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Lost Planet Map Packs free starting Friday
Capcom just announced that starting this Friday, July 20th, both Lost Planet Map Packs #1 and #2 will be available on the Marketplace for free due to PC users getting free access to them. These four maps together previously retailed for 800 Microsoft points in total and include maps Radar Field, Island 902, Hive Complex and Trial Point. But be sure to note that Map Pack #3 is not part of this free offer and will still cost you 400 Microsoft points. Capcom also announced that an auto update should be released sometime this month to fix the multiplayer connectivity issues. Enjoy your newly free maps and be a little jealous that you can't have the PC exclusive Mega Man skin.[Via Major Nelson]
Four Lost Planet map packs go free on Friday, 360 patch coming soon
If you've been holding out to buy the first two Lost Planet map packs on Xbox Live because you didn't want to part with 800 ($10) of your hard-won bought points, get that downloading thumb ready. On July 20, "Radar Field," "Island 902," "Hive Complex" and "Trial Point" will become free. They'll also be appearing on PC for the first time on that day, where they will, of course, be free. As we all know, everything is free on the PC, a Willy Wonka-esque playground of pornography and gratis delights.Though they're late to the free party, 360 players can take comfort in the fact that the game will be getting a patch for connectivity issues at the end of July. Feel free to pretend that PC players both need it and have to pay for it, if it help gets you through the night. Of course, you'll then read that PC players will also get new characters like Frank West from Dead Rising and Mega Man. Check and ... mate.
Get it while it's hot! Lost Planet Map Pack #3
The third downloadable map pack for Lost Planet cooked its way onto the Marketplace this morning and is awaiting your consumption. Map Pack #3 will cost you 400 Microsoft points and includes three new multiplayer maps including Ice Drop, Ruins, and the 8-bit inspired Lost Technology. Be sure to take a look at the preview videos we posted last week as well as a few screenshots from the new maps featured in the gallery below. So fellow Lost Planet fans, will you be buying this new map pack-o-fun or have you moved onto other online multiplayer games?%Gallery-4014%
Lost Planet finds third map pack June 21
Three more maps are coming to Lost Planet: Extreme Condition, bringing the grand total to 16 found locations. The third map pack will be available June 21 for 400 MS points (US $5.00).Featured in the map pack are a "frigid glacier with lots of peaks, nooks and crannies" (Ice Drop), "ancient temples set amidst a lush jungle" (Ruins) and "a throw-back to the good ol' days of pixelated 8-bit gaming" (Lost Technology). We're especially intrigued by Lost Technology -- how much is Capcom embracing "8-bit gaming"? Will we see 8-bit textures and square trees?Two map packs for Lost Planet, with two maps apiece, are currently available for 400 MS points each, in addition to Battleground, a map once exclusive to the Collector's Edition now free to download on Xbox Live.
Three new Lost Planet maps drop next week
Capcom just announced a third map pack for Lost Planet today featuring three spiffy new maps. Map Pack #3 will be available for download off the Marketplace next Thursday, June 21st costing a mere 400 Microsoft points and will include the three maps Ice Drop, Ruins, and Lost Technology. Those are the details, now onto the media! Check out the Lost Planet Map Pack #3 gallery below featuring screenshots from the new maps as well as fly through videos embedded after the break. And what's up with the Lost Technology map? It's so 8-bit, it's very LEGO'esque, and is crazy in a fun over the top kind of way. Take a look and judge it yourself.%Gallery-4014%
Lost Planet's Battlefield will be free for download
Yesterday, Capcom sent word that the Lost Planet multiplayer map Battlefield will be available for free on the XBLM this coming Thursday, June 7th. The Battlefield map was previously available exclusively to those who paid an extra $10 and got the Lost Planet collector's edition, but this Thursday the exclusive Battlefield club will be no more. Anyone actively playing Lost Planet multiplayer and welcoming Battlefield with open arms and a bright smile?[Via Joystiq, Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Lost Planet CE bonus map coming to XBLM on June 7 for free
The Lost Planet multiplayer map Battlefield will be available on Xbox Live Marketplace for free next Thursday, June 7. It was previously only available to those who purchased the Collector's Edition.Lost Planet enthusiasts may already be enjoying this game, but those who were late to the party or simply chose to pick the obviously inferior (and $10 cheaper) normal SKU can now also get in on the fun, although they'll start at a disadvantage by merit of being unfamiliar with the turf. Collector's Edition owners will be heard taunting Battlefield newcomers for the first 24 hours and talking about the "good old days" when their map was a more exclusive club, and how they had to walk 15 miles in the snow just to headshot another teamamte.*Two map packs, with two maps apiece, are also available for 400 MS points ($5) each.* Some experiences may vary
Lost Planet PC demo available on 15 May
Those eager to traipse through an unforgiving climate and annihilate despicable alien creatures without the aid of an Xbox 360 won't have to wait much longer. A PC demo of Capcom's Lost Planet is set to materialize online next week, May 15th, and finally give those DirectX 10 cards something to do. Indeed, they'll be expected to utilize "the advanced features of Shader model 4.0" in order to render those frigid landscapes and enormous plot holes. Older hardware isn't quite given the cold shoulder, however, as Lost Planet also supports Windows XP and DirectX 9. If monsters and mechs do it for you, find it on store shelves this June, priced at a totally last-gen $39.95.%Gallery-2562%
