Myst

(Broderbund Software, 1993)

Probably still the best selling PC game of all time, yet also the most controversial. It didn't even make it on Techtite.com's List of Top 50 Multimedia Classics. Why? Because in essence it isn't truly a game per se; it's more of an "experience"; a slide show of exceptional CGI artwork. I'll admit that the artwork is spectacular, though puzzles and storyline were not, and you often had the feeling that you were wandering around for no real reason. The music was spectacular, though admittedly, not as memorable as the music in Gabriel Knight, Return to Zork, and The 7th Guest. You can, on occasion, push a button or two, and maybe even pick up one item...for a short while. Not too much of a game per se, yet in 1993, it was admittedly fun to explore this CGI realm for all of its amusing artwork and visuals. This is no surprise if you know the game's true background; the prior work of the game designers was making children's games on the Macintosh for their kids. Those games --Manhole and Cosmic Osmo-- were unique and inspired children's games. Myst, was equally amusing to older teen gamers, yet not too thrilling for diehard gamers, who wished for something with a little more "kick" to it. The end result is a game whose infamy demands a Large Crater...though not a "Deep Impact" per se; just one game critic's memory of the experience. The ending (if you can call it one) only made things worse.

See Also: RealMyst, Riven (Myst 2)

	Rating : Large Crater.
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