Uru: Complete Chronicles

Uru is a decidedly odd game - an MMO released a year before it was truely ready with the entirety of the multiplayer ripped out. It is hard not to draw parallels between this - a hugely ambitious but ultimately failed project - and the backstory chronicled in the journals scattered throughout the game. As with all Myst games, the gameplay is reinforced by the immersion, and the Plasma 2 engine utilised in this game was frighteningly powerful for its time, creating stunning visuals in the process. For a romp into one of gaming's greatest could-have-beens, Uru is well worth the price.

Even purchasing this game on sale does not make up for the fact that it is free to play through other avenues (like mystonline). I can't find any information on differences between the two, but GOG should remove the game if it is free.

I have been playing through the Myst series for the first time this year, in release order. Myst, Riven, and Exile all had their problems, ways that they showed their age; but I still overall enjoyed them. Not this one, though. First, this calims to be playable on Mac, but this was not my experience. Yes, it technically ran, but 8 FPS is not what I consider acceptable. I at least had the option to switch to a different machine but we're already off to a bad start. Next, we get a sharp reminder of early 2000s control schemes. A bad reminder; satisfying and comfortable controls have been the standard for so long, I forgot this was not always true. Part of the problem is that Uru thinks it is a third-person game, defaulting to that and often switching back to show off their character animation. I found the first-person camera less awful and spent most of my time playing that way; but the first-person controls were bad even by the standards of 2003. The sound mixing is pretty bad, too. I eventually had to manually adjust the volume settings, putting non-dialogue down at 50%, in order to be able to hear key speeches over background. I'm not quite sure why I bothered, though, as I found the writing pretty awful. And finally, we have the puzzles. Now, it's pretty much a given for a game from this era that there will be nonsense puzzles. That's not what I'm complaining about; that's what guides and walkthroughs are for. No, I'm complaining about the pseudo-physics puzzles, like where you have to put physics objects on floor plates. Except, you can't pick things up; you have to walk into them and hope they bounce off in the right direction. This is just AWFUL. I'm running out of space, so let me finish with one complaint. I literally couldn't finish this game. There is a jump needed in one section, where every time I tried, I clipped through the floor. Retrying takes up to a minute to get back in place. Just unacceptable; look elsewhere.

Myst Online : Uru Live is back up on the Myst Online website. If you enjoyed this game, and you should of, head on over there and join the us in the Cavern. It gets so lonely sometimes...

My one gripe with computer games has been "they're never long enough". But! URU has had me playing for hours with so many worlds to visit and explore. You play at your own pace enjoy the atmospheric music, beautiful scenery and plenty of puzzles to stir the brain cells. Love the MYST games and this one tops my list of long plays.