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3 Rating: 3, Useful: 14 / 15
Date: March 01, 2008
Author: Amazon User

I wanted to love this game. Being a HUGE fan of the TV show (i've seen every episode live, as it aired for all 4 seasons thus far) I was looking forward to this game like no other. The game as a whole let me down though. First things first... The game is very short. I beat it in one day with only 2 breaks inbetween sessions. There are 7 levels, or episodes as they call them and each episode takes anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes to beat depending how long you linger around and talk to people. Which brings me to the second point.. The voice actors. They have a few real cast members doing the voices (Claire, Desmond, Sun, Ben, Tom, Mikhail) but everyone else is a stand in. Some are actually decent (Jack, Hurley, Kate) and some just do an awful job (Locke, Sawyer, Charlie). In any case, its rather disappointing because the game would have been so much more likable if it had all the real actors in it. Oh well... I guess ubisoft didn't want to pay them what they wanted probably. Back to the game.. Most levels are either running from the smoke monster or trying to figure out fuse box puzzles.. Which both can be rather frusterating. I'd say the coolest part of the game is the flashback scenes where you actually get to walk around and try to take the perfect picture to regain your memory of the situation. I thought it was a pretty unique idea. But in the end, the game is rather dull and short. I recommend it to fans no doubt, but its hard for me to give this game a positive review when it falls short in so many catagories.

Its Not 'the' Island, Its 'An' Island

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 12 / 16
Date: March 01, 2008
Author: Amazon User

I'm a big Lost fan so I carefully waited for the game to be available at the local Blockbuster and sure enough I was the first renting it.

First Impressions: The title screen is lovely and it led to an anticipation of whats to come. Turning it on however, I was greeted by blocky controls. At first I thought I had freedom to move about the island but turned out I was wrong, everything is set on paths. Your character kind of quirks and jerks around the island stumbling into unmoveable bushs with all his stiffness. Follow this up with 'what just happened' cut scenes and dabble on a self-centering bad camera angle and you have your opener of sorts. Jungles have never been accurately reproduced in games, I was hoping this would be an exception.

Play it Again Sammy: The game blocks it up like episodes of the show, think Matrix: the Game, only with intros and logos. I didn't like the 'previously on Lost' intro showing me what I played just seconds earlier but this works well when you go back to earlier episodes or pick it back up after taking a break. They could have canned the intro while you were playing and it would have been an improvement. Adding the Lost Logo at the mystery point near the beginning and the mystery at closing was a very nice touch but in some instances, out of place. While your running around you pick up loose items and put them in your backpack. You trade these for items you need, torches, oil, handguns. Collect everything you find and you won't have any issues with currency. Eventually this feels like your only collecting fuses and beer. You become the red neck Thomas Edison of the island with a backpack full of brewskies and the knowledge of electricity.

Getting Lost in It: There I am on the beach, this story doesn't follow between 2 and 3, it starts at the beginning. The wreckage scene was not accurately shown, bummer. Tech heads would point out the left wing was gone all together and the still running engine was originally mounted next to the fusalage not out in the open say between the blown engine and the fusalage. Here is where the game play gets really odd. Your first mission is to divert the fuel flow to prevent an explosion. How? Your best guess and stumbling around looking for something that glimmers that you can click on. Oh, its one of those games! You simply walk around and look for something to get shiny. Hmmm. From there on out its being an errand boy. Find your luggage. Another walk around, this time with dummy objects to slow your progress.

Let The Exploration Begin: "Find your camera"...okay now you get to journey off the beach and thank the light, not a moment too soon. Here is where you find another idea they came up with for you to do. Its 'find your waypoints' time in the jungle. Find your waypoint and it will point you to the next waypoint 30 feet away. Some waypoints are hidden, others can be skipped. All together its a romp in the park. Then you find the front nose of the plane. Again, not accurate at all with the film, they put it hanging over a cliff. Why? On board the plane is another puzzle to divert power to the electronically locked compartment. Sayid would be proud. Even after solving the puzzle you can 'steal' the fuses for later use, brillant.

Do The Hokey, Pokey: This is pretty much the giest of the game. Get your mission, get through the ever increasing difficulty of the jungle (way points turn into compass points you have to cross reference, the jungle has Ben's guys shooting at you and finally you have to make your way past a fast pathing Black Smoke...while walking...with Black Rock Dynomite), find your target and return, Rinse Repeat.

