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Trouble in Tomahna

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 16 / 16
Date: May 13, 2001
Author: Amazon User

On a recent visit to the store I discovered a new computer game whose packaging may hold the record for size. The game was "Myst 3: The Exile." Being an old Myst fan I snapped it up, despite its high price. Once home I found that this is a limited numbered edition (70500 copies) which contains the four CD's of the game itself, the Prima Strategy Guide, a CD of the game soundtrack, and a CD of the making of the game. Last, but not least is a pewter miniature of a `Squee.' There seems to be enough to sooth almost anyone's collecting greed.

The basic premise of the game is quite straightforward (if you are familiar with Myst). Atrus has invited you to come over to talk about Releeshahn, the new world he has created. He has gathered together the surviving D'ni so that they might move to this new world to start their civilization over. Just as he's about to show you the book that acts as the transfer station to Releeshahn a strange character with a severe case of bad hair appears out of nowhere, snatches the book and vanishes after setting Atrus' study on fire. All he leaves behind is a transfer book to J'nanin, the training world built for Atrus' two insane sons. Being a natural hero, you grab the book and hare out after the thief.

In short order you discover that Saavedro, the thief, is seeking revenge for the destruction of his world by Sirrus and Achenar, Atrus's sons and the villains of the original "Myst." A tragic figure who has lost his home, his family and a good bit of his sanity, Saavedro is bent on vengeance. Unable to track down the sons, he has focused on the father, and turned J'nanin into a huge trap. Travelling though the worlds of this game, it is up to you to solve the mysteries and find a resolution for this grim tale of horror and revenge.

Typical of all the "Myst" games, the plot is pretty minimal. It serves primary to provide the player with continuity while solving the many ingenious puzzles. As always, the puzzles are of a Rube Goldberg nature, made up of strange contraptions and countless smaller puzzles. "The Exile" exercises some restraint, so most of these challenges can be solved by a great deal of wandering around, careful observation and some good guesses.

To make up for what is essential a very calm, non-violent game, the designers have outdone themselves in creating the five worlds of "Myst 3." The artwork and scale are magnificent. The animation is equally incredible. This is the first time that I felt my 19-inch monitor was just too small. Hopefully they will make some game posters. I was continually being astonished by the imagination used in creating these worlds and their workings. This is the best pure puzzle game I've seen in a long time and is well worth purchasing.

The best chapter in the series yet, worth every penny

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 13 / 14
Date: May 18, 2001
Author: Amazon User

I've been a Myst fan since the first one came out years ago. I've read all the books, have all the soundtracks and have replayed both Myst and Riven at least once since buying them. Needless to say, I had high expectations for this game.

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!

Beautiful and fun

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 8 / 8
Date: June 09, 2001
Author: Amazon User

The installation and running on my iMac DV was fine, and the program operates well with no errors. I recommend the full install, which takes up nearly 3 gig of space. The full install is not automatic and requires dragging of info from CDs to the HD.

I've been a fan of Cyan and the Myst series since its inception. I think Exile carries on the tradition of engrossing, beautifully crafted places and intriging puzzles. These puzzles are a bit easier than Riven, although I'm only partway through the game. Who knows what's in store.

The environment is wonderful, with the ability to look around you in real-time motion, not static frames. The environment moves and continues to move as you change your view. Movies where things are operated or occur are integrated nearly seamlessly.

The story, thus far, is a bit one-track, and only seems somewhat tertiary to the puzzles. In Riven and Myst, understanding the underlying story was crucial to solving a good number of the puzzles. So far, in Exile, I'm only vaguely aware of the storyline but have still managed to get through 3 levels.

A good sound sytem is crucial to the full experience. There is lots of environmental sounds and the sound track, while not as good in my opinion as Riven's, is still quite good.

Turn down the lights, turn up the sound and be prepared for new and amazing sights.

Surpassed my wildest expectations!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 6 / 6
Date: January 14, 2002
Author: Amazon User

For years I have escaped into the magical worlds of Myst and Riven. Riven was my favourite of the two due to its cultural history, lush rainforests and creatures like the beetle and sunners.

So when Myst III: Exile came out I looked at the screenshots with anticipation. I ordered the Collectors Edition to get the added strategy guide, soundtrack CD, pewter squee, and making-of feature. Even though the price was rather high, everything was top-notch quality even though it was produced by a new company (UbiSoft/Presto instead of Cyan).

