Rating: 
Summary: Impressive, with some technical glitches
Review: Third trip to mystyland gets my thumbs up.I had a few audio synch problems, memory faults, and machine-hangs-on-exit, but updating the video display drivers fixed everything (I'm running an eMachine 400MHz, PII, 64Mb memory, 20X CD with ATI Turbo Pro video). Also, after the video driver upgrade, I was getting the m3.exe fault on boot-up, but switching from 32 to 16 bit graphics on the ATI display settings fixed that. And even though the card has hardware acceleration, running in the "software mode" seems to produce better results. Even on this relatively inexpensive machine, the 3D rendering is extremely fast and smooth and there are no audio problems at all. I find the 3D effect a mixed bag -- probably a bit more suited to shoot-em-ups than wandering around, but it is a nice change of pace from previous versions. The effect is akin to a drunken sailor on extended shore leave, as I'm usually in a hurry to move from one area to another and gather in as much information as possible. So I'm constantly swirling around in circles. The old interface was a lot more relaxing. One could still stop and watch the scenery, but it will take discipline. The 3D rendering, being what it is, is also not as aesthetically pleasing in all instances. For example, the horizons are kind of slanty/jagged unless you've stopped and properly aligned to the horizon, so it kind of diminishes the "view" whereas in the old format you were always presented with the proper view. There's bug in the "caps lock" logic that randomly inverts the effect of the caps lock key. In the game, if you want to go "off screen" in order to access Atrus' journal, you press the caps lock key, but otherwise to move around, you normally have it off. Sometimes the logic for this inverts, and you have to have the caps lock key off to go off screen and on to move around. I'm not sure what causes the inversion, but seems related to shelling out to the save menu. They've added navigation by the arrow keys instead of having to solely rely on the mouse to get aounrd, which is kind of nice if you're prone to carpal/cubital tunnel. However, some of the grabbing/dragging is hard to do without the mouse and the play is still much quicker mousing through the game. You need to always have disk one in the drive to start the game -- kind of an annoying way to start the session, but livable. Some of the audio loops aren't edited properly and the loop back is quite noticeable. On the other hand, more than a few of the loops do have more of a real, live feel. I find the video clips of the characters are very good...a real improvement over both Myst and Riven. After about six hours of play, I find that the "ages" are quite impressive (I've always loved their "jungle" renderings), the transitions are excellent, and the puzzles are well up to par, though (so far) not as difficult as Riven (which was hard as nails!!). To be on the safe side, you might want to wait for Ubisoft's Myst3 support log to plump up a bit. Unfortunately, the PC platform is still a very long way from a consumer appliance. Most serious gamers are used to overcoming this technical junk. I hate to say it, but it's become sort of part of "the game". Myst and Riven both had issues, but that generally won't stop someone who wants to play a new Myst. Have fun, if you can...
Rating: 
Summary: No support
Review: First purchase of the game was defective, and second purchase did install, but crashed,then wouldn't reinstall. Their tech support is a long distance call with about 15 minutes of wait time only to talk to a tech who doesnt have a clue. These companies must stop selling beta versions of their software to the public. Never purchase UBI again.
Rating: 
Summary: Why go to the movies if you can become the movie?
Review: Exile brings a whole new meaning to the word "immersive." ("Real" gamers will probably point and laugh at that statement, but I am in happy awe.) The 360 pan feature is amazing (and dizzying), forcing you to walk through the worlds as if you were really there. I have often turned around just to look behind me -- is someone there? Did I miss something? What was that sound? I have only just begun to play, and have stumbled upon only a few puzzles. I do mean "stumble." For some reason, the puzzles seem more subtly presented than in Riven or Myst. I expect they'll get more difficult as I make my way through the story. I played and loved Riven and Myst, but Exile makes the series seem even more real. The characters seem more integrated, more aware of my existence. The worlds are even more lush, intricate, and imaginative, so much so that they are a little creepy. But good creepy. Mystery, suspense, and surprise are all part of the adventure. I've had no technical issues, though I'm playing on a Mac G4. Ironic that this time around, Mac users seem to have a leg up. If you're among the idle rich, get yourself a copy of this game and a suitable computer to play it on. You will not be disappointed. I purchased the collector's edition (I was feeling capricious), and though I'm hoping to not have to crack open the strategy guide, I'm very happy to have the "making of" CD and the soundtrack. The trailers might have finally made a fan of my husband (who, to date, has not understood the appeal of this series), and the music on the soundtrack is lovely and polished. Presto should be very, very proud, and Cyan should be very, very relieved. Exile is an instant classic.