It's official: Lost Planet finds PC gamers
Capcom signaled its self-described return to more frequent PC releases by officially announcing a PC version of Lost Planet: Extreme Condition for June. The Windows XP and Vista game will support DirectX 10 for gamers with those shiny video cards, but DirectX 9 players are also invited into the snowy world.The PC version will run at resolutions up to 2,560x1600, making the console war's "True HD" sound like a tired marketing slogan. (Oh wait, it already did.) While the graphic effects beyond resolution will also be improved, little else is certain to change.Capcom told us at its Gamer's Day event that the PC game may include new multiplayer maps and even increase its 16-player online cap, but both updates are still pending. However, multiplayer matches between Xbox 360 gamers and PC players will not be supported.%Gallery-2562%
Famitsu reports Lost Planet coming to PC, rocking DirectX 10
According to a Famitsu report released earlier this morning (translation), Capcom and Nvidia are jointly announcing that the platinum-selling Xbox 360 title Lost Planet: Extreme Condition is coming to the PC. Visuals have been improved and the title will utilize DirectX 10 (with resolutions up to 2560x1600). The report cites a June 2007 release in North America and Europe with no date listed for a Japanese release.We're left wondering if Lost Planet PC is going to be Vista-exclusive, and if there are similar PC plans for Capcom's other Xbox 360 "exclusive."[Thanks, Rob]
Fresh from the oven, new Lost Planet maps
As reported on Monday, the new Lost Planet map pack #2 just hit the XBLM today offering two new multiplayer maps to enjoy. For 400 Microsoft Points you'll get both "Hive Complex" (featured in the video above) and "Trial Point" (video after the break) to wage war on with your friends and foes. Has anyone been pondering this purchase since Monday and going to just give into buying it? You know, if we had Lost Planet we'd totally buy the new maps for ourselves, our friends, and our neighbors. But we're cool like that.[Thanks, Ric Metz]
New Lost Planet maps slated for 6 April
The second multiplayer map pack for Capcom's frigid Xbox 360 shooter, Lost Planet, has been scheduled to arrive on the Live Marketplace this Friday, April 6. The two maps contained therein are "Hive Complex," a thankfully hygienic mine with bridges and tunnels scattered across a mountainside, and "Trial Point," a modern office complex featuring "a photorealistic backdrop of a busy city center." Capcom's community website holds video footage of the maps, both of which look graphically splendid (if you're into that sort of thing). The asking price is 400 MS points, or 5 of your nigh incomprehensible American "bucks".
Lost Planet map pack #2 coming Friday
Capcom just announced that we'll be seeing more Lost Planet multiplayer map love this week. On Friday, April 6th Lost Planet's map pack #2 will be released to the XBLM featuring two new maps and will set you back 400 Microsoft Points just like it's old brother map pack #1. The two new maps are called "Hive Complex", which is set in an abandoned mine, and "Trial Point" set in a futuristic business complex. Preview videos of the new maps are available after the jump. Has anyone purchased the previous map pack and came away satisfied? If so, are you thinking about purchasing these two new multiplayer maps for more frigid fun?
Dead Rising and Lost Planet to remain Xbox 360 exclusives
var digg_url = 'http://www.digg.com/gaming_news/Dead_Rising_and_Lost_Planet_to_remain_Xbox_360_exclusives'; At least "as far as current plans go." So says Capcom's senior director of strategic planning and research, Christian Svensson, posting on the official Capcom forums in the midst of a Devil May Cry outcry. When asked by fans whether the company's new mulitplatform strategy would extend to their pair of successful Xbox 360 titles, Svensson explains that "Dead Rising and Lost Planet are not slated to appear on Wii or PS3," noting that the reasons for the continued exclusivity "are quite convoluted" and are bound by a slew of suspicious non-disclosure agreements. He goes on to say that Capcom's current approach -- which sees Resident Evil 5 and Devil May Cry 4 coming to both PS3 and Xbox 360 -- is for future titles and isn't meant to be applied in a "retroactive" manner. Of course, this comes just days after Svensson used the forum to respond to sulking petitioners and their disdain for Devil May Cry gracing multiple platforms. "We are certainly moved that people are so passionate about our products that they would go to such extremes," he said in a seperate thread. "At the same time we feel that allowing more people access to our content pleases far more people than it displeases (after all, we're not denying DMC4 to anyone that was already going to get it). It really is the best decision for the company and for consumers." Apparently, Dead Rising and Lost Planet simply missed the multiplatform boat. [Thanks, mocoworm]
New Lost Planet multiplayer maps released
Fresh from the developer oven arrives two new Lost Planet multiplayer maps for download off of the XBLM. The multiplayer map pack #1 will include the two new maps "Radar Field" and "Island 902" and will set you back 400 Microsoft Points. So, according to our sixth grade math skills, that works out to be around $2.50 per multiplayer map. Are you willing to pay over $2 for a multiplayer map or does that just seem a tad ridiculous? It's kind of a hard pill to swallow since we received two free maps for Gears a few months ago ... although it was sponsored by the Discovery Channel. No matter, anyone feeling the squeeze of the corporate machine on this purchase?
