Lost Planet 3 multiplayer pits Pirates against Pioneers, features mechs and special abilities

Lost Planet 3's multiplayer allows players to customize their character's abilities through a progression sphere and play through multiple team scenarios.

We spent some time with the game's multiplayer at E3. During our demo, we engaged in five-versus-five multiplayer as part of the NEVEC team. NEVEC's goal was to protect a series of points around the map, while the Pirates simply needed to stall and keep NEVEC from completing its objective. A menu at the top left of the game's screen informs players of their progress by displaying bars that brighten as different objectives are achieved, which made it easy for us to track our goals at a quick glance.

The match we played was a standard 10 minutes, though a representative told us they can last anywhere from five to 20. Players have two abilities they can equip at a time. We used a shield to boost defenses and "Noxious Demise," which emits a poisonous cloud when triggered that damages nearby enemies. Other abilities boost ammo performance, add health benefits and more.

Vital Suits return in Lost Planet 3 and can be hopped into whenever found. Although the suit will boost your defenses, it makes you a larger target and more likely to draw fire. The same is true of vehicles scattered through the level, meaning players should use them with caution.

Upon completing a match, we were rewarded with XP to upgrade weapons, skills and more. Lost Planet 3 features a progression sphere that allows players to tweak their character with RPG-like options. Players will gain new abilities and have access to around 8-10 weapons, a representative told us. Additionally, each weapon has an ultimate version that can be unlocked, though details on how you're able to do so are scarce.

Lost Planet 3 will feature 3v3 or 5v5 matches with different scenarios and objectives. The game is expected to launch this August for Windows PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.