Rating:
Summary: Be Patient--Its Worth It
Review: I was one of the people who had a technical problem, initially, in getting the game running (namely, being prompted to put in a CD that was already in the drive). I followed the simple work-around posted on the tech support web site and was able to get up and running with a little bit of effort. At this point, the patch has been posted on the web, so fans shouldn't be deterred by potential bugs. Any frustration I felt at the initial difficulty melted away when the game commenced. This game incorporates the best aspects of Myst and Riven, and based on a couple of hours of play, has great characters, a gripping story, incredible environments, and challenging puzzles (those who've said, in reviews here or on the fan web sites, that they've completed the game in a few hours have definitely looked at a walkthrough, or have sufficiently high IQs to take over that woman's column in Parade magazine). I happen to like the interface and 360 panning and think it produces a better graphic effect than the 3D engine used in Realmyst, at least on my PII 450. After playing for a while last night, I remembered that I had to go to work in the morning and looked at my watch, only to discover that it was almost 2:00 a.m. I am at an age where there are only a few things for which I am willing to cheerfully lose sleep, and an imaginative, high-quality game in this fine series is one of them.
Rating:
Summary: A strong entry in the Myst series
Review: When I heard Myst III would not be designed by the creators of Myst and Riven, I had my doubts. But it turns out that, puzzle-wise, Myst III holds up pretty well with Myst and Riven. Graphics-wise, Myst III gives you the familiar "Myst-like" landscapes and gadgetry (buttons, levers, valves, oh my!), but in one location, the images are breathtakingly beautiful, and quite unlike anything I've seen in a Myst game, or any game. Although the images are all at 640x480 (the only resolution offered by the game), the 32-bit colors plus Direct3D produce great-looking result. Old video cards that don't support 32-bit color, like Voodoo3, will not be able run the game in Direct3D mode. But there is a "software" mode that works with all video cards, albeit the graphics would be quite pixellated and "jaggy". The game comes in 4 discs. If you don't want to swap CDs while playing, do a "full install"; it will take up 2 to 3 gigabytes hard drive space. I didn't encounter any bug while playing the game. If you hope for freedom of movement in a 3D environment like in RealMyst, Myst III will disappoint you. You still navigate the same way you did in Myst and Riven -- from one fixed "node" to another. The difference is at each node, you can "mouse-look", i.e. look in all directions by moving the mouse around. This 360-degree panning method is nothing new; I first saw it done in Microsoft Bookshelf 98 (of all places). You basically look at a big 2D image being encircled around you to get the illusion of looking at a 3D space. The illusion is enhanced with occasional animations that quite seamlessly blend in with the background. Even at 2D and 640x480, the images look life-like enough for me to feel immersive. If you have never played any Myst game before, all Myst games are about solving puzzles that generally (1) require you to understand a complex system, then (2) to figure out its purpose, and (3) to achieve that purpose. The main storyline is usually that all these systems, puzzles, locations, etc. are "manufactured" by one man, who in the beginning sends you to those locations and achieve some goal(s) for him. The first Myst game achieved immense popularity due partly to its simple interface, exotic atmosphere (the lack of violence and sex certainly didn't hurt). It was highly accessible to general gamers. Hard-core gamers have often blamed Myst for diluting the art of game design; but perhaps *simplicity* is sometimes what a game needs for it to be enjoyable. Lastly, when you play the Myst III, have pencil and paper handy! You will often need to jot notes and sketch drawings to memorize things. This might irk some players, but Myst players should be used to that already! The original Myst even came with a notebook, but such luxury is long gone by (the Myst III box contains only the CDs). Two letter-sized sheets of paper should be enough to play Myst III.
Rating:
Summary: Terrific game!
Review: This is a great sequel to the Myst series... OK, if you didn't like the first two, you won't like this one. So don't listen to [people] who waste their time (and yours!) reviewing software games they hate! For those who do like Myst, it's truly grand. The puzzles aren't as difficult as some in Riven, which I consider to be a good thing. The game play and 3D viewing really flows! I have a 866MHz computer with an nVidia GeForce2 MX card, and things work without a hitch. I understand that ubisoft expects to send out a free replacement CD which fixes all known bugs (CD drive H:+ error, INTEL-based graphics cards, etc); you can sign up for it at their site. I wish they had done more testing before shipping, but then I'm used to Microsoft products so it's not a great shock to me. Anyway, beautiful graphics, great sound, and interesting puzzles make this a really fun game to play. If you want shoot-em-up's, if you want Alpha Centauri-like strategy games, look elsewhere. On the other hand, if you liked Myst and Riven, you'll LOVE this!
