Ultima I - Retrospective Review
- Thread starter HiddenX
- Start date
Irian
Atheistic Pirate
I seem to remember that Prayer was horribly overpowered in the game, but I might be wrong there...
I seem to remember I just visited a certain shrine until I got the blaster???
Jaguar
Sentinel
Unlike might and magic I, which is still playable to this day, this one is just garbage now.
Carnifex
SasqWatch
I wouldn't call it garbage, but yeah, it hasn't withstood the test of time very well, and I can usually play almost anything these days. Those first four Ultima games kept me busy for quite some time back in the day.
Ultima really took off IV onwards. I came to Ultimas after the first three and went back to try them. The only one that seemed to have any staying power was III - I think that was the first one with a proper party?
Caidh
Sentinel
I say this as a huge fan of Might and Magic - but it isn't really fair to compare them. M&M1 was released five years later - a HUGE difference back then - which makes sense for how playable M&M1 is compared to Ultima 1. Ultima set the groundwork though without which M&M may not have ever been created.
Wizardry was such a better game and came out around the same time.
Thank god I grew up with console RPGs on Sega and Nintendo in the early 90's.
Carnifex
SasqWatch
And I agree completely with Hastar, Wizardry was far superior. I did enjoy the Ultima games, but for me it was no contest between them and the Wizardry ones.
After having completed both Underworlds and bought the Ascension & Ultima Collection back in the late 90's and early 2000s, I was genuinely excited to play the early games.
Ultima I took me around two weeks to complete after Akalabeth. Ultima II on the other hand took much longer.
Whilst it's quite primitive nowadays, there's great history here and any self respecting role-playing game fan should at least check it out. The writing contained within the manuals (a text file for me at the time) with the narratives and reflections on Brittanian lore were very compelling and deepened the playing experience considerably. This key ingredient continued throughout the series and assisted to make it great.
Ultima I took me around two weeks to complete after Akalabeth. Ultima II on the other hand took much longer.
Whilst it's quite primitive nowadays, there's great history here and any self respecting role-playing game fan should at least check it out. The writing contained within the manuals (a text file for me at the time) with the narratives and reflections on Brittanian lore were very compelling and deepened the playing experience considerably. This key ingredient continued throughout the series and assisted to make it great.