Lost Planet multiplayer patched
Capcom! How could you do this to us? We just... we just weren't ready... You said March 9 -- but it's March 2. That's so not right. Updates should never be on time, let alone a week early! C'mon, you gotta make us bitch and beg a little, you know?Now see what you've done? You've gone and set the bar too high; you've carelessly exceeded our expectations. What are we supposed to do -- just place Lost Planet in the disc tray and update away? You make us sick, Capcom. Sweaty. Rotten. Sick.Complete patch details follow...
Lost Planet Auto-Update Details
Yesterday, Lost Planet: Extreme Condition got a multiplayer auto update. The first thing it did was add some features, such as seeing a player's national flag in the lobby, pre-game and post-game results. It also shows who's talking in-game and in the lobby with a ")))" to the left of their gamertag in team-based games. Finally, in the lobby, your connection strength to a player is signified by a "!", and the brighter it is, the better your connection. The other set of fixes were to bugs found in the game, due to lag, as well as a few exploits. For full details on what to expect next time you log on, click the "Read" link. So do the fixes to the gameplay make you want to put some more time into Lost Planet's multiplayer?Oh, and one more thing...Brian Dunn says that the downloadable maps should be available March 9th or in close to that date.[Thanks, AoE]
NPD: Lost Planet leads strong January game sales
January's not usually a month for big numbers in the game industry, but the first month of 2007 was a whopper any way you slice it. NPD recently announced $549 million in non-PC software sales for the month, up an impressive 22 percent when compared week-on-week to last January. Add in $505 million in hardware sales and almost $200 million in accessories and the industry as a whole recorded a huge $1.25 billion in overall sales for the five weeks ending Feb. 3. The Wii dominated hardware sales, as previously reported, but software was spread out among all the major systems. The Xbox 360's Lost Planet: Extreme Condition led the pack, with system-compatriots Gears of War and Rainbow Six: Vegas close behind at No 3 and No. 9, respectively. But it was a PS2 game, Guitar Hero II, that maintained the second-place showing from December and took the No. 2 spot. Both versions of Twilight Princess joined Wario Ware in representing Nintendo consoles in the top 10, while Resistance: Fall of Man was the only PS3 title on the list, coming in at No. 8. When combined with the healthy January reported by British retailers, we could be witnessing the beginning of the end of the traditional January lull. While it's hard to match the holiday season in terms of sheer sales volume, these January numbers show that good games can still sell just after the Christmas rush. Complete sales rankings, as reported by Gamespot after the jump.
Capcom on Lost Planet, marketing, community
Charles Bellfield, Vice President of Marketing at Capcom, USA recently sat down with Gamasutra to discuss Capcom's recent changes in marketing strategy, and its overall direction for the future. Speaking specifically about Lost Planet, Bellfield notes that Capcom's marketing strategy was to involve the community from the beginning. In particular, several changes were made to Lost Planet after Capcom received feedback about the two Lost Planet demos that were available on Marketplace. Further adding to the Lost Planet community, Capcom made fansite kits available, even naming the three best Lost Planet fansites and including them in the manual of the game. Bellfield notes the important distinction between fostering community and falsely creating one (in reference to the "All I want for Christmas is a PSP" fiasco). We have to hand it to Capcom, they did a good job marketing Lost Planet and keeping the online community informed. Overall, the interview is a good read, especially for those interested in the business side of the game industry. Hit the "read" link for more.
Lost Planet for $39.99 at Best Buy
Best Buy is currently offering copies of Lost Planet for the reasonable price of $49.99. However, if you're a stickler for a good bargain, and we imagine you are, you can knock off an additional $10 with a special coupon in the latest issue of GamePro. The coupon specifies that copies will not be accepted, but we've heard tales of folks printing off high resolution copies and redeeming them with no trouble -- not that we condone that kind of behavior. In fact, a little sleuthing after the "read" link might just point you to the aforementioned high resolution coupons. You might even find out a few strategies for getting your coupon accepted.Lost Planet for $39.99? Not a bad deal if you ask us.
