Rating: 
Summary: The ending has not yet been written.......UH HUH
Review: A few things before I get started:
1. The FIRST PUZZLE can be avoided by not clicking on the radar.....just see.
2. Zip mode is actually transport mode.......don't make the same mistake I did by not using it!
Ok....So I am a big fan of the Myst series.....I played Myst when I was eleven followed by the games that came out after.....I even read the three books that filled in the plot holes.
Story: And if one thing is clear......the writers of this game all hope we, the players, have dissociative disorders. This game hardly has a story...yet it rides on the same principles that made Myst famous. So in that retrospect, if you have played the past games, this one will be quite immersive and interesting; if your just starting out - you'll demand much more. The only attempt at a story, was the fact that Atrus did NOT burn the books in Myst, but rather hid the books and placed them in Tomahna so the brothers can once again be set free at a 'redemption date' - when the time is right. Of course, we the players are obviously supposed to forget about the red and blue books that were once one-man prisons, because they are now linking books. Oh, what a surprise! And folks, that's it. I can hear the CEO company manager in the background saying,"Wow guys, I really didn't think we could squeeze another game out of it - but as I've always said, Ya gotta burn it till the candle's completely out." The rest of the game has the player stumbling through four ages trying to figure out what the heck is going on. Who let the brothers out of their cage?!
So what can we do for Myst 5? Maybe Sirrius will reincarnate (So you THOUGHT he was dead, didn't you?), learn the D'ni and their art, and command a secret society to burn books for him? Sounds good. I already have ideas for Myst 6 - 8.
Graphics: Fantastic and amazing. Love them! Of course 8 GB is a bit much to move around Myst 4 normally, isn't it?
Adventure: The 4 ages range from extremely good to extremely bad:
Tomahna (9) - Fantastic rendering; interesting world mixed with good puzzles.
Spire (10) - Absolutely amazing setting; original, one of the most intriguing ages in the Myst series.
Haven (6) - Fantastic graphics, but uninspired local. Jungle made me feel like I was playing Crystal Key - Not a good sign. Too much emphasis on looking for clues.
Serenia (3) - Serene......and completely unoriginal and boring. Just a bunch of dull walkways. A few good puzzles, but you'll see the issue.
Puzzles: And here we arrive at the problem. All of Tomahna's puzzles are fair and salvageable; if you couldn't pass these you should be ashamed. But when Spire and Haven come along, the sh** hits the fan. You don't exactly know why your there and what your there to do (and some will say they don't even care)......and it is your job to make things right again. I understand most of the Spire puzzles, but the problem is with the tuning/breaking locks puzzle. Two puzzles in one: equals difficult puzzle. If your not told if you arranged the first puzzle right, then why should you be dealing with a second? My major beef, though; is with the puzzles in Haven. Instead of giving us real brain busters (puzzles), the puzzle designers decided to make us pixel search (finding notes). You'll have to search hard for those silly papers that tell you how to complete a puzzle.....the puzzle itself, is not difficult. Such as the camoudile puzzle and the bridge puzzle: hard to find clues, easy puzzle. If you enjoy finding those tricky hotspots, this game will probably not be a challenge for you. Lastly, where the hell is the appearing hand on the snake puzzle, CREATORS? We had to find the stupid hand on every damn screenshot - Why should the snake be any different?! The monkey puzzle in this game was insane, as well. I heard the same notes being played in the background music, so I attempted to recreate those on the wheels....oy. Serenia was a little better in the puzzle department. I enjoyed the dream puzzle (I have to admit...it's really not that hard) and the Yeesha puzzle. But the bathysphere puzzle to this day does not make much sense, and the IRRIgation puzzle was IRRItating. This is where the FMV video of walking through a scene could of helped....I couldn't tell where the damn dams were leading to. So overall, there are some good puzzles, and there are some bad ones too. So check the Prima help, unless you want to be the guy who played this game for 100-200 hours. LOL buddy - get a life! For you, I agree with the Sex: ultimate pleasures INSTEAD of Myst IV: revelation. Don't throw away a month on this game people......this game comes last of the series in terms of shear brilliance. (The honor goes to Myst & Riven)
New additions: Camera was fantastic. So was Zip mode. The new hand, however; is idiotic. Oh look....it taps on stuff......how exquisitely gay! You can play musical instruments with pans, you can tap on bars, ...and this a silly feature. Naturally, the new hand is unlike the old hand in many ways.....it means more pixel hunting, less good game play. In the old games you could just click on a chest and get the close up; now you have to find that small little spot at the bottom of the chest where it opens. Was this considered a puzzle? No...This was a problem. As you might have guessed, I WOULD HAVE clicked on the chest. But instead I got to go to the Prima help guide to discover that I could, indeed, open it. What a waste.
