Lost in Blue 2

Oh No! I'm lost on a deserted island.....again. Lost in Blue 2 is Konami's sequel to the first game in this series. Once again you find yourself washed ashore on an island after your cruise ship goes down. Now it is up to you and a seemingly helpless girl to once again survive all alone. Unfortunately, for being a sequel, not much has changed from the original. Grab your spears, here is my review.

This story is pretty much the same as before. Your boat goes down, you wake up alone on a deserted island. Of course, when you get there you are hungry, and thirsty, and tired, and pretty much hating life. This time your not alone for long because off in the distance you find a young girl. It is up to both of you to work together gathering food and supplies so that you can survive until you find a way off the island. That's pretty much the whole story, but what do you expect. It's a survival game.

Game Play: Like in the first Lost in Blue, the game play is what makes the game. Do to the Nintendo DS's unique control abilities the game drags you into it's world like no other. One cool thing about the game is that it can be played mostly by just using the touch screen. Who knew surviving could be so much fun. Using your stylus you'll dig through sand, shake trees, cook food, fish, and even fight off the local wildlife. Surprisingly, that is where the fun stops. It seemed to me that playing through this game was lot like being a parent. You spend most of your time listening to two teenagers complain constantly. "I'm hungry," "I'm thirsty," "I'm tired." This is what you will hear over and over throughout the whole game. "So if they are hungry, why don't you feed them?" you ask. No matter how much you feed them, within minutes they are whining again about being hungry. Of course, you have help to get all this done...or do you? Remember the girl you found washed up on shore with you, she's about as useful as a poopy diaper. She doesn't feed herself and if she's thirsty she won't go to the spring to get a drink. A simple task like keeping the fire going in the cave is a nearly impossible task for her to do. I mean, she's standing right there! How hard is it to throw some wood on the fire? She also says that she will cook for you, but her food must taste like crap because it hardly helps with your hunger at all. I know I have said a lot of negative things about the game play, it's not really all that bad, if you don't mind babysitting a teenage girl. I was just hoping for a better improvement from the first one. Score: 3/5

Graphics: If you played the first Lost in Blue, don't expect much of a graphical improvement. The graphics seemed to hold true to the original, which isn't bad, but there are better looking games out for the DS. This little hand held is capable of 3-D environments, I've seen it. We all remember the Mario 64 port that was on the DS. That game ran beautifully in 3-D. Lost in Blue, however, seems to look very pix-elated and quite choppy. "Is that a rock...maybe a coconut. Oh no...it's a wolf!" You'll find yourself playing most of the game trying to decipher what things are. I mean being pix-elated is one thing, but come on Konami. Score 2/5

Sound:Not to much to say about this category. The background music is not award winning, but it's nice to listen to. The sound effects are quaint, but they get their point across. When you're cooking there are cooking noises, and when you're fishing there is the sound of running water...suddenly I have to pee. Now none of these sound effects are mind blowing, but they do help complete the whole experience. Score 3/5

Replay Value: This is where I would say whether to buy or rent the game, and in some cases neither. If your into survival games, Lost in Blue is right up your alley. With that being said, if you do like these types of games, you have probably already played the first one. Not enough has been changed in the second one for me to recommend going out and buying it. The game is simply more of the same. If you are new to the series and never played the first one, you could jump right into this one and have a decent gaming experience. For everyone else, save your money for more important things. Score 2/5

Overall: Lost in Blue 2 is a decent game, but may leave you feeling like you have already played it. Using your stylus to survive is fun and entertaining, but that experience could be quickly lost for having to take care of your helpless woman friend. The graphics aren't pretty, and if played for long periods of time, may make your eyes bleed. The sound is realistic enough to make this island come to life, but the sound of running water will make some have to pee. This is probably not a game that you will want to run out and buy if you already have the first one. With so many new and great games coming out on the DS, Lost in Blue 2 is not the game I would choose to spend my thirty bucks on. Final Score 2/5