Xbox Hardware & Games

Video: 5
Sound: 3
Gameplay: 5

Games don't have to make sense to be a lot of fun. That is the most important thing to keep in mind when you load up Lost Planet, Capcom's new action shooter with a winter-wonderland theme. First, kudos to Capcom for actually releasing this game during the winter, as most gamers probably hate playing snowboarding games in July.

The setting in this futuristic dystopia is Denver International Airport. OK, seriously, it is a far-off planet covered in ice. Mankind has seemingly ruined the Earth (as we always do in games), and humanity takes to the stars in search of a new world. There must not have been much to choose from because humans settled E.D.N. III, which could also be called Planet Snowball. The dumb humans were too interested in setting up the ski resort to realize that there were already aliens who called it home. The result is basically a Starship Troopers―style showdown in the white powder.

This is the first of the "doesn't make much sense" aspects of this game. Giant worms that you'd expect in Dune are present along with other cold-loving insects, which, as luck would have it, just happen to be a heat source that the humans can use. Apparently, biology on this world has had a strange evolution. But, on the plus side, our genocide of another race is for good reason—namely, mankind's survival. And thus begins the single-player campaign.

The plot meanders a bit, and it becomes about as predictable as most bad movies based on a video game. Still, Lost Planet manages to make it fun, in part because the action is fast paced with little time spent cooling down. The 11 missions are a tad on the short side, and hard-core gamers can wrap this up in under 10 hours. However, because you spend so much time trying to find energy before you freeze to death, Lost Planet has an added element of urgency that makes these missions feel even more intense.

The game doesn't have to end at that point, either. The online multiplayer version adds quite a bit. The unique settings—and the use of the game's armored mechs—make Lost Planet feel quite fresh. An online tracking system will also let players move up the ranks in a way similar to Battlefield 2 or Battlefield 2142, so the diehards will likely come back time and time again to climb the leader boards.

The weather outside is frightful through most of this game, and, while it might seem that you'd get a little snow-blinded by the sheer amount of whiteness, this is never the case. Much of the game takes place inside and out of the snow, and this provides some nice variation. Whether you're underground or on the surface, the landscapes are quite impressive, not that you have much time to take in the scenery.

The game's graphics, which support 720p, 1080i, and 1080p resolutions (despite the fact that the current version of the Xbox 360 doesn't in fact have a way of presenting 1080p on anything but component), are well done and manage to hold up from beginning to end. This game was clearly designed with HD in mind. Although so much vast openness could look flat and sterile, this is never a problem, especially as the visual effects, including destructible environments, offer a lot of nice visuals.

The sound isn't quite as impressive, sadly. This isn't to say that the in-game Dolby Digital soundtrack is lacking, but creating the sound of winter just isn't as simple as creating those summertime sounds. There is a lack of ambient noise, and even the crunching of feet in the snow just misses that special sound you'd expect. The music isn't uninspired, but Lost Planet's audio team shouldn't be looking forward to any Grammy nominations this time next year, either. The weapons effects also sound good but lack the extra punch, almost as if the earmuffs you're wearing to fend off the cold have muted things just enough. None of this hurts the game, but it does detract just enough that it is noticeable.

Overall, being on a frozen planet isn't this reviewer's idea of paradise. Why mankind chose to go skiing instead of surfing, I don't know. But, as far as being unique, a snowball fight in the stars is a welcome change, and blasting ice pirates and snow worms isn't a bad way to spend a winter weekend.

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