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Vibrant, creative and original

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: February 28, 2008
Author: Amazon User

I originally picked this game up when it first came out. I remember how many people raved about its originality and its amazing game play. Compared to other games I've played in that era I definitely have to agree that it was very original. I must've been about eleven or twelve when it was first released. I will admit that while playing this game as a kid I couldn't figure anything out and I played it for many hours scratching my head trying to figure it out. Eventually I got to the point where I gave up and had to use the walkthrough guide. This game was really quite enthralling with very interesting and complex worlds regardless of my first experience.

I recently replayed the game and even over a decade later I still have the same thoughts. However, some of the games limitations became much more apparent to me. Basically you're thrust into a world and have to use the discovery method to figure things out. You go around click a few switches here, turn a tower there, very elementary and obvious stuff right? Not really, but I will say that I think I was playing the game at the wrong age. I think I was a bit too young to see the obviousness of the puzzles. What took me months to work out at age eleven, took me a few minutes at my current age. I was seriously able to blow through this game in a few hours and this was actually the first time I've played since the last time that many years ago. I remember a few of the basic things, but I couldn't remember much of anything about the other worlds you link to.

The general story premise is that you somehow end up on Myst Island, presumably you linked there from some other book on your home plane of existence and you teleported to this one. Anyway, you find the island uninhabited, but it's obvious that people were once here. There's a little building with a library in it, but most of the books are burnt. Clearly something is amiss. There are two other books on pedestals to the right and left, when you open them you find people trapped inside. I would later learn these are called prison Ages. Both prisoners, naturally, want to be released and ask you to help them. The object of the game is to find all the missing pages of their books so you can release them. The basic setup of the world is that the books are more than just books; they are gateways to other worlds. The worlds in the Myst universe are called Ages and you get back to your original location by using a linking book. It's actually a really creative concept! The world is vastly different and they actually used live actors for the scenes in the game. You have to realize that this was practically revolutionary when it was first coming out. It wasn't the same kind of live actor design Mortal Kombat was using, they were actually having people act in a blue screen environment then transporting them into the Myst world.

Myst was really a ground breaking game when it was first released. It's partially a puzzle game and part mystery. The way people could interact with small portions of the environment and see their effects was really interesting as well. Basically you have to find out why the two brothers are so accusatory of each other and why they were imprisoned. You find out more as you find more pages on different Ages, which is where the puzzle part comes in. You get clues on Myst Island in order to find ways to get access to the other ages. Then once you're on that Age you have to figure out how to get back!

It's actually a really fun game except for the fact that after you solve an island you can only bring a page back with you. But then you have to do that a second time if you want to bring the other page back. Now it's not nearly that bad, all your solutions are still done and it's much quicker to run through the age the second time, but it's the fact you HAVE to do it a second time. For example, if I find the blue page on the other age and then I find the red page, I can't carry them both back with me. That's kind of annoying that you can't carry two, you really see the games limitation at this point. So I bring the blue page back and listen to that guys new message, then I have to go back to the Age and get the red page then come back and listen to his message. You have to do this every time, and that's what lost a star for this game. It's rather inconvenient.

Overall this is one of the more creative games developed in recent times. The story line is vibrant and it has a shock ending that you don't really guess until you get there. There are actually three different possible endings for this, which is pretty cool. So save your game before you're about to beat it, then you can reload it and watch another separate one!

The Masterpiece edition has more color.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: March 24, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I originally played this, buying it many years after it came out, and it seemed a little washed out. I went on to buy the Masterpiece Edition, and the colors are so much more vivid! It seems like a little bit different game with so much more color. The library is reddish, instead of brown. While it may be an old game, it's much better in richer color.

Fantastic Game, Sorely Outdated

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 9 / 9
Date: August 07, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I played the original Myst on a Windows 3.1 oh so many years ago, and I loved it. I know this is for Windows 95/98, but Windows XP does have compatibility options. Unfortunately, they don't work. The sound is scratchy, the movies don't play right, the game crashes inconsistently.

If you have Windows XP, chances are this game will not work on your computer. It was a great game, but unless you have an ancient PIII 400 MHz, I think you're out of luck.

Cool game but needs more to it

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: April 19, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I think the Myst Masterpiece Edition is a pretty cool game, but it needs better graphics. RealMyst is much better. I just find the Myst Masterpiece Edition not realistic enough.

"the name of the game is the same"

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 1
Date: January 30, 2006
Author: Amazon User

a famous quote(too bad i forgot the author), but the meaning hits home. a fancy-dancy box combined with a fancy-dancy name gives us the "masterpiece" edition. digitally remastered this, digitally remastered that(yada yada yada). after i saved the princess, the game was considered over (oops wrong game) but i think you can see the comparitive logic. this game is only recommended for somone that never played myst before, i mean, how many times can you solve a puzzle if you already know the solution ?? double check your computers system limits and options before loading the disc....as the myst series evolved, so did the hint books. thats a shame, a game shouldnt rely on "hint books". a game shouldnt have to be spoon fed to me.

Muyyst Masterpiece Edition

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 9
Date: September 26, 2005
Author: Amazon User

A great new update to original Muyyst. Better than the King of the Hill arcade game or the stupid show!

It's a-ight.

