You play as Jim Peyton, a new NEVEC corporation employee who leaves his family behind on Earth to make his fortune mining on the icy planet of E.D.N. III for Thermal Energy (T-Energy). T-Energy powers everything on the planet, including the vicious, insect-like Akrid, so it isn’t long before Jim realises he can make money faster by accepting more dangerous missions taking on the Akrid at close quarters.
The story is told as a series of flashbacks, with an elderly and wounded Peyton trapped beneath rocks in a cave with only his granddaughter for company, while enemies from NEVEC are in hot pursuit. An army of ferocious Akrid is what stands between you and finding out how Peyton got himself into this mess – and how he might escape.
Lost Planet 3 is set entirely on the icy planet of E.D.N. III, which is populated with caves, canyons, cliffs and bases set up by the colonists. You also frequently return to NEVEC’s HQ, where you can explore, talk to characters, buy new weapons and view any collectibles found. There are 34 audio and 21 text logs scattered around the game, which provide a nice backstory to some characters and reveal more about E.D.N. III and the indigenous Akrid. Finding all the logs means straying from the main path and searching every corner of the planet.
Along with some impressive storm effects while piloting your rig, you even get to choose your own music. Peyton’s wife back on Earth has been kind enough to send him a mixtape of some of his favourite songs to remind him of home, with a strong leaning towards country music.
Lost Planet 3 is a mixture of third-person cover shooting and first-person rig combat. On foot you can take down Akrid with a huge arsenal of guns and grenades, as well as scale cliffs using a grappling hook. In the rig you can grab, block and drill enemies. The controls are simple for either mode of transport.
The grappling hook is a great way to zip around exploring levels, finding items to upgrade your rig, while back at NEVEC HQ you can take on side missions such as killing 20 of a certain type of Akrid.
The Akrid are once again more than a match for even the awesome rigs. They’re great in number, attack in relentless waves and continually pop out from spawn points; some can fly, others spin fast towards you along the ground and many take damage only if you hit a glowing part of their body. The Carrier Akrid, one of the new enemy types, can even emit smaller Akrid and stab you with its legs.
Lost Planet 3 features four very different multiplayer modes and a deep progression system that lets you customise your character with tons of unlockable weapons, abilities and tools. It pays off to spend time tinkering with your loadout depending on the game mode you’re about to play.
Team Deathmatch mode is a five-on-five battle that’s as relentless as anything the single-player campaign serves up. Scenario mode also pits two teams of five against each other, with different objectives for each map. For instance, you might have to transport T-Energy to a base, attack or defend a series of strongholds or escort a vehicle to a base.
Extraction mode sees two five-man teams compete to extract the most T-Energy from thermal posts they’ve planted. Akrid Survival mode is a three-on-three battle that initially places each team on a different part of the map where killing Akrids quickly earns you more points. When the third wave begins, the closed-off map dividing the teams opens up, and killing rival players bags you even more points.
Dolby 5.1
1 Players
Network Features
720p
2-10 Network Players
Network Play
