Myst

Rating:
Summary: A classic.
Review: While anxiously awaiting the release of Uru: Ages Beyond Myst, I decided to reinstall my copy of MYST (on an "older" computer with the Win95 Operating System) and reacquaint myself with the game that started my MYST obsession. I thought that after playing, and solving, MYST, MYST II: Riven, and MYST III: Exile, I would have no problem working my way through this game again. I was mistaken and actually had to resort to flipping through the notebook I used to solve the puzzles some years ago!

As other reviewers have alluded to, MYST is not a violent, shoot-em'-up game but a thought provoking series of puzzles that challenge players of all ages. Curiosity and ingenuity are key to solving the mysteries within.

Although it is not essential to play MYST before moving onto other games in the saga, I highly recommend taking the challenge.

Also, I would be remiss if I did not suggest the novels that provide background into the D'ni civilization.

"Tight Lines!"
~..~..~.. ><((((*>

Rating:
Summary: Ingenious gameplay, beautiful graphics.
Review: When I was younger, this game interested me to no end. The lack of action baffled me for the longest time, and I could not understand how people figured out the puzzles. I was age 9, and curious.

Years later, now much older and hopefully knowledged in puzzles, I retook the gaming experience. I finished this game with little problem, although I will say the puzzles were exactly that - puzzling. They were pretty difficult, but nonetheless enjoyable. It spurred me on to play the sequel to this, "Riven", and the sequel after that, "Myst II". They were both good as well, but that comes in another review.

The graphics and plot were very well created and of high quality. The backgrounds, although beautiful, don't allow you to free move around, much like the third one. That is my only complaint as to this game. The clues are very subtle as well, although I think that was the point - to make you think.

I would definitely recommend this to those of us who love puzzles and figuring them out with a scant amount of evidence to go on. It seems a little arbitrary sometimes, these clues, but they make sense as you think about them more. It is mostly just pattern recognizing as far as the gameplay goes. You definitely need time to play this game though, it takes awhile to figure things out.

Rating:
Summary: Lush and atmospheric, not for all computer gamers
Review: As a computer entertainment experience, there's been almost nothing like Myst. The game's success lies in its beautifully rendered scenery and lush soundtrack, a pervasive sense of mystery (hence the name), and overall atmospheric tension.

From the opening monologue, we are drawn into a world where we - as the player - must not only familiarize ourselves with the environment, but must even determine the goal of the very game itself. Although the ostensible objective is the solution of the puzzles, the actual purpose for playing Myst is the exploration of the very real world that the creators of the game have made.

Unfortunately, much of this atmosphere and wonder is lost on the modern computer gamer, used to more "twitch"-style 3D shooters. If you are looking for a game to challenge your adrenal gland, look elsewhere. If, however, you appreciate a sense of dramatic atmosphere and love the sense of discovery exploring a new and uncharted world, you won't find much better than this game.

Rating:
Summary: this game is so slow
Review: I can see why this game was so hyped in 1993. CD-ROMs were cutting edge and the "slideshow" graphics are fairly good and so is the sound. However, the story isn't as interesting as the ambiance would have you think and the movement is absolutely, irritatingly choppy.

I don't believe anyone has ever finished this game without some help. There is too much slow clicking around and backtracking to keep the attention of even the dullest person.

I don't like having to resort to hints in order to play a game because it's released before the necessary technology is truely ready.

REALmyst?...I no longer care. Riven and Myst3?...even more clue-less and annoying, I'm sure.

Rating:
Summary: Great puzzle game!!
Review: Although the technology behind this game is a little dated now, this is still an excellent puzzler for those who like games that don't involve shooting monsters. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy blowing away bad guys as much as anyone else, but it's nice to play something a little different every once in a while. This game does not depend at all on weapons or killing anything, nor does it require you to do a lot of jumping or physically manuvering around obstacles. It is entirely a "thinking" game. The closest you get to physical action is the fact that some of the puzzles to solve are mazes.

