Cheap Myst 3: Exile - Collector's Edition (Software) (Macintosh, Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows Me, Windows 2000) Price

Related Products

Customer Reviews of Myst 3: Exile - Collector's Edition

It has blown my expectations away.

First, let me cover the goodies included with the collector's edition. The soundtrack is incredible. I've listened to it half a dozen times already (and I only got the game three days ago!). It's a wonderful mix of classical and new age, with clear influences from Orff's Carmina Burana and Peter Gabriel's soundtrack to The Last Temptation of Christ. For hardcore fans of the series like me, there are also several nicely blended hints and pieces of the previous soundtracks, a clear homage to the original games.

The bonus "making of" CD not only includes the 22 minute video of how the game was made, but all of the trailers (theatrical, teaser and television) and several wallpaper images as well.

The squee figurine is cute, and solid. But that's about it.

Finally, the strategy guide. Unless you like having your fun spoiled, leave it in the box and treat it like a deadly viper. I haven't even TOUCHED my guide, and honestly if you think through the puzzles you'll never need it.

Now, on to the game. To put it simply, it is un-be-freaking-LIEVE-able!! The graphics are easily twice as good as those in Riven, and the free-look system is utterly amazing. Textures look very realistic (for a computer game), and you'll be dazzled in several places by how good it all looks.

The animated sequences are very well done, and blend seamlessly with the scenery. Even better, on many of the animations you can still move the camera around while they play, letting you see what's going on around you.

The puzzles are in between Myst and Riven in difficulty. Presto made a smart move getting rid of the "solve a puzzle, then travel all over the planet to actually make it work" routine of Riven. The first age you enter has several very clever but still fairly simple puzzles to get your brain stretched out and make you think in odd angles and directions (which you need to do for any Myst game). As with the previous Myst games, the key to solving the puzzles is to explore carefully and observe everything -- nothing is irrelevant or meaningless (one puzzle in particular was quite subtle and required a bit of an intuitive leap).

Basically, I can't recommend this game enough. If you don't want the collector's edition, then buy the regular one, but absolutely buy it!

A smaller, yet still impressive, step up from Riven
In the least, Myst3 has excellent graphics, sound, and acting. I also loved the 360 panorama viewing. But in the most, that's also what it has... merely those impressive features. I was excited when I heard that Myst3 was going to be developed, for before Rand and Robyn Miller had announced Riven was the end to the series. But I was disappointed when I learned that Cyan Inc wasn't doing it... Presto was. Cyan, I believe, was founded with Myst by the two Millers, and grew to accomplish unimaginable things with the sequel, Riven. Unfortunately, they should have kept the rights to Myst3 instead of selling to Presto, for although the Presto team did marvelous work, it doesn't seem like as big a step from Riven as Riven did from Myst. One can only wonder what Myst3 would have struck the world with had Cyan produced it themselves.

The puzzles in Myst3 certainly do seem a little more mundane... less interesting, less tied in with the storyline, and a few almost a little boring. Although it's still a wonderful game, and I would recommend playing it (but with a copy of the hint guide so you don't get frustrated with the mundane tasks), I was not struck with the awe that I once felt when I set my eyes and ears upon Riven.

Board Games?!?!?!
Well, what can I say. THis game has great acting, good graphics, emursive worlds, and overall good gameplay. The only thing I don't like about it is that the buzzles are to descrete. Its almost as if they were meant to look like they were meant to be puzzles. It can't be something like myst where the puzzles are there for a logical reason, and it can't be like Uru where the puzzles were blended in with the enviroment so the game was harmonic, and it can't be like riven where the puzzles are not puzzles, but problems you had to face that required some brain power. THese puzzles, even though they go with the suroundings, they still are too descrite. I mean, its almost like they were ment for you. THings here aren't what they used to be. The puzzles themselves are quite impresive, but the way that they blend in with the age is like sticking srawberries in orange juice. For one thing, yet another puzzle is actually a puzzle age in itself. Its all puzzle and really seems like it was meant for your presance, not like it had any real fuction outside your enjoyment. Even the plant age has that. Lense flowers that focus the sun's light on large bulbs that hold electic fish and power plant machines. Even thier idea of a balaced enviroment is even more descrete. THe lense flower couldn't've just grown there without there being a purpouse. I mean really, how deep do you want me to get.