Lost Planet 3 will be a prequel, debut trailer shows familiar icy world

Capcom dropped a few bombs at their most recent CAPTIVATE event out in Rome, one of which is the continuation of Lost Planet, their non-horror third-person shooter.  That's right, I'm talking about Lost Planet 3. 

Interestingly enough, the now-trilogy's third installment leaves Capcom's hands and will be developed instead by California-based Spark Unlimited, whose existing lineup includes multiplatform titlesLegendary, Turning Point: Fall of Liberty, and Call of Duty: Finest Hour (on GameCube, no less).  Not that Capcom isn't providing plenty of direction.  The Japanese staff remains heavily involved in the new project, according to Capcom producer Andrew Szymanski, who remains based in Japan. 

In an interview with CVG, series co-creator Kenji Oguro expressed a desire to refocus the series withLost Planet 3, noting that the previous game put too much emphasis on multiplayer and online components.

"It's very different.  Lost Planet 2 focused on online and multiplayer but Lost Planet 3 has a very strong narrative focus. I've had a lot of ideas about the series that I haven't been able to realise until now - in particular how I can make the player perform a certain action or make them feel a certain way. These are the kinds of things I put a lot of thought into realising the third Lost Planet. In that regard, it kind of makes good on a lot the lingering ideas we had for the series in general."

Another major difference between the second and third games will be the environment.  Lost Planet 3, being a prequel, will feature the icy landscapes of EDN III rather than return to a tropical environments of Lost Planet 2.  A more story-driven campaign replaces the co-op focused one.

The new protagonist, who appears in the debut cinematic (below), is a working man named "Jim," one of the first colonists to hit EDN III.  He seems like a pretty likable guy, being a hard worker and supporting his family, but the Akrid obviously don't care about any of that.  Unfortunately for Jim and his fellow miners, technology hasn't advanced enough to produce the military-grade VS mechs we've become acquainted with.  Instead, the basic NEVEC Rig -- equipped with a drill and claw -- is all he's got.

Expect to see Lost Planet 3 the first half of 2013.  So still a way's away.

SOURCE: Neoseeker (also includes the announcement trailer)