|
realMYST
For: PC
Genre: adventure
Reviewed by: Escee (Brandon)
Developer: Cyan
Publisher: Sunsoft
Released:11.5.00
Okay,
I'll admit it. I thought the original Myst was a great
game. I enjoyed the game thoroughly when I played it back
in the day. realMYST is basically the original Myst
but in realtime 3d, so you can move around yourself and go
anywhere (as opposed to pre-determined locations). realMYST
also includes a new Age, which was the main reason I got the
game.
realMYST
has incredibly steep system requirements. This is actually
ironic, considering that the original Myst would run on a
486 with Windows 3.1 and a CD-ROM drive. I ran realMYST on
my Pentium III 600MHz, 256MB RAM, Voodoo 3 3000G, and the
game was incredibly choppy far too often. The graphics are
very impressive, however, but it takes a powerful computer
to run these. My system is well above the system requirements
but the game still has a crappy framerate.
The
puzzles are identical to those found in the original Myst
(except for the new Age). They are challenging and sometimes
frustrating, but they all come together. The game actually
has a good storyline, even if much of it is not detailed in
the game itself. The creators of the game have actually written
three novels which revolve around the Myst and Riven
(the sequel to Myst) world & storyline.
Graphics
The graphics are incredible, but the system
you'll need to experience this is ludicrous. Not to mention the crappy
framerate.
UPDATE: I actually tried playing this game on a modern 2006 dual-core
system, and it still couldn't run smoothly. Clearly the game suffers from
botched programming.
Sound
Myst creates a surreal environment, in both aural and visual. The
sound is top-notch, and the soundtrack is nice.
Gameplay
It really depends on if you like frustrating puzzles. This game is exactly
like Myst - either you love it or you hate it. I thought Myst
was a wonderful, classic game. The puzzles are frustrating, but not
ridicolous, and the solutions really make sense. I thought Myst
was a work of art.
Control
You will never see simpler controls on
a PC game. Move with the arrows, click the mouse button to manipulate
things on the screen, press shift to go faster. There, I just wrote out
the entire controls for you!
Lastability
This is, always has been, and always will
be, Myst's (not to mention most graphical adventures) weakness.
There is no replay value, being that if you try to play it again,
you will already know the solutions to all of the puzzles. Well, the frustrating
puzzles will keep you playing for a while, if you count that as lastability.
bottom
line: realMYST is a game without an audience. Those who love
Myst already have the game, and how many of those people are graphics
whores? Unfortunately, even for those who are, the game cannot run competently
on even the most stellar of machines.
|
1.20.1
click on the above screenshots
for larger versions.
images from ign
|
