Capcom announces Lost Planet 3

Capcom has unveiled Lost Planet 3 at its annual Captivate showcase event. This next installment in Capcom's sci-fi shooter series will be a prequel to the first game with a new emphasis on character and story and is set for release early next year.

Lost Planet 3 is out in early 2013.

Lost Planet 3 is being developed by California studio Spark Unlimited, maker of 2008's Legendary, in partnership with Capcom Japan. It takes place years before the events of Lost Planet: Extreme Condition in the early days of colonization on the frozen world of E.D.N. III and stars a new protagonist, Jim, a construction laborer working to support his family back on Earth.

The action centers on third-person shooting and first-person piloting in Jim's construction rig, which franchise director Kenji Oguro calls the series' biggest mech suit to date. Capcom producer Andrew Szymanski says the game sees a return to strictly icy climes, after Lost Planet 2's mix of environments included jungles and deserts.

Lost Planet 3's civilian hero and focus on a personal, single-player story also mark a change of course for the series after the previous game put cooperative play front and centre. Lost Planet 2 was released in 2010 to mixed critical reception and modest sales.

For more details, see our first impressions of Lost Planet 3.