Rating: 
Summary: ATI Radeon 9200 for use with URU in Pentium 3 AGP 2X Slots
Review: Thanks to the poster from San Diego I'm purchasing the ATI Radeon card to solve my game freezing issues. The poster recommends (on the ATI side) the ATI Radeon 9600. That card will work in an AGP 4X/8X slot. But if you have an older P3 with only an AGP 2X slot, then you'll want to check into the ATI Radeon 9200. This 8X card is backward compatible with a 2X slot. I will also add I've had great success with ATI cards in the past, so I appreciate the tips from the poster in San Diego. BTW, I picked up an ATI Radeon 9200 128MB card for $55 shipped, so this card will not break your budget.
Rating: 
Summary: Unclear specifications
Review: Although it lists
"Video Card: 32 MB NVIDIA GeForce 1, 2, 3, 4, or FX; ATI Radeon 7000-9800 or better"
as the required specifications, The Geforce 2 MX series doesn't seem to be supported (from the constant crashing).
Rating: 
Summary: Fun; immersive; awe-inspiring; challenging
Review: A curious set of reviews -- many seem to complain that thier computer doesn't run the game. I suggest everyone go ahead and click on the link to the upper left under "Item Information" that says "system requirements" -- it's clearly stated that you need a relatively modern nVidia or ATI video card to play. This is standard in computer gaming, and is not something peculiar to Uru. All I can think is that Uru, being of the Myst heritage, is attracting people who don't normally play games, and they don't realize thier systems (even brand spanking new ones!) are not capable of playing these kinds of games. Even major, high-quality manufacturers such as Dell and HP sell many new computers that are not able to play modern games (such as Uru), because that way they can offer a product to consumers more interested in bottom line cost than graphics capability.Now on to Uru's gameplay. The way it works will be familiar to traditional Myst fans -- there are several "ages" that you link to via linking books, then explore, encountering puzzles along the way. Most of the puzzles are the push the button/pull the lever variety, but there are also some where you have to jump to certain spots (unlike previous Myst games). This can frustrate some people who are not expecting it, or are not good jumpers. The environments are *gorgeous*, almost awe-inspiring in some places. Galleries filled with beautiful, mysterious artwork; a golden pyramid; beautiful gardens with exotic trees; and ancient buildings set in a lush tropical forest are just some of the places you will visit. The sound is fantastic, especially if you have a 5.1 speaker system; as you turn, you can hear the sounds in the environment move around as if you were really there. Many of the puzzles are doable with some thought, but a few are quite challenging. I suggest using on-line resources (do a search on "Uru" in your favorite search engine) if you get stuck; there are many sources available for graduated "hints" that will help you get over a sticky spot or two without giving the game away. All in all, the feeling of being immersed in a beautiful, mysterious, authentic-feeling environment of different worlds is the main draw of the Myst series, and Uru follows up on that tradition admirably.
Rating:
Summary: Horrible Interaction Model
Review: All I want to know is where the people who designed how you move around in and interact with the game have been for the last few years. Out to lunch with their heads in the sand is all I can figure. As a trailblazer, the original Myst had an excuse. But that was then. After Real Myst demonstrated a smooth, intuitive, 3D GUI for Myst, there is simply no excuse for the impossibly awkward interaction model used by URU. I just can't believe it, and it makes me angry that anybody would even release this thing. Lately, I've been playing Dungeon Siege. It is such a pleasure to encounter a well-designed and well-tested interaction model. I guess I'll have to wait for Real URU to continue the Myst experience.
Rating:
Summary: Know The Graphics Card You Have Before Buying
Review: After reading through over 100 reviews (many of which unfairly rated the game without playing it) the main beef with the game seems to be graphics card related. If you do not know what kind of graphics card you have in your computer, do not buy this game YET. Do the research and find out. The ages in this game are simply breathtakingly beautiful and one reason why they are that way is because of something called transformation and lighting. Your graphics card must support this. T&L gives the game world a more realistic look, but is only supported on newer graphics cards. A brand new computer may not come with a graphics card in its AGP slot because the onboard card is much cheaper and most consumers won't recognize the difference between a newer graphics card and the onboard one. Intel motherboard graphics cards are great for older 3d games like Half-Life or The Sims, but newer games with T&L (like Uru) won't be supported. You will need a newer graphics card for your AGP expansion slot. A word of warning, Nvidia has a line of cheaper graphics cards with an Mx tag on the end like the GeForce 4Mx. DO NOT get this type of graphics card. The Mx graphics cards do not work nearly as well as the regular GeForce graphics cards. A vanilla GeForce 2 will work better than a GeForce 4Mx. Don't fall prey to fancy advertising. Do some research and your experience with Uru should be very enjoyable. I recently bought my girlfriend's family a new ATI Radeon 9600 with 128 MB of RAM for $70 so that they could play this game. I downloaded the newest Catalyst drivers from ATI's website and installed the game. Guess what? It works perfectly and they love it. Girlfriend's system:
Windows Xp Home Edition
2.0 Ghz Pentium 4
384 MB of RAM
ATI Radeon 9600 with 128 MB of RAM The game also works perfectly on my GeForce 4 4200 with 128 MB of RAM. My system:
Windows Xp Professional Edition
2.26 Ghz Pentium 4 with 533 Mhz FSB
768 MB of RAM
Nvidia GeForce 4 4200 with128 MB of RAM
Sound Blaster Audigy Sound Card (well worth it, the sound in Uru is amazing [Uru won Gamespot's award for Best Sound in a PC game]) By the way, the online community is just great and more than willing to help out. Check out UruObsession (http://www.uruobsession.com) and join in on the fun!
