OS Neutral Myst III,IV,V and middle-aged iMacs

[Empress Matilda]

I loved Myst and Riven way back when, never got around to getting the later ones, now wonder if I and my iMacs (both heading for Social Security) have missed our chance. Figured would ask here before buying used versions and taking a chance. Both iMacs have been upgraded by previous users. I did check the Universal Binary Games list and links to macgamefiles for patches but not sure what applies in my case.

One iMac is a G3 with PPC, has OS9 on one partition, OS 10.3 (Panther) on the other. Runs my Myst and Riven just fine.

Other machine is a G5, still with the PPC, upgraded to OS 10.5 (Leopard). I have install disks for 10.4 (Tiger) but haven't seen any reason to add partition.

Looks like I might be able to run Myst III on my G3, but no way to add the other two? While I'm at it, does anyone have suggestions for similar games that I could try? By "similar" I mean alternate worlds with lots of puzzle-solving rather than shoot-the-monster. I loved Shadowgate too.

Thanks all.

 

[joepunk]

It's been along time since I've played the games.

Myst 3 can run in OS9 or if you want to run it in OSX you will need this patch Exile Patch 1.22

Basic system requirements for Myst 3:
OS 8.1 to 9.1 or OSX via patch
233 MHz G3
64 MB RAM
200 MB free Hard Drive space
6 MB Video Card
CD-ROM, 640x480 Display, quicktime, sound etc.

Myst 4:
OSX 10.2, 10.3 (only)
700MHz G4 (G5 recommended)
128 MB RAM
32 MB video card (64 MB recommended
Quicktime 5 or higher
DVD drive
3 GB of free Hard Drive space
and finally 800x600 monitor resolution.

I know I have Myst 1-4. I'm also positive I purchased Myst 5 but I can't find it. And finally I don't know if these will play well or at all in 10.5.

 

[Empress Matilda]

Thanks Joe(punk). That was very clear and just what I needed to know. It's been a long time since I played either, but I've been testing on my old OS 9 and it looks like they both still do work, so I'll try buying Exile for starters.

 

[Cougarcat]

Unfortunately, no one comes close to making puzzle adventure games like Cyan. Although they are supposedly starting a kickstarter for a scifi Myst spiritual successor soon. Here are some OS X compatible ones that I've found to be decent:

Journeyman Project 3: Legacy of Time
The Last Express
Kairo
The Dream Machine
Haven't finished it yet, but The Dig (written by Orson Scott Card.)

Edit: I see you're on PPC, I think you'll be out of luck for most of these.

 

[Gandalf theGrey]

None have the artistic originality and aesthetic achievements than the Myst series. I fall in love with the series so hard that I listen to the soundtrack still up to today.
They really should get a revamp on the new generations gaming systems for the series, seriously!

 

[Empress Matilda]

Thanks also to Couger and Gandalf for your comments. I realize I've sorta trapped myself between Mac generations by choosing to stick with the PPC and Leopard (this is because I'm devoted to Appleworks, which can't run on anything newer). I've ordered Myst 3 and maybe I'll just play the first three every now and then, when I've had time to forget some stuff. Lucky I didn't give away the old iMac with System 9, or I couldn't even do that. Happy gaming, all!

 

[n8mac]

For PPC, there is also these...

Riddle of the Sphinx - OS 8/9
Riddle of the Sphinx 2 the Omega Stone - OS 10.2.6+
Rhem - OS 9/10.2
Rhem 2 - OS 9/10.2+
Rhem 3 - OS 10.2+
Rhem 4 - OS 10.4+

Not as good as Myst series, but then what is

 

[Cougarcat]

Oh, I should add that it's possible to play Uru, Cyan's online Myst game, in OS X for free. (http://portingteam.com/files/file/5439-myst-online-uru-live/(Although it's online, you can play it solo if you wish.) Still not as good as Riven (it is *all* backstory) and a few wacky puzzles, but the worldbuilding is still the best, and it's great to see some very famous Myst locales.

But again, it'll require an intel Mac. You may as well move on from AppleWorks, you will have to eventually.

 

[Empress Matilda]

Hey, thanks so much, n8mac. Great to know there are at least some other options for my old (OLD) system. Definitely going to turn this one into a game machine.