Mini Games? There is two instances of a 'run for your life' part thats interesting even with the blockly controls and bad camera angle. The two cave journey parts are interesting as long as you think ahead...Think fumbling around in Shadowgate back in the day with no torches. There is a Swan Station part that was very interesting with you playing with the computer doing things that Locke couldn't find that lends itself to an all inclusive venture of the station and here they really shined with accuracy, my hats off for this part and the equally thrilling Flame Station part.

ShutterBug: There is parts in the game where your clued in on taking a picture. Somethings are hidden and you must find the special path to find these things but there is usually some risk involved. Getting the snapshot is more thrilling then the Game concept art the game rewards you with back at the main menu. However, getting the right shot can be obnoxiously hard at times. I took a picture of a laptop a dozen times from different angles before it accepted the 'win'. Even my wife mentioned something was off with that. They could have really done better with the camera's rewards or even had hidden things for taking scenic shots ala Metal Gear Solid. Still a lot of the hidden item shots is cheeky fun to do.

New stuff! I'm not going to divulge into any of the new things that your adventure on the island will uncover. Up to now its been stuff we all know. There is one instance at the Flame where you go 'oh thats why that happened'. You also eventually get to see more of the Hydra and the Black Rock, no big deal but fun nonetheless. There is finally a 'gap filler' that is presented. This is a nice albiet short lived portion that had me screaming for my wife to check out. Its a wonderful present in the middle of it all making the rental much worth the money. Another piece of the puzzle and something I can finally breathe a sigh of relief on. You'll have to rent it to find out for yourself. Snicker!

Mi Capitane! The main characters presented for you to talk to in your flight. The talking sessions remind me of the blocky Knights of the Old Republic chat scenes, however, your questions have little bearing of consequences. Ask away! The voice acting is superb and most of the characters are believeable, some sound like they have a cold. All together it had my wife fooled into thinking they were the real deal. Mums the word! The character models are excellent but thier motions are very robotic. Its thier hands, they don't move thier hands. Thier face is expressionable and extremely close to the actor they portray but they end up looking like a talking head on a manniquine.

The Hills are Alive! The visuals, even with the exception of inaccuracies of special locales are stunningly beautiful. They put a lot of heart into how it looked. Even the jungle with its waypoint gimmick is something to behold. Sometimes I want to just look at what they done and all the hard work they put into it but they don't lend themselves to giving you said time because of dangers. Its not 'the' island, it 'an' island. The layout for the most part is great and leads itself to adventuring. Hi-res rocks the world!

It All Comes Out in the Wash: I wrapped this rental up in 8 hours. It has very little replay value which is a loss in my mind from all the work they put into it. I would only go back to find the picture opportunities I missed and the few hidden locations I know are still out there. Lost: Via Domus did not leave a bad taste in my mouth but its shortness was dissappointing. This game is worthy of a rental and your time but don't buy it, save your money for the blu-ray versions of the show :)

Throw it to the smoke monster

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 5 / 7
Date: March 05, 2008
Author: Amazon User

I don't like to write negative reviews but I waiting a long time for this dud of a game and I am really disappointed. Totally linear game with no real choice in any actions you take (although there is a slight ILLUSION that there is choice)--contrary to what the show is all about. You'll spend more time watching loading screens than playing! Extremely short, with only about 6 hours of game play and not at all replayable (see linear above). Could have--SHOULD HAVE--been so much more. This one is like a throwback to the 80s in the complexity of gameplay. Some good ideas (trading, puzzles, photography, hiding from smoke monster) that never really develop into anything new or exciting. The only element of surprise is the ending video, and the realization you'll get that you wasted your money.

Not as bad as everyone says...

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: March 13, 2008
Author: Amazon User

First off, you must understand that this game was not meant for hardcore gamers that devour games all the time. This game was meant for lovers of the LOST TV series. No, it's gameplay isn't great. No, the graphics aren't great. And no, the voice acting (or voice wannabes) aren't great either. But I don't think the makers were really trying to make a "BioShock" or "Gears of War". This game fits nicely into the LOST story line. If you are a lover of the show then you'll enjoy moments that "bring you back" to some of the most memorable times in LOST history. I found the story, while short and not too deep, to fit in with other stories the TV series goes into. The flash back scenes were fun and the twist at the end still has me confused in a way that only LOST can. You also visit cool places like the hatch, the beach, and the black rock. I definitely only recommend this game as a rental unless you can find it cheap. I beat the game with all 1000 achievement points in less then 5 hours. Also the achievements are pretty fun to unlock as well. So, if you love the show, rent it, enjoy it, beat it. MAKE SURE YOU HAVE SEEN UP THROUGH SEASON 3 OF THE SERIES. OTHERWISE YOU GET SOME SHOW SPOILERS.

