Last February (2007), the people at Capcom released a marvelous game called “Lost Planet: Extreme Condition.”  This game took graphics on the Xbox 360 to the next level, introducing a snow filled canvas cluttered with an infestation of alien bugs.  Trust me, this game brought me out a mini hiatus of game playing since it filled out systems with the first genuinely good release in a long time.  The story is supposed to be simple, but by the end of it you are still confused a little bit.  Since that game came out so long ago, I will be brief- you are raised on a distant planet, and your father is leading a group of soldiers against the Akrid, an invading race of alien bugs.  Once he is killed, it becomes your duty to defend the planet, and rid your world of these creatures.  The cut scenes were awesome, the guns were amazing, and the game was honestly just badass.

Fast forward nearly a year and a half later, and we have the Colonies Edition of “Lost Planet.” The game is nearly identical, except for a few new add-ons, which may or may not matter to the casual gamer. The campaign mode is still the exact same, with the exception of optionally playing in first person (trust me, NOT the way to go), and a few new weapons. The graphics still look amazing, and the fun never really stops. Capcom knew that many gamers would not want to return to the same game simply for new weapons, so they added a few extra single player modes as well.

One new mode is simply titled “score attack.”  This is pretty self-explanatory, as the goal is survive through waves of Akrid aliens, while constantly replenishing the much needed thermal energy.  This can really add some replay value to the game, as it is always fun to try and challenge your friends for a new high score.  Add in the fact that the destructible environments and mech-commanding capabilities are back, and you are in store for hours of entertainment.

There is also a time battle mode, which forces you to fight against massive boss after massive boss.  Though it isn’t exactly revolutionary, it is quite fun and should keep anyone entertained for a little bit of time.  The final mode, “off limit”, seemed pretty pointless to me.  This mode is just the single player game, with an increased speed and unlimited ammo.  Maybe if you play this mode first, you will thoroughly enjoy it, but if you have played through the campaign before, you don’t really feel the need to revisit an already tough game on “speed.”

For me, the multiplayer of this game has always been amazing, but here is where the Colonies Edition biggest new feature shines- the ability to play as the Akrid bugs.  Though they seem a bit overpowered, it is very fun to take a giant rolling Akrid against small humans and flying mechs.  On top of that, there is a cool new mode that incorporates Akrid eggs instead of flags, and it proves to not only be innovative, but very fun as well. Overall, the multiplayer of this game should definitely keep you coming back for a few weeks.

So, if you have never played “Lost Planet”, this is obviously the definitive version to get.  The new features make the game worth the wait, if that’s what you’ve been doing. If you have beaten the game before and are sick of the multiplayer, there’s no real need to come back besides the $29.99 price tag and the inclusion of new achievements. No matter, it’s always hard to recommend a game that was released a year and a half ago, but if there was one to recommend, I feel that this would be it.  The game, like most from Capcom, is sometimes difficult and should give you plenty of hours of playtime.  Throw in the awesome multiplayer and ability to play as a giant bug and you have a pretty darn good game for soo cheap.

Overall: 8.5