Underworld Ascendant - Review @ PC Gamer

Originally Posted by Kordanor
Ok, good call to not play it at release then.

Probably bad call to have it backed at release though.

Anyways, will wait a few months before I'll check it out. It's sad that so many recent RPGs releases are in so crappy conditions at release.

This real problem with this one doesn't sound like crappy condition, sounds like it's also just a crappy game, which is a much bigger issue and almost certainly won't change.

'Thief: Deadly Shadows' is the best game I've ever played. So I was incredibly tempted to buy this game when it first came out. But the first person gameplay turned me off (I get motion sickness). Looks like I dodged a bullet.

I actually did back this then backed out of my pledge on the last day because I was second guessing how well this would turn out. I'm sorry to everyone who did back it and got burned, it's happened to me on a few other projects I've backed, at least this game came out I can't say that for everything I've given money to.

Not really sure why I backed this. I'll probably never play it. Ah well.

One real tragedy about this release is that many newer players will remain ignorant as to why the original Ultima Underworlds were so great and influential. This game had the opportunity to really capture the essence and illustrate that legacy. Sadly from what we've seen, it certainly will not demonstrate these reasons any time soon by missing the mark by so much at release.

It underscores why we need to see an Arx Fatalis sequel. Someone has just got to do this genre right and give it the modern technological justice it deserves.

Ouch indeed. I backed as well, haven't tried it yet and looks like I won't be anytime soon.

Originally Posted by Wisdom
I didn't back this game as I seen Tracy Hickman and Richard Garriot endorsing it.