The new Ages of Exile were seamless continuations in the Myst story and the game stayed true to the characters, visuals, puzzles and even the music. My favourite age was Edanna, the world of plants that takes place inside a tree in the middle of the ocean. The music in this age is ethereal. There are two new creatures: a phoenix-like bird called a grossamery and a small furry rodent called a squee, that you interact with and are crucial to solving some puzzles.

There are three training ages: Amateria, Voltaic, and Edanna, Atrus's new home in Tomhana, the hub world of J'nanin, and the villan Saavedro's homeworld of Narayan to explore. Each of the worlds has a unique visual style and theme. Amateria was the most beautiful of the mechanical ages, with Japanese pagodas and paper lanterns, and menacing storm clouds that touch the ocean, sending forth the occasional bolt of lightning that lights up the water and sky. Thunder ripples menacingly, and the sunset is gorgeous. Voltaic was my least favourite, being very mechanical and alien.

The 360-degree free look system (this is the same company that produced Journeyman Project 3) really brought the worlds to life. Instead of clicking through a series of slideshows, the player can look in any direction. The sounds are direction-sensitive as well. Also, when characters are talking to you or animations are playing you can still look in any direction.

The puzzles were hard (yes, I cheated my way through yet again) and I resorted to the strategy guide after the first two minutes. For me the fun is in exploring and appreciating the beauty of the worlds...if I'm sitting frustrated for hours trying to solve a puzzle, that dampens the fun I'm having. One new feature is that after you correctly solve a part of the puzzle or do something correctly, you immediately see the results of your work.

Of the extras included with the Collectors Edition, the soundtrack was my favourite. It can be purchased separately as well. The music closely followed the musical legacy of Rand Miller's scores for Myst and Riven--the main themes from both are seamlessly interwoven into the new themes. The score to Exile is heavy on world music, featuring dijeridus, flute, percussion, as well as whalesongs, squeaky gates, and windchimes. There are choirs and boy soprano soloists singing in the D'ni and Narayan langauges. This soundtrack is as mystical, magical, and involving as any of John Williams's or Danny Elfman's scores.

It is a worthy investment for fans of Myst and Riven, for anyone who loves to explore and solve puzzles, or for fans of Tolkien as well. This is the best adventure game I've played in the last few years.

Way above my expectations! ...and that's high.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: May 13, 2001
Author: Amazon User

I played Myst and Riven when they first came out. Since then I've played nothing but FPS like CounterStrike, UnrealTornament, anything with guns... Anything that doesn't include the word Multiplayer bores me in about 2 seconds.

I had no idea there was a Myst 3... So I bought tha big charcoal looking box over the smaller wimpy one (because pinching pennies ain't my style, I leave my regrets for later). So I'm glad I did... the soundtrack is dope and well worth it, the making is cool, the pewter figure makes for a cool paperweight (like a Mac!), and the game... the game... uh, well let's just say that I did't think that I'd be wanting more! AND I DO!

I hooked up with my friend and we solved it in two days! I was also blown away at that crazy roller coaster ride! All tha hardwork pays off, so don't use the strategy guide. Er, ok I used it once... at the last puzzle. I only used the softcore hint, hehe (I earned it, I was spending more than 4 hours on that one). Read the book after. It's got some cool tibits on Atrus and friends. Heck, I just ordered realMyst and RivenDVD cause wanted "that old feeling" again. :)

So in the immortal words of my good 'ol stock broker, "BUY! BUY! BUY! BUY! BUY!"

Appealing Gift

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 10 / 20
Date: April 12, 2001
Author: Amazon User

This edition would make the perfect gift for any die-hard fan of the game. The bits and pieces that you get in this package are worth the money. You get he offical strategy guide, journal of Atrus, and a cdrom containing trailers for the game and footage for the making of the game. This is a must have and the price isnt that bad considering what you get. ( I'll be buying this for a friend for his birthday)

Great game, but buyer beware

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 4 / 5
Date: May 14, 2001
Author: Amazon User

First, I'll say I really liked the game, and like many other fans, was VERY eager to get my hands on it. BUT (isn't there always a "BUT") after installing it, my system constantly crashed while trying to start the game. My problem, was three fold, so here are some things to think about before you buy.

