for some of us, Myst is not even considered an adventure ;)
so its not the most fames "AG" for these people :)

on the other hand, Solid Snake could use some anger management lessons...

Fame is definitely relative. I think smart marketing strategy somehow brought Myst into the mainstream, while the Monkey Island series in general was aimed squarely at the AG market.

Now, this is all my own speculation, but since then... I think the situation has shifted a little. CMI had a huge presence at all the game stores I used to frequent, and EMI being released on PS2 brought an even wider recognition. Meanwhile, the Myst series fell off the map as far as the average citizen was concerned, never attaining the sudden popularity of the first games. I remember when Myst and The Seventh Guest were making small stories on my local news!

However, I don't have ANY sales figures or magazine articles to back up my ideas. It's just a general cultural impression.

Hey, what do you expect from a guy with the Head of the Navigator for an avatar??? ;)

If you want sales figures, Myst was the best-selling PC game in the US from its release until 1996. In 1997 it was the second-best, being topped only by its sequel. Curse of Monkey Island - also released in 1997 - was nowhere near the top of the chart, and only sold about 100,000 copies that year compared to the million+ sales of each of the Myst games.

Myst was a huge phenomenon played and loved by many who never touched computer games otherwise. Monkey Island is a classic to a great many computer gamers, but totally unheard of by everyone else.

Maybe things are different in Europe, but in America, comparing the popularity of MI to Myst is a joke.

I think I'm biased because I was into computer games before both of them, and when both were released, I hated Myst (still don't like it) but was delighted by Monkey Island.

In fact, I'm still not sure why Myst was so beloved.

I guess I'm with DEMON on this one...

I'm not saying you're wrong, but I don't consider that a sales figure.
I could post that DOT sold 500,000 copies but without supporting links or documentation why should anyone believe me?

Once again, I'm pretty sure that Myst was a bigger seller world-wide, but I'm not so sure of that here in the states. I don't remember it that way. Stores were selling out of CMI and EMI (All MI). They couldn't keep them on the selves!

Of course maybe I just wasn't paying attention to Myst sales because I thought it was a crap game.

It only means that Microids is now defunct, and all its products too.

Sodapop, if you actually care, then do your homework yourself. The numbers are out there, and they haven't been in dispute for 15 years. Myst is the top selling adventure of all time by a margin of millions, and one of the top selling PC games of all time, period. You can be sure that its US sales played a huge part in that. And of course it's widely recognized as one of the most influential factors in popularizing the CD-ROM as new technology. If you want two links to start, then there's Cyan's report of 12 million sold (Myst and Riven combined) or Wikipedia's best seller list. Those are only a start, though. Plenty more where those came from.

None of this takes into account the sales of Myst 3-5, the recent re-release on PSP (the only adventure for that platform, yes?), or the upcoming Myst Online, either. The fact that this franchise is still going strong should suggest something in this discussion.

I'm not a Myst fan myself, but arguing its popularity is laughable. Scoville said it perfectly. Myst is a phenomenon that reached far beyond the limited scope of the usual gaming crowd, much like The Sims does now (different genre, obviously).

Who cares?
 

Hey Jackal, I never said that Myst didn’t out sell MI, in the states or anywhere else. Since I’m not the one stating sales facts, then I’m not the one who needs to support my claims. I’m just asking that people support their claims correctly.

For instance; If I post that vitamin C cures colds, which many people believe, than I should link to any relative information regarding that claim. This would be prudent as vitamin C doesn’t cure colds, as many people believe, it only helps prevent them. And so I provide a link: http://straightdope.com/classics/a1_278.html

Maybe YOU (Mr. Know-It-ALL), know that Myst out sold MI but not everyone would and so FACTS should be provided. This is usually accepted practice, on most forums, I believe.

Also, the links you provided are for worldwide sales, and not for just the United States. So if you want to do my homework for me please be a little diligent in your practice.

