Lost: Via Domus (Xbox 360)

Lost has numerous little things that break up the main adventure, exploring the jungle by using markers is just one of the segments that stands out. It’s tricky at first and there are lots of dead ends, some with useful items. If you get too lost though you can return to a previous checkpoint (the game’s kind like that). There are also chase sequences, vaulting logs and so on to liven things up a little bit as you explore the Island.

The problem is as I mentioned before, the mechanics and the controls needed refinement. They can be a bit clumsy and whilst you are returned to a checkpoint if you fail or die, you are often returned at the wrong side of a scene you can’t skip. Come on people, you need to make a skip button for folks who tire of seeing the same long scene over and over again!

The graphics in the game are pretty damn good, the characters look like their counterparts mostly and the environments are excellent. There are a few hitches here and there and some of the areas aren’t as detailed as they could be. In the cave sections the use of lighting is excellent and it really lends to the creepy atmosphere as you struggle to explore the dank areas whilst avoiding hazards and ever-present death.

The environments outside, like the jungle and the crash itself are fantastically detailed, lush and have several truly magnificent locales to view. It’s really quite breathtaking and this alone gives the game the extra push it needs to appeal to the Island explorer. If you marry this to the spot effects, ambient sounds and the use of music and dynamic sound effects you get a pretty visual and aural picture that makes up for the story’s short nature and the game’s lack of mechanical depth.

The voice work is a mixed bag and it’s not as though the developers got in every member of the cast, you’ll find that it’s passable though and there’s a lot of in-jokes in the game for fans of the show, you’ll laugh, you’ll cry and you’ll probably swear at some of the game.

If you’re not a fan of Lost then you’re going to either want to rent this, watch at least two seasons of the show and then play it or skip it all together. If you’re a Lost fan then you might find the game’s use of show based locations and the extra locales that are based on ideas from the show, adding to the show’s official canon as to what goes on there and what they look like.

I think this is the main draw of Lost; it fills in the gaps in certain areas and starts a fan asking even more questions. You want more and more of it, even though the controls often make you want to scream and throw the controller at times. You still want to watch the story and get through to the end, just so you can see if there’s another little easter egg or a tantalising glimpse into the Island’s life and character’s past.

The problem is that the game’s over all too quickly and you’re left thinking, if only there were a few more hours it might have been completely worth it. Sure, snagging missing information and findables might add a bit of replay but in the end it boils down to how much of a fan of the show you are, if you want to play through the whole thing again to immerse yourself in Lost’s world.