Well the thing with Myst wasn't that it just looked pretty, it was that it represented a detailed and atmospheric world.
A lot of modern pretty games are pretty shallow.
Exactly! Just as an example, I play Mmorpgs, and those compared to some done in the past.. well there's just no comparison. A lot in the past have been pretty well designed graphically wise, they had hand done scenery, etc. It was just really immersive. There would be times i would stop all questing with friends just to stare at and listen to a waterfall it was so well done.
Now days, you have game companies just copy and pasting the same graphic all over the place, just in a certain configuration. Now... don't get me wrong, i know some of that is unavoidable but when that's something that jumps at me and hits me in the face when i'm trying to get immersed.. yeah.. there's a difference between artistically doing it and just spamming it all over a town. I mean, its obvious... in your game i don't think I've seen one cave that looked the same shape wise or what plants you had where. In other mmorpgs, I've seen them use the exact same cave over and over for quests, so much that i know where the end of a cave is going to be when i enter it.
It's funny too, some parts in aquaria repeat the use of a texture (rocks and what not).. but the thing is.. I DON'T NOTICE IT (unless i truly look around for it). And i stay immersed via the beautiful graphics, the music, name it... You really love games like this that pay attention to detail and just blend things with perfection.