Uru: Ages Beyond Myst

The Good
Uru: Ages Beyond Myst is, to me, the first Myst-based game that actually delivers a believable world. Since it is fully 3D (like Real Myst) you're able to jump, climb, walk and run to explore the vast maps of the Myst universe. And the graphics are amazing! They really let their imagination run free when it came to designing the world in this game. It has some beautiful views and backdrops, combined with the same mystifying design and art that the Myst series is known for. The problems are well designed, with the easiest ones coming first and the hardest ones being at the end of the game. I just love the atmosphere of these games and Uru follows its predecessors closely in this category. Unfortunately, the Uru Live (online gaming) hasn't started yet, but when it does I'm sure I'm going to be addicted to that too.

The Bad
The controls takes some getting used to, but once you get the hang of it, it works fine. Other than that I don't really like problems that have illogical solutions, and I have yet to play an adventure game that doesn't suffer from that problem, Uru included.

The Bottom Line
A fantastic voyage into an intriguing world, using the latest game technologies and probably some of the worlds finest game designers. A must for everyone with a powerful computer wanting a laid back game experience, totally without action or violence.

The Good
The graphics (Powered by Plasma 2) are stunning, without killing hardware. The music is nearly flawless, and fits the ages like a glove. Ambient sound is unbelievably realistic (if you have an EAX compatible sound card). The puzzles, while some are massively difficult, are elegant and appropriate.

The Bad
The game has a couple bugs, (mainly with collision detection and some video cards), and a lot of the puzzles are beyond me, requiring a sharp eye able to pick patterns out of things and re-apply them elsewhere. In addition, Uru was meant to be a MMO game, but that mode was discontinued by Ubi Soft before it even finished beta.

The Bottom Line
Great game; not much point because of the publisher's somewhat silly decision to switch it's format to single-player (note that Gametap has revived it, and re-released it with online mode).

The Good
Uru is not like other Myst games. It has a third person perspective (or an optional first person), keyboard controls, a fully 3D world, a customizable avatar, and...jumping. Myst fans might find this to be an atrocity, but I found it to be the first Myst game I could actually get into. Uru takes place in the present day. You are an explorer who felt the "call" to D'ni, the world under the earth where the people who write Ages live (it's hard to explain). There's not much reason for you being there, so you have to make up your own beginning. You eventually find a message from Yeesha, who wants you to go on the Journey, and...well, you really have to play the game to understand the story. I loved the third person view unlike some other people. The controls are quite easy to pick up (for me), and it really makes the game a joy to look at. The graphics are simply stunning. There hasn't been a game released yet that has better graphics than Uru. The sound is amazing as well. You really just need to hear it to believe it.

The Bad
Some puzzles are annoying, and loading times are LOOOOOONG. That's really it basically.

The Bottom Line
If you don't like Myst games, you do now. That's all I have to say. Buy this game. Play this game. Love this game. NOW!