When "URU" was first released, I (as a huge Myst fan) completely bought in. I pre-ordered the game, updated the family's computer video card (this game took some serious juice for its day), and was all set. Then I anxiously set off on the newest Myst **** was severely disappointed within minutes. Easily the biggest disappointment from this game is the fact that it isn't a traditional Myst-canon story. Basically, it is your character exploring the ruins of the D'ni civilization. There really is no "story" to speak of whatsoever...only you exploring different worlds and collecting cloth squares. Also, the graphics are completely 3D-rendered in this one, not the traditional interactive still shots of the previous games. To me, this made the D'ni worlds look somewhat cheap and less-than-epic coming off the incredible beauty of the worlds we had seen to that point. Things just looked a bit cartoon-y and very un-Myst like. I realize that URU was supposed to be a great online experiment that failed miserably, thus rendering this game the "Chris Gaines" of the franchise (Garth Brooks fans will understand this reference quite clearly). I'll give it two stars because it isn't utterly terrible (exploring the first D'ni cleft even has its moments), but if you are expecting the great Myst images and storylines of the series up until that point, you will likely be as severely disappointed as I was. URU can easily be skipped in the Myst pantheon, with players moving right along to "Revelation".

I wanted to like this game but I couldn't bear the game breaking bugs. Nevertheless, the game has great atmosphere and graphics beyond its age. I'm really sorry for not finishing this game.

A decade ahead of its time. If this were to be released today as an indie title, as an online game (and you can play it online for free at ****), then it would be lavished with praise by all the critics. The reason for that is that we've had a decade to experiment and evolve game mechanics, we understand better what a co-op online experience is now, and we're more open to experiences, we're ready now for games that don't want to force us to be sociopathic murderers all the time. I was always ready for this, and it was fun watching the world slowly catch up. The experience it presents is beloved by all of the people I've introduced it to, including this year 2013. It continues to stand up as a technological marvel, something that people just couldn't wrap their minds around back then as it was one new concept after another. From the multiplayer puzzle ages, to the multiplayer exploration, the KI interface, and everything else. Even the esoteric and eccentric story, which people would also be more open to now than back then. Back then, it was all about the shooters, the platformers, the set genres. Easy to understand stuff. It was the beginning of the commercialisation of gaming. If it had been released ten years prior, in the era of the home computer, when everything was indie and experimental, it probably would have done okay then, too. This is how it is, it's a cycle, and people have to be in the proper part of that cycle to appreciate something like this. This is the kind of game you can form a deep bond with. I return to this game every year in order to visit an old friend, an alien creature named Shroomie. It feels really weird to have such an attachment to a 3D model, but this is what the Myst Universe does to you, and Uru more than any other. This is life-changing and life-affirming if you let it be. It feels good, and it feels even better if you have a friend you can bring along with you for the journey. And it's always about the journey, isn't it? This is about the journey through a bizarre, alien series of worlds. Journeys present obstacles, challenges, and puzzles. That's all part of the journey. And if you're excited by any of this, then this is a game you'll love. This isn't for the shooty-shooty people, this is for the intellectual romantics, this is for the old souls. If you give this game a chance, you could end up like me revisiting it every year just to remember the ghosts of the past. And Cyan still breathes they're starting a Kickstarter for something, soon, so that might be interesting. At some point in the future, reading this, you might know what all that's about, but right now, I don't. I only know that the journey through Uru might be worth your time, if you're ready for it.