Capcom’s been farming out its games to Western developers lately, and for the most part, the results have not been good. Dead Rising seems to be in capable hands. DmC caused a stir, but was a decent game in the end. Bionic Commando? Rubbish. Shooter Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City was pretty damned awful. Lost Planet 3, developed by Spark seems to be more like those last examples. And that’s not a good thing.
A prequel, telling exactly why EDN 3 is populated as it is with conveniently glowing beasties is out this week, and with it, reviews have gone live. They’re not exactly positive. Here are the reviews that are live right now.
Polygon comes in highest with a 7 – but they weren’t exactly enthralled. “But it’s the lacklustre shooting experience that keeps Lost Planet 3 from being the great, unexpected departure it might otherwise be for the Lost Planet series. Too often, I had to trek back through previously seen areas and fight previously conquered hordes of akrid, and as the game wound toward the end, my interest in how the story would involve was shaken by more and more firefights.
Joystiq gave the game two and a half stars, saying that “Jim Peyton’s story as played in Lost Planet 3 is a mixed proposition, in need of trimming to the monster-shooting tedium, yet anemic in its core interactions.”
IGN awards the icy shooter a cold 6.2, adding that “Lost Planet 3 masquerades as an open-world game, but it’s much more limited than that. Like id’s Rage, it’s a maze of interconnected corridors you have to navigate to reach the next linear mission, with a couple of bases to return to afterward. But the icy landscape isn’t interesting enough, and the mech isn’t fast on its feet enough to avoid having trudging between locations feel like a chore.”
Videogamer weren’t too chuffed wither, giving it a 5/10 adding that “Spark has made its best game to date, but fails on so many levels the end result is still only a notch above a complete washout. Enemies are dull, weapons are lacklustre (the shotgun is one of the worst I’ve ever used and the melee attack is appalling), the mech isn’t fun, and the multiplayer is blighted by similar issues that real-life foes can’t fix”
GamesRadar, in another 5/10 said that “Lost Planet 3 starts off down the path of mediocrity almost immediately. Jim Peyton is a relatable character, but his story is held back by repetitive combat, tedious quests, and a narrative that doesn’t deliver. Once you’ve played the first few hours of the campaign, you’ll feel like you’ve already seen it all as you drag through the remainder of the plot.”
In yet another 50% score, OXM hated on the disappointing campaign,” which they feel “doesn’t disappoint because it feels different; it disappoints because it’s not better. Peyton’s video messages with his wife hold emotional potential, but the thread never pays off. Moreover, while you’ll glimpse some stunning environments (especially near the game’s end), the character designs are distractingly flat.”
I played a preview for the game, and it held a bit of promise – but it’s just not Lost Planet. while some of you might feel that’s a good thing, Lost Planet 3 just doesn’t have enough of its own charm to get by. I’m actually pretty bummed because it’s a series that could, and should have resulted in much more than we’ve received.
Last Updated: August 27, 2013
Ultimo_Cleric N7
August 27, 2013 at 11:41
I liked Bionic Commando. Really.
The soundtrack was also pretty awesome.
Jonah Cash
August 27, 2013 at 12:12
Son of a b..tch!!!!! Lost planet was one of my favourite games back in the day!! I really enjoyed it, but since then things have gone very wrong… When 2 came out I didn’t even feel like buying it, then 3’s trailers started appearing and I was like yes, that will work brilliantly…. and now this… Ai!!!
Skyblue
August 27, 2013 at 23:18
Also enjoyed the original tremendously but like just about every franchise with sequelitus I stopped after the first one. It’s like heroin, a second hit will never be as good as the first…
Admiral Chief Raider of Tombs
August 27, 2013 at 12:21
HKGK LULZ
Skyblue
August 27, 2013 at 23:16
Had to Google that shit but it certainly was worth it!
Admiral Chief Raider of Tombs
August 28, 2013 at 07:46
Glad you are now informed
Wtf101
August 27, 2013 at 12:29
Could have told you this
Wtf101
August 27, 2013 at 12:29
Hey, this is not my account! Time to wreak havoc!
Umar Kiiroi Senk?
August 27, 2013 at 12:31
more like time to log out
Wtf101
August 27, 2013 at 13:34
Just FYI, this is the second time this has happened to my account!
Umar Kiiroi Senk?
August 27, 2013 at 13:35
Well it’s not the other person’s fault, so don’t sully their name
Wtf101
August 27, 2013 at 13:55
Excuse me but what?
Wtf101
August 27, 2013 at 14:20
I just down voted you.
Wtf101
August 27, 2013 at 13:32
Okay then… Why is Disqus picking on me???
Wtf101
August 27, 2013 at 14:19
I do not know. Hope you like all the stuff I am subbing you to!
Umar Kiiroi Senk?
August 27, 2013 at 12:35
so…turning point and legendary….these guys have amazing ideas…but can’t implement for sh*t
Theo Steenekamp
August 27, 2013 at 12:45
No shit..
Lupus
August 27, 2013 at 20:23
Shouldn’t the title read Lost Planet… isn’t very good 🙂 not sure why this IP got sequels.