Myst: Masterpiece Edition

"A refreshing adventure..."

Introduction:
I have only had a PC for about 5 years, and up until about a year and a half ago, I was using a dinosaur of a PC, which left gaming(aside from solitaire) out of the question. I am, in my opinion, a game history buff, I like reading books about the history of video games(The Ultimate History of Video Games by Steve Kent is a must read for anyone interested). So, obviously I had read about Myst, but since I was never into PC gaming, I was like Yeah, Sure, helped launched the CD ROM, great, NEXT CHAPTER! But a several months ago, I happened to see the game new in my local Game Stop for about 3 bucks, which I found out at the register had been dropped even lower in price. So I decided to pick it up. So I installed it, pulled up a guide from off the site, as I heard you would almost certainly need one to beat it, and did just that. Although I did use a guide, and beat in about 4 hours or so, I did take the time along the way and ''smelled the roses'' a little, and I must say, this is an excellent game.

Graphics: 8/10
While the graphics consist of nothing but pre rendered images, the images themselves look very nice. Since I have the Masterpiece edition, I have heard more colors were used than in the original, and judged on what I see, they did an excellent job in the graphical department. Although most of the game is still there are some integrated movie clips, which I believe are quicktime movies, and they look okay as well. While the graphics aren't the best in the world, I assume they were good at the time, and I still think they look nice now.

Sound: 10/10
Usually to get a high score in sound the music has to be amazing and well placed and the like. I feel Myst deserves the score not because the music is loud, in your face, orchestrated stuff(which is okay in some games), but because it sets a great tone for the game. The sound in this game is key because of the lack of action(which can take your mind off of the background music), there has to be a mood set for the game to be what it needs to. The music in Myst does just that. But what is even cooler is with the Masterpiece edition you get a soundtrack of the music for free!

Gameplay: 10/10
Here is where Myst differs from other games, most games have you shooting/fighting/killing/rescuing someone or something, Myst has none of that. Myst has no over the top cutscenes or blood splattering everywhere, that is not what makes it great. What makes the game great is it's puzzle solving, and just good looking graphics. In Myst you find yourself on an island, after some exploration you find a library with a red and blue book, in both there is a man telling you to bring him the red/blue pages respectively. Do you help these men and bring them the pages, or do you just wander around the island and enjoy the sight seeing? The choice is yours, but be warned, there is little help in the game itslef about what to do, so be prepared to read the journals found in the library, and if you have to, break down and use the hint system that is exclusive to the Masterpiece Edition of the game.

Conclusion:
The bottom line is this,if you haven't played Myst yet, go go so. You can buy the whole trilogy in a boxed set for 20 bucks. If you like using your brain, or just looking at some nice looking still pictures, be sure to get Myst. It is a great game that makes you think rather than shoot, which is a refreshing change of pace in this shoot em up gaming world of ours...

OOOWWWW Have Mercy!!!

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 03/25/04