Previously on Lost...

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 2 / 3
Date: March 07, 2008
Author: Amazon User

Regarding the TV series: I loved the first season, but they lost me by the end of the second season. So while I haven't been keeping up with all the mysteries and minutiae, I was intrigued enough by the idea of actually playing a game among the characters to send $60 to Amazon on the day it was released. And I was hoping to spend some quality time with Evangeline Lilly.

Unfortunately, there is just so much wrong with this game, so many annoyances, and so much that is utterly STUPID. If not for the lure of the easy achievement points I would have stopped playing on Day 1 instead of Day 2, which is when I actually completed it with 900 points. And take note: I'm talking about Monday and Tuesday here. Work days. And I have a day job.

Can I do a bulleted list?

>> Watch out for invisible walls! There are lots of places where it looks like you should be able to walk, where, in fact, you cannot.

>> As you walk around, there are things like coconuts and papayas and fuses and beers on the ground, and it would benefit you to be observant and collect as many as you can for bartering purposes. But the game designers have made it difficult for you to direct your gaze downward and keep it there. Take your thumb off the right stick, and your eyes zip right back up to the horizon. This is particularly annoying when you are trying to stare at Kate's chest.

>> With all these beers everywhere, it's easy to see why so many castmembers got busted for DWIs.

>> Despite the big beach nearby, this ain't no "sandbox" game. If you stray too far from the one allowable trail, you may find yourself being auto-restored, without warning, to some earlier save point waaay back there before you barely escaped that smoke monster by ducking into a cluster of banyan trees, which, apparently, smoke cannot penetrate.

>> Immediately after you complete an "episode," you have to sit through a "Previously on Lost..." cutscene that shows you highlights of what you just finished. It's amusing the first time, but afterwards, eh, not so much. It's particularly annoying if you *die* in the next episode before the first autosave point, because you WILL have to sit through it again when you restart.

>> There are multiple puzzles where you have to solve electrical engineering problems, placing the right fuse with the right impedence in the right socket, or (I'm not kidding here) passing IQ tests. These are actually pretty challenging, and stand in stark contrast to the extreme stupidity of the rest of the game.

>> After you pass an IQ test and are allowed access to a computer terminal, you might be presented with a really stupid menu of options, i.e, press "A" to send a Ping, press "B" to play a voice message, or press "C" to deactivate the reactor. And if you press "C", there's no "Are you sure? Warning! You are about to deactivate the freakin' reactor" confirmation step. You could be a legitimate Dharma employee who simply hasn't had his coffee yet, and you could totally ruin the initiative just by fat-fingering one keystroke.

What a steaming pile...

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: March 06, 2008
Author: Amazon User

And I'm a diehard fan of the series. The gameplay was so flat I think it could've run on a nintendo. The voice acting didn't have the best voices, and the characters were either so subtly played or over the top that they didn't have the same feel. Locke was an insufferably annoying philosopher, spouting of fortune cookie quotes about you and the island, and providing little real help. Kate and Jack were tolerable, but so ephemeral that the might as well have not been present. No other Lostie was present, and the camp was so small as to hold maybe 20 people, not the 50 that are really cast.

The gameplay consisted of glaringly obvious puzzles and tracking through the jungle for 30 minute stretchs: 5 minutes of walking and 25 minutes of waiting for the black smoke monster to leave. This alternated with 2 minute mazes where your torch or lantern was your essential life bar.

The flashbacks did much to make up for it, and had a good feel. But nothing could detract from the shear awfulness.

The story was so abrupt, so short, that you'd think the cast was stuck on the island for all of 5 or 6 days, with the 2nd day being when the hatch is blown. No regard is made for canon except in the most vestigal sense. Some neat secrets are revealed, but nothing that couldn't be figured out from the show.

Rent the game, as the story is actually passable once you're past the inital gag reflex, but trust me that you will gag eventually. Or get it if you want an easy 1000 Xbox points, which you can get in the first run through with minimal extra play.

Walk (Don't Run) to Rent (Not Buy) This One

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: April 30, 2008
Author: Amazon User

The series "Lost" is one of the finest in television history. However, the tie-in products never fail to underwhelm.

