Myst

The Good
Myst was one of the first games I ever played, back in 1997 when I was 6. Consequently, it had a great impact on my gaming tastes. At the time, graphics weren't greatly thrilling. Myst raised the standard to unparalleled heights and is more detailed than many of the games of our age. Though you may not realize it, the beauty of modern games owes its existence to the stunning landscapes of Myst. Myst was a great change from the slaughter-fest platform shooters and uninspiring hunting games that dominated the era, being about exploration and problem solving rather than grinding aliens into red paste with your chain gun that never runs out of bullets. To us modern gamers, point-and-click adventures sound... well, dull. But that goes to show that we have no taste. A simple method of locomotion makes more room for the beautiful graphics and fiendish puzzles that define the Myst franchise.

The Bad
I consider myself quite smart. So it's rare that I am completely stumped by anything. But clearly Rand Miller is a true genius, for even my fearsome intellect was humbled by his creation (though the puzzles didn't start getting truly insane until Riven). While this is technically a good thing, it pains me immensely to look up a walkthrough, even if just for one puzzle. Other than that, I can't think of anything.

The Bottom Line
Many people describe this game is being overly complicated or boring. To them I say; Philistines! Complication defines civilization. If nothing was complicated, life would be disgustingly boring. On that note, BORING! Saying Myst is boring is like saying that cake tastes bad, or that Survivor is interesting. And by that, I mean that anyone who says such blasphemy should fall on their own sword while shooting themselves in the head.