Lost Planet Online

Lost Planet: Extreme Conditions is a relatively new game to the realm of the Xbox 360. It has been praised for it's innovative storyline, and game mechanics. This game is an awesome addition to the line up of games on the 360's consul, but lacks in one aspect. Xbox live is a feature in this game, where you can play against other players from around the world, but the matchmaking system is seriously flawed. But other features of online play and the game in general are amazing to say the least.

First I want to take a look at what the game got right in terms of online play. You have the option to customize a character for online play. You can have a snow trooper, or camouflage soldier the options are yours, and as you beat levels in the game more options become available. This is in interesting feature as it allows a customized play experience, but your options are limited, and really don't make that much of a difference. You have only a couple basic options if you start Xbox live right away, and you will look just like almost every other player. This can be a blessing, and a curse, but the diversity, although slight is very much welcomed.

The graphics for online play are amazing, just like they are in single player mode. Controls are easy, and moving around a level is not difficult at all. Also there are more too games then just your basic, try and kill everyone, scenario. You earn points for each kill, and also for activating data terminals. You can also score more points for getting multiple kills and for taking down enemy vital suits or VS. This system is great for a variety of opportunities for the tide of battle to change.

So all this is great so far, but then the problems start to come up. Matchmaking is not automatic. You have to enter a lobby and select a game to compete in, or create your own. This is fine in non-competitive play, but if you're going for ranks this can be a serious problem. Like all games you have to start at the bottom and work your way up. This means you start at level 1, and most veteran players don't want anything to do with a level one player, so you may be trash talked a lot.

Also depending on your connection speed you may be lagged out of many games. I have a normal boradband connection and withing 2 hours only played a total of 5 games. An average game only takes between 10 and 15 minuets so you will spend more then half your time trying to connect to a party and play. This becomes so frustrating you may have to really try hard to restrin yourself from throwing the controler at the TV

This makes it difficult to level up, and frustrating to play. You may spend 15 minuets attempting to find a game that the players will allow you to play in. Lost Planet should have taken a page from Halo 2's notebook and used an automated matchmaking system that paired you with players of your own rank. With lost planet you will commonly face opponents of level 50 or higher making game play one sided in most cases.

There are leader boards available so you can see who is ranked as the best, and the top 50 are listed on the Lost Planet community page. This is really a fun feature as it gives you a purpose to work for. Many of us wish that Halo 2 would have kept theirs around but all it did was inspire cheating, which is not the case thus far in Lost Planet.

Overall this game looks and plays amazing. The graphics are awesome, and the controls smooth, but the online feature of matchmaking is a major downfall. If you can get past the long wait and constant kicks, the you will defiantly the online experience.