Rating:
Summary: Unacceptable
Review: Since I purchased Myst III/Exile from ..., I think it is appropriate that I post the following letter that I sent to Ubi Soft with the return of the product: I am enclosing the Myst III/Exile software that I received. Installation provided two possibilities. First, I could install the entire game on the hard drive, or second I could install a minimal portion of the game on the hard drive and rely on the CD ROMs for what was missing. At first I chose to install the entire game. The installation completed without any noticeable anomalies. After installation, when I double clicked the icon to run the game, a menu screen came up allowing me to select a new game. Upon selection, the program asked me to insert Disk #1 into the CD-ROM drive, which I did. Unfortunately, the program would not recognize the disk. The software simply refused to recognize that the correct CD-ROM disk had been inserted into the drive. I tried several reinstallations, but the problem persisted. Finally, I chose the other installation option, which is to install a minimal portion of the game. After installation, when I double clicked the icon to run the game, a menu screen came up allowing me to select a new game. Upon selection, the program asked me to insert Disk #2, which I did. Unfortunately, the program would not recognize the disk. Repeatedly reinserting the disk did not help. The software simply refused to recognize that the correct CD-ROM disk had been inserted into the drive. I tried several reinstallations, but the problem persisted. The system I was using is a high end Hewlett Packard (800 MHz Athalon). I then tried several installations on a different machine, another high end Hewlett Packard (850 MHz Intel Pentium III). This time I had a different kind of problem. After installation, when I ran the game your software produced an access violation. Yes, it crashed!!??!! I am outraged and for that reason I am returning the game with a demand that you not only reimburse me for what I paid for the software, but also for two hours of lost personal time. You need to understand the following: 1. It is not acceptable that your software contains a copy protection scheme (the requirement that the CD-ROM be present in the drive for it to work) that prevents the legitimate user from using the software. 2. It is not acceptable that your software produces an access violation. 3. It is not acceptable that you cause me to lose my valuable personal time trying the circumvent the defectiveness of your software. I am therefore returning the software to you with the following bill. I expect payment within 30 days. Software...........................$40.00 Professional time ($150/hr)........$300.00 Total amount due:..................$340.00
Rating:
Summary: ARRRRGH!
Review: Having thoroughly enjoyed both Myst and Riven, I was really looking forward to this game. Lucky me, I got the Myst3 Collector's Edition as a gift -- I was dying to get lost in it for a few hours...BUT I CAN'T RUN THE DARN THING ON MY COMPUTER! True, I don't have the latest and greatest computer, but my system exceeds the stated minimum requirements, and if I can't run it, there are a LOT of people out there who are going to be disappointed. I have a Dell Dimension 400 MHz, 192 MB RAM, 10x DVD-ROM, and an adequate ATI Rage Pro (Xpert 98) 8 MB video card (which supports 32-bit color). I checked, and I have the latest driver for my card. I upgraded to DirectX 8.0 and got the latest version of QuickTime. The first time I ran it, I sat through Atrus' introduction, and had Catherine tell me to wait for Atrus (yes, the graphics were stunning, and I did enjoy the "free-look" feature, which allowed me to look around even while Catherine spoke to me)...but then...NOTHING. The game froze, then threw me out. I consulted the FAQ on Ubisoft's website, turned off my DVD-ROM's read-ahead function, and turned off my video card's accelerator (which, though recommended, would apparently decrease my viewing pleasure somewhat...not that I can run the game to find out). I also switched my graphic rendering option to "software" as suggested (again, not taking advantage of my video card's 3D rendering features). I even unplugged my CD burner. After all that, now I can't start the game AT ALL. Double-clicking on the Myst3 icon gets me a small intro graphic, a black screen, then a silent crash to my desktop. No courtesy error message...nothing. Just my desktop. As I was writing this review, I discovered that Ubisoft released a patch tonight (I swear it wasn't there three hours ago when I started this journey), which promised relief from some of the reported errors (like having a drive lettered higher than H). I eagerly downloaded this patch, to no avail. Still nada. On the plus side, the soundtrack included in the Collector's Edition provided appropriately gloomy atmospherics for my installation travails (complete with suspenseful interludes for each of my fruitless fixes). Wait, there's more -- I also have the "Making of Exile" CD-ROM to occupy a half hour of my time, and, if I can't play the game, the "Strategy Guide" to tell me what I'm missing. In short, although I'm sure there's a great game in here, I'm disappointed that the most challenging part seems to be getting it to run on a perfectly adequate machine. I've got my fingers crossed for an effective patch, but this is just too much work.
Rating:
Summary: Lives up to full expectations
Review: All I have to say is wow. This game really makes you think. But it's easier than RIVEN.
Rating:
Summary: Better than Myst and Riven!!!
Review: Myst III: Exile is much better than the original Myst and Riven!!! The graphics are incredible and the soundtrack hypnotic. It is very enjoyable. A must buy for all Myst fans!!!
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