Gallery: Lost Planet 3

Posted on April 29, 2013 by geelw

It may be spring outside, but looking at these Lost Planet 3 screens makes me feel as if I’ve got my face stuck in the freezer and there’s no ice cream left – just a mean-looking alien with glowy bits and very sharp claws an teeth staring back (eek). Veteran developer Spark Unlimited is doing its best work to date, using the Unreal engine and some great motion captured actors to create a solidly stylized vision of the cold, bleak ball of ice covered rock that is E.D.N. III.

Working class hero Jim Payton isn’t the usual lantern-jawed hero with a hefty arsenal, bulletproof shorts and an ego as big as the planet he’s on at all. He’s just a regular guy who’s trying hard to make a living in a frozen hellhole with Akrid and perhaps a few pesky space pirates ruing his workday. I’ve been hooked in since I played a demo last year and with the first two multiplayer modes finally being revealed last week, it looks as if all the pieces are falling into place for a sleeper hit that will hopefully catch the skeptics by surprise.

Capcom’s Lost Planet 3 hits PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 on August 27, 2013. Poke around below the jump for some more nice screens and artwork.

Oh, and put a hat and gloves on, dears – it’s COLD out there in space…

Continue reading →

Lost Planet 3 Multplayer Interview: Szymanski’s The Man, See…

Posted on April 26, 2013 by geelw

OK, either Capcom read my mind and had this prepared a while back or they read my post yesterday and cooked this up in a hurry. Probably neither of the above and more like it’s been in the works just to explain the upcoming game’s MP modes as I hoped they’d do. From what I got to try of the campaign, the game is solid and quite enjoyable in that “Ah, this is MUCH cooler once you give it a play” way that’s supposed to happen. Hopefully, some of the louder, lazier skeptics who love to knock anything fun if it’s not what they THINK they want will shut it and put some time into trying this one out. I’ve been sold since last year and that was without any multiplayer.

Lost Planet 3 Multiplayer Modes Revealed (Well, Two of Them)

Posted on April 25, 2013 by geelw

Those smart gamers who haven’t been incessantly whining about Lost Planet 3 for its working-class lead character, intentionally unexciting cover art and American developer (for no legitimate reason other than they like to whine about a game they’ve yet to play) HAVE been wondering what’s up with the silence so far on the game’s online multiplayer modes. Well, Capcom is here to clear the air with a peek at two of them, so here comes half an answer if you’re one of those folks. Me, I’m all about the single player campaign in my games, but given that action-based games such as this seem to require ways to interact with other players by running around and shooting them in the face, here you go. Well, at least the two revealed modes sound fun if you like that sort of thing (to the press release, Robin!):

Scenario Mode sets each team a series of either offensive or defensive challenges and mixes them up with the extreme and unpredictable conditions of E.D.N. III. Players can compete in both third person on-foot action and in first person combat using the futuristic Vital Suits, making this a dynamic gameplay experience.

Akrid Survival sees two teams of three players compete independently of each other in a series of encounters against waves of hostile Akrid before the teams go head to head in a final PvP elimination round.

As the game’s now got an August 27, 2013 release date, that gives Capcom time to show off the other two MP modes and perhaps also show the really cranky skeptics out there that Spark Unlimited has done a solid job with this prequel. I still think the title is what’s confusing many more than the game proper, as I keep seeing bile-spewing posts all around where the authors believe this game takes place AFTER the events of Lost Planet 2 and not many years before. OK, Capcom – the ball is in your court again – I say get a YouTube video out with an explanation of where this game falls into place along with a nice long video of some live gameplay so people can shut the hell up and actually put more money into your pockets because they like what they see and understand it more fully. Me, I’m not in need of any further convincing because my hands-on time helped me see this one’s going to be quite good…

Lost Planet 3 Pre-Order Bonuses: Triple Threat, But You Can Only Choose ONE…

Posted on April 9, 2013 by geelw

I’m not a fan at all of this pesky practice of slicing pre-order bonuses up to different goodies unless the content advertised shows up at some point for EVERY player who has ANY copy of the game in question and wants those goodies unlocked through playing normally. This isn’t Capcom’s “fault” entirely, as the big three shops here all want YOUR pre-order, so how better to do so than to tempt you into a three-way that’s impossible (hey, just like real life!). Ugh.

Well, hopefully Lost Planet 3 will sell well enough to warrant a Game of the Year edition so everyone who wants this DLC can get it. Of course, you can definitely complete the game without ANY of this content – it’s just a pain to see two versions (or three if you don’t use Steam, PSN or Xbox Live) of bonus gear that’s inaccessible unless one has a decent connection and the proper accounts set up.

