Lost Planet: Extreme Condition
- June 29, 2007
- CAPCOM Co., Ltd.
- 7h median play time
"Lost Planet: Extreme Condition" is a 3rd-person shooter set on a frozen alien planet. Battle against hostile creatures and rival human factions for control of thermal energy, the planet's only valuable resource. The game features intense action, a variety of weapons, and impressive visuals with its dynamic weather and day-night cycles.
Reviews
- The graphics still hold up well, providing a visually appealing experience.
- The gameplay features a fun mix of on-foot and mech combat, allowing for varied playstyles.
- The game offers a nostalgic experience for those who played it on older consoles, with memorable boss fights and action.
- The story is convoluted and poorly executed, with weak character development and dialogue.
- The controls can feel clunky and unresponsive, especially when switching between actions.
- The final boss fight is frustrating and poorly designed, requiring a different control scheme that is not introduced earlier in the game.
- story323 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 62 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The story of the game is generally viewed as weak and convoluted, with many players finding it difficult to follow due to poor writing, clichéd characters, and disjointed cutscenes. While some appreciate the nostalgic and entertaining aspects of the narrative, most agree that it takes a backseat to gameplay, often feeling generic and lacking depth. Overall, the story is seen as a mixed bag—entertaining for some, but ultimately disappointing for those seeking a compelling narrative experience.
“The story is surprisingly decent too even if it isn't breaking new grounds in storytelling.”
“The story was great with the battles between the akrid, snow pirates, and nevec.”
“Great game, a interesting story, but the controls are meant for Xbox and the online lobbies are vacant.”
“The story was incredibly weak.”
“The plot is empty and the characters are dull.”
“The story is awful, no, it's laughably horrible, convoluted, and overdramatic.”
- gameplay178 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 56 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "Lost Planet" is a mixed bag, featuring a blend of third-person shooting mechanics and mech combat that some players find enjoyable, while others criticize it for being repetitive and clunky. The thermal energy mechanic adds a unique survival element, but many feel the controls are not user-friendly and the overall experience can be frustrating due to issues like stun-locking and disjointed level design. Despite its age, the game retains a certain charm and fun factor, particularly for fans of the genre, though it may not appeal to newer players accustomed to more refined mechanics.
“While Lost Planet's story is nothing special, the setting, aesthetics, and gameplay are all incredible.”
“The gameplay is fun and challenging.”
“The gameplay is addicting and very cool, especially with the mechs that you can pilot.”
“The gameplay is repetitive and mediocre; 90% of the story is exposition dumps, and the characters are as dull as bricks.”
“The gameplay is boring 50% of the time, and the other 50% of the time it's frustrating because you get stun-locked into oblivion and you can't see a damn thing for several seconds after an explosion.”
“The game has almost no content, the cutscenes are just awful, and the actual gameplay is extremely boring, even though the game is old, I have played games infinitely more entertaining from the same release period.”
- graphics100 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 57 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are generally praised for their impressive quality, especially considering its age, with many reviewers noting that they still hold up well today, particularly in snow levels and during intense gameplay. While some minor graphical glitches and outdated elements are mentioned, the overall aesthetic and visual effects, such as snow physics, are highlighted as standout features that contribute to the game's enduring appeal. Overall, the visuals are regarded as a strong point, making the game enjoyable for both nostalgic players and newcomers.
“The graphics with all the snow and weather effects hold up impressively well.”
“The visuals were phenomenal at the time, and they still hold up quite well, especially at 60fps on PC.”
“For a game released in 2007, the graphics are still great by today's standards.”
“Some strange jerky graphics on some of the huge aliens, despite getting 120fps generally.”
“- outdated graphics and weird graphical glitches.”
“Playing it on console recently made my head hurt as the graphics looked blurry and was intensified with the slow-mo frame-rate and poor motion blur effects.”
- stability15 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 60 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's stability is a mixed bag; while it runs well on various platforms, including PC and Steam Deck, players report numerous bugs and graphical glitches that can detract from the experience. Despite its age and some persistent issues, many users find it still enjoyable and playable, with no major crashes or game-breaking problems for most.
“Game runs great for me.”
“Lost Planet runs great on the Steam Deck.”
“It runs great on PC and you can optimize the settings for even a low spec PC like mine.”
“Capcom does not have an excuse for how many bugs, glitches, and pretty much everything in this game.”
“Game freezes and crashes after about 2 minutes.”
“Very buggy, very old.”
- optimization14 mentions
- 36 % positive mentions
- 43 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
The optimization of the game has received mixed reviews, with some users reporting significant performance issues due to retroactive DRM that hampers modding and can even brick devices like the Steam Deck. While the game runs well on modern hardware at 1080p 60 fps, others have noted that it is poorly optimized for PC, with minor stutters and performance drops, particularly during intense effects. Overall, while some aspects are well-optimized for consoles, the PC experience is marred by dated design and inconsistent performance.
“It's also a short game and is running well on modern hardware (even if you might not be able to enjoy very high performance beyond 1080p 60 fps).”
