Lost Planet Colonies is the latest addition to the Xbox 360 Classic range, usually this just means that the game has been given new packaging and a new price range, however Colonies also manages to pack in some new content.
For those of you new the game, Lost Planet is set on the planet EDN III. This iceball of a planet was first sought to be the new earth, with the terraformers looking to use the planet and make it home. However they soon found out that they were not alone on the planet, and when the inhabitants know as the Akrids discover these new visitors they are not best pleased. Thankfully the invention of Vital Suits (VS), means that the battle has turned in favour of the terraformers, which of course is good for you. In the game you play as Wayne, who is found frozen in his VS, the only thing he remembers is the death of his father at the hand of a gigantic Akrid called Green Eye. It’s up to you to control giant VS units, destroying the Akrid threat and also taking down the Pirates (who are up to no good), at the same time.
While controlling huge VS and trying to destroy everything in your path taking, you must also have to keep an eye on your Thermal Energy (T-ENG). This keeps you alive in the frozen wastes, as you play the T-ENG it is constantly depleting, recovering this you requires you to destroy energy dumps or even the Akrid themselves, who hold small amounts on their body.
The single player campaign is enjoyable, there are a few slow levels included and the final level does not really sit with the rest of the game, difficulty gets progressively harder and the new weapons and VS become available as you play through. The story with all of its twists and turns is very enjoyable to be part of.
New additions to the game include Trail Battle mode where you play through the game bosses, and depending how well you do you get awarded with better weapons, Score Attack, where everything you can destroy is worth points and gains you combos, and finally Unlimited Mode, where you have greater firepower and speed.
Online is where most of the new changes have occurred, there are a few new weapons to play with including the cool Hand Cannon which is like a hand held rocket launcher, the Flame Thrower, perfect for crowd control and the Revolver which allows for some swift and skilful kills.
There are also a few extra online maps available, bringing the total to 20, which range from an epic space platform battle to mountain ranges. Each map is well designed and allow for a good mix of confined areas and open areas to maximise your VS and also sniper opportunities. Over each map there are plenty of modes to choose from. The Team Battles include Team Elimination, where you battle it out, Red vs Blue until the Battle Gauge or time runs out. Point Snatcher which allocates points for each kill, the most points at the end wins, VS Annihilator, here one player of each team will control a VS suit and it’s up the rest of the team to protect their own and take out the oppositions VS. Post Grab has teams search and activate Data Posts as fast as possible, the most wins. Counter Grab makes you capture and protect a Data Post for a set time, whoever holds the post at game over wins. Akrid Egg Battle is like a capture the flag and Egg Bandit where each team has to steal and hold onto the egg for as long as possible. Lost Planet is mainly a team affair but individual games include the obligatory Elimination death match and a solo version of Egg Bandit.
There are also two rather cool Hunter Battles, these are Fugitive, where one of the groups will have to hunt out and eliminate the fugitives (up to four players), who are only equipped with a handgun and grenades have to stay alive. The best addition however is the Akrid Hunter, this is a battle between the Akrid and Hunters (obvious maybe, but hey).
Whilst there are only initially a few player models to choose from more are available as you rank up. The inclusion of the Akrid on some of the game modes is a great addition and really changes the pace. You are able to play as a Chryatis, a large four legged creature that is able to swipe its claws, bite and fire projectiles, as well as the Dongo which is a crab like creature that can roll attack and jaw attack. Finally you can also play the scorpion like Neegal who has body ram and swipe attacks.
Online has the same pros and cons as single player, the amount of weapons and VS units available is great but the speed of aiming is infuriating. I have also noticed that a majority of the people online are from Japan or America, making for a few lag issues which I am sure will sort itself out with some more local games. The other problem is that these guys and gals have had the game for a while now, their ranks are really high and they know the levels like the back of their hands, making taking them out really hard and in fact, spoiling the game somewhat. In fact it took me ages just to get one kill.
The obvious question is if you own the original, is this game worth it? Well, there are all new achievements, but they are aimed more at the online aspect, in fact this new version only really updates online mode, why this has not been done via an update on Live I do not know, please also be aware that this version is not compatible with the original Lost Planet, so you can only play against people with this disc and also Windows Live players. If you own the original and enjoy online enough warranting spending out again then give it a go, otherwise it’s the same game really. To those new to the title, Lost Planet: Colonies is enjoyable game and the new price and extras means it’s worth it.
