It's rare that a demo is released several months ahead of the full game's release but Capcom did exactly that with Lost Planet, their Xbox 360 exclusive sci-fi action game. The single player demo was released in time for E3 2006 last May and last week a multiplayer demo was also released. With the full game now due for release in January, FiringSquad got some more info about Lost Planet via Jack Symon, the director of brand marketing for Capcom.
FiringSquad: First, how did the idea for Lost Planet come about?
Jack Symon: Lost Planet originally started as a PS2 game called “Third Planet,” over four years ago. The concept went through many changes during the intervening time. The team are huge fans of shooters like Halo and wanted to make their mark on the genre.
FiringSquad: What can you tell us about the storyline and main character in the game?
Jack Symon: The main character is Wayne, a man who awakens on the frozen planet of EDN-3 with few memories of recent events, other than the death of his father by a huge alien creature. The planet is in the process of being terraformed, and Wayne and his new allies quickly find themselves pitted against both the alien Akird and all-too- human snow pirates.
FiringSquad: The E3 2006 demo was released several months before the final game. Why was this decision made and have the dev team taken feedback from the demo and put that into the final game?
Jack Symon: Yes, the team has taken a lot of feedback from players of both the E3 single-player demo and the recently released multiplayer demo. Many game tweaks have come about from listening to our community, including the addition of a melee attack, as well as the recently announced text-size fix in Elimination mode for players on standard definition TVs.
FiringSquad: What are some of the more interesting creatures we haven't seen yet in Lost Planet?
Jack Symon: Enemies range from the flying Trilid to the rolling Dongo aliens to the large worm creature known as the Undeep, which surfaces from beneath the ground. There are many more Akrid aliens that we have not yet revealed to players, including several challenging “boss” creatures.
FiringSquad: What can you tell us about Capcom's plans for the multiplayer features in Lost Planet?
Jack Symon: Multiplayer is one of the biggest elements of Lost Planet. There are four modes of online game play for up to 16 players to enjoy: Elimination (classic deathmatch), Team Elimination, Post Grab (where teams battle to control data posts) and Fugitive (which pits several players against a single person). Players also gain ranking by playing games, there are points and medals to be earned during matches and Capcom will be running leader boards.
FiringSquad: The game has some of the best looking graphics for any Xbox 360 game. How hard was it to get the look of the game the way the dev team wanted with the Xbox 360 hardware?
Jack Symon: Fortunately, the Lost Planet team is composed of some amazing artists and programmers. They’ve been able to create some truly next-gen graphics, lighting and particle effects, giving the game a very distinct look. Microsoft has created a very dev-friendly platform and has been very helpful to Capcom throughout the development process.
FiringSquad: Are there any plans for extra downloadable content for the game after Lost Planet's release?
Jack Symon: There are definitely plans, but we have not made any announcements yet. Please stay tuned.
FiringSquad: Capcom is supporting Xbox 360 with Dead Rising and Lost Planet and later the next Resident Evil game. Is Capcom happy with the console and can we expect to see more games for the 350 in the future?
Jack Symon: Capcom has great success on the 360 with Dead Rising. We’re hoping for similar success with Lost Planet when it is released in North America and Europe on January 12. As a side note, RE5 is not a 360 exclusive title, but will appear on both the 360 and the PS3.
FiringSquad: Finally is there anything else you wish to say about Lost Planet?
Jack Symon: If you haven’t yet tried the game, jump onto Xbox Live and download both demos. The single player demo gives you a tantalizing glimpse into Wayne’s adventures. The multiplayer demo will have you shooting, jumping, grappling and piloting giant mechanized suits of destruction through the snow while providing lots of online smack-talking opportunities.
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