New actors: Atrus, Sirrius, and Yeesha were good. Achenar was absolutely horrible, yet I'm sure the scripted events had something to do with it. I'll bet Mr. Achenar was flinching the entire time he watched his sordid scene in action, trying his hardest to forget the series has graced the likes of excellent actors.
Music: Pretty damn good, although the opening music has the new diseased trend of the huge, crushing opera vocals that seems to be in every opening of the new trendy movie that come out - in other words, I just turned off the volume until the game started.
Good game overall. Too bad the brilliant facts of the Myst story got a little muddied up, at the expense of another game. It's a good play, but the Prima help guide is there not so you can lose out on fun, - it's so you don't lose out on life. Horray! We won't see Achenar again!!!
Rating: 
Summary: A Fan's perspective on Myst IV
Review: From the moment I walked up to the Myst IV booth I was already overwhelmed. I have already written about by overall adventures just getting to E3 and now to be seeing Myst IV on the screen was total awe for me.Kha'tie gave me the first of several demos and I know my mouth hit the floor. The graphics are stunningly beautiful and the detail so rich I even had a hard time believing this was not 3D. They were so crisp, clean and as Kha'tie moved the cursor the screen easily followed. The attention to detail is equally amazing. I especially loved the realism of when I looked at a specific place the surrounding areas would blur representing the depth of the graphics ... just like looking at something in real life. Then move the cursor to another area and focus again on that object and the same thing would happen. I have never seen this in a game before. Amazing! I was also amazed at how "alive" everything is. The clouds move as there is a slight breeze in the air. Even the trees and bushes would move in the breeze. There were insects flying about and lights would flicker as you move about and your perception changed ... totally realistic. So much so that I could feel the breeze and the movement. Even the steam is continually rising off the lake. As you venture around you come to and enter into Atrus and Catherine's bedroom. To see the the painting close up I was even more in awe. Then to see the fireplace and learn its secret (well partially) and seeing what happens but not the full scope of what is happening. I find the amulet of Yeesha's and I'm seeing a memory through someone else's eyes ... though I'm not totally sure who's memory it is ... assuming Yeesha's. Kha'tie let me play with the fireplace puzzle for a bit but I was so overwhelmed that I had no clue what to do and I hadn't read anything yet. I mean how can I solve a puzzle without reading a journal or some other clue to guide me along. Not to mention that fact that I had people standing behind me watching me. Then finding access to the books and so wanting to see where the other one went ... but alas I was not allowed to go there. Not even sure why I wanted to go to Sirrus' Prison Age first. Perhaps it was because I related to him more. So I link into Haven ... Achenar's Prison Age. Most of you have seen the screen shots from this Age and have a good idea what it is all about visually. What was amazing was how even more alive this Age is and it's huge. The trees move and sway with the wind. The animals roaming about. The one creature with the colorful head (not sure of it's name yet) that we see is quite inquisitive yet shy. He likes to follow you around but will run when you approach him. Then stooping down and touching the water with my finger and having it radiate out in pools. I would then swirl my finger about in the water and it would swirl and eddy with my every move ... just as water should ... this is so real. As I continue to walk around and pass through a narrow passage the wind picks up and is quite strong through here blowing the dust around. You see the dust flowing around you and I instinctual closed my eyes to block that dust (and then quickly reopened them). What few puzzles I saw looked so well intertwined that they seemed perfectly natural to me and to the surroundings with perfect blend. I honestly felt I was playing with items that I would come across naturally in a strange Age. They did not feel out of place at all. The cursor I found was not intrusive and was like using my own hand. I could point my finger and click and that is where I would go. I could manipulate items by grabbing them. I could touch items by tapping on them and would hear the respective sound. I could turn the pages of the journals as I would turn a page in a book in real life. Even the concern of the look of the hand that I had initially did not bother me at all during game play ... again seeming and feeling very natural. Even though I may be biased in my opinions of Myst this game is so totally amazing and it is very obvious that the developers listened to all the concerns of the fans of the previous games and incorporated all this into Myst IV. I honestly feel that you all will be as astounded and amazed as I am ... and I can't wait for the release. BRAVO! To the Myst IV Dev Team and to Ubisoft! and a special thank you to Ron and Kha'tie for allowing me to be a part of this and to finally get to meet you two in person.
