In a Cavern Today interview, Ryan Miller told us that Riven demonstrated what Cyan could do given a generous budget and plenty of time.

Although Uru was developed over a period of several years, the later phase of that development, which included implementing all they'd built in the earlier years and making it all playable; and attempting to make the online version work; was apparently done when most of the money had been spent, and the schedule was getting tight.

I'd love to see what Uru would have been like if that project had been blessed with the kind of budget and schedule enjoyed by Riven.

Mowog

Since I didn't play Riven the clear answer is Revelation

And what are you waiting for to play Riven? To me is the best Myst game ever!

play Riven I beat it, and well it was amazing. although i am evry upset that that concludes my myst adventure, althoguh i feel like it hasn't ended in a way...

It is impossible for me to select a single greatest Myst game. There are pros and cons for all and i have enjoyed all of them. If i was forced at gunpoint to choose then i would say that i got the most enjoyment and the most satisfaction from Riven and Revelation. Riven for gameplay and Revelation for its incredible sound and graphics. Story-wise Revelation was great too. Encountering Cirrus and Achenaar again had a lot of nostalgia and was very well handled. I thought that Spire was a tad confusing though.Maybe i'm just slow! Serenia was very much an experiment i felt with so much personal interaction with the characters which was a first for Myst, which of course usually relies upon deserted locations to give that magical Myst atmosphere. It was handled well though but i wouldn't like to see it become the norm. I also do not consider Uru to be a Myst game for many reasons. In fact, i hated Uru but i won't get into that!chinaboatman@hotmail.com

I think Myst was best because it was what got me interested enough to buy all the rest. You didn't know what to expect. The music, sound effects and all that. It was just amazing. My next fav was Revelation.

"I suspect that the whale you see at the start of Riven is an example of this, and interestingly enough, this is one of the images of Riven that has stayed with me the strongest."

This would be the Whark in Gehn's viewing area on Map Island? Or the rock "Whark" on the Sunners' beach? Neither of these is at the "start" of Riven, yes? Or have I been missing something all these years?

I've been a huge fan of the Myst series since a year or so before Riven first hit. And I know it's the top dog already, but I really think there's no denying Riven was the best game by far. The visuals were fantastic, and I got involved in the story and characters like no other game. I think it's still the most compelling and fascinating story of the Myst canon. The original Myst is my second favorite.

Myst V was a disappointment. Generally you can tell how much time and effort went into a game when you play it. Riven was made with plenty of time and a good budget. End of Ages was thrown together, and it shows. There's very little originality, the gameplay is short, the ages are short and easy, the plot makes no sense, and there's really no sense of drama or intrigue in the game.

Seems to me that Cyan needs to go back and make another grand epic of a game. Myst-related or not, they've mastered visual art and realism in the adventure game. Now it's time to put their talent and tech to practical use and tell us a good story. With time, support, and a budget, we might just get another Riven.

If you have the money to back them they could do it, just like the work they are doing now, that is putting Uru Live back on line with the help of Turner Corp.

Yes, Myst V was somewhat easier than some of the earlier titles. But Rand has explained that this was deliberate, and that the general feeling was that the trend had shifted toward the puzzles, to the detriment of the story. And in several interviews, the Cyan staff have stressed that the story is at the heart of everything they do. My own experience was that Riven was pretty difficult, but the puzzles were so well integrated into the game, and so characteristic of Gehn, that the difficulty really enhanced the story. On the other hand, Revelation was just too difficult. I found it frustrating for two reasons... one, the obscurity of the puzzles kept me from advancing the story. Two, it was just so beautiful, and hitting the wall with certain puzzles was locking me out of seeing new wonders. As much as I wanted to finish Revelation -- and I really DID want to finish! -- I finally just quit and eventually uninstalled it. It's the only Myst game I've never completed. And for what it's worth, I've talked to Rand and several other Cyantists and found that they didn't finish it either. The best Myst titles are artful blends of puzzles, story, visuals, and sound. Over-emphasize any one of those qualities, and you diminish the product.

As for not considering Uru a fitting member of the Myst series, Remember that as soon as Cyan finished Riven, they immediately moved directly into Uru. Their dream all along was to create 3D worlds where teams of explorers could move about freely, but the technology just wasn't there. Up until Uru, they were forced to work with single-player prerendered worlds, looking forward to the day when they could do something like Uru. So really, I see Uru as the culmination of Cyan's development curve, and Myst and Riven as interim steps... as good as they were. Exile and Revelation were contracted out to keep the series alive and provide some development money for Uru, so if I had to pick any titles in the series that weren't true Myst games, I'd go for those two... even though I loved Exile. To appreciate the Myst saga is to appreciate the minds that created it, and to those minds, an Uru-type product was their target all along. So I have a real appreciation for Uru, imperfect as it is. I strongly suspect that the new Uru Live, once it gets on its feet and hits its stride, will be pretty amazing. I don't like to judge Uru by what we've seen so far. There was so much more to the dream, and it was cut short. Cyan never conceived of a single-player Uru, expansion packs, and Myst V. They were forced into that by their publisher. They've now got a true ally in GameTap, and I'm positive that the best is yet to come.

Mowog

Just finished Myst V last night. Here's my review of the games (sans Uru) in order.

- Myst II - Not only was Riven the best Myst game, but I don't think there will ever be another adventure game that will ever come close. Riven was just excellent!

- Myst IV - Having to deal with the brothers again was just great for the story, and traveling around their "prisons" was an excellent idea. I always wondered where they had gone after Atrus banished them, and now I not only know, but have explored all the nooks and crannies of those ages. Also, the way the game was laid out was great as well. The whole mid-section with the Peter Gabriel song was beautiful to watch. And the ending was satisfying enough (though I expected Atrus to cry for his departed sons).

- Myst - The original. Now, I know people will get angry that I am saying this, but the only reason it my #3 favorite is because it started it all. I remember how immersive it was when it was new. They feeling of exploring Myst island set the standard. The atmosphere was great and reading the stories in the books were fascinating and really gave a sense of what the game was about. But (here it comes) as a playable puzzle game it had it's flaws. As it compares with the rest of the series as far as a adventure/puzzle game, it probably falls behind the others. Also, the "cheat" of the brothers being able to see you and talk to you is a little hard to swallow. Don't get me wrong, I love Myst, but I wont blindly say it's the greatest of the series without it's due criticism.

- Myst III - I really liked exile and don't really know why so many don't like it. Sure, it was a lot easier than Riven, but I thought it was well done. Plus we got to see just how evil the brothers had been, and why it would cause this strange man to want to get his revenge on Atrus. Plus, how cool was it to actually roll around in the ice ball?

- Myst V - The reason I just finished it last night was that I had originally started playing it in January, got stuck at a certain spot, stopped, formatted my computer, and never reinstalled. Well, I was bored the other night and reinstalled, started from the beginning, and finished it pretty quickly (even getting past the point I was stuck at previous with ease). Well, as most of you have written it was a huge disappointment. It was fun enough as a adventure game but had little of the Myst feeling we all love. No love-action actors (a staple of these games from the start) detracted as well. Slates, creatures, bah! We all know this was patched together from the Uru leftovers, but I was hoping the story wouldn't make that so obvious. The ending was disappointing as well, and didn't really explain much. Also, the "good" ending didn't even bring you back to Myst island!

Anyway, I love this series and am sad to see if finished, especially on such a bad note. Oh well. Maybe one day I'll finally read the books to get my Myst fill.