Myst

The Good
The thing about Myst, is that it can't really be called a game. Myst is a work of art... It is a story told through immersive, beautiful graphics and an intriguing storyline. Many people don't like this, since it has very little action... But it takes a certain amount of intelligence to really see the wonderful detail and design put into this game. The graphics are fantastic, and the environments are beautifully surrealistic and dreamlike. The musical score is probably the best of any game I've ever played (buy the soundtrack!!), and sets the mode for the settings masterfully.

The Bad
There's nothing. That's right... I'm sure this will make a lot of people (mostly the less intelligent kind) mad, but there is absolutely nothing bad about Myst. It was the first of its kind, and there will never be another adventure like it.

The Bottom Line
It's as simple as this: If you like brainless, gory, first person shoot-em-up games, Myst isn't for you. If you enjoy exploring beautiful, dreamlike detailed worlds, and solving ingenious puzzles, then you should go out and buy this "game" right now.

As I said before, Myst is really not a game, and should probably not be treated as one. It can only be called a work of art, and it will be the most beautiful masterpiece ever to grace your CD-ROM drive. :)

The Good
Myst was one of the first games I ever played, back in 1997 when I was 6. Consequently, it had a great impact on my gaming tastes. At the time, graphics weren't greatly thrilling. Myst raised the standard to unparalleled heights and is more detailed than many of the games of our age. Though you may not realize it, the beauty of modern games owes its existence to the stunning landscapes of Myst. Myst was a great change from the slaughter-fest platform shooters and uninspiring hunting games that dominated the era, being about exploration and problem solving rather than grinding aliens into red paste with your chain gun that never runs out of bullets. To us modern gamers, point-and-click adventures sound... well, dull. But that goes to show that we have no taste. A simple method of locomotion makes more room for the beautiful graphics and fiendish puzzles that define the Myst franchise.

The Bad
I consider myself quite smart. So it's rare that I am completely stumped by anything. But clearly Rand Miller is a true genius, for even my fearsome intellect was humbled by his creation (though the puzzles didn't start getting truly insane until Riven). While this is technically a good thing, it pains me immensely to look up a walkthrough, even if just for one puzzle. Other than that, I can't think of anything.

The Bottom Line
Many people describe this game is being overly complicated or boring. To them I say; Philistines! Complication defines civilization. If nothing was complicated, life would be disgustingly boring. On that note, BORING! Saying Myst is boring is like saying that cake tastes bad, or that Survivor is interesting. And by that, I mean that anyone who says such blasphemy should fall on their own sword while shooting themselves in the head.

The Good
Myst came out and PC gaming was never the same again...

Then again, just because it was new and different and successful, doesn't mean every developer has to imitate it. That's their fault, not Myst's.

Where Myst does best is in delivering ambiance. It does this through outstanding (for the time) graphics, background noises, and yes, even the non-interactive aspect of each screen.

The retro-futuristic puzzles are difficult to master, but not impossible, given a little thought. It was fun unlocking the puzzles, and then entering and solving the different ages.

The Bad
Not much replay value, because nothing changes. I still remember many of the puzzles, as well as the ending - so what's the point of doing it again.

And unfortunately, Myst broke the old adventure game formula, and in becoming so successful, became the adventure game formula - at least for a while. sigh.

The Bottom Line
A fun and immersive little diversion from real life.