Originally released in January of 2007 on the Xbox 360, Lost Planet: Extreme Condition offered a fresh experience for gamers, hitting the market at the beginning of the year when respectable new video games are relatively scarce. The third-person shooter was a success despite a few odd design choices and was well received by most of those who played it. Over a year later, Capcom has released a PlayStation 3 version of the game, and while the heart and soul of the original experience remains intact, unresolved issues and unfortunate new ones keep the game from reaching the same critical heights that it did the first time around.

Lost Planet places the player in the shoes of Wayne Holden, a trained pilot and warrior tasked with battling a hostile bug-like race known as the Akrid. Through the utilization of a standard variety of machine guns, rifles, grenades, and rocket launchers, Wayne is guided through a large cold world, infested with these creatures. The entire planet is coated with a dense layer of snow and ice while harsh blizzards continually whip fresh snow through the air. In addition to a standard repertoire of handheld weapons, Wayne also has occasional access to large mech-like vehicles referred to as Vital Suits. The suits vary in design and capabilities, but generally provide substantial upgrades in terms of both offense and defense.

Combating the Akrid menace is still quite entertaining.

Wayne's story is told through the ample use of cutscenes between each of the games fourteen missions. Various characters and organizations are introduced early on, but the plot exposition is poor and lacking right from the beginning. Motives and allegiances go completely unexplained until later in the adventure and it is easy to get lost because of it. Lost Planet offers nothing more than mediocre storytelling due to confusing plot elements that are not adequately explained, and the introduction of too many ambiguous characters and organizations too early on.

While the narrative is mucked up by bad design choices and presentation, the gameplay itself has much more to enjoy despite a handful of its own flaws. Controlling Wayne is a bit unruly at first, especially when compared to standard control configuration for shooters. A few buttons are mapped in unusual places and manipulating the targeting reticule does not automatically turn Wayne in the aimed direction when the movement of the right stick is subtle. Before long, however, it is easy and fun to explore the environment, picking off Akrid and collecting weapons as you go.

The Akrid come in many varieties, and each breed of creature has a weak spot identified by a glowing red or orange part of their body. Shooting at these weak points may serve to kill one, but at other times it will simply be one of several targeting points that must be destroyed. The Akrid differ greatly in size and structure, and many of the larger boss creatures are especially impressive in scale. Discovering enemy attack patterns and weak spots proves to be the heart of the combat, and while the formula is not unique or original to Lost Planet, it is still one of the game's finest strengths.

The fun, however, does not remain constant, and is plagued by odd design choices and drawbacks. While the Akrid are well designed enemies who are fun to fight, the human enemies that you come across are mundane and poorly scripted. Human enemies have a tendency to stand in one place and fire at you while only rarely making an effort to evade fire or even thrown grenades. Furthermore, levels are laid out in such a manner that they often consist of barren fields cropped by invisible walls and populated by miscellaneous ruined structures while indoor regions tend to be sterile, dark, and gray. This environment design definitely leaves a bit to be desired, and contributes to some of the issues that Lost Planet suffers from.

In addition, the combat itself is marred by a few bizarre quirks that were not ironed out from the original version of the game. First of all, Wayne cannot look or fire straight up in the air. This is rarely a true tactical concern, but on occasion it makes flying enemies senselessly difficult to fire upon. Additionally, taking a heavy attack from an enemy sends Wayne into a lengthy falling-and-rising animation that can lead you straight into subsequent attacks. It is not rare to be juggled from one attack to another without getting a chance to move or otherwise defend yourself. The ordeal is disorienting at best and leads to death at the worst. Finally, and new to the PlayStation 3 version of the game comes a frame rate that suffers debilitating slowdown that at times can substantially damage the flow of combat. While significant when it occurs, the frame rate chugging is far from constant and is most prominent during moments of heavy activity. As a whole, the gameplay in Lost Planet preserves some of the charm it had upon its original release, while doing nothing to correct the old problems or enhance the overall experience.

The multiplayer component provides the game with a slight amount of lasting appeal for gamers unsatisfied by the relatively short single player campaign, but much like the single player experience, it is hampered by frame rate issues and lackluster presentation. Multiplayer in Lost Planet is played strictly online with no local support, and can feature up to 16 players while including a fairly standard selection of four different modes, adapted to make use of the unique controls and attributes of the game. There are a few differences here from previous versions in that PlayStation 3 owners are treated to maps that were previously only available over Xbox Live as well as playable characters first introduced in the PC release. These maps and characters are welcome additions and help to flesh out the already respectable variety in playable locations and skins. Our multiplayer experience was relatively lag-free and included some enjoyable shooting, but as is the case with much of the game, the experience feels aged and lacking.

The presentation isn't particularly bad, it just hasn't aged very well.

Graphically speaking, Lost Planet retains many attractive characteristics while no longer possessing the complete aesthetic appeal that it once had. The design of the Akrid has aged well and is still the artistic high point of the experience. The range in enemy design is wide, and the various crawling, flying, and writhing creatures are appropriately hideous. When fired upon, enemy weak spots gush forth a yellow blood-like fluid, which is just one of the many excellent particle effects that make up the visuals. Explosions, smoke trails, snowy blasts of wind, and dust particles all fill out the atmosphere, giving life to the environment. Conversely, environments are at times overly barren with an overabundance of empty space. There is little sense of dynamic current generation lighting effects, and character animation is limited and jerky. The graphical experience is mixed to be sure, but with other, more visually appealing games on the market, Lost Planet's appearance is one of mere mediocrity.

Filling out the presentation is the sound design, which has aged far more gracefully than the graphics. The music of Lost Planet does not stand out from the rest of the game, but it does provide a fitting atmosphere and appropriately intensifies during the games heavier moments and boss fights. From crumbling rubble and shattering ice to the roars of gunfire and exploding rockets, the sound effects complement the music perfectly to create a great aural experience. Unfortunately, there is one sore spot, and the often ridiculous voice acting is one of Lost Planet's low lights. And it's really a shame given the otherwise respectable use of sound.

Lost Planet provides the PlayStation 3 with a third-person shooter that is unique and quirky, but not necessarily strong enough to warrant a purchase for most gamers. While the combat elements in Lost Planet contain pockets of genuine fun, these moments are tainted by unfortunate design choices that were never ironed out from the original version. With plenty of better polished shooters already on the market, Lost Planet: Extreme Condition fails to make another splash on a marketplace that once welcomed it with open arms.