Rating:
Summary: They have done it again!
Review: I am anticipating this game more than any other game (including Halo 2). It will bring a new level of depth and realism to the gaming world. From what I've heard, the technology is really stunning, not to mention the sheer mass of it! Three DVDs long, this game is sure to be very immersive. Oh, by the way - calling Myst "a game" is like calling Bach "a musician".
Rating: 
Summary: Won't play on laptop - waste of time and money
Review: I bought this game as soon as it came out. It didn't work on my laptop. I waited for patches, followed bulletin boards, and tried everything. Installed ubisoft patches, graphics driver patches from laptop manufacturer and graphics card manufacturer, edited files as per instructions on bulletin boards. No luck.
The only real puzzle is getting the thing to work. I really enjoyed the first three Myst games and was really excited to play this one, but they really dropped the ball this time. No quality control at all, useless tech support.
I'm guessing it is unplayable on at least half the newer computers out there -- all laptops, and any desktop with a DVD burner. Will have problems on most anything else as well.
Big disappointment. Don't waste your money.
Rating: 
Summary: An exercise in frustration!
Review: I didn't have any problems installing the game (other than needing to download a new driver for my video card), so I can't really complain about any technical issues. The two stars I gave this game are mainly for the graphics and music. But since I started playing, I have been severely frustrated.
I don't think I've solved any puzzle without using hints, and often the hints just confirmed what I already knew. It's very frustrating to know how to solve a puzzle and yet not be able to do it because of finicky hotspots or time limits (if I wanted a game with time limits, I would play an arcade-style game!). Some puzzles are so obscure that you're not even sure what you're supposed to do! Others are so complicated and involve so many steps that it's a wonder anyone solves them at all. In my frustration, I have had a look at some discussion groups and forums relating to the game; some people claim they spent hours on certain puzzles. Not everybody has that kind of time to waste.
I made it to Serenia and am now blocked by the asinine Dream puzzle (Ooh... flashing lights. Who designed such a boring, repetetive monstrosity?). After trying various hints, walkthroughs, instructions, etc., I still can't solve it. I no longer have a desire to.
In addition to the built-in hints, I think this game needs a "solve puzzle" option. Some of us just like wandering around, enjoying the scenery, and figuring out the solvable puzzles. As it is now, we can't do that. If you get hopelessly stuck, the game has basically ended.
Myst IV will probably sit on my hard drive for a few months until I find something else that's more enjoyable. Then it's getting uninstalled.
If there is a Myst V, I will be reading many reviews of the game before I decide whether or not to purchase it. I know I'm not the only one with these complaints. If the makers of Myst don't listen to their fans, they're going to lose some of them.
