Source: Tom's Guide US | Keywords: Myst, iPhone, iPod, Touch | Themes: Audio/Video Players
Useful apps aside, the iPhone is quickly becoming a major contender in the portable gaming market, especially with titles like Metal Gear Solid and Myst.
Useful apps aside, the iPhone is quickly becoming a major contender in the portable gaming market. With Sega, Konami, Majesco, and other gaming companies jumping on board, Sony's PlayStation Portable will eventually begin to feel the heat if a new version doesn't appear soon. The Nintendo DS and DSi, on the other hand, sitting upon its throne of cash and dominating the current hand-held market, has nothing to worry about... yet. However, if Myst for the iPhone and iPod Touch 2G is any kind of example, the gap between Apple's device(s) and Sony and Nintendo is quickly growing smaller.
Cyan Worlds recently released a revamped version of its classic point-n-click adventure game Myst on Saturday, bringing the complete game to Apple's devices for $5.99. For a game of this stature, the price isn't too shabby: Sega's Super Monkey Ball features the same pricetag, and Konami's Metal Gear Solid and Dance Dance Revolution S costs $7.99 and $6.99 respectively. However, the big concern here is not the size in price, but the size in download: 727 MB in fact. According to the company, consumers will need at least 1.5 GB of space just to install the game; the extra is returned to the user once the installation process completes. For owners of the 8 GB version(s), that's a large chunk of space.
But for fans of the Myst franchise, the size may very well be worth it. "Remember how the surrealistic island became your world?," the info page reads. "The note, the garden, the books, the pages, the brothers, the choices? Now Myst can become your world no matter where in the world you are."
Cyan Worlds said that the visuals and audio of Myst have been meticulously "re-assembled," sporting high-quality images (better than the original according to the features list), the original movies, animations, and all the music and sound effects from the original game. Naturally the mouse is no longer required; fans simply touch or swipe their way through the world, and can even auto-zoom in certain close-up areas. Additionally, Myst also provides quick access to a hint guide, a "bookmark" system to save and restore progress, and an auto-save feature when quitting or placing phone calls.
However, getting the game onto the device(s) may prove to be a challenge. "Myst for iPhone and iPod Touch is a very large application--more like a movie than a song or album," the company said. "Download times and syncing times can be longer--depending on your connection speed." It may be ideal to download the game via iTunes on the PC and then transfer the application to the iPhone and iPod Touch via a USB connection.
Although Myst is an all-time classic, 727 MB seems a bit much for an iPhone game download. Still, this may be a sign of things to come as developers and publishers bring older titles over to Apple's portable devices. Still, with the hefty download and storage requirements just to install the game, fans may switch over to another classic: id Software's revamped Wolfenstein 3D Classic, weighing in only at a mere 9.7 MB.
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in next ad of iphone apple will say
iphone is the best PGP ever produced
oh man, i am a long time myst fan. Yet one more reason that i want an iphone
If the PSP had its own version of the "app store" for media and games it would dominate the portable gaming market.
This is a big achievement for the iPhone though, its the 1st actual big budget (even it was so many years ago) game to be ported.
Sony should definitely learn from Apple. So many jailbroken iPhones and iPods, but you don't see a lack of software and games nor do the developers complain.
The PSP should have had so much more success. It's not about piracy, it's about marketing strategies and knowing what your customers want.
I'm not an Apple fan, but you must admire their marketing strategies.
Downloaded it and installed, I have the 16 gig iPhone. Must say, Myst is much funner now than when I was a wee lad.
Oh and btw: I know an old high school teacher of mine whose computer can barely run Myst. Is it sad that our schools are running hardware so old that Myst barely plays, but my iPhone handles it splendidly?
If they keep releasing games for it I will defiantly be purchasing one of these soon.
It runs myst perfectly on your iPhone because the game has been optimized for that system. The computer on the other hand has to switch to compatibility mode first, making the game somewhat unstable.