I'll repeat again, if you actually care, then do your homework yourself. Demanding that people cite commonly known facts because you don't believe them is just a waste of time. But I gave you two references anyway.

What percentage sold in the US is utterly meaningless to the discussion, but hey, if it interests you, knock yourself out.

That vitamin C argument is just... wow.

Yeah, but... can you insult-swordfight in Myst?!?!?!?!

I thought not.

;)

Hey, I'm not saying it deserves its popularity. ;)

Incidentally, if we're talking "fame" in terms of sheer name recognition, I'd place Zork ahead of MI, too.

Now, what is this thread supposed to be about? Oh yeah, Still Life sequel. Not gonna happen (certainly not by a non-existent studio).

Commonly known?
 

Commonly known?

It is commonly known that Myst out sold MI, in the United States?
Yeah, you’re right. If I asked the common man-on-the-street which game sold more copies in the United States, he wouldn’t even blink, he would just immediately reply: Myst of course! :D

I mean everyone, who’s anyone, knows which of these two DECADE-old titles was more popular in the U.S.

I never said that I didn’t believe him. I just wanted him to post references. A common practice. Why do you have a problem with that?

I would also like to point out that 'Imperivm III: Great Battles of Rome' sold a million copies in Italy and Spain alone. So it's very possible to sell over 2 million copies with most sales being european, which was part of the point that I was trying to make.

As for Still Life. I doubt it, but you can never tell when a title will get picked up by another company.

Almost certainly, since Myst is probably the only game of the two the common man would have heard of. THAT is the point of this topic, not your tangential fascination with geographic sales figures.

Who said I had a problem with it? You? I just said (twice) that if you were actually interested you should look it up yourself. Otherwise it just comes across as an attempt to bury a pretty basic point under paperwork. An equally common practice.

Anyway, speaking of waste of time, this most certainly is.

Of course not. No one in America has ever played a Monkey Island game. Give me a break!
You have a point there. So let's let's both agree that you're wrong and move on.

You really haven't made a point, so there's nothing for you to be right about. But by all means, if it makes you happy to argue the moon landing deny the Holocaust believe that Myst is unpopular in the US, don't let me stop you.

You see? There you go again miss-quoting me! I NEVER SAID THAT MYST WAS UNPOPULAR IN THE USA. I NEVER SAID THAT MONKEY ISLAND WAS MORE POPULAR IN THE USA. I just put forth an idea that maybe it could have been and you got all emotional about it!

BTW PM-ing me, and threatening me with an infraction, just you could have the last word, is pretty lame.

Smarten up, sodapop. I'd have gladly let you have the last word in the matter if you had anything to say.

I have no place getting into this fracas, so I'll just say two things and then shut up:

1) Jackal is right, whether people agree or not. Myst is still the most widely regarded and respected AG title on the market. Only die-hard AGers dispute the validity of its position in this genre. And Myst is still selling. I just bought my mother brand new DVD copies of the first four of five games, which are still being sold in respectable numbers at Future Shop here in Ontario, Canada. All things considered, I'd say that, even without looking at hard numbers, Jackal's claim is correct. (I saw no copies of Monkey Island, curiosly enough. I DID see collections of the Space Quest, Police Quest and King's Quest series, however. Interesting, that)

2) sodapop, you are being rude to a moderator. You should stop. Period.
____________________

And yes, Still life is very unlikely to ever come back. But it would be nice.

One important point no one has brought up is, popularity has nothing to do with quality. A fact proven simply by considering TV ratings. As an adventure gamer I detested Myst and no amount of discussion will change that. No I do not regard it a true adventure game. But I would not attempt to say the game was crap. I just simply disliked it and all of its clones. Clones meaning the Myst wantabees that so many felt they were required to produce after Myst's sales figures were in. My point simply is, just because millions bought it does not make it better than a game that did not sell. Again look at what is on TV as proof of popular does not equate to quality.

bah, wake me up when some1 adds a new post about Still Life