DS Daily: Would you publish Myst?
by JC Fletcher 
{ May 9th 2008 at 9:00AM }
Imagine you're in charge of a video game publisher. You've been given the opportunity to publish a DS version of Myst. Myst is one of the most popular games of all time, and the DS is one of the most popular systems of all time. Do you decide to pick up the project, or do you pass? Are your reasons financial or artistic? Do you think Myst is a timeless classic, bound to sell on the most adventure-friendly system in ages, or is it an archaic slideshow? Does that matter business-wise?
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
jsutcliffe @ May 9th 2008 10:12AM
I think Myst is responsible for the masses of shovelware adventure games on the PC, and by extension responsible for the death of good point & click adventures.*
* A genre, perhaps, perfectly suited to the DS's touch screen. Lucasarts ports, anyone?
Peter S @ May 9th 2008 11:01AM
So is ScummVM available as homebrew on the DS? That's a question worth exploring. There are some great games available for that emulator. Shame that we couldn't get some of the King's Quest, Space Quest, or even Quest for Glory or Gabriel Knight for the DS - those were also some pretty good games.
I really miss good stories and point and click adventures. I don't miss some of the copy protection schemes, though. Infocom was somewhat entertaining. However, looking up words in a manual got old quickly. :)
Peter S @ May 9th 2008 11:05AM
Should have checked first:
http://scummvm.drunkencoders.com/
:)
jsutcliffe @ May 9th 2008 12:40PM
Greeeat. Now I have to find a R4 more than ever.
feebo @ May 9th 2008 10:46AM
I totally agree - Myst is an awful game in direct comparison to the old Lucasarts and Sierra adventure titles. You wandered around pre-rendered screens that had little quicktime video components. Compare the Myst experience even to Ace Attorney or Hotel Dusk and you'll see that Myst is an anemic excuse for a game. Ooh, gears and a book with a quicktime video in it. Hooray.
Peter S @ May 9th 2008 10:58AM
I would have to say that I'd pass on making Myst for the DS. I already commented in my other post on the reasons, but it's basically because Myst is 10 years old and is dated. The story wasn't too bad for the time and the puzzles took some thought, but it's showing its age. Yes, the originals were pretty limited with the static screens and quicktime videos - good for the time, but not today. I'm assuming that's been updated somewhat for the DS.
I have to admit that I thought re-doing Myst as Myst 3D was kind of pointless. However, I'm also more of a fan of games with more character interaction (like the games from LucasArts and Sierra to name a few). That was limited in Myst. I like the way it seems to have been re-done, though. Enough to buy it? Maybe if it were the first time I'd ever had an opportunity to play it, I would.
From a finance standpoint, I'd be concerned about offering enough "new" in Myst DS that people would want to buy it. It's been available for Mac and Windows for some time now and can be found extremely cheaply for those platforms. Almost everyone has some form of PC and can get the game cheaper there than buying for the DS. You don't have portability, but that may not matter.
To sum up, if we could really re-work parts of Myst to make it a little more up to date, I'd consider it. If we were just going to push out pretty much the same game, I'd have to pass. It was good for the time (the graphics and video are part of what got it so much attention). For today, that same gameplay is just not that great.
Tyrran @ May 9th 2008 11:31AM
I definitely understand the historic importance of Myst, both in generating a new level of gaming as well as attracting a different clientele, but it really doesn't belong on the DS. I agree with Peter, if there was some updated idea behind it -- specialized puzzles or even a revamp of the interface -- I would be for it. Sadly, there's a bit that's been lost over the years due to the overwhelming advances in graphics and generla artwork. Myst isn't the stunner it used to be, and the handheld crowd knows it. I love this game, but it really shouldn't be on the DS, no matter how cool the notion might be.
ecco6t9 @ May 9th 2008 10:13PM
I would of published it after sending it back to be touched up before release.
Andrew D. @ May 9th 2008 2:25PM
I must agree with those above me. I recall reading computer game magazines as a young lad ("Computer Game Review" [R.I.P.] and "PC Gamer") and they would always complain about how Myst has gotten so much attention while quality games were overlooked.
I couldn't agree more. The game is incredibly lonely and prettied up version of incredibly dull puzzles. It sold so much because people were impressed with the graphics at the time. However we can see that ultimately it was a silly fad considering the fact that there is no Myst "franchise" that currently exists, unlike the profitable franchises based on games that were innately fun.
e house @ May 9th 2008 3:10PM
@Andrew . . . "a silly fad"?? I'd just like to be the first to say that you're wrong. Not just in my opinion, but factually inaccurate. Ever heard of RIVEN? Considered by many (Xplay-ranked) as the GREATEST point and click game . . . ever. Followed by the admittedly weaker "Exile", "Revelation" and finally "End of Ages". Myst a Fad?? Hardly. More like the first game of a successful FRANCHISE.
I LOVE(d) MYST. I played it in a single session with a buddy . . . over 16 hours and a case and 1/2 of budweiser. It stands as the most memorable gaming experience of my life.
I'm weary of the DS port, but i'm going to get it just because it holds such a special place in my heart.
So as a game publisher, yeah . . . I'd do it in a heartbeat. Artistically and Financially driven. It seems like an easy port . . . and it's going to get a lot of people shelling out money to try and re-capture that feeling of when they first "woke up" on the walkway leading to they library on the island.
Andrew D. @ May 9th 2008 4:47PM
E House:
I'm going to have to go ahead and stand by what I've said. Indeed, I have heard of Riven, but I felt that it was equally weak (as did most reviewers of the time) and it always seemed to me (this is only IMO, so let's not start a flame war) that it was mostly marketed to people who didn't play computer games who didn't really know what other great stuff was out at the time, such as the wonderful LucasArts adventure games, etc.
Whereas you do have people clamoring for more Sam and Max (and publishers have responded, obviously) Myst is recognized as being mostly notable for it's gorgeous still frames, which do little for the modern game player.
...but I don't have any sort of nostalgia for it, so I imagine my opinion may be different if I did.
bones3d @ May 9th 2008 5:49PM
Myst might appeal to older gamers who were once fascinated by the original version in all its hacked-up HyperCard glory. However, unless this version of Myst is the newer fully 3D re-make of the game, publishers would likely be better off making a DS version of Zack & Wiki. (Which I'd snatch up in a heartbeat.)
flatluigi @ May 10th 2008 1:41PM
Though I love the games and I still think they're playable today, I wouldn't publish it. Half the fun of the entire series was the immersion, which is nonexistent on a handheld.