As
console reviews began to pour in for Myst III: Exile, I was somewhat
taken aback by the response by my fellow reviewers. I began to wonder,
"Are they playing the same game I am?" This port from one of the most
popular PC franchises in history had me excited from the moment I first
saw it at E3. I have friends and family who have been addicted since the
beginning, and I was looking forward to such a great game opening up a
whole new fanbase. While I will grant that this title has some issues in
its progression to console, it really is a phenomenal game. After much
thought, it seems to me that what many reviewers find problematic with
this game are issues which are more closely related to the deep
psychological differences and expectations of PC gamers versus console
gamers than actual problems with the game. This statement may seem a
little abstract, and I grant that it is, but if youll bear with me, you
may find yourself more willing to pick up a title that will give you a
great gaming experience.
First
and foremost, this franchise has always been about solid and immersive
storytelling, and Exile is no exception. The character of Atrus has
created many worlds, or "ages," by writing them into existence in his
many books. In this latest installment, he is attempting to build a new
world for the Dni people whose existence was nearly wiped out through
the actions of Atruss sons. He is riddled with guilt and is attempting
to make amends while creating a new life for not only the Dni, but his
wife Catherine and his new daughter. The game begins in Atruss home
where you are readying to take a journey with Atrus and are being shown
his latest book. Before you can begin your journey, however, a man named
Saavedro (played by Academy Award nominee Brad Dourif of One Flew Over
the Cuckoos Nest) bursts in, steals the book, and escapes into another
age. You will follow him, and with the help of the journals you find
along the way, you will discover the actions of Atruss sons which have
driven Saavedro to seek retribution. There are six worlds that you will
move through in your chase (along with a "hub"), and each is a unique
environment with its own mystery to uncover. To those simpletons who
might refer to this as simply a "revenge tale," I say it is far from it.
The characters are ones that you come to love and who reflect the
complexities of human life, and the stories from this franchise are
generated from, and have produced, full length novels that have a solid
fanbase.
The
gameplay basically consists of solving puzzles that are seamlessly
integrated within the story and all of them further your adventure into
each world. The puzzles in this game seem to be a little easier than
Riven while still remaining challenging. In a positive step by UbiSoft,
the Prima Official Strategy Guide is included with the instruction
manual, and it is set up in a way that it doesnt tell you exactly how
to solve each puzzle, but gives you enough information that youre not
flailing blindly. This is especially helpful to cut down on frustration
from console gamers who may not be used to the type of gaming
experience, but still lets us keep the "I made it through without
cheating" feeling.
The
graphics on this game are, in a nutshell, stunning. The occasional live
action video punctuates the realistically rendered indoor and outdoor
environments of each age. These elaborate and unique worlds are rendered
in crystal-clear detail and the colors and textures are great. The 360
degree "free-look" feature allows maximum ogling of each environment,
and the only downside is an infrequent framerate issue. This is not
surprising to me because of the "downsizing" required to bring the game
from computer specs to PS2 (never thought 32 would become a problem,
but
). The beautiful graphics make each world a stunning experience and
the odd quirks and unique elements that create the environments support
and enhance the magical storyline.
The
music also lends a sense of mystery and adventure to the game which is
hitherto unparalleled. The soundtrack is created by Philharmonic
composer Jack Wall, and I give him full credit for generating an
ambiance that is critical in making this game such a pleasure to play.
It echoes the feelings that are stirred in a player when something
beautiful and new is discovered or causes our pulse to quicken when
danger and evil abound. I also give props to the other sound engineers,
as not only do they blend realistic sound effects that are familiar to
us from our world, but they create new sounds for the fantastic
creatures and elements which inhabit each age. All of this auditory
magic was streamlined for PS2, but as far as I can tell, nothing was
lost in the port from PC.
At
this stage, you may be asking yourself why such a phenomenal game is
taking a pounding by console reviewers. The two elements that I believe
have caused a certain negative response both have to do with the way in
which console and PC gameplay differs. Both are somewhat
interrelatedthe first being the "disembodied" feeling of the player and
the second having to do with the way one moves within the gaming
environment.
