Myst

"A very good, graphical RPG, but like CPredator said, it's just too realistic."

Even though Myst was a good game, there was just something about it that struck me as being too darn realistic. I must comment on the graphics and sound, though, because they were some of the best I have ever witnessed in my video gaming career. Still, the game is quite possibly the cheapest game I have ever played, also, and I had to buy the strategy guide the same day I got the game. This is, in my opinion, just like the Tomb Raider games, only times ten, completely impossible to beat without the strategy guide. Still, the game was entertaining, and you can tell that a lot of effort was put into designing the game. Maybe all of it was put into audio and video, but who cares, not me.

The Graphics, like I said, are definitely some of the better ones I've seen. It looks almost completely like television, and would look completely like television except for the fact that my computer is a piece o' crap. They are crisp, clear, and very colorful. But they look somewhat monochrome, like they aren't as colorful as they could be.

The Audio was, like I said, awesome. There was no music, though, but it didn't really hurt the game because you don't even hear the music anyway because you're too involved in playing it. The sounds that were in the game were extremely clear, and sounded like they were really occurring. True, they can sometimes get annoying, but not for a while.

The Difficulty was the worst category for Myst. This has to be just about the cheapest game I have ever played in my entire life. The puzzles are very good; too good, in fact. You need the strategy guide to get through just about the entire game. Like, some of the puzzles you would have absolutely NO CLUE as to what to do next! Extremely cheap game, I believe that this is even worse than the Mortal Kombat series. But if you like difficulty like this, check out Riven, the sequel.

The Controls, as always for the PC, were wonderful. It was all thanks to the mouse, though. If it weren't for the mouse, where would we all be today?

The Replayability is very good, like most RPGs are. You do not get tired of playing it only until about fifteen hours into the game. And I still have to beat it, and have had it for about five years now. I still play it almost every day. The only thing that can hinder the replayability is the fact that, even though it sounds really weird, sometimes you get tired of starting at the great graphics. You think that the game is too realistic, and you say to yourself, ''If I want a realistic game, I'll live my real life!'' Which is exactly what I said to myself. Overall, though, I liked this game, and I do not like playing the same game for fifty hours. Myst requires, honestly, only about thirty hours put into it, if that.

The Graphics: 9½/10

The Audio: 9/10

The Difficulty: 4/10

The Controls: 10/10

The Replayability: 5/10

Overall: 7/10 (not an average)

Final Thought: If you love RPGs, you'd love Myst, but love Riven even more.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 03/27/00, Updated 03/27/00