There are flashes of greatness in Lost Planet 3. Its story has some surprisingly excellent acting, its icy world is struck by impressively intense storm effects, and a couple of times the stars align and its third-person shooting and rock'em sock'em giant-robot-versus-monsters combat modes work together to produce a novel boss fight. But flashes are all they are, and the often frustrating metaphorical dimness between them makes up the bulk of its 15-hour single-player campaign gets in the way of admiring them.
This is a typical "going native" plot, in the same vein as movies like Pocahontas and Avatar, but Lost Planet 3's prequel tale (set around 50 years before the original) is its best feature. It's all thanks to well-acted and touching scenes where the main character, James Peyton, and his wife exchange video messages. They talk about things like their son's first steps, which he's missing while off on planet EDN III mining for T-energy (AKA unobtainium) to support them. Peyton's a convincing everyman hero, and the thoughtful detail of the photo of his wife pinned to his drilling mech's cockpit constantly reminds us of why he's willing to endure life on this frozen, monster-infested hellscape of a planet.
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