Lost Planet spin-off EX Troopers is stranded in Japan

Posted By: Michael Lacerna In: Gaming News On: 11 Sep

Lost Planet was one of Capcom’s earliest hits this generation: the original game sold over 2.8 million copies and helped Capcom become one of the few Japanese publishers to transition over to the HD generation smoothly. Despite the popularity that Lost Planet once held, it seems like Capcom doesn’t have much faith that the newest game in the franchise — the candy colored EX Troopers — will find an audience in the west.

According to a post on the official Capcom Unity message boards by Capcom USA vice president Christian Svensson, the company currently has no plans to bring EX Troopers to the US or Europe. Of course, this doesn’t mean that an eventual release is totally out of the question; Capcom has trademarked the name “EX Troopers” in the US, so the possibility of getting an English version of the game is still there, but I wouldn’t start holding my breath for an domestic release, either.

The cel-shaded, anime styled EX Troopers takes the series in a different direction than the American developed Lost Planet 3; while Lost Planet 3 takes the series back to its single player, narrative-driven roots, EX Troopers mixes the original game’s shooting mechanics with some Monster Hunter style, team based multiplayer.

The Lost Planet series seems to have lost some of its luster ever since creator Keiji Inafune (also known for his work on the Mega Man and Onimusha series’,) left Capcom a few years ago. Lost Planet 2 still managed to sell over a million units, but mixed reactions from critics and fans alike ensured that the game never matched the popularity of the original title. With that said, EX Troopers looked interesting: the neon colored aesthetic wasn’t really my style, but the game’s frequent comparisons to Monster Hunter (a series which I also love,) were enough to pique my interest in the title. Hopefully Capcom rethinks their strategy and decides to give EX Troopers a chance outside of Japan.

EX Troopers hits Japanese PS3′s and 3DS’s on November 22nd.