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 6 / 11
Date: August 24, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Long version:

*Installs game on to computer running XP, plays for a bit*
Game locks up.
*control-alt-delete*
Computer locks up.
*Hard shutdown*
Repeat about five times.
*sets game down for a few days, deletes several gigs of music files in some attempt to appease the computer gods*
*tries again*
Compter locks up.
*Uninstalls game*
*Uninstalls QuickTime 9*
*Installs game and Quicktime 4*
*beats game*

It lost a star for several reasons:
1. Almost killing my crappy computer.
2. The bad acting (I know they probably couldn't afford the best and Achenar/Atrus weren't that bad, but Sirrus- yeesh!) and weird mid-Atlantic, pseudo-British accents.
3. Installing AOL on my computer.
4. Having a twist that you could see from a thousand miles away. But maybe you are supposed to see it from a thousand miles away.
5. The brothers' endings were really corny and didn't really reflect their personalities. *SPOILER* It seems like Achenar would rip out a page and burn it in front of you before torching the library and Sirrus would say "Thank you. Unfortunately, I have to make sure there's no way that you can threaten me," before taking the books to the furnace.
*END SPOILER*
6. Not a lot of replay value unless you just want to look at the pretty landscapes.
So, except for #1, nitpicks, really.

I liked how technically, you could beat the game in about 5 minutes. Very "Wizard of Oz" and it added that extra touch of realism since you didn't have to explore anything, the gameplay was more like a bonus.

I liked the real ending. It didn't really bother me that it was just a shill for Riven, which is weird for me. I liked that you don't get some kind of reward except the ability to explore the Myst worlds because how hollow would that be? The game has themes of the evils of greed and lust for power. How are you supposed to be rewarded? Money? Power? A high score? Come on. The point of the game is to explore and discover. Having a traditional ending would likewise mess up the game.

I thought the graphics were okay especially when you consider that this game was made what, 15 years ago? But I don't play a lot of software games so I have low standards. It certainly didn't feel like a slideshow.

I liked how the game was kid-safe yet wasn't dumbed down or cutesy. I don't mind violence, swearing, or sex in video games but it's nice to have the anti-Grand Theft Auto. Oh yeah, the hints were good too. They really made the game playable for people not used to this type of game.

Summary:
A good kid-safe game for non-gamers who want a puzzle, but you might have to fiddle with your computer to get the game to work.

Entertaining, visually splendid, remarkably frustrating

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 4 / 8
Date: November 10, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Playing Myst reminded me of the episode in
"Red Dwarf" (British sci-fi comedy series)
in which the crew discovers that they're actually
ordinary people who have been playing a virtual
reality sim-game in which they play space travelers.
The attendant is stunned to discover that they've
been playing the intro sequence the entire time.

"But didn't you find the microdot that explains
the secret mission?"
"_What_ microdot?"
"On the wall over Rimmer's bunk, the 'i' in his
swimming certificate! The dot over the i is a microdot.
It's a dead giveaway, innit -
Rimmer can't swim, and he's got a swimming certificate?"

That's about as obscure as most of the puzzles, IMHO.
Gorgeous to look at, wondrous to walk through, but if
it weren't for online tips and tricks, I'd never have
left Myst Island.

It may be hard but it's way cool and atmospheric.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 10 / 11
Date: September 26, 2004
Author: Amazon User

You really do get the feel of absolute abandon and isolation while playing Myst. The graphics may be rather dated now (especially compared to the modern graphics in Uru and Myst IV) but it's easy to get immersed in the quiet, lonely environment and believe your actually there. The sound effects and music are slight and subtle rather than overbearing like in other video games.

Since Myst the franchise has indeed developed and evolved. People still tend to think of them and point and click slide shows. Which isn't very fair. Yes, Myst is this way, though it was made 11 years ago and graphic cards back then were not the frontiers of technology they are today.

A lot of patience and intelligence is needed to solve the puzzles and put the clues together. A lot of reading and note-taking is required and those looking for shoot-em-ups and violence should look elsewhere.

Myst is, indeed, a game for the refined gamer.

This is a great game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: August 27, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I've been aware of Myst for around 10 years now, but never got to play it until now, when I bought this 1999 Masterpiece Edition. But for many years I saw pictures of this game like in magazines and I thought the game was worth buying for just the graphics. Well it has much more than just graphics going for it. Never having played the original from 1993, what I do know is Masterpiece Edition has improved graphics and features. It's nice to see a Rated E game that's fun to play. It's the kind of game even recommended to those who think video games have contributed to the downfall of American society. It's also truly a recommended game if you are sick and tired of those slasher or shoot 'em up games. The game is stuffed with puzzles where you have to open up secret passages, look for clues, activate a spaceship, a tree elevator, or whatever, in order to look for missing pages from a book. The only drawback is some of the quests are a bit on the tedious side. But to make things easier, just write down clues on paper, writting some of this stuff on paper would help save time (some of it is crucial). This package also comes with a screensaver with soundtrack CD. If you like the music from the game enough, then you have this CD to hear the music on a regular CD player. As for the game itself, the graphics are wonderful, and in many places are quite realistic (of course there are other scenes that look obviously like computer graphics). I'm glad to to finally get Myst, and I look forward to getting the sequels.

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