And by the way, the game’s release date has dipped into August, as I just noticed way at the bottom of the press release Capcom sent along (eek). According to that last line, Lost Planet 3 arrives on August 27 in North America and August 30 in Europe for PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. That’s actually a good thing on this end, as it will give me more time to complete a few epics I’m playing or haven’t fired up just yet…

Gallery: Lost Planet 3 Screenshots – 50 Shades of Winter for Your Viewing Pleasure…

Posted on March 23, 2013 by geelw

LP3_nice In case you haven’t been paying attention, Lost Planet 3 is looking mighty impressive. This PREQUEL (which I feel should have been called Lost Planet Zero just to aid the still confused folks out there ranting about it being a sequel and being totally and ignorantly incorrect about that) is chock full of some truly impressive Unreal 3 engine-powered visuals that show developer Spark Unlimited is doing more than their best work here. Poke around through LP3’s lovely Facebook gallery, “like” a few of these if you do indeed like what you see and definitely mark your calendars for June 25, 2013 when the game hits retail for the PC, PS3 and Xbox 360.

Lost Planet 3 Cover Art: More Focus on the Man Than Machine (Is A Good Thing)…

Posted on March 9, 2013 by geelw

Given the major focus on the story and characters in the game (which is a PREQUEL and not a sequel, numbering aside) and the great-looking in-engine movies that feature some great motion capture work, Capcom deciding to make the cover of Lost Planet 3 look like an advertisement for Space Road Truckers or some other future Discovery Channel series is wiggling the already bent antennae of some fans of the franchise the wrong way. I rather like the cover, but I initially thought they’d go with a similar cover design to the previous two games. Then again, once the game is actually played by the skeptics (some of the same folks who bashed DmC for too long before realizing they were completely WRONG about it), I’m sure the bile will settle down a bit more. So far, Capcom is batting ahead of the fan curve this year (at least in my book)…

Lost Planet 3 Pirate Reveal Trailer: I Thought Cold Made Criminals Stay Home!

Posted on March 6, 2013 by geelw

June 25, 2013 is the big day for those Lost Planet 3 fans keeping a good eye on Spark Unlimted’s best game to date. Of course, there’s still a way too vocal online presence from those who don’t get this is a PREQUEL and not a sequel (I blame the numbering system a little for this, but more blame goes to those who’ve NOT been reading all those hands-on previews at all), but I think (and hope) this will iron itself out when the game finally ships. HOPEFULLY, that’s enough time to silence some of these negative yappers as they ease into the game proper, but I also think Capcom needs to push back as gently as possible and help some of these misguided miscreants a bit before they get to vomiting their “I didn’t play the game BUT…” opinions all over Metacritic (which is no longer a reliable source for fair ratings at all) and get a LOT of people downsized out of jobs in the process. I love what I got to try out last year and think the game will “click” with many as soon as they let the story and characters do their thing.

Lost Planet 3 NYCC Panel: Watch and Learn (Once Again!)

Posted on October 24, 2012 by geelw

Spark Unlimited is really pulling out the stops to make Lost Planet 3 the best game they’ve done to date. This prequel has been getting some way out of place hatred from some who aren’t yet hip to the fact that the game doesn’t replace the LP they know with something new and different at all – it just sets up the world and events the other games will jump off from. Anyway, take a gander at this presentation from New York Comic Con which covers a few fun development facts including the great motion capture work that’s going into the final product. From the brief demo I played a few months back, it’s looking like the single player story will have memorable characters and plenty of exposition that could make this the most interesting game in the series for those who love a tale told well. The action’s not bad, either.

Lost Planet 3 Extended Gameplay (Now With Developer Commentary!)

Posted on October 13, 2012 by geelw

It’s probably a wee bit too late to change the name of this game, but perhaps Capcom should consider it because too many people out there seem to think the game erases everything that occurred in LP and LP2 when in fact, this is a PREQUEL that sets up events to come. Anyway, I’ll keep championing this game until it’s launched and beyond because from what I played, it’s Spark Unlimited at their best and it deserves a LOT more respect. Of course, some out there won’t be convinced, but I think the demo being at NYCC this year will convince some skeptics that the game is indeed quite amazing where it needs to be.

Lost Planet 3 TGS Gameplay: Spark Versus Snark (And Spark Needs To Win Big)

Posted on September 24, 2012 by geelw

I’m one of those few waving the flag about how damn good Lost Planet 3 is turning out to be, but par for the course on the internet, there are too many whiners living in the past griping about how the game isn’t EXACTLY point for point like the first two installments. Reading is fundamental, but let me break it down a bit for those who aren’t up to speed. Given that it’s a PREQUEL that will most likely set up some of the events of the other two games, once you get some hands-on time, it’s easy to appreciate the effort developer Spark Unlimited has been putting into the project for a few years now. I liked what I saw in terms of the single player story, the gameplay is pretty tight and the use of Unreal tech is very solid, particularly in the well done cinemas that draw you into the frozen world and the miners who work there. I say a bit more appreciation and a lot less being jaded just to be jaded would help here, but you can’t control others’ intent to somehow NOT enjoy what’s being done to expand their horizons (as well as the potential for future installments in the series). In any event, I’m holding out hope that this dev team and Capcom get some actual credit for what’s going to be a pretty cool experience (at least for me) when the game is released in 2013.