Rating: 
Summary: Not as good as I hoped.
Review: Maybe I got my hopes too high - this game was way to easy except for the last puzzle which was ridiculously difficult - it was more trial and error than logic. I completed the game in about 12 hours of total play and never really got caught up in the plot. There were too few segments that involved the plot and most time is spent solving puzzles. I would have liked a lot more action throughout the game instead of the intermittent dialogue. The puzzles fit together well but I didn't really like certain game aspects (cant go over a small ledge but can climb on sharp rock spikes, etc.). Some paths were difficult to see and I was on the last puzzle and new the game wasn't that great when I waited two days to solve it but really didn't care to see the ending - I was more entranced early to mid-game than I was by the end. I did like the 360 of the game - but again I thought the plot was weak and still think Myst 1 is the best - it was one of those rare games that caught people by suprise and revolutionized computer gaming.
Rating: 
Summary: Beautiful graphics, works fine on an iMac
Review: This is a wonderful game. The graphics alone are worth the price. Yes, the puzzles are slightly easier than in Riven, but still a challange. My only problem was the previously mentioned slight lag in synchronization between sound and image in some of the movies. This may be due to the fact that I have an older iMac with a fairly slow chip (333 megahertz). I suspect that PC users have problems because Macs are still better at handling complex graphics. I have nothing against the Intel chip...it does the things most computer users need very nicely...but even after all this time Macs are still better at graphics. Ask any graphic designer.
Rating: 
Summary: Play the game?
Review: I would really love to give this game a great review as I have greatly enjoyed the previous 2 Myst/Riven games however...... I, like hundreds of thousands of other devoted Myst/Riven fans are still unable to play the game due to UBISoft misrepresenting the system requirements for the game and then releasing a product full of bugs. This game has been out for 2 weeks now and thousands of us are still waiting for the "patch" to be released so we can play a game in "software" mode (a substandard mode of graphic play) and then experience other, unexplained, un-"patched" bugs and game crashes.
Rating:
Summary: RIPOFF!
Review: If you don't own it consider this; This game crashes and will not run on over 50% of the platforms installed on. Check out the tech support forums at ubisoft.com for more on this. This company did not properly perform beta testing (the allmighty dollar?) and have been promising "a patch" since the games release date. The patch continues to be pushed back, and may yet be available during your lifetime. At any rate, the company was aware of these problems and pushed the game anyhow. I would advise avoiding Ubisoft like HIV.
Rating:
Summary: Dont buy this bug-ridden game!!!
Review: I was anxious to get this new game as I loved Myst1 and Riven, but now that I have Myst3 I am thoroughly disappointed. The game cannot run because I have an "Intel-based chipset". Gee, I wonder if others have one too??? The technical support website (the phone line, of course, is not open during weekend hours when everyone is trying to play the game) says that a patch will be available shortly(no estimated date given)and users should not return the product. I am going to give them one week before I insist on getting my money back. I noticed multiple patches for their other products on their websites. Obviously, this company does not test their products well before release. I agree with another critic that after almost 10 years of Win95 based games and thousands of game releases, why can't you get a game as popular as this one right before mass release. Others seem to have had a good experience once they got the game running, but that does not excuse the company from producing such bad software. Creativity is one thing, but the darn thing has to work for the average user. I may end up playing this game one day, but regardless of how good it is eventually my user experience can be summed up with two words...IT STINKS!
Rating:
Summary: Myst III- Exile, the best yet
Review: If you liked Myst and Riven, you will love Myst III- Exile. Quite frankly I was a little disappointed in Riven. Although the graphics were better, the puzzles were a bit too abstract. Also I grew a little tired of the story line where Atrus sits on his butt writing books and counting on you to deal with his warped family. (Why are we helping this guy?) Like Riven, though, Myst III takes a quantum leap in the graphics. The story line is much more complex- the villain is not so clear cut. The puzzles are challenging but not too difficult- perhaps only because you are already familiar with the puzzle logic of the previous two games. Your sense of real time is the first casualty in this game- be careful if your employer expects you to be punctual! Of the three games, I liked this one the best. By the way, my Mac G3 powerbook handled it flawlessly. It is not bad company if you are flying San Francisco to London- 10 hours seemed like one hour!
