Myst III: Exile

Plot synopsis:
Exile begins 10 years after the events of Riven, when the Stranger arrives at the home of Atrus and his wife Catherine. Atrus is a scientist and explorer who has mastered an ancient practice known as the Art: he can create links to different worlds, called Ages, by writing special books. This ability is by an ancient civilization known as the D'ni, whose society crumbles after the D'ni city is devastated by a plague. Atrus calls the Stranger to his home to display his newest Age, Releeshahn, which Atrus has designed as a new home for the D'ni survivors.
As Atrus is preparing to leave for Releeshahn, a mysterious man appears in Atrus' study, steals the Releeshahn book and leaves behind another. Following the thief, the Stranger arrives at J'nanin, an Age that Atrus had written long before as a way to teach the Art to his sons. Because the thief has caused considerable damage to the J'nanin book, Atrus cannot accompany the Stranger.
The mysterious man is named Saavedro. Twenty years earlier, Atrus' wayward sons Sirrus and Achenar destroyed Saavedro's home Age of Narayan and trapped him on J'nanin. Saavedro believes his family is dead and swears vengeance on Atrus, unaware that Atrus has already imprisoned his sons for their crimes and that Saavedro's family is still alive. The game can end several ways depending on the player's actions. In the most ideal scenario, Saavedro returns to Narayan peacefully after giving back the book of Releeshahn. Other endings result in Saavedro destroying Releeshahn or killing the player; another option allows the player to leave Saavedro trapped forever.

Tags: revenge, psychedelic

Review:
In terms of graphics, Riven was a simple step up from Myst.
But Myst III adds a whole new level of realism to the franchise.The main new feature is that you can look anywhere you want in any direction withing the photo-realistic worlds when before you could only look at a limited amount of certain things.
The graphics are so convincing that the roller-coaster ride in the middle of the game will make you feel like you're really there.
Not only do the graphics stand out but sound effects pan across the sound-field when you spin around and wind whistles between the rocks.The story involves the maniacal sons of Atrus (that would be Sirrus and Achenar) continuing to wreak havoc through-out the ages.
They have destroyed a world known as Narayan and left sole-survivor in exile on the island of J'Nanin.
This man is Saavedro (Brad Dourif), who ultimately blames Atrus for his sons going off the deep end.Atrus (played by Rand Miller as always) calls upon you to go to J'Nanin and find Saavedro, who has stolen Atrus new age Raleeshan.
Saavedro traps you into going through many different worlds, unlocking secrets, finding clues and seeing for yourself what Sirrus and Achenar did to Narayan.
Each world has a different look from the last but still retains that spooky feeling no matter if your in a swamp, caverns, beach or mountaintop.But still, the most impressive thing about Myst III is Jack Wall's brilliant score, which is simultaneously haunting, beautiful, dark and Gothic.
Definitely the best score a video-game has ever known.
And that's a pretty big statement.I got the Limited Collector's Edition of this game which comes with the score CD (now very hard to find and very expensive) a 'making of' CD, the Prima Official Strategy Guide and lots of other inserts.
I minor quibble though.Overall, I highly recommend Myst III, it's not just a game, it's a journey..
Myst III continues the saga of Myst and Riven with a new perspective on things.
No longer limited to purely static images with only minimal scenery animation, the game's technical leaps help destroy the fuel that the series' denouncers have used against it.Taking the first two games' approach to puzzle solving, you'll still be left out in the open, having to search for the proper clues in order to progress, but unlike in Riven, you won't have to do quite as much footwork to go from clue to puzzle or to see the results that the solved puzzle brings.The quality of acting in Myst III leaves the performances of the majority of games with live actors in the dust.
It would be hard to imagine a Myst game without Rand Miller portraying Atrus, but Hollywood actor Brad Dourif also appears in the game as the central antagonist.
