Lost Planet review

Online or off, this is one bug-squashing experience you can't miss

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While the basic gameplay can be boiled down to "BOOM! FIRE! MACHINES MAKE VIOLENCE HAPPEN!" there are countless, subtle touches that make Lost Planet more than just a bug bloodbath. It's the sights, the sounds and the visual effects that bring this game to life - each of the Vital Suits sounds slightly different but all share a common clunky, barely functioning hum that you'd expect a neglected mech to make. Reloading your machine makes a satisfying click, but slamming a new rocket shell into your two-handed launcher delivers a noise that's simultaneously alien and familiar. The audio is so damn accurate you have to wonder if the developers are really manufacturing these things under the radar.

Then there are the graphics. An already stunning game, Planet offers one of best action experiences of all time. When a rocket whizzes past your head, you'll flinch in real life. If a Suit comes crashing down on you from above, your body will tumble, flip or lurch in the appropriate way. Toss a grenade into a cluster of snow pirates and they'll soar through the air with realistic heft and flailing. The aforementioned boring stretches of snow and ice do take a while to run through, but they do serve to sell the atmosphere - lifeless husks of aged machinery and rundown buildings suggest a world that's as unforgiving as it is beautiful.

More info

GenreShooter
DescriptionTake the Xbox 360 version's already stunning visuals and crank then up to create the PC version.
Platform"PC","PS3","Xbox 360"
US censor rating"Teen","Teen","Teen"
UK censor rating"","",""
Release date1 January 1970 (US), 1 January 1970 (UK)
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Brett Elston

A fomer Executive Editor at GamesRadar, Brett also contributed content to many other Future gaming publications including Nintendo Power, PC Gamer and Official Xbox Magazine. Brett has worked at Capcom in several senior roles, is an experienced podcaster, and now works as a Senior Manager of Content Communications at PlayStation SIE.