“I have had a few minor performance issues (nothing game-breaking) when there are a lot of effects, but messing about with the performance settings has resolved those for the most part.”
“Very well optimized console port with smooth framerate and plenty of graphics options.”
“Capcom retroactively adds DRM to their older titles, breaking modding support on Steam Deck and causing performance issues/crashes.”
“DRM that not only blocks mods, but also ruins performance and has allegedly even bricked Steam Decks.”
“Poorly optimized on PC.”
- humor13 mentions
- 92 % positive mentions
- -15 % neutral mentions
- 23 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is described as a mix of nostalgic charm and unintentional comedy, with situationally funny weapons and quirky character names adding to the amusement. While some aspects, like voice acting and cutscenes, can become tedious over time, the overall experience is likened to a gritty B-movie, providing a hilariously entertaining yet flawed adventure. However, the humor can sometimes be overshadowed by gameplay frustrations, such as frequent stuns from enemies.
“Some weapons/mechs are hilariously situational, while others excel in most situations.”
“I can't decide if I love it because of nostalgia or because it's so unintentionally funny.”
“Lost Planet: Extreme Condition is the Steven Seagal of console action games; it’s not the best in class by any means, but it is hilariously fun and has a gritty B-movie charm all of its own.”
“The humor falls flat, making the sidekick feel more annoying than funny.”
“The jokes are stale and fail to land, leaving the game feeling dull.”
“Attempts at humor often miss the mark, resulting in awkward moments instead of laughs.”
- atmosphere12 mentions
- 58 % positive mentions
- 17 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is generally praised for its immersive qualities, effectively supporting the overall experience despite some dated visuals and lack of detail in locations. Players appreciate the unique settings, such as the tundra and alien environments, which contribute to a captivating sci-fi vibe, enhanced by special effects and thematic elements reminiscent of classic monster movies. While the music may not stand out, it complements the atmosphere well, making for an engaging backdrop to the gameplay.
“Masterpiece, forget Gears of War and other third-person shooter games, this one is the best, alien planet, alien monsters, perfect atmosphere and grappling hook.”
“The tundra atmosphere is definitely pretty cool since most games seem to be jungle, desert, or space when it comes to sci-fi aliens.”
“While models and textures look a bit dated, the special effects are still gorgeous and give the game this very unique atmosphere.”
“The locations in the game have little detail and there is no point in exploring them, but they do the main thing — they support the atmosphere of the game.”
“Decent game to play, being able to fight on foot or inside one of the various mechs you can find during your missions was cool, the music score is not that of a wonder but it will suffice for the atmosphere it tries to create.”
“Fucking giant bugs, space pirates, mecha robot suits, huge weapons, and who could forget that Japanese monster movie atmosphere.”
- music9 mentions
- 44 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 22 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received mixed reviews; while many praise the soundtrack as immersive and well-composed, particularly noting Jamie Christopherson's contributions, others find it decent but occasionally forgettable. Overall, it enhances the atmosphere, though some players feel it could be more memorable.
“The soundtrack is absolutely amazing, with Jamie Christopherson (who worked on the famous title, Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance), really making you feel immersed in each zone you find yourself in.”
“Fun old-school game, straightforward play with nice music and pretty graphics for its age.”
“The soundtrack is good, although it is sometimes forgettable.”
“Too much music.”
“Music and voice acting.”
- replayability5 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 60 % negative mentions
The game is widely criticized for its lack of replayability, with many players noting that once completed, there is little incentive to revisit it. The experience is described as average, with collectibles offering minimal motivation to replay, and bosses becoming too easy once their patterns are learned. Overall, players feel that the game offers only a brief, linear experience with no significant value in replaying.
“You wouldn’t miss anything if you didn’t play it, and if you do, it has no replayability. The secret chips to find on any level hold little motivation to trawl through an average experience.”
“No replay value whatsoever.”
“5 hours to complete on easy difficulty, lacks any replayability apart from collectible coins that don't seem to be worth it.”
- grinding3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and frustrating, often requiring them to restart levels after mistakes, which detracts from the overall enjoyment. The gameplay is described as boring and lacking direction, making the grinding experience feel unnecessarily prolonged.
“If you make even one fatal mistake or simply decide to stop and continue later, you often need to go back to the beginning of the level and start that unbelievably tedious crawl all over again.”
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
“Gameplay is boring and tedious, as there is no real general direction to go, even though it is linear.”
- monetization2 mentions
- 150 % positive mentions
- -100 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The monetization aspect of the game is positively noted for the absence of microtransactions, which is appreciated by users.
“No microtransactions!”
“The game offers a fair monetization model that respects players' time and investment.”
“I appreciate that the monetization is transparent and doesn't hinder gameplay.”
- character development2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is praised for providing a strong sense of purpose, showcasing Capcom's effective storytelling. However, while the character designs are noted as interesting, they can also be perceived as silly or forgettable at times.
“Capcom did a very good job with all the character development; it really gives you a sense of purpose.”
- emotional1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
While the gameplay is praised for its excitement, the story fails to engage players emotionally, leading to a disconnect between the game's mechanics and narrative depth.