The makers of "Lost: Via Domus" faced a nearly impossible task: create a story-based game that fits credibly into a show that's already got three seasons under its belt and that comes to a decent conclusion even though the show won't end for several more years. Unfortunately, not only did Ubisoft Montreal flub this one, they also forgot the basics of making an interesting and enjoyable video game.

You play as a passenger on flight 815 who suffers from amnesia after the crash. You meet with characters from the show and travel to island locales while trying to piece together your past. The interaction with other characters is very lock-step, i.e. you say this, they reply that. This linear pattern becomes an overwhelming attribute to the entire game to the point that you feel like you're watching a (very mediocre) episode rather than actually performing anything yourself.

Your memory comes back via dream sequences where you have to "photograph" select elements to unlock new information. As meager as that sounded, I've just made it sound like more fun than it even is. You replay the same looped dream over and over again trying to balance framing and focus to get just the shot that it's looking for. This element of gameplay alternates between bland and flat-out tedious.

In between these revelation sequences, you go on simple quests that involve familiar show elements such as the hatch, the Black Rock, the Others, etc. Again, it's all very linear stuff - go there, get that item, bring it back here, etc. There are holes in the script that allow you to break out of this sequence, but you still end up getting handcuffed by the game anyway. For instance, you collect coconuts (suddenly it's Gilligan's Island) and other island goodies to trade for useful wares. I bucked the system and saved up enough to get a gun from Sawyer earlier than the developers intended, but was then completely unable to use it until much later in the game when it was necessary for the story. But this led to ridiculous situations in the meantime - for example, if I'm carrying a loaded gun, why would I allow myself to be put into a holding cell and stripped of all my possessions? There should at least be options for how to handle situations, but there aren't. This also reduces replayability to zero.

The graphics are generally very good and the facial models of familiar characters are well-done, even if their movements are a bit robotic. Voice talent is provided from many of the show's actors, but the ones who are substitutes really stick out - particularly Sawyer, who sounds like a cross between Ross Perot and Yosemite Sam.

The only upside to the game is the ease of achievements. If you're into boosting your gamerscore, then you've come to the right place. With the entire game taking only about eight hours to complete, it's the easiest 1000 points you'll ever rack up. Just another reason why this one is a title better rented than owned.

Oi.

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 2 / 7
Date: March 01, 2008
Author: Amazon User

As a fan of the show, this game was just barely worth playing, and largely because it's the easiest 1000 points you will ever score on any xbox game. Other than that, a huge disappointment and a waste of $60. Do yourself a favor and rent this game rather than buy it.

My girlfriend and I actually had a blast mocking the dialogue the whole way through. Took about 5 hours to finish. Gameplay is awful. The graphics as well as the voice acting is miserable. They really don't get anywhere near doing justice to a single character in the show. If we weren't loyal fans, we never would have finished the game.

Loser.

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 0 / 1
Date: July 15, 2008
Author: Amazon User

Unlike many reviews here, I cannot disparage the lack of gameplay. Our problem was a lack of game! Failed to play properly on three different platforms, none of which is out of date, and none of which has had a hiccup with other more demanding software titles. Real dog of an offering. (We are Lost addicts, and are very disappointed.)

Disappointing

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: March 03, 2008
Author: Amazon User

The hit show Lost gets a video game adaptation with Lost: Via Domus, which puts you in the shoes of an amnesiac survivor of Oceanic Flight 815. Throughout the game, you will be going out on quests, completing objectives, interacting with other survivors, and identifying clues during flashback sequences to learn just who you are. While Lost: Via Domus tells a compelling story that fans of the show will enjoy (and very nicely fits within the first two seasons of the show), the game itself is ultimately too short for its own good. Seriously, you can finish the game in one sitting of you so desired. Also, there is a barrage of technical issues, most notably some graphical glitches and stiff character models. The game's environments are nicely rendered and nicely detailed however. Also, it should be noted that a majority of the voice acting here is just atrocious. While a few members of the show's cast appear here and are fine, the rest of the voice actors are just miserable. Not to mention that there is no real replay value whatsoever to the game. Once you beat it, which as mentioned before won't take you long, there's no real reason to go back to it. If more polish had been put into Lost: Via Domus, this game could have really been something special in terms of licensed video games, but alas, Lost: Via Domus, while not bad on its own, is a disappointment. All in all, Lost: Via Domus is worth a look and worth playing through for die hard Lost fans, but in the end, the game is a rental at best.

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