You start the game stranded alone on the Island of Myst, with no idea how you got there, and no idea how to get home. Your only clue is a note found on the ground near the island's library. From this slender beginning, you learn about the history of the island, about Altus and his two feuding sons, Sirrus and Achernar, and the four mysterious Ages you must visit and explore. Be sure and explore the Library thoroughly. Check everything. The books in the library contain important clues. They are not strictly necessary to solve the game, but they help out a lot, especially the Mechanical Age (with the rocket ship). Personally, I found the Channelwood Age the most difficult, but all of the Ages can be solved with a little logic, and thorough exploration. Each Age is also filled with little trinkets and gadgets that don't really help you solve the game, but they reveal a LOT about the personalities of Sirrus and Achernar.

Visually, the game is absolutely gorgeous. Each Age has an entirely different look and feel to it. The user interface is extremely simple and intuitive. The haunting soundtrack and well-done QuickTime animations also add a lot to the overall feel of the game.

The only people you will actually interact with at all in the game are the aforementioned Altus, Sirrus, and Achernar. This leads me to my one and only complaint about the game. I wish the Millers had spent a little more money to hire some better actors to play these roles, as all three of them are badly overacted. But, that's a minor gripe. Altus' acting is so bad, it's actually funny.

Once you've played through this game a couple of times, it becomes pretty easy. However, I still maintain that the game does have a lot of replay value. Why? Becuase once you have figured everything out and memorized the solutions to all the puzzles, you can get to the end in about 3 or 4 hours, tops. But that 3 or 4 hours is time well spent immersed in the game's beautiful environment.

I've noticed several people who have mentioned that the game does not run well on Windows 98. I've encountered this problem too. If you install the game from the automatic installation dialog box that comes up when you insert the Myst CD, the game will play OK for a little while, but will eventually crash. However, I was able to find a solution. If you're running Windows 98 or newer, do NOT install from the dialog box. Instead, go to the Install subdirectory on the CD, find the "install.exe" file there, and click on it to install the game that way. The installation procedure is slightly different. You'll know you are doing it the different way when the game installes to a new directory called c:\myst. If you use the automatic dialog box, it will install to a different subdirectory. I installed the game using this alternate procedure, and it has been running fine with Windows 98. I hope this helps anyone out there experiencing problems. It would be a shame to miss out on a game as good as this one becuase of operating system problems.

Rating:
Summary: An intricate, spectacular experience that spawned a legacy.
Review: I have to say that Myst is just one of those things that changed my life.

I got the game from a relative many moons ago, for the Christmas of 1997. I was 12, and while everyone else was pining for the long awaited sequel, Riven, I was discovering the Myst universe for the very first time. I was intrigued from the get go. The back of the box seemed like the dustjacket to a surrealistic mystery novel, and I was dying to figure out what happened. Being horrid at logical problem-solving (something which really hasn't changed over the years), I armed myself with the guide book and dove in. I resurfaced several months later just in time for Riven (we actually needed to purchase more RAM for our faithful old Mac before it would run, but I remember thinking it would be the end of the world if I did not get to play it), and by then I was gone, completely, totally, irreversibly obsessed by the universe presented to me in this game.

I was rather shocked when I was on another site and noticed that people could find negative things to say about Myst. It spawned a phenomenon: a multitude of sequels, novels, and other merchandise, and it just keeps growing with additions like Uru and the recently advertised Myst IV: Revelation (how excited was I when I found out? ;). It has been cited as the best selling game of all time. Why on earth would someone call it dumb, boring, without a point or a storyline, when it had such a profound effect on me? Then I got to thinking about it and realized that actually, you need to have a certain level of intellect to really appreciate Myst and its sequels. The original version, the game that I played, was released in 1993, when CD-ROM games were in the definite minority. Back then, if anyone recalls, most video games were not at the graphically spectacular state they're in now. Therefore, when you loaded Myst, you were literally *blown away* by the quality and vividness of the graphics. Everything is incredibly intricate and just visually gorgeous to look at. More than ten years later, I'm still impressed by the graphics. Some have complained about the lacking navigational system of the game, but again, think of the time when the game was released. I know that I was extremely pleased that everything was as simple as pointing and clicking instead of having to manuver some kind of controller with 76 different buttons and joysticks and what have you. Also, when I first loaded the game, I waited and waited for someone to jump out and shoot at me, but no one ever did. Myst is unlike all of those mindless first person shooter games, instead allowing you to live long enough to appreciate the surroundings and get into the puzzles and backstory without having to worry about being blown to smithereens. Some would complain this solitude doesn't provide them with enough "stimulation" but the game held my attention for eons longer than the other games I've played where the only thing that was going on was chaotic crossfire.