Rating:
Summary: Myst At Its Best
Review: I got most of the way through this game before giving up on it. I had no trouble installing it, and loved the beautiful graphics and sounds (much better than Uru). But, after a while, I realized that the puzzles were just no fun. Too many of them involved getting the timing right and persnickity mouse movements (I quit the game after a couple of hours of trying to carry a bubble to an elemental guide who might or might not be present). Others were so clever that only after you solved them could you figure out the clues that should have helped you. And, I don't even want to talk about the small, blurry, cursive alien language writing recognition problem in Yeesha's bookshelf). There's also my dissatisfaction with the finales on the two "prison" worlds. Basically, you solve everything, get an animated ride, and then wonder what that was all about. After the first one, I actually had to visit a hint site to confirm that I'd done everything and it was time to move on. It's not at the level of the original Myst's ending, but it's on the same path. To my shame, I even had problems with the lack of direction in the game. Essentially, at every stage, you have a mind-numbing number of alternative paths with no guidance on which you should do first. I also had trouble keeping track of where I was, physically, in the worlds: Tomahna and Spire were OK, but Haven (vague, twisty paths in look-alike jungle) and Serenia (nice paths, but twisty enough that even backtracking doesn't take you back where you thought you were) were impossible.
I don't understand why the people who make these Myst games keep going astray. There's no place in Myst games for timing problems or mouse movement problems. If it weren't for those, I probably would have finished the game. But, as it is, it's just more trouble than it's worth. Overall, I give it 2 stars out of 5.
Rating:
Summary: Beautiful game, fun to play, but a few warnings
Review: I loved all the Myst games (except Uru), and I've just started playing Revelation. This game is as sumptious in detail as the other versions, and full of neat tricks. A warning though, this game will probably not play on your computer if you have a DVD burner (the infamous copyright). Another tricky issue I had right up front was that it I could not play the game until I loaded the correct "CD". Of course, the game comes loaded on two DVDs, and no CD is included. What it wanted was DVD #2 in the DVD player before you launch the game. And what's with the tapping hand. Everything makes a sound when you tap it. Maybe it's a key feature in one of the puzzles.
There a load of system requirments, also. Make sure you have all those up front.
Well I'm off to start playing more of this game!
Rating:
Summary: Written by a REAL person, not a UBISOFT BOT
Review: I read all the reviews before purchasing this product. First things first, all of you who fell in love with the very first Myst as I did, this is the closest thing to that product since Riven. I am only on the third world and am loving the graphics and content. Puzzles are challenging, but there are walkthroughs out there for those who don't have the time. I do feel that we went a little off the rails after Riven. Now we are back on track. I was concerned to learn of installation problems that others had experienced. None here. I have an IBM clone running XP home with a 1.8G Intel. I run Nvidia G Force. I did update my sound card before trying this game to soundblaster something but not a very special one (a hand me down from a friend). One thing I did while I was waitng for my order in the mail was to download the demo from UBISOFT. Once I installed it, the app checked my system and told me I needed to install the latest drivers from Nvidia for my graphics card or the demo would not work, it then directed me to the download site. I installed the drivers and away we went. Once the DVD arrived, I had no problems at all. My PC is about 2 yrs old. **Recommended**
Rating:
Summary: Myst is a game?
Review: If this is a game then developers should create a "Paint Drying Tycoon" 'adventure' game and sell that too. Myst is the most boring software masquerading as a game that I have ever had the misfortune of playing. A real snoozeroo. This "game" is too much torture even for Iraqi prisoners.
Rating:
Summary: A True Gaming Spectacle
Review: Instantly upon starting the game you realize that you are about to play a game that is different then any you have played in the past. The graphics are incredible, even for the myst series, the sounds come from every direction, and the textures of even the most minute objects are created with perfection in mind. The game is a bit tough on computers, however, I solved the problem by turning off some services my computer did not need to run while playing.
One of the most striking features in the game is the interaction you have with any object within reach. Unlike previous myst games, in the event that you don't know what exactly it is that you are looking at, you are given the option of "tapping" it. A texture specific sound can then be heard which will give clues to what the object is made of.
I found the puzzles easy to play (Spire is just very redundant) and the actual progression timely and very orderly. Amongst other things you begin to develop much deeper profiles of the key characters due to your ability to see the the memories they have affixed on an object via an amulet.
Overall, I honestly have not played a better game in my many years of playing them, and would highly suggest this game to anyone with a computer capable of handling it.
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