The controls are a doddle, with a neat 90-degree turn implemented on the shoulder buttons, enabling Wayne to run and shoot over his shoulder. We mentioned Devil May Cry before and that team's signature is all over this adventure - Lost Planet is about turning on the style and filling the screen with action.
There's nothing too original in the single-player game we've blasted through but what's here is done with unrivalled bluster and a stylish expression of explosive violence. The maps are huge and load seamlessly in the background as you explore, creating a fluid romp from skirmish to skirmish.
Where Lost Planet may deliver some real substance to go with the style is in the multiplayer modes. There will be a number of ways to play over Xbox Live. Of course the standard Deathmatches, Team Deathmatches (Elimination) and Capture The Flag games will be in here, but it's the Fugitive Hunt that holds the most promise.
Above: The Akrid turn to ice when you kill them, requiring one more hit to smash them completely
One player is tagged the Fugitive and scores points for achieving objectives, from the obvious (like, er, staying alive) to the more subtle target of turning the tables on your hunters and killing them with head-shots and capturing their flags.
There aren't too many next-gen shooters to compare to Lost Planet. Capcom is throwing everything 360 can muster at this adventure to deliver a new blaster that is shaping up to be an elegant and intuitive take on an old, over-familiar genre.