The direction seems very competent, unlike in a game such as Command and Conquer: Tiberian Sun. You know it can't be good directing when even James Earl Jones looks wooden!With all that said, if you enjoyed Myst and Riven, you will undoubtably find enjoyment in Myst III: Exile.
I wear headphones, so if a game has good stereo sound, I almost feel as if I am there.
Good music can also add emotion to a game.
This game has all that (as did the original Myst), wonderful raytraced graphics, and seamless Quicktime overlays.
When not playing the game, load the M3Data subdirectory into your MP3 player, to hear all the pretty themes again (1.5 hours of mp3's!).
If you really like the music, there is a Jack Wall soundtrack CD, though it is currently out of print.Graphics.
Myst depends heavily on realistic graphics to increase immersion.
While 3d graphic cards keep improving, raytracing still looks better.
The large storage capacity of CD media allows the Myst games to avoid the downside of raytracing: rendering speed.
Exile adds the ability to "turn around" at each location -- the render is for an entire sphere, rather than just the rectangle of the monitor screen.
Quicktime movies allow playing back video recordings left by characters in the game.
The "anniversary" edition of the Myst trilogy is on a DVD-ROM (at about what I paid for Exile alone).
After spending about 5 hours -- upgrading my video and sound card firmware and drivers, trying multiple versions of DirectX, updating Quicktime, and banging my head, I thought to diff files.
To fix, I just copied the CD "Data" directories across the network, from a computer with a better CD drive.Game trailer / advertisement.
Search apple.com for "myst exile".Summary.
I love the Myst games, because I feel like I have spent the evening outside, in beautiful natural settings.
Cheat your way through the game, if needed, just so you can see all the beautiful worlds.
It is a remake of Myst, with interactive (ala Quake) graphics.
Myst III: Exile is the finest game ever, not only are the graphics spectacular and the sound amazing (the soundtrack alone is equal to if not better than most movie soundtracks), but the surreal location actually seems believable.
Just like the backgrounds of the Final Fantasy games; the world does look real.And as if that's not recomendation enough, one of the main characters is played by Brad Dourif.
The advance from Myst to Riven was awesome but the advance from Riven to Exile is far beyond anything I could have imagined.The game is also suitable for players of any age although even the cleverest of adults will strugle with some of the puzzles.11 out of 10 and even with that score I'm being mean..
This game graphically alone is astounding.
While the movement is still point to point, which is somewhat of a trademark of the Myst games, you have complete spherical vision.
The puzzles are harder and more intertwined, the endings are dramatic, the visual effects and navigation are still the best, and there are several great surprises.
I just finished Exile about a day ago and I am still impressed just thinking about the game.
Everything, including sound, graphics, music, story and acting all came together to create this masterpiece.I could talk about all the technical aspects of the game, but I'll focus more on the movie aspects, namely story and acting.
Like Myst and Riven, you explore predominantly empty worlds, with the occasional actor to keep you company.
The story is not complicated, but it is enough to keep the player motivated until the end of the game.As for the acting, everybody holds their weight.
Atrus, played by Rand Miller, appears mainly at the beginning of the game.
He is used to playing Atrus, having done so in Myst and Riven.
Though a small role, she carries her weight as does Miller.The real star, though, is Academy Award Nominee Brad Dourif (Best known for One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest).
He does a great job.Overall, I highly recommend this game!
I found a few of the puzzles to be very difficult so I cheated and used a "walkthrough." After using so much of the "Riven Walkthrough" I was disappointed and so decided to "tough it out" with Exile.Recap:Myst = Part 1Riven = Part 2Exile = Part 3However, there was one part of Exile, the Island world of Edanna, which drove me utterly nuts.
The best of the three games in the sequel.
The graphics are beautiful, the sound is superb and the game play is captivating.
With the new 3D interface and the focus on sound design by the producers, this the third game in the Myst sequel tops them all.
A tad easier than Riven, much more expansive than Myst, the game is a must-have and many hours of enjoyment.