Rating: 
Summary: A Decent Addition for Adventure Game Fans That Know the PC
Review: If I could point to one PC game as the most widespread game ever and able to bring in gamers that normally don't mess with computer games, it might be Myst. This might explain why so many gamers are having tech problems with Uru. Fact one: If your computer played Myst 1 perfectly, it doesn't have the specs to play a modern-day game like Uru. Fact two: If your computer is brand new but you've never checked the video card, chances are the card isn't good enough to play a PC game like Uru, ESPECIALLY if it's an Intel card. Dells and other brand name computers are not sold as gaming machines. Fact three: The makes of Uru are not trying to rip you off and make you buy better hardware. Uru does not have hardware demands any stricter than any current game on the market. Welcome to the wonderful world of 21st century PC gaming! Now you know why consoles such as the Playstation 2 sell so well. Most people don't have the computer skills to do even simple things like update drivers. So keep this in mind as you read some of the negative reviews. As far as the gameplay in Uru, I almost feel like the Myst series is trying to become something it's not. First off, the single-player game is short, a decent play, but unlikely to go down as one of the best Myst games. Adventure game fans will probably enjoy it but there are many current adventure games that can compare with the Myst series now. One annoying new feature is the addition of a third-person angle for your character instead of the famous first-person angle. This is even more annoying because the movement and control system are clumsy at best. The reason this was added though is because Uru hopes to eventually become an online game. The online component was suppose to ship with the original game, but it's still being worked on and hopes to become another giant online game. Frankly, it sounds like an overhyped Sims Online to me as all you do is wonder around an anicent ruin full of riddles, chat with online gamers, and customize your character to look how you'd like it to. Just know that if you're planning on playing online, the company is still working on it and you will need to pay a monthly fee to play. Uru is a decent addition to the famous adventure genre but the 2003 version doesn't blow me away like the mid-90's version did.
Rating:
Summary: a 1-star revie is unfair if you haven't even played the game
Review: OK, This item is getting spammed with one-star reviews from people who couldn't get their graphics card working. The box clearly states "Video card: 32 MB NVIDIA GeForce 1,2,3,4 or FX; ATI Radeon 7000-9800 or better." It also states in the instructions to get the latests drivers for your card. I can't stress how important it is to follow these recommendations to the T. If you don't, and the game doesn't work for you, then it's your own fault. Some have complained about only two brands of cards working. Well, these people are not very well versed in the world of high-performance gaming graphics. There really are only two brands of video cards that do anywhere near a decent job at modern 3d graphics, and these are ATI and Nvidia. This has been well known to PC game enthusaists for a while. Just because you get a "brand new" PC doesn't mean its video card is worth anything -- companies usually cut corners heavily in the gaming department to bring the prices down. High performance graphics cards used to be a thing that only hard-core FPS gamers cared about. Until now. Cyan games have always been about amazing, beautiful, realistic environments. And Uru is no exception. Except now, they want you to move around the worlds with complete freedom. This requires some serious 3d performance. And this is coming to a huge shock to many people who expected uru to be another slideshow-style myst game, leading to all these undeserved one-star ratings. Here's a hint: if you haven't played the *game*, YOU CANNOT GIVE THE *GAME* A FAIR RATING. I've played the game, and let me tell you: its environments are just as awe-inspiring, the plot just as intriguing, the puzzles just as mind-bending and the whole experience just as immersive as all the other myst games so far. The 3rd person view is awkward at times, but playing in 1st person brings back that Myst feeling that we all know and love. There are a couple puzzles that require some jumping dexterity, but only a couple, and in my opinion they serve to increase the feel of immersion in the ages (in Myst, Riven and Exile there never was any danger until the endgame -- how realistic is that?). You still can't die though... you carry a linking book which automatically "panic links" out at any sign of danger. The online world (currently in a "prologue" and letting participants in slowly as a beta test) seems to be shaping up a very intriguing plot that is both being pushed forward by the DRC (Cyan Worlds staff acting "in character"), and players themselves. The offline version of uru (about 15-30 hours of myst gameplay bliss) is just the beginning to a vast and continuous story that looks to be very exciting and involving. However, if you don't like the hardware requirements, detest the make-your-own character and 3rd person view, and don't care too much about continuing the story online, then wait around for Myst 4. That should be more like what you're used to. Uru is a different beast altogether. One final piece of advice: there's a demo that you can download from uru.ubi.com. Download it and try it out to see if your system will work with uru and save yourself a lot aggravation.
Rating:
Summary: Not like the others in the series.
Review: I bought this game for my husband for Christmas because we had so much fun with the previous games in the series. What a disappointment. The beautiful grahics and haunting music from the last ones are missing. You now go through as a character you created, worrying about jumping off ledges rather than encountering interesting puzzles to solve. Using a character to explore the worlds takes away the firsthand feeling of being in a stranger in a strange land. It is ackward and just not the same. I personally don't want to meet other gamers in cyberspace nor do I care that I can change the length of my character's nose or his shirt. I just want to be presented with fun and challenging puzzles in an exotic and mysterious place. I wish I could return it after only one night of playing.
Rating:
Summary: BEWARE ! Only Works with 2 Graphics Cards ! !
Review: What a dissapointment!! I bought URU for our daughter for Christmas, and just discovered that this game (unlike any other game we've ever encountered) only works with 2 types of graphics cards. Of course we had to open the package to discover that this was a "hard" requirement and not just a recommendation on the graphics cards. BE WARNED. DO NOT BUY URU without CAREFULLY checking the hardware requirements. What a gyp!
Rating:
Summary: Zero Stars!
Review: There should be a zero star category. I could hardly wait to get this game home and enjoy more Myst style gaming; however, the game would not play correctly. I have a very recent system but all the fiddling I did adjusting the graphics AND the time online downloading things the program said I needed, didn't help. Luckily I bought my game at Costco and they take things back even if they're opened. Thnaks Costco!
| 