The
first issue comes from how I believe we console gamers have come to
perceive ourselves or our character within a game. No matter what the
game is, we often have some sort of hint of self. In a FPS, we still
have a weapon that gives us a sense of body. In a racing game, we
usually have the choice of seeing ourselves within the car environment,
which many people find more "realistic" because it is the way we
actually drive (I can see the interior of my car and am used to having
this when I am driving, as opposed to feeling as if I am floating over
the track with no other frame of reference). Even RPGs, which may be the
closest comparison, have some visual cue for self and character. A
clicking hand that moves us through the game is not really what
consolers are used to. Some have attributed the clicking hand to a cheat
or shortcut, alleging that you dont have to use your mind to figure out
what you can do in an environment, all you have to do is click around
until something happens. While I grant that this may circumvent some
initiative, it is really no different than those games that we know and
love in the console world where you get a buzzer sound when you try to
do an action that is not allowed, or a distinctive "No" in an English
accent, or even those environments that let us know what is allowed by
visual clues (I know that the blocks I can move all have little cracks
in them as opposed to the smooth ones, or I see that there is an obvious
lever I can pull which would realistically never be located in this type
of environment). If we abandon this argument in the face of console
games which are a joy to play none-the-less, then we must logically
allow Myst III a little leeway as well.
The
second argument against this title, and the one and only reason I have
given this game a four star rating as opposed to a five, is the way in
which movement is handled in the game. How it functions is that you
place your "hand" where you want to move, the graphics around you darken
and fuzz out, and then you find yourself at a new, predetermined point
where you must then re-orient yourself using your 360 pan. What I find
problematic about this is the pace it sets for the game. This is much
slower than many of us console adrenaline junkies are used to moving
within an environment. Granted, once you have been through the world,
you can use the "lightning feature" which moves much more quickly, but
it is still REALLY SLOW for the major amount of your gaming time.
Instead of having a fully functioning environment that has "location" at
every visual point, you have predetermined "nodes" where you land and
are then able to look. However, the game still makes you take specific
"paths" to a node and you arent able to skip to a node you visually see
in the environment.
In
case you are now confused, let me give you an example. I am outdoors and
on a hill. There is a path down the hill that leads over to another
hilltop where an item is located. I have to go down the path before I
can get to the item, rather than being able to click on the other hill
and be transported immediately. There isnt really anything for me to
discover along the path, but I must go there because it is an attempt to
add "realism" to my movement. This makes me insane! Not only does the
feature not add to the realism, it again, slows my adventuring to a
crawl. If things are based on this nodal system, why cant I jump to any
node I see? If we want realism, then we need to make movement through
the environment fast and fluid without the "jumps" (akin to a Tomb
Raider type environment/movement) or we need to jettison the whole idea
of realism and allow speed of movement to take precedence over realism.
Whatever
course of action is chosen, streamlining and increasing speed of
movement is, I believe, critical in winning over an audience of console
gamers. Even those of us who are not adrenaline seekers do not have the
patience of PC gamers when it comes to these sorts of accepted tenets in
computer movement. We are accustomed to something else. Our psychology
and gaming preferences lead us to choose the type of movement that is
more readily found in the console world. While I grant that this game is
not supposed to have the frenetic movement that other genres of games
have, it still needs to speed things up for maximum efficacy. The
designers realized that speed was an issue in creating relatively short
load times (a real bonus), but havent yet realized how crucial this is
in overall gameplay. Perhaps we consolers have shorter attention spansI
prefer to think of us as people who would rather get to the great places
these worlds have in store than to waste time slogging through
programming quicksand. In this case, getting there is not half the fun.
With that said, Myst III: Exile really is a beautiful game that you
wont be sorry you picked up. You need to be a certain kind of person to
truly appreciate this title, thoughyou must have patience with the
movement speed and you must love a complex storyline and deeply
immersive environments and gameplay. These elements are enough to create
millions of addicted players (as the number of computer players who love
this game has already shown), and consolers are not immune to its sway.
This series is one which you love for life, so if you can put up with
the little ticks that are bound to annoy console gamers, you will find a
wonderful new world worth living in for as long as they create new
games.