Picking Brad Dourif to have another go at his familiar nutcase role was a good idea, and as his is the character you see most of, this has payed off excellently.
If you don't have a computer with a good enough spec to run it, go and buy a new one..
The original Myst created a genre all its own.
It's sequel Riven took things to a new level by creating an incredible interconnected set of islands with puzzles weaved through them all.
Exile takes the best of both those worlds and mends incredible puzzles with an engaging environment.This was always one of my favorite installments in the Myst franchise because it really simplified things after the often-agonizing Riven.
Instead, you just solve one puzzle in one basic location and move on to the next one.The storyline still moves on in this one too, as it focuses on Saavedro, a man looking for revenge on Atrus based on the earlier actions of Sirius & Achenar (Atrus' sons).Finally, one new addition to the interface is the ability to look 360 degrees around you.
No more clicking like a madman trying to find the right angle to solve a puzzle, or missing a key detail because the angle isn't quite right.Overall, Exile is a great third chapter in the Myst saga.
It takes the foundation of the original, mixes it with the landscapes of Riven, and creates the best overall game in the franchise to that date..
On your internal hard drive, within the Applications folder, created a new folder, "Exile" 2.
4. If you play Exile as-is, the sound will be choppy.
The one you care about is "processor." When installed you can access it by going to the "apple," and clicking "system preferences" -- it shows up as a green-edged square at the end of the "hardware" items.
You should now be able to play the game fine.
When you're done, and exit the game, if you want to run on two processors again, just click on the gray square icon and choose 2 processors.
5. You may have been tempted to try to get another Myst game (Myst II Riven) to run by doing for it the kind of process I just described for Exile (copying files from the Riven DVD to a new Riven folder on your hard drive).
If you did this, Riven still won't work, and on top of that, it will screw up the sound and other elements of Exile.
Drag your new Riven folder to the trash and your Exile experience should work fine.
6. While you are playing Exile, you may find that suddenly the screen blacks out, as if you had triggered a screensaver "hot corner." Guess what -- you did.
Sometimes as you are moving the game's "hand" cursor, this invisible (to you) "real" cursor hits a corner of the screen.
If you have enabled one or more "hot corners" for your screensaver, this will trigger your screensaver to come on -- blacking out your game screen.
You will need to save the game, exit, and change your screensaver preferences to disable all "hot corners." 7.
If you save game, exit, and decide to do other things with your computer, and go to the gray icon box to turn-on both processors, you are surprised to see that both are already active!
That is the first time you realize that the sound problems you started experiencing during game play probably were because of inadvertently re-activating the second processor.
I don't know why the 2 in the circle didn't pop up when the second processor was activated; perhaps the program for the icon is written in such a way that because the game screen was covering the icon, the 2 in the circle would not be triggered to appear.
8. You need the DVD in the drive to play the game, and it gets hot.
This is a great game for its immersive 3D full-pan environment, sound, music, and the acting of Brad Dourif as Saavedro..
This is a very good game.The graphics are stunning, almost too realistic.
The water reflects and ripples, and yet, it dosen't take too many resources to run the game.The sound effects are very well done too.
The beings of the ages have real sounds too(you can hear the bird being captured in the tree age), the only slightly bad thing is the warping sound when you use a Linking Book.The only problem is that it is short, and at times a bit hard, but it is still worth the money..
Completed Myst 3 a while ago now, a very good game, thought Brad Dourif, who played Saavedro, was an excellent choice for the part.
Have seen a trailer and also read on www.imdb.com about the upcoming 'The Lord of the Rings - The Two Towers' movie and discovered that Brad Dourif is to portray Grima Wormtongue - another excellent role!.
The puzzles are easier than Riven's, but thats not saying they're easy.
All I can say is, at least you know where you're going in this game.
