Video game review: 'Lost: Via Domus'
March 5, 2008 Unfortunately, the only engaging thing about "Lost: Via Domus"
($59.99 for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, $29.99 for Windows PC) is
the unique opportunity to explore fantastic digital recreations of
the show's weirdo island environment in the action-adventure game's
way-too-sparse seven episodes.
Don't even think about buying this game if you're not a "Lost"
devotee. Much like the show itself, "Via Domus" could easily
alienate gamers not interested in a sometimes clunky, sometimes
genius mystery that slowly unravels with a cavalcade of questions.
That said, die-hard fans will appreciate the game's parallel
storyline that's more interesting than castoffs Nikki and Paulo
ever were.
As an amnesiac passenger who worked as a photojournalist before
getting "Lost," players can camp out on the beach, investigate
the hatch, enter the numbers in the computer, search the Black Rock
for dynamite and flash back to riding on Oceanic Flight 815 before
it crashed somewhere in the Pacific
Yes, just like the show did for the first three seasons, the
T-rated "Via Domus" - which, according to the game, means "the
way home" in Latin - heavily relies on flashbacks to push the plot
forward. These minimal levels involve searching for clues and
snapping a photo that will help jog your memory.
Moments like those, along with the inclusion of the "Lost"
title sequence and those signature "previously on" moments
throughout the game, are small steps in the right direction for the
lowly regarded games-based-on-TV-shows subgenre, a niche known for
spawning tedious and disappointing titles. (See any "American
Idol" or "CSI" game.)
Most of the characters from "Lost" make appearances in "Via
Domus," but only some of the actors lend their voices. There's
nothing more distracting than standing within the game's lush
landscape, looking at a surprisingly lifelike John Locke and then
hearing a voice that's distinctly not Terry O'Quinn emanate from
his mouth.
Fast-paced arcade-style chases that involve fleeing from the
black smoke and the Others give "Via Domus" a much-needed shot of
adrenaline, but it's not enough to keep up the plodding pacing.
"Via Domus" is ultimately bogged down by a lack of action.
You'd think there'd be more to do in a video game based on a show
where so much happens. Instead, players are tasked with awkwardly
wandering through the forest, trading fruit and bottles of water
with Sawyer and plugging fuses into electrical boxes.
It's the sort of minutia they don't show on TV for a reason:
It's boring. Two out of four stars.