Lost Planet 2 moved up a week

Lost Planet 2 was originally expected to launch before the end of March, but the publisher pushed it back to May 18 in order to avoid an unusually potent assortment of high-profile competition. Since that time, Capcom has seen publisher after publisher announce their potential blockbusters to launch on the same day. First Alan Wake was slated for May 18, then Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands and Split/Second, and finally Red Dead Redemption.

Capcom has apparently seen enough, because today the publisher moved Lost Planet 2's launch date up a week to May 11. It also gave the PC version of the game a release window, saying that it would follow the console editions onto shelves this fall.

To whet players' appetites for the game, Capcom also announced that it will release a new multiplayer demo of the game on the Xbox 360 April 21 and on the PlayStation Network April 22. The 16-player versus mode demo will include a single map, as well as chat support and stat tracking features.

Lost Planet 2 is set 10 years after the original, following substantial terraforming on EDN III that replaced the frigid tundra with large swaths of lush forests. Its campaign will follow the protagonist and three non-player characters through six chapters, each of which will have multiple outcomes that hinge on players' actions.

For more on Lost Planet 2, check out GameSpot's latest preview.