httpv://youtu.be/Dqe8ugsHA3k

After Lost Planet 2 failed to capture on the cult success of its predecessor — largely due to a complete abandonment of elements that made the first game so good — Capcom is pulling a complete "do over" with Lost Planet 3. They've handed developmental reins over to Spark Unlimited and allowed them to tell a story that still falls in line with the canon of Lost Planet, but exists as its own entity.

Rather than put players into the cockpit of weaponized mechs and give them an all out arsenal of rifles, rocket launchers, and shotguns, Lost Planet 3 is taking a much more subdued, and almost survival horror approach. A new trailer (found above) was released during Gamescom that teases some of the game's story, along with the bigger mystery that permeates the gameplay.

In Lost Planet 3, Spark is taking players back to the beginning. Earth has lost all power and our only hope is to mine a power source on a far away "lost planet" called EDN III. That's where the player comes in, they assume the role of Jim, a miner who discovers that this uninhabited planet might not be as lost as it seems.

As is evident by the trailer, Lost Planet 3 is drawing heavily from the influence of Dead Space in terms of its interactive combat experiences while on foot, and its atmospheric locations. Having gone hands-on with the game, I can say that there were equal parts discovery and combat, and a fair dose of suspense added for good measure.

The idea to strip the mechs of their weapons and make them more practical inspires a little more invention with combat, but also allows for something that hasn't been seen in a game before. How long the game can keep that experience going is unclear, but for the 20 minutes or so the controller was in my hands I was compelled.

Unfortunately, this trailer, like many of the ones released thus far, pales in comparison to seeing the game in action. Capcom clearly is a little worried about fan reception to Lost Planet 3, and has no idea how to properly market it.

What do you think of the newest trailer for Lost Planet 3 straight out of Gamescom? How do you hope this central mystery ties in with other elements of the series?

Lost Planet 3 is targeting an early 2013 release for the PS3, Xbox 360, and PC.