Uru - Ages Beyond Myst Analyzed

Thanks to an anonymous reader for pointing to a CNN article discussing the comeback of Myst, in the form of Uru:Ages Beyond Myst. This real-time 3D adventure has been worked on for over 5 years at developer Cyan Worlds, and contrary to earlier impressions, evidently isn't an MMORPG in the conventional sense - the article says that "When it hits stores this fall, Uru will include a single-player mode that won't require an Internet connection. For a yet-to-be-determined monthly fee, players will be able to join others in the online version."

Comments

First person vs. 3th person perspective

[Psychic Burrito]

I think the biggest problem with URU is that they gave up the first-person-perspective and went with a 3th person perspective. FPP was what made people feel like they are actually at another place. I'd be happy to explore hundreds of "ages" (levels) with a first person perspective - but with a 3PP, the game instantly feels like another episode of Leisure Suit Larry.

On the other hand, it's pretty difficult to create a multi-user-environment with FPP, because people don't always see each other. But Quake team matches have shown us that even with a FPP, people can develop a small relationship with each other.

Playing online

[tsa]

I don't know how the money side of playing online is taken care of. I can imagine that a monthly fee is the easiest way to pay for playing online but a fixed price per minute seems more fair to me because when you have a very busy month and not much time to play you 'throw money away'. And playing online is not like a magazine that can be put away to be read later.
O, I must add: this looks to me like a very cool game and a worthy sequel to Excile.