Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 6-10 of 21
 What a steaming pile... March 6, 2008
Brian Long (Ogden, UT USA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
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 April 30, 2008
D. R. Jeanclerc (Brunswick, OH USA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
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.
 Not Worth It ... October 10, 2008
Ron Sullivan (Philadelphia, PA United States)
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
Being a modest fan of the show, I was looking forward to checking 'Lost' out at some point. Recently my local library actually started to lend out a small selection of 360 games; so when I saw that 'Via Domus' was among the games I grabbed it for myself. Now that I've finished it, I can say that although the game isn't offensively bad, I'm really glad this isn't one that I paid for.
As for the good, the rendering of the island itself is really quite good and the jungle certainly has the right, lush, tropical, look and feel to it. It still travels sort of linear though. If you travel too far off track, you'll just be bounced back on the correct path. I think it would have been more fun if it was a little more open so you could just carve your own paths with a machete and map out the island on your own.
The music for the game uses the score to the TV show, so the sound to the game is completely authentic and terrific. The voice acting, on the other hand, is god-awful. Virtually nobody from the A-list cast showed up and nobody sounds like themselves. John Locke's voice in particular, I didn't think was even close. It's strange too, because I remember several interviews with Matthew Fox doing press for the game. I just assumed his voice was included, but it isn't.
The game includes a bartering system to gain objects; you'll trade papayas and coconuts for a torch or a lantern, for example. Unfortunately, outside of a couple of torches and one gun (which, I kid you not, you shoot no more then three times ... only one of which is a person) you don't really need anything. The whole trading system turns out to be kind of a farce.
The story is OK and mildly interesting, even if the ending had me scratching my head, but it is REALLY short. I finished the game 100% in what couldn't have been more then 5 hours of play. I was hoping that, to some extent, 'Lost' would use games like 'Drakes: Uncharted' or 'Tomb Raider' as a template for it's game play but instead the game play itself FEELS like an episode of the TV show and its not very interactive. This has the game commit the mortal sin of just being dull.
Simply put, there's just no meat here to sink your teeth into and with very little else going in the right direction, there's not much at all working for the game to justify a purchase. If you were a die-hard fan of the show and, somehow, fall into a copy of 'Lost' I can honestly say it's worth, at least, checking out. That said; however, if you have to plunk down so much as a nickel to play this, skip it. It's just not worth it. I'd have been really disgusted with myself if I paid anything to play this.
 Disappointing March 3, 2008
N. Durham (Philadelphia, PA)
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.
Fun if your a big fan of lost but still a game rental. March 10, 2008
Mark Domino (Seattle, Washington)
Lost video game is not the most exciting game to play and would only recommend to fans of lost.
The game play is pretty simple. Talk to people from the tv show. take pictures to open up flashbacks of your character and run from the smoke.
I am only like 3 episodes into the game thus far.
I am enjoying it but play it in short portions. The puzzles with the electical wiring can be very annoying to be honest but once you figure it out its a breeze.
In the end this is definitely a rent not worth the 60 buck price tag. Very little replay value.
You will probably see this in the sales bins at gamestop in a few months for 20 bucks :P
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