Rating: 
Summary: Impatient gamers beware . . .
Review: This is probably the single best computer game I've ever played sheerly based on the superb graphics and smooth gameplay. It's not the kind of game for people who get easily frustrated or don't like a time-consuming problem, but if you love to ponder something out over an extended period of time, then this is the game for you.When I heard that Exile was going to be 360 degree motion, I thought it meant that you could do the typical 90 degree turn in any direction with the click of a mouse, sort of like in the previous two games. However, when I kyfed my dad's copy of it, I was stunned to find that it was free-motion. It was quite disorienting at first (I got motion sickness), but once I got over the nausea and headache, I was fascinated by the detailed graphics, which ran without any hitches. I was playing in a darkened room without any disturbances, so only a few short minutes later, I was completely immersed in the world of Saavedro and Atrus. Additionally, in Exile there is more character interaction, like in the opening sequence involving Atrus, Catherine, and the mysterious stranger who is responsible for your quest. In terms of sound, this game is also head-and-shoulders above the rest. With each different place you visit, a unique musical style accompanies, giving depth and creativity to each site. Overall, if you're the type of gamer who likes a mental challenge, why are you reading this? Go buy it!
Rating: 
Summary: Mouse click me to death
Review: The game was brilliant. The puzzles were challenging. The one thing I did not like was trying to figure out where to click to. In other words, in some worlds you had to mouse click over every, and I mean every square inch of scenary before you were able to move on, down a path, through whatever. I would rather spend time unraveling a puzzle. Not trying to figure out were to "point and click." Having said that, the game is most challenging.
Rating:
Summary: Almost
Review: If you buy Exile, be prepared for a very good adventure game with some bad acting and cheap plastic props thrown in for good measure. When I first played Myst III:Exile I wanted it to be the best Myst game ever, the best adventure game ever. For a while it even was. But in the end, I sadly realized I was caught in that all too familiar dampening field of denial which makes it so difficult to admit that, "the sequel (...)." Indeed, Myst III:Exile is the "Phantom Menace" of the Myst series. Yeah, yeah, you should still buy it if you're into the genre. Exile was fun and, whether it lives up to the standards set by the original Myst or not, it is still better than any other recent adventure game. Many have raved about Exile's breakthrough interface, but it was what I was most disappointed about in the game. Exile is not 3D (like the recently released Real Myst). Many purists may argue that graphical adventures are best played by clicking through a myriad of static images with the occasional movie file stitched in, but I simply refer them to my "Where are they now?" file, under "Side-scrolling die-hards." It is time for the adventure genre to join the virtual reality party. It is time to go 3D. A 3D, first or third person interface would eliminate one of the adventure genre's greatest weaknesses, the annoying way one is pulled out of the story by the need to disjointedly hop from location to location and back again to solve puzzles. Exile deserves credit for mitigating this problem to a great extent by localizing puzzles. Generally, you will find all the clues and gear required to solve a puzzle, nearby. Now that I actually have a life, this came as welcome relief. But there is one unfortunate byproduct of localizing puzzles... it makes the game easier. Knowing that everything you need is in the vicinity eliminates a lot of variables and as a result stream lines the problem solving process. I say, so what. It is still fun. Addressing one of the most common criticisms of Myst and Riven, the puzzles in Exile get high marks for excellent incorporation into the storyline of the game. They make sense. The reward is usually commensurate with the effort. They are neither arbitrary nor academic. But if you're the touchy feely type, you might find that the puzzles have lost a bit of their soul. At times Myst and Riven felt like elaborate excuses - abstract pretexts created for the soul purpose of presenting us with puzzles. The original development team's enthusiasm for puzzle making permeated throughout every secret nook of the first two games in the series. Puzzles in Exile are more rational, but lack that intangible twist that made Myst and Riven so fascinating. In any case, I can still say without hesitation that Exile's puzzles are superior in design and implantation than any other adventure game released recently. Bottom line: Not as good as Myst or Riven, better than most anything else.
Rating:
Summary: Gorgeous!
Review: Kudos to the Myst series, whose games have never failed to disappoint with their wonderfully rendered new worlds. It's more than a game, it's an interactive painting with a fascinating combination of ancient and futuristic buildings and machinery. Unlike anything you've ever seen.
Rating:
Summary: A wonderful addition to the MYST Series
Review: The best 3D graphics I've ever seen before, the ages are fantastic, the characters are so real! People new to the MYST series will love this game as well as old fans - BUY IT! You won't be sorry! :D
Rating:
Summary: A word on acting
Review: All the reviews I am reading seem to overlook one aspect of this game, and that's the acting. Of course, I'm not talking about the acting of Maria Galante or Rand Miller, which is merely adequate. I'm talking about the acting of one Mr. Brad Dourif. His acting chops are, in a word, impressive. Some may think his acting is a little broad, but I think that's neccesary for the medium. If you are playing on a 15-foot movie screen, you can afford to be subtle. But on a computer screen, it helps if you jack the performance up a notch or two. When Saavedro is faced with the possibilty of being trapped for another indeterminate amount of time, Brad manages to convey the moment perfectly. He really makes you care about the character, a person who has been your adversary throughout the whole game. Making someone care about the hero of a movie is easy; evoking sympathy for the villain shows true skill, and Brad Dourif pulls it off in spades.