1. Aparently, Myst3 in NOT compatible with hardware rendering by Voodoo 2 & 3 chipset video cards. (I have a Voodoo 3500) So to run the game in software mode, you must hold the "Ctrl" key while starting the game. (I was able to run the game well enough but, not to brag, I have a pretty good machine that made up for the lack of hardware acceleration)

2. The game has some kind of issue with the Kenwood 72X CD-Rom drives. Of witch I'm a (usually) proud owner. So running it from one of these drives isn't possible at least in my case. I was able to install from it but it won't run. If all you have is one of these drives, try installing the FULL program to your hard drive, (aprox 2GB needed)

3. The game MUST have the disk in the drive to run, even if you install to the hard drive. However, if you have multiple hard drives, or partitions, causing your CD-Rom drive letter to be HIGHER than H: (I-Z) it will not recognize that the CD is presant to verify the security key.

Well, there you have it. For the record, my machine is a P3 800Mhz system with 256MB Ram. This seems to make up for the problem with the Voodoo cards. Over all I liked the game, and look forward to more installments (let's all keep our fingers crossed) there are some HARD parts so the collectors edition is a better buy in my opinion, since the Prima guide alone is $... so it's a wash to buy the regular game and then the guide, plus you get some great extras ("Making of" CD, soundtrack, and pewter statuetof a squee). I hope this was of help to some of you.

Have fun!

Simply Amazing

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: May 10, 2001
Author: Amazon User

THE GAME- This game has a satisfaction level like no other game out there; I think that this is the best thing ever to come out of the imagination of Rand Miller. The graphics are amazing, Right down to the Photo-Realistic textures, so in graphics this game definitely gets a 100%. In my personal opinion, I think that this is the best (And I mean best) value for the amount of interactivity and this game offers. They really put together an awesome game, and the story line is amazing.

THE EXTRAS- I would really buy the "collectors edition" because it has all the neat little things in it that just make this game more spectacular, I think that the sound track is composed very well, ant it's neat to have it incase you have a song stuck in your head. I also think that the strategy guide is good for the one's out there that are pulling your hair out over the puzzles in this game.

Beware of the known bugs

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: May 19, 2001
Author: Amazon User

I haven't played the game yet. Not because I don't have time (which if I were quite honest I don't) or because I'm not interested. I CAN'T play the game.

I pre-ordered the game and picked it up on May 9th. I installed the game and tried starting it, only to have it crash just after choosing the graphics mode. I checked out Myst3.com and found out that this is a known bug. For many video cards you will not be able to play the game at all until the patch is finally released.

I am truly upset that I payed good money for a game I cannot play and may not be able to play for a while. I can't even return the game because (a) I waited because the message I got said it would be out soon, and now it's past the return date and (b) the publisher has sent messages to the retailers telling them to send people to the website if the game doesn't work, so the retailer won't take the game back.

From the website it appears the particular bug I have is not the only bug. There has been one patch released that fixes some of the other (in my opinion less important) bugs. I'm sorry, but if I can't even start the game it is a much more serious problem than a few video glitches the other patch promises to fix.

regular version is a better deal

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 7 / 14
Date: May 07, 2001
Author: Amazon User

Let me start by saying that I love Myst and its series and cannot wait to get my hands on this game. I am sure that Presto has done a great job with this game and if you disagree then you have yet to see the screen shots and theatrical trailer. The question to ask though is which version of the game to buy: this collectors edition, or the regular version. The collectors edition is the exact same game as the regular version with some value added extras like the strategy guide and the soundtrack. Now these are nice extras but is it really worth it?

I was leaning towards purchasing the collectors edition until Amazon cut the price on the regular edition and is giving free shipping on that version, which they aren't doing yet on this one. Now hopefully that will change, but if it doesn't we are talking about a nearly $30 difference between the two. Now some might say that the extras in the collectors edition make that difference worthwhile, and if you think so then go ahead and buy the collectors edition. But from my vast computer game playing experience I can tell you that while the game guide is nice as a reference in case you get badly stuck, every gaming website on the net will have the same information on it within days of the release of the game.

Unless Amazon cuts the price and offers free shipping on this game I reccomend you buy the regular version instead (which Amazon.com has the best price I've seen for it, so far) as long as you can live without the extras and are web-savvy enough to look up game play hints on the web (but if you are reading this you probably are).

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