By far the best Myst game, Myst III: Exile tells the story of a man separated from his Age (Brad Dourif in an amazing acting performance) and how Atrus's (Rand Miller, one of the creators of Myst) sons Sirrus and Achenar corrupted the people of Narayan and twisted the lessons they were to learn in each of the Ages their father designed.The graphics are superb, the story is told in an interesting way, the sounds and music are incredible and each Age is so different and unique from one another (in puzzles and atmosphere) that you really feel like you're there.Some odd puzzles of trial-and-error mar what would otherwise be the perfect adventure game..
Absolutely Breathtaking.
Exile delivers to be an excellent game for any fan.
Although it was made by a different company than the original MYST and Riven, it still stays true to the complex MYST storyline.
My only problems with it is that the specs for the game are a little high and a bit of the acting could've been better.
Brad Dourif played an excellent mad man, but Rand Miller's acting skills seem to have gone down since the original MYST, and the new Catherine actress just didn't seem to fit the role just right.
But it's still a challenging puzzle game with outstanding effects.
I am a fan of the first two games, having beaten both Myst and Riven.
But I was wary of a third Myst when I learned that a new company had taken over.
What I saw was a game slightly easier than Riven, yet more difficult than Myst.
I found myself so in love with Brad Dourif's performance, that my agenda no longer became helping Atrus, but seeking Saavedro.
The third in the MYST series of puzzle exploring games brings a more user friendly interface and some wonderfully rendered worlds.A new graphics engine lets you pan in all directions with a move of your mouse.
(Sphere wrapped images with you in the centre to be exact.) You still just fade between locations with the usual point and click to move interface but there are many pre-rendered animation sequences to keep you awe-struck.The puzzles are not the hardest of tasks but they keep you interested without resorting to too much back-and-forth running and no dexterity is required.
About 50 puzzles to work out, spread over 5 worlds which each have a unique style.A great addition to puzzle games but over too soon for serious puzzle fanatics..
My last review of this game were, as many of my comments, not suitable in giving enough detail.
So I'm at it again.Let me just say this game is beautiful.
Absolutely marvelous.
The sky is a deep, dark blue as you make your way through the foliage...Such is Myst III:  Exile.
Saavedro was obviously trapped by Sirrus and Achenar, the two boys whom Atrus parted with in Myst.
He is out for revenge on Atrus, but accidentally takes the revenge out on you, the player.The puzzles are not too difficult.
They are much easier to master than Riven, which makes the game so much more fun.
It's a lot more fluid, but gives you enough space to explore everything while solving the puzzles.
Unlike Riven, these puzzles are nice, politely asking you to solve them.
I love this game; can't you tell?Besides all that, it really is a short game, having only five different worlds to explore (Tomahna doesn't count).
The puzzles and storyline will take up a lot of time, which makes it, in essence, an actual movie.
And a lot more entertaining.I enjoyed this game thoroughly thanks to its excellent design, graphics, score, and gameplay.
While once again logic and deduction rule the day through out most of the game, the story plot thickens.
Can't wait for Myst "4" to hit the shelves.You must solve three ages (levels) to reach the end.One level requires the ability to sequence events.
Without giving anything away, be prepared for a major logic let down which is highly unusual for this game series.
As a result, the choices that follow at that juncture are made by simply guessing instead of being linked to any previous game function or logical interaction.
Sorry to be so vague, but I do not like to spoil things for those who like to find out for themselves, great game otherwise..
At first, I was going to give this game a 6, but since the graphics are so astounding and the gameplay is so easy, my rating for it jumped to 7.
I have to say that this game is much better than its predecessors, Myst and Riven.
Myst was impossible, and Riven was so much worse.
The music in this game is excellent.
Myst III: Exile was only a little better than I expected, thanks to graphics, music, and gameplay.
The Review: Myst III: EXilE.
One of my all time favorite games in the world has to be Myst III.
Now, I really don't like movies and stuff that make up goofy names to fit with the World, but in this game it seems understandable.This is one of the hardest, most beautiful, and intelligent game ever.
You have to figure puzzles that have answers in different worlds.