Lost Planet 3

Lost Planet 3 is a prequel to Lost Planet: Extreme Condition following the story of Jim Peyton. Energy consumption crisis on Earth has caused to look for other resources, and NEVEC launched an expedition to the ice-cold frozen wastes of a planet called E.D.N. III to mine what seemed to be a unique type of resource in the known universe. Jim is part of that expedition, and while it pains him to have to be separated from his wife and newborn child for over a year in contract, it pays well and he will be able to provide for his family back home by assisting in mining the resource known as thermal energy. However, Jim's job extends way beyond the sole task of mining, as E.D.N. III is anything but a friendly planet. When not mining and tending to repairs, he earns his pay by fighting various Akrid species, an indigenous lifeform that is swarming this barren place. One day, while diligently performing his duties, Jim stumbles upon an old abandoned NEVEC base, and ultimately finds himself on the brink of death while fighting Akrids, only to be saved by unknown inhabitants of this planet. Has NEVEC already been there before? What happened to the people of the "real" first expedition? Why was it kept secret? And who saved his life? The questions in Jim's head won't let him rest until he finds the truth behind it all and lead the plot toward the events that transpired in the original game. While its gameplay is similar to the previous two installments, Lost Planet 3 is more story-driven than mission-themed, which makes it more alike the original game than the sequel. Battling Akrids is just as before: you can easily dispose of smaller ones, but bigger specimens are full-fledged boss battles that require you to wait for your enemy to reveal the weak point hidden beneath their husk. The game progresses as you complete main quests that move the story forward, but many sidequests are also available to earn various bonuses. Thermal energy is the main resource, and as such, the currency used in the game (unlike in the previous two games, it is no longer used as the character's health). When you are in your base, you can use gathered thermal points to buy new weapons or weapon upgrades like bigger ammo clips, pouches to carry more ammo, secondary more-destructive ammo, and such. The main source of thermal energy is dropped from Akrids when you kill them. Lost Planet 3 features gameplay in both third- and fist-person perspective. While you are on foot, you play in third-person perspective as in the previous two installments. You can shoot, use your grappling hook to descend or reach higher places, evade enemy attacks (there is no actual jumping in the game), and collect thermal energy. On the other hand, when you are driving your rig (a giant mech Jim uses for deep drilling and structural repairs), you are confined to a first-person perspective. There are no health pick-ups in the game; healing is done by withdrawing from battle and laying low for a while. Your rig has a basic set of moves, like swinging with the left arm, a defensive position, and drilling attacks, all of them being upgradable. In order to upgrade your rig, you can exchange various parts you found lying around during your missions, or you can buy them at the arms dealer. Some upgrades are unlocked over the course of the main story, such as the blowtorch or the grappling hook, which extends your rig's left arm to kill flying Akrids or to create a ropeway to otherwise unreachable areas. Sidequests can be activated by talking to certain NPCs around the base and will usually require some fighting, but you'll be rewarded with thermal energy or other means you can use to further enhance your combat skills. While on foot, Jim can also fix various broken things, including gun turrets that can aid him in his fight against Akrids, or even his damaged rig in certain cases. Jim is a family guy, so he will often send video messages to his wife and vice-versa, which will provide some background info about the protagonist. Besides the pistol which comes with infinite ammo, you can carry only two other weapons, both of which come with limited ammo that needs to be replenished either by looting ammo boxes you stumble upon or from your rig that seems to be ever so well equipped.