Lost: Via Domus // Xbox 360
The way home

// The skinny: You are a survivor aboard the fated flight of Oceanic Flight 815. When you awake on the island you discover that have amnesia and hunt for clues about your past as you cope with survival.

// Review: First off I love the show. When it comes to Lost I'm like a fanatical missionary. I was actually getting upset with my sister when she told told me she just reads the recaps instead of watching the episodes. The previous Lost game contained original content so when Via Domus was released and I read it also had easy achievements, I had to check it out.

/ Sadly this is a video game in only the loosest sense of the term in that you use a controller and press buttons. Every level takes place in an episodic format with even a "Previously on Lost" recap follwed by a teaser. Because this title was in development limbo for so long, it actually takes place during season 2.

/ As your character you wander around the island doing mundane things like collecting coconuts and water bottles until a flashback is triggered. You then take a photo from it which triggers more memories about your identity. There are also two types of puzzles. The first are insulting basic logic problems that a 4th grader might find challenging. The second is arranging fuses to complete a circuit that is recycled ad nauseum. That's basically the entire game.

/ You get a sense that some suit said, "We got the license already, just cobble something together and let's make some money." One of the really frustrating things about Via Domus is that you can't skip any cut scenes. A couple things they did do well was the jungle looks good and the characters actually resemble the ones from the show. The game boasts a small handful of the original actors but that includes people like the Russian eye patch guy and an A lister like Sun only had 2 lines in Korean.

// Wrap up: This is a short game that played more like a mildly interesting interactive 20 minute side episode. Because of no new info, even die hard fans of Lost won't get anything out this. Strictly for achievement whores only.

Entertainment rating: 1