Games like Myst? Point 'n' click, puzzles etc

[the klaxon]

I've just hauled my ass over the finish line of Resi 5, although I enjoyed it for the most part, the distinct lack of puzzles bothered me. I like a puzzle, a bit of thinking is good but now I want something to get my teeth into, but not in a Tetris type way though, I want a game that has a story of sorts and requires you be observant aswell as think stuff through.

PS2, PS3, Gamecube, Dreamcast titles are my thang at the moment.

Cheers.

[EvilBoris]

There are tons and tons on the PC, the more serious types of adventure games are quite popular in certain parts of the world and lots make it over here.

If you fancy some Cartoony Point and Click games you've got
Sam and Max
Ceville
Vampyre Story

or if you are feeling like something a little more serious you could try Still Life, In Memoriam , the Syberia games, The Longest Journey, Dreamfall.

[Daragon]

Pretty sure all 3 discworld games are available on the DC (although highly rare) if you're a fan.

[Persocom]

not on the dreamcast daragon PS1 and pc, yes.

[noobish hat]

Is Myst worth playing? I saw it on PSP and DS and thought about getting it. I know it's critically acclaimed or whatever, but it seems like a very 'PC' game, and I've never enjoyed that sort of thing (although I do like some point and clicks, like Broken Sword).

[Dogg Thang]

It is very much a PC game and many hate it. Both PSP and DS versions are cack and best avoided. You should be able to find it for close to nothing for the PC.

[fallenangle]

Myst is the ultimate Marmite experience. If you don't mind a pre-historic pace, almost entirely down to crude the way you navigate through the game and the toughness of the puzzles. The latter are sometimes utterly obscure can be very fulfilling when, and if, you get them. No idea what the graphics are like on the PSP but on the PS they were very basic but not without a certain simple charm.

Actually I'm not a fan of the original but that may be because I started with Riven, a far better game in every respect. Looks wonderful even on the PS and has a superb atmosphere throughout. I'd ended up loving the whole Myst thing but it certainly isn't unconditional.

The fact is the actual puzzle content isn't that huge. In a completely different genre of course, the old Tomb Raiders had more puzzles in one level than the whole of Myst. Dino Crisis is another puzzle rich game too. If Myst had a proper movement system and a continuous environment the Myst worlds would seem tiny and linear compared to any other FP game.

Pointy-clicky type games with far more content, better storylines and gameplay are available as already mentioned (big fan of Syberia I/II, Dreamfall, Still-LIfe). Broken Sword I'm not keen on at all but they're superly produced games of that there's no doubt.

[gaanbo]

I first played Myst on the PSP and enjoyed it immensely.

I agree though the game is not for everyone. The notoriously difficult puzzles and the almost non-existent 'signposting' will put people off this game. If you are willing to persevere though the sense of achievement you feel from solving each puzzle is unrivalled imo. I definetely recommend keeping a notepad aside as you will often be making notes for some of the puzzles! It's a very involving game.

I would probably recommend the DS version though as the PSP format is clearly unsuited for a game like this, the controls on the PSP version are iffy tbh.

[rmoxon]

I would probably recommend the DS version though as the PSP format is clearly unsuited for a game like this, the controls on the PSP version are iffy tbh.

No, You wouldnt recommend the DS version if youd played it, they really made a mess of it, the PSP version plays alot better really.

[BaudAttitude]

No, You wouldnt recommend the DS version if youd played it, they really made a mess of it, the PSP version plays alot better really.

Second this; I haven't played any of the Mysts but my wife is a fan; she bought and played through the game on the DS (apparently it has some new content that justified putting it next to her PC and Saturn versions? I don't know the series) and says that if she hadn't seen the screens at full resolutions she'd have had no idea what to do on some of them.

[JamesS]

The PSP and DS version have an extra age after you finish the game, but it's not really a major loss if you don't play it as it's only a few minutes long. It doesn't look great, either, as it comes from realMyst (a fully 3D Myst remake from a few years back) and is just screen grabs from that game.

I reckon Myst III is probably the most approachable game in the series. It's nicely broken up into self-contained worlds and the puzzles are fairly clearly defined. I think there's a PS2 port, but I've no idea if it's any good. The Xbox 1 version was decent enough.

[Dogg Thang]

The lack of quality on the Rime Age screen grabs just baffled me. I would have got far better results myself by loading up the game and hitting print screen. No idea why they would look so poor on the PSP version. They should have been touched up and the snow actually animated. Would have been so easy. It was just a really lazy version.

I gave impressions on it in a first play thread and they weren't positive.

[MikeRox]

I know you didn't list the Wii, but it does have a few point and clickers that have sneaked out.

Zack and Wiki is essentially a (fantastic) point and click adventure.
Sam and Max: Season 1
Also Broken Sword has just been remade for the Wii and DS.

I know exactly what you mean about the lack of puzzles in Resi 5, IMO it also plagued Resi 4 as it's the new action oriented approach the series has taken.

[fallenangle]

The best console Myst IMHO is actually the last one that came out on the old XBox: Revelation. US NTSC only although it turned out to be region free.

The best looking Myst game and, arguably, one of the best looking games on the XBox (at least the Myst environments themselves) particularly in 480p. I think I'm one of only a few people in the UK to have played it on that platform.