Lost in Blue 3 (Nintendo DS)

LOST IN BLUE 3 is the latest variation on a theme that's common to all three games in the series: Each game begins with characters surviving a shipwreck to find themselves marooned on an island, having to stay alive by exploring surroundings to find shelter, food, water, and warmth on a day-to-day basis. In the third game, you can play as either a male or female character, and will eventually meet other survivors to form a small clan of four people with which to interact.

The game takes place in real-time, with minutes ticking by as you play and time divided into day and night. Each day the goal is to explore the island (either alone or with a companion in tow, who can help with tasks like moving large logs) and scavenge for things like food, fresh water to drink, firewood, and materials for tools –- combine a twig and bark to make a fire starter, or sharpen a stick to make a spear. You're responsible for maintaining the health of everyone in your group (seeing that they get enough rest, food, water, and warmth) and maintaining good relationships by doing nice things for others.

Mini-games like hunting and combining different ingredients to create tasty recipes are fun, and the idea of using whatever primitive materials are on-hand to survive is a challenging one, but the daily grind of keeping all of the people healthy can start to wear thin. Traversing the island can be a slow and tedious process, and some important locations (such as fresh water sources) are inconvenient and time-consuming to get to. It's not always clear what you're supposed to be doing next, and there aren't quite enough points of interest on the island to make random exploring consistently rewarding. While Lost in Blue 3 certainly has its moments, it will take a patient gamer to stick it out to the end.

Available on: Nintendo DS
Not available online
Genre: Simulation
Developer: Konami
Released on: March 8, 2008
Price: 29.99
ESRB Rating: E for Mild Violence