Common Sense Media Review
By Marc Saltzman
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Exhilarating and violent sci-fi shoot 'em up.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 14+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Play
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 1 parent review
Based on 16 kid reviews
Kids say the game elicits mixed reactions; while some players enjoy the intense combat and graphics, others find it boring and difficult to control. The reviews reflect a divide between those praising its fun and action-packed gameplay and those criticizing its lack of narrative and awkward controls.
- mixed reactions
- intense gameplay
- difficult controls
- graphics criticism
- not for everyone
Summarized with AI
Summarized with AI
What's It About?
LOST PLANET: EXTREME CONDITION's single-player campaign introduces us to Wayne, a futuristic soldier on a snow-covered planet, who just witnessed his father's death by giant bug-like alien creatures known as the Akrid. After being knocked unconscious in battle, Wayne awakens to find three rebellious Snow Pirates who ask for assistance in annihilating the vicious Akrid once and for all. You're set into Wayne's boots, who is not only motivated by revenge, but also possesses the rare skill to pilot Vital Suits (VS), walking "mech" robotic assault vehicles with incredible firepower. Unlike a first-person shooter, such as Halo: Combat Evolved, Lost Planet is played from a third-person perspective, so you'll always see your character or VS mech on screen at all times.
Is It Any Good?
Even more exciting than the solo campaign, gamers will enjoy playing with up to 15 others in four online head-to-head modes via the Xbox Live service ($49.99 a year). Examples of these modes include Team Elimination, where teams battle it out to be the last ones standing, and Post Grab, where the winner is the first to find and initialize all of the Data Posts scattered around on a mission map. The game suffers from a few shortcomings, such as a relatively short single-player campaign (about seven hours, and a story gets a little convoluted around its midway point -- but you don't need to follow the weak plot (or believe in the paper-thin characters) in order to enjoy the gameplay.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about this fantasy world, combining bad bug-like aliens with a snow-covered planet. Why do you think inhospitable climates like icy wastelands and deserts are popular sci-fi settings? And why do bug-like creatures make good scary aliens? If you were to design the most dastardly alien, what would it look like? Are sci-fi creatures easier or more fun to shoot?
Game Details
- Platform : Xbox 360
- Pricing structure :
- Available online? : Available online
- Publisher : Capcom
- Release date : January 11, 2007
- Genre : Third-Person Shooter
- ESRB rating :
- Last updated : October 9, 2025
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