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Return to the desolation of the Lost Planet.

I didn't delve into Lost Planet Extreme Condition back when it released the first time around, so now that it available in this updated "Colonies" version for a mere thirty bones as an Xbox 360 Platinum Hits title I felt the time was perfect to get a look at what this little game was all about.

Naturally I'd heard all about the massive battles against giant beasts (and most of these monsters, called Akrid, are truly immense), the interesting multiplayer, and the way cool method of piloting small scale mechs (called VS) to take the baddies down, but this is a game that has to be played to be appreciated.

I'd heard of some of the problems that kept the title from greatness as well, but overall I now see why this title did as well as it did the first time around.

If you were a fan of Lost Planet, then this game is for you. If you, like me, haven't played it at all then you owe it to yourself to pick up this $30 treat and pop it in your 360.

The game itself is essentially the same, offering some primarily cosmetic upgrades. Colonies includes new multiplayer maps and new character skins, making more choices for online play and that's always nice. The real meat of this upgrade comes in the form of new game modes for both online and offline play. There is also a new first-person view mode, but it really doesn't work that well or add much to the game.

On the single player front Colonies offers a Score Attack mode which lets you go back through any completed campaign mission gunning for the highest score you can muster while Off Limit mode offers a replay of any cleared mission with beefed up ammo and speed. As the slow player movement was always one of the game's problems, I'm a little surprised that this upgrade wasn't built into the base game or at least the multiplayer where it can be quite frustrating to always be moving with the speed of a clunky Sherman tank. Trial Battle lets you face off one on one against the game's various bosses in a five round deathmatch (although one of the cooler things about the Lost Planet campaign is that almost every battle seems like a boss fight).