It runs myst perfectly on your iPhone because the game has been optimized for that system. The computer on the other hand has to switch to compatibility mode first, making the game somewhat unstable.
The problem was the computer is just so old it can run is smoothly. Not compatibility.
Myst? As in the game that was released 15 years ago? I would expect smart phones to be more powerful than computers were 15 years ago. Of course the amazing Myst visuals would look rather pedestrian these days.
Of course the amazing Myst visuals would look rather pedestrian these days.
Uh, it's not quite a correct statement. It uses pre-rendered video, so it's a flawed comparison. It only makes sense, really, if you're comparing 3D games to 3D games. Given the tiny size of the screen on the handhelds, the fact that it's pre-rendered won't be anywhere near so noticeable, so it should readily look at least as good as any live-rendered 3D games. As really, movies don't look "pedestrian" as time goes on.
LOL... Myst!
http://video.google.com/videoplay? [...] 4431149858
Though I am not a fan of iPhone or Myth, I like the idea of re-releasing classic games with updated graphic and stuff.
Myst was one of those games I always loved, but the point and click gets a bit cumbersome. The only 3D Myst (not pre-rendered) was a bit more fun but quickly abandonned for some reason. But, my biggest restraint from getting Myst on the iPhone is the fact that the store and the puzzles require full immersion and it's NOT for casual gamers. With job and family taking their toll, it's simply too hard to pick up Myst for a few minutes and enjoy.
My very first game ever - Man Hole! Cyan please bring this to the iPhone so I can fondly remember my childhood memories! I can't find this game ANYWHERE!!!
Point and click adventures ought to feel right at home on the iPhone, as well as strategy games like Sim City. The touch screen is a good replacement for the mouse.
I still prefer the PSP for more action-oriented games on the go, because of the dedicated controls. Puzzles and RPGs play very well on both platforms.
For those of us who care for graphics, though, the PSP with its dedicated 3d hardware is a real treat. Has anyone played GoW / Daxter / Joanna D'Arc (all exclusives)? They are simply beautiful.
If the PSP had its own version of the "app store" for media and games it would dominate the portable gaming market.This is a big achievement for the iPhone though, its the 1st actual big budget (even it was so many years ago) game to be ported.
It does.. just go to a hotspot, turn the Wi-Fi on and visit the Playstation store.
It might pale in comparison to the same offering from Apple.. but it does indeed exist. I've download Super Stardust Portable, Hot Shots Golf, Flow and a couple other games. They also have some PSP games that were originally released on UMD, for download.
Sony really needs to utilize and promote the service a bit better, however. Comparing it to XBox Live, which I am more familiar with than Apple's offering, it just doesn't hold a candle to it.
FYI for all you Myst fans. The is currently a project in the works to bring Myst - Book of Tiana to the big screen. They are in the process of working on a final draft of the script so it will be awhile before the movie hits theaters.
http://mystmovie.com/
in next ad of iphone apple will sayiphone is the best PGP ever produced
What does Pretty Good Privacy have to do with this?
I still don't see how the iPhone could be a decent gaming system. It doesn't have joysticks or even tactile buttons.
It doesn't look better than the original at all unless that's just a bad screenshot. It looks more like a crappier version of realMyst.
I like the comment about the PSP. If only Sony would have wised up and allowed this kind of app store thing going on which the hacker community paved way for, the PSP would have been the top dog. But since sony was cracking down on all these modders and hackers instead of giving them a venue to work in, the PSP will eventually be replaced by the Iphone and DS.
Got to hand it to apple. the iphone wouldn't be nearly as great if it wasn't for the open competition of the app store. Which sad to say, many big companies don't trust small competition plus they are so hung up on exclusiveness that only a select few developers are allowed to make games for their devices.
Corporate should take a page from apple. Give the people a tool and a venue and sit back and watch as individual creativity and freedom generate the profits.