Product Description As a passenger of Oceanic flight 815, you survived the crash and find yourself on an uncharted island somewhere in the Pacific Ocean. As you begin to unravel mysteries of the island, you begin to discover secrets of your own. You will have to understand your past mistakes in order to survive and find your way home?
You and other survivors are marooned on this mysterious island - lost from civilization. But there's more to the island than meets the eye. It is a civilization onto itself with an ominous history and present. From invisible creatures and forces, you are not alone. Is it possible that the crash was not an accident? Each character must discover a path, a very special path, where the core of energy meets the individual. Through adventures against hidden mysteries, you need to find answers that may help you find the way home.
Loser.
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 Failed to play properly on three different platforms, none of which is out of date, and none of which has had a hiccup with other more demanding software titles.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.)
Very good, if.....
Let me preface this review by saying this....if you're a GIGANTIC Lost "fan", and you're intimate with every nuance, every hint, and every detail of every season of the television show, then you'll likely be disappointed by the depth of this game. This game sticks pretty closely to the Season 1 storyline, revealing the core survivors, the hatch, Desmond, The Others, The Black Pearl, The Smoke, The Numbers, etc. Not to mention the whole "Running Through The Jungle" theme that seems to permeate the entire show.
That said, if you're one who, like me, enjoyed the first season, then sort of got "lost" with the busyness of your real life and haven't been able to keep up with television (I'm slowly catching up through the available DVDs), then you'll find this game a great continuation of your ability to keep yourself immersed in the "Lost" mythos.
The voices used in the game for the most part sound, to me, like the actual actors used in the TV show. If they're not, they're pretty good impersonations. Kate in the game sounds pretty much exactly like Kate on TV. Hurley in the game sounds pretty much exactly like Hurley on TV. The worst seem to be Sawyer, Locke, and Sayid, which make me wonder if they're "substitute" voices, or if it's just poor writing.
Whether it is poor writing of dialogue, or poor acting, many of the canned lines in the game come off sounding like middle school drama class.
The game appears to be based on Ubisoft's "FarCry" software engine. The graphics are pretty incredible for a console game. The mechanics are easy to learn, and the plot is easy to follow. I would recommend one of the Internet's "walkthrough" sites as a reference source, as the puzzles (and many of the game's XBox Achievements) can be difficult to figure out.
You start out the game like most of the other core survivors, awakening in the jungle with nothing to go on. It is interesting to try to discover who you (as the character in the game) are and why you are there. Well worth the effort. Even my six-year-old daughter loved it when I finally found out what "my" name was!
This game is well worth renting from a place like GameFly, and is well worth playing if you get hold of one for less than the retail price. It is not, however, worth the $35 to $50 you see it selling for new. Rent it and give it a try.
Walk (Don't Run) to Rent (Not Buy) This One
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.
Great for Fans!
This game was pretty good. I enjoyed the story, which was true to the Lost universe and the ending too. Graphically, the recreation of the areas in Lost was pretty spot on. Some of the characters from the show didn't look exactly like themselves and the voices weren't perfect either. But I felt like I was in Lost and enjoyed it very much. It wasn't too hard to get those 1000 points in gamerscore achievements either. So if you're looking for some easy points, pick this up.
On the down side, the game is pretty short. Most likely it will last 4-6 hours for the average gamer. Also, if you aren't a fan of the show, most likely you will not enjoy this game. References to specific things that happened on the show will probably just confuse you.
Overall, I was enjoyed playing the game.
Lost the series video game.
The LOST: Via Domus game is somewhat fun to play but way to short. I wish it would have more action sequences. I would say it is a mediocre adventure game. I only bought it because I am a huge fan of LOST. Recommended for hardcore LOST fans only. Casual fans would be better off renting this game.