But what really got me into Myst was, aside from the intensely beautiful surroundings, was the storyline. Some might call it dull, but that's only because your purpose is never directly spelled out for you. At the time I got Myst, the only other game I had played at length was Star Wars: Dark Forces (a game I do love, by the way, but it's an entirely different kind of game from Myst). At the beginning of each level, your mission objection is directly dictated to you. With Myst, nothing. You are simply there, and the only thing that keeps you motivated is your intense curiosity. People with short attention spans looking for gore and blood will be almost immediately turned off. People like me, however, well... will be all the more fascinated. And I don't know about you, but just the fact that I was completely alone the entire time creeped me out more than having 1000 angry stormtroopers breathing down my neck in Dark Forces.

It isn't really fair to say that Myst is a game, because it isn't, not in the traditional sense of the word. Myst is an experience, a universe all its own, presented to you on a CD-ROM. You can be pulled into the universe, the breath-taking environments, the riveting mysteries you are trying to solve, the hauntingly beautiful music (and if you like the music, please please buy the soundtrack, because it rocks :), and the characters you encounter along the way... or you can choose not to. But just be warned... you will definitely be missing out on something extraordinary. I recommend this game for everyone, as well as the sequels. I find them all equally wonderful.

Rating:
Summary: A classic.
Review: While anxiously awaiting the release of Uru: Ages Beyond Myst, I decided to reinstall my copy of MYST (on an "older" computer with the Win95 Operating System) and reacquaint myself with the game that started my MYST obsession. I thought that after playing, and solving, MYST, MYST II: Riven, and MYST III: Exile, I would have no problem working my way through this game again. I was mistaken and actually had to resort to flipping through the notebook I used to solve the puzzles some years ago!

As other reviewers have alluded to, MYST is not a violent, shoot-em'-up game but a thought provoking series of puzzles that challenge players of all ages. Curiosity and ingenuity are key to solving the mysteries within.

Although it is not essential to play MYST before moving onto other games in the saga, I highly recommend taking the challenge.

Also, I would be remiss if I did not suggest the novels that provide background into the D'ni civilization.

"Tight Lines!"
~..~..~.. ><((((*>

Rating:
Summary: Myst - excellent first computer game or gift
Review: Myst is popular because it's a great game that requires a fair amount of thought, but isn't so challenging that players won't have success. It's set up so that with each accomplishment, you are led to the next step (i.e., your are rewarded). Though not an action computer game, it does provide excitement for people who enjoy figuring out puzzles and exploring graphically interesting computer-generated worlds.

Don't be fooled, however, into buying Riven on the basis of your Myst experience. The sequel to Myst is not the same, and takes more effort. Also, if you do not have a DVD player, Riven comes on 5 CD-ROMs which must be swapped continually to complete the game. It's annoying and interrupts the flow of the game considerably.

Rating:
Summary: cd Rom + What do I do? + Impossibilities =
Review: WHAT IS THIS?!

No but seriously. They used the cdrom tech really good and made the ambiance wonderful. But it seems this was just made to show off the cd technology. It doesn't really need to be *easier* We just need more of a story line and a direction of what to do. But it sold very well and spawned some sequals (Riven being the best of the series).

This is for the most devout of adventure gamers who don't mind staring at the screen and saying to themeseves: "What the heck is this?" "Why am I playing this?" "Gah! What am I supposed to do?!?!"

Buy then and only then.

Rating:
Summary: THE worst game I've ever played
Review: I got it as a gift from a relative and when I played it made no sense, I went everywhere, and it was just sooooo boring that I haven't played it since and that was 3 years ago.