it hasn't changed much over the years. "X-Play" has to give the gamemakers
props for trying with "Uru: Ages Beyond Myst." Visionary developer Cyan wanted
desperately to turn adventure gaming on its ear again and almost succeeded.

Realities collide

Set in present time, archeologists discover the sleeping remnants of a D'ni
city buried deep beneath the New Mexico desert. People around the world are
suddenly drawn to the ruins, and the government quickly establishes a bureaucracy
known as the D'ni Restoration Council (or DRC), to oversee the exploration of
the city and regulate access to the worlds mapped by its former inhabitants.
As one of these wandering souls, you'll search for clues as to why this nearly
omnipotent civilization fell, mostly against the DRC's will. "Uru" was originally
meant to be an online game. In "Uru Live," as it was known, people from all
over could gather their virtual selves in virtual locales and scratch their
virtual heads together while solving virtual puzzles. Using the boxed game as
a starting point, players would explore, find continual content updates, and
uncover a host of new areas to lose themselves in, all for a small monthly fee.
Then, reality hit. Before the live portion could complete the beta stage, it
was cancelled. The content planned for "Uru Live" lives on, however, and will
be released via expansion packs, the first of which will be available for free
in a month or two. While searching for a new way to play games online was noble,
perhaps Cyan was a little ahead of its time. Everyone knows that Internet games
of the 21st century are about killing things and gaining experience, not having
an intellectually stimulating social experience.

My own private Relto

After creating your in-game avatar from a variety of flannel accoutrements
(only a game company in Oregon would include Birkenstocks) and solving a handful
of simple puzzles beneath the sands of New Mexico, you will reach your own customizable
age, known as a Relto. From here, the real game begins, letting the player select
one of four ages to explore at their leisure. Each age is packed with puzzles
that feature Cyan's trademark inscrutability, yet feel surprising logical upon
reflection. One thing that "Myst" hasn't been known for, however, is platforming
action. In a first for the series, "Uru" is presented primarily in a third-person
point of view, replete with running and jumping. While no one would have expected
the game to achieve "Mario"-like heights of platforming bliss, some ages are
particularly frustrating, with lots of falling into bottomless chasms. Don't
you hate it when you see ledges in a game that you know you could easily pull
yourself onto if you were there in real life? Your character can really only
jump and fall off ledges, so expect to see a number of those.

Sadly, that's about all the gameplay entails. There's a ton of puzzles and
exploration, punctuated with little bits of story that feel like they could
be a part of a grandiose plot. As great as the basics of this game are, however,
you can't help but feel a little ripped-off as you stare at the areas blocked
off by the DRC, knowing that you'll have to wait for an expansion pack to know
what lies beyond their damnable sawhorses. The game is certainly shorter than
previous entries in the series. While you could breeze through this game in
a night with a good walkthrough, this isn't recommended. Losing yourself in
the confusion is what the "Myst" experience is all about.

Incomparable beauty

There is one thing to say about using a walkthrough, though, and that's that
you can get to the next gorgeous environment sooner. "Uru" is, without a doubt,
one of the most amazing pieces of art ever assembled on a CD-ROM. It features
real-time, 3-D worlds so gorgeous and meticulously realized that they border
on pornographic. Every object is slathered in all those buzzwords and features
you read about on video card boxes but never get to really use in most PC games.
"Uru" will make even the beefiest video card sweat at the highest detail settings,
but these effects can be tailored to suit a wide variety of video cards. Like
the auditory offerings in the rest of the series, "Uru's" sound is magnificently
haunting. Headphones are recommended to fully take advantage of the soundtrack
and environmental sound effects, but you'll lose yourself in the audio either
way. While the gameplay may not be your thing, there is no denying that "Uru"
is a fantastically polished production.

An open book

This game certainly isn't for everyone. Those willing to open their mind, however,
will probably find something to like in "Uru: Ages Beyond Myst." For many, it
will simply be the fantastic graphics and sound that seal the deal. Perhaps
while they explore, they'll find that there's more to videogames than just an
itchy trigger finger. While you can't help but regret that this is merely the
start of an epic, it's a great start nonetheless. "Uru: Ages Beyond Myst" (PC)