Prolific developers Capcom have announced a patch/expansion for their action shooter epic, Lost Planet. Two separate patches will become available on August 16th, the first of which being the plainly named "PC Map Pack #2", consisting of 4 new arenas for players to duke it out in. The maps, all of which have already been released on the xBox360 are detailed below.

Lost Technology: Apparently created with the focus on old 8-Bit gaming, should be interesting how they mix old technology with the futuristic style that runs throughout the game

Ruins: Battle it out in some ruined temples and monuments hidden deep within a jungle.

Battleground: A completely abandoned town is up for exploration and fighting, a mix of indoor and outdoor areas should make for a varied and interesting battle.

Ice Drop: Another icy level to add to the game.

The other, and slightly more interesting patch (at least for tech heads like me!) is the DirectX 10 patch, which allows the game to make use of Microsoft's latest API for even greater visual grandeur. Providing you have the hardware (ATi HD2x00 series and nVidia 8x00 series only folks!), this patch will allow the game to use Geometry Shaders, provide improved fur realism, and vastly superior Motion blur. This patch will also bring a simple chat system to prevent re-inputting common phrases.

Both patches will be downloadable from inside the game's interface, when they are released on August 16th.

Personally this is very exciting as, being an owner of one of the new DX10 compatible cards, I finally get the chance to let it have a go at what it is designed for! Hopefully the improvements don't disappoint, as this will be one of the few DX10 compatible games until the media behemoth that is Crysis hits streets.

Via IGN