Rating:
Summary: The most rewarding Myst yet!
Review: I was very worried when I heard that a third Myst game was coming even though the Miller brothers have now gone their separate ways. I should have known better. Exiile has the best graphics, the best interface, and the most rewarding gameplay of all the Mysts. Learning from the frustration many suffered at Riven's extraordinarily open ended geography, the game makers returned to the idea of one base age from which all others could be entered. The result of this is that Exile spans four disks, one less than Riven, which seemed impossible since everything about it is so much better. The one obvious thing to metion is that there is now completely spherical geography, so you can look everywhere. After the stills of the first two games, this ability knocked my socks off. Also, there's the storyline. We are introduced quickly to a new villain who steals a linking book Atrus was working on right in front of you. You follow through the book he used and, with no time to wonder why Atrus and Catherine aren't following you (this is explained at the end) you set out in hot pursuit. If you solve the puzzles on this age, you will come face to face with the thief, but that's just the beginning. The real improvement this storyline has over Myst and Riven is that the villain is someone we can feel sympathy for. He's not pure evil like Sirrus, Achenar, and Gehn were. This ultimately makes it possible for everyone to have a happy ending. The ages themselves are also a wonder to behold. The base age isn't very special in itself, but the places you can get to from it are incredible. There's Edana, where everything is organic and you must restore the balance of nature; Voltaic, where you complete a series of electrical puzzles with no idea of what your ultimate goal is; and Amateria, where you must work with three standard seeming puzzles, although if there's a better payoff than the result of solving Amateria, I haven't seen it. Yes, Exile is all this and more. I haven't given a nearly decent explanation for anything, and leave that for you to discover. If you haven't gotten it yet, snap out of it!
Rating: 
Summary: Pretty good
Review: I loved Ubisoft's freelook system. Being able to look around added a lot to the immersive feel that makes the Myst series so great. The soundtrack is great also, though it sounded like a rearrangement of the Riven soundtrack in several places. The Ages were beautiful. But as another reviewer said, they felt uninhabited. Unfortunately, I thought it was disappointingly easy. It took me all of a summer to beat Riven. (And that was prety much all I did). I finished Exile in three weeks, and I had to work too, so I couldn't devote much time to it. It seemed like you could monkey-click through each age, without really "solving" the puzzles.
This might not be the case for people who struggled with Myst and Riven, or people who didn't play it. Overall, I'm glad I got it. Maybe I'm just sad that it is over. When is the next one coming?
Rating:
Summary: Myst III: Exile
Review: I thouroughly enjoyed the many hours spent playing Myst 3:Exile. Breathtaking graphics that make it more real than Myst and Riven. It carries through the story line and even though the new character is added, it still has that vibrancy. Being that there are 5 seperate ages means that the game has five different worlds. Very complex and very different from each other. J'nanin (1st age) carries through the same land scape as Riven, Ameteria (another age) carries through the theme of myst, Voltaic (3rd Age) is completely mechanical (very cool), Eddana (My favourite age) is completely organic (ausome) and Nyryan is myst 3's little zing of it all. The music is so increadable I'm buying the soundtrack and the characters are great. Its worth you money and time. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!
Rating:
Summary: Lovely, charming, beautiful, but not much meat to it.
Review: Woo Myst. I got interested in the Myst series a few years ago and it's one of the absolute best series I know of. I read the three books that are out so far by Rand and Robin Miller: brothers, and the creators of everything Myst. Anyway, if you haven't played this yet I'll assume you're not hardcore Myst fans ;) This is a game of strategy and adventure. It's the first in the series to offer the 360-degree rotation--which is -awesome-. The graphics are absolutely stunning, but that's become a trademark of the Myst series now. The music score is also fabulous, though it has a choir in most parts and I've heard criticism about how that ruins your isolated feeling, which has also become a trademark of the Myst series. You are alone on every island with the exception of some animals and the bad guy whose name I can't remember. Like the other games, you find your way into different worlds (all beautiful and well designed) to gather clues and solve puzzles to lead you to your purpose for being on the island: somehow eliminate the threat of the bad guy and return safely home. This game, in my opinion, is more graphically stunning and absorbing but lacks a deep storyline. Riven, for example, took me forever to get through. I had to use a lot of help. Myst, even, I practically didn't do anything for myself. This game took me like three days and during the school week. Yes, it's beyond beautiful; yes, it's enchanting--the thing I like most about the Myst series is how it's not on Earth and everything is allowed to be fantastical and ethereal; but it's short. I gave it five stars instead of four for these reasons. I, however, am biased and think anything Myst is a god. But besides the length it took me to solve the game, I don't see any flaw in it. Perhaps if you're just starting out and haven't played the previous games, this game will be all you could hope for.
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