Rating:
Summary: I wish I could
Review: I have been waiting over a week for Ubi to come up with a patch that will enable me to play the game. I have "Intel" inside my Gateway. The company should have told you this game would not play without a high-end video card before you sold the games so you would have fewer dissatisfied customers.
Rating:
Summary: Beware of the known bugs
Review: I haven't played the game yet. Not because I don't have time (which if I were quite honest I don't) or because I'm not interested. I CAN'T play the game. I pre-ordered the game and picked up the collector's version on May 9th. I installed the game and tried starting it, only to have it crash just after choosing the graphics mode. I checked out Myst3.com and found out that this is a known bug. For many video cards you will not be able to play the game at all until the patch is finally released. I am truly upset that I payed good money for a game I cannot play and may not be able to play for a while. I can't even return the game because (a) I waited because the message I got said it would be out soon, and now it's past the return date and (b) the publisher has sent messages to the retailers telling them to send people to the website if the game doesn't work, so the retailer won't take the game back. From the website it appears the particular bug I have is not the only bug. There has been one patch released that fixes some of the other (in my opinion less important) bugs. I'm sorry, but if I can't even start the game it is a much more serious problem than a few video glitches the other patch promises to fix.
Rating:
Summary: Sequel exceeds original
Review: Exile is an outstanding gaming experience. It deserves five stars. It has one introduction (Tomahna), one lesson (Jnanin), and three prerequisite (Voltaic, Amateria, Edanna) ages that, when solved, will lead you to the Narayan age. Solving the Narayan age will return you to Tomahna, and your quest is completed. The Voltaic, Amateria, and Edanna ages may be played in any order. The Amateria age was my personal favorite. Its scenes were so spectacular that they reminded me of why I loved Myst. My only objection was that the Narayan age is too short. I wanted to ride in the gondola with Saavedro when he returned to his home city. But this objection also shows Exile's high gaming quality. Even after hours of play, you simply don't want this game to end. A great many of the negative reviews were predicated on the fact that pre patch version of Exile had an abundance of bugs. This version was installed, and ran perfectly, on my Win2000 system. The Version 1.2 Myst III: Exile patch was not necessary. Ironically, my Windows ME system did require this patch.
Rating:
Summary: Welcome back to Myst, and be prepared to be Exiled...
Review: As a longtime and lifelong fan of the "Myst" games, I was thrilled and a bit worried about the thrid installment in this line. Cyan, previous creators of Myst and Riven, weren't ultimately responsible for the third, and I wondered if some quality would be sacrificed by UBI Soft. Fear not. Myst 3: Exile not only lives up to the high standard set by Myst and Riven, it even supersedes these games, mainly due to technoligical development that allows a better gaming experience. As it turns out, Cyan had a hand in helping to develop the next game, so all the special things I loved about the first two were preserved: the timelessness, challenging puzzles, not truly knowing what you are doing until you start to mentally putting things together. It's all there, and more. The graphics in Myst 3 are stunning, and the 360 degree viewing options really add to the realism. The soundtrack is absolutely incredible and add tension or peacefulness to the tasks on hand. I appreciate how the story progresses along as you solve each puzzle, with great video clips and graphics to boot. While I'm not done with the game yet, I have finished solving the puzzles on one island, and the final solution led to such an incredible suprising event I screamed with joy at what was occuring, at 11 PM at night, mind you! I've had a few technological gliches with this game, but nothing major. I've been running it on my iBook with few problems. I'd had a couple of stalled scenes, but never a freeze or loss of information. Overall, this game earns its five stars, and I welcome back Atrus and Catherine into our lives. I'm eagerly anticipating UBI Soft to start producing Myst 4.
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