other things, allow it to fly, and use dual energy swords. Wayne then flies up the elevator and battles Isenberg in the skies around the Elevator. Isenberg's VS is also top-of-the-line, second only to Gale's. After Isenberg is defeated by Wayne, Wayne's memories are erased again by the attachment.

A year later, Luka is seen driving through a snow field on her scooter. She drops a small device which attracts several specialized data posts from the trailer. The data posts were developed by Luka and Rick after analyzing the data Yuri researched. The devices start and the snow in the area melts, revealing dry, warm ground with grass on it. While Luka is thinking about Wayne, he suddenly appears, surprised by the grass and dirt. Wayne has lost his memories, but survived, and Luka introduces herself to him once again.

Combat System

Most of the game revolves around combat. Wayne can use a variety of weapons, like machine guns, shotguns, and rocket launchers, but can also pilot an assortment of robot suits (mechs), called Vital Suits (VSs). When on foot, Wayne also has the ability to remove heavy weaponry from these vital suits for upgraded firepower.

Wayne can carry a maximum of two weapons at once, allowing the player to prepare for the challenge ahead. Weaponry is used primarily to combat the planet's native species, the Akrid, but some levels require their use against rival snow pirates and mechs.

In both the single-player and multiplayer game modes, there is a "T-Eng" (Thermal Energy) meter below the character's health. This counter goes down continually in the cold, and can be refilled by collecting pools of glowing orange "heat" that drop from dead enemies, activating data posts, or from other heat sources found in the environment, such as explosive barrels. The T-Eng is used to refill Wayne's health in the single-player mode, and is also used to power energy weapons such as plasma rifles and energy weapons.

Network Support

The game has multiplayer support on Xbox Live and Playstation Network with up to 16 players online in a single game. Players can compete through four game types; Fugitive, Elimination, Team Elimination, and Post Grab. Killing enemies, destroying VS, and hacking data posts will add to the players score while getting killed and committing suicide will take away points. The point total at the end of the game will be added to the player's overall score across all of their games. This score will be used to determine the player's level. The highest level is 99. Players can unlock new character models and patterns. There are eight (nine in SE version) multiplayer maps: Crimson River, Dark Town, Diplidation, Training Facility, Canyon 810, Lost Coast, Pirate Fortress, and Frozen Wasteland. There are also several downloadable maps that you can get off of the Marketplace. These include Battlegrounds, Island 902, Ice Drop, and Radar Field. The downloadable maps from the Xbox version of the game already came included later in the Playstation 3 version.

The weapon variety in Lost Planet becomes obvious when playing in multiplayer matches; the game features 5 varieties of grenade, 15 distinct weapons (7 of which are dual-function in that they can be carried by infantry or attached to a mech), and 6 mechs ranging from transforming tanks to jump-jet walkers. Weapon placements are randomized for each match, as are a player's grenades upon spawning. The five grenades include a regular hand grenade, a disk grenade which flies in 1 direction, a gum grenade which you can attach to people, a plasma grenade which freezes your enemies, and a dummy grenade which is a balloon version of an infantry that moves forward in one direction and blows up on contact with a bullet or a player.

On March 2, 2007, Capcom released the first gameplay patch for Lost Planet's multiplayer modes. The patch includes fixes that allow players to easier discern the nationality of their fellow players, to tell who is speaking during matchmaking and gameplay with an added "speaking" icon, as well as a connection speed/strength indicator. This speaking symbol is also added in the results screen at the end of the match. It also contains a number of bugfixes geared to prevent major glitches and exploits during online play. However a few people have not been able to enter a match, due to the host quitting the match. This problem has been linked to the NAT settings on a player's router, and can be rectified by making sure the NAT setting is OPEN. This can be determined through the network setting's diagnostics test from the 360 dashboard.

Downloadable Content

Capcom has announced that they intend to release three sets of map packs for 400 Microsoft Points each. The first set included Radar Field and Island 902 and it was released on March 9, 2007. The second map pack was released on April 6, 2007 and includes Hive Complex and Trial Point.

It has been announced that Hive Complex, Trial Point, Radar Field and Island 902 will be available free on Xbox Live Marketplace on July 20th along with extra content for PC and a new patch addressing connectivity.

The third map pack featured three new maps on June 21, 2007 and included "Ice Drop", based on a glacier, "Ruins", based in a jungle, and "Lost Technology", described as "a throw-back to the good ol’ days of pixelated 8-bit gaming."

Additionally, Battleground, a map which was only available in the limited edition version of the game, was released for free download on June 7. On August 16, 2007 the third map pack became available free on Xbox Live Marketplace.

Feature Film

In July it was announced that Metal Gear Solid star David Hayter was in talks with Warner Bros. to write and direct a film based on Lost Planet. On July 15 2008 at the 2008 E3 Expo Capcom announced their partnership with Warner Brothers to make the film based on this game.

No actors or directors or stuntmen have been recruited to the project yet. The film remains in the very early stages of its development. Writer David Hayter (Watchmen, X2) and father and son producers Avi and Ari Arad (The Incredible Hulk and Iron Man) have been tapped for the film.