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>> Bugged out

by ERIK LEIJON

I feel like I’m being personally slighted when Capcom’s newest online-centric action shooter, Lost Planet: Extreme Condition (X360/Capcom, Capcom) takes place on a desolate and snowbound world. The idea was to play the game in my warm house with a cup of cocoa in order to avoid winter, not experience it digitally. Capcom’s 360 title is a somewhat fun, although slightly hollow experience beyond all the explosions and bug carcasses.

The problem stems largely from the loose and crazy action, which is coming at you from all ends. The control scheme is very simple, and the enemy AI is pretty feeble on the default difficulty. It’s a third-person shooter, where the hero is controlled by the left analog stick and aims with the right stick. You can also pilot various mechs (called Vital Suits), which control the same as on foot. Naturally, the best moments are when you get to use the VSs, since the bugs are much bigger and the explosions cover the screen. It’s when you fight other humans in a horribly simplified version of a tactical shooter that Lost Planet loses momentum.

The problem with the controls is that the protagonist moves very slowly, especially the camera for his firing reticle. Sometimes huge bugs will be jumping all over the screen, and he won’t be fast enough to react. There are also far too many cheap hits due to the massive amount of enemies on the screen at one time. Because Wayne stutter-steps when there’s a big explosion nearby, he can’t get up fast enough to fight off the hordes of evil bugs.

The single-player consists of 11 short missions that would be insanely tough if not for the ability to re-animate just before the place where you were killed. Some parts of the single-player take a few tries to beat, only because it’s essential to know where the bugs are coming from. The game takes place on a recently colonized planet that’s infested with a bug species called the Akrid, whose backsides are rich in thermal energy.

Offline is a short-lived venture, but Lost Planet was meant to be enjoyed in the huge, 16-person multiplayer battles. Online won’t blow you away either, and pales in comparison to what Gears of War and the upcoming Crackdown have to offer. It seems as though co-op is the latest must-have, and the death-match mentality of the multiplayer here is a letdown, even though the levels are rich and filled with hard-to-reach areas. If you try not to think about how cool it might have been to blast bugs with your best buddies, and accept the deathmatch online for what it is, Lost Planet is an above-satisfactory multiplayer game (the VSs are available online).

With big enemies, simple gameplay mechanics and a worry-free multiplayer, Lost Planet is intended to be a more old-school experience for the 360. There are some very frustrating quirks, but the action is relentless enough to warm up snowed-in gamers.

JADE AWAY

Alberta-based BioWare’s 2005 Xbox hit Jade Empire will finally be released on the PC later this month. Although Jade Empire: Special Edition (PC/2k, BioWare) is nearly identical to the martial arts RPG from two years ago (with a dash of Knights of the Old Republic thrown in), the PC version will have some new fighting styles and improved graphics.

The fighting system was slightly repetitive, but Jade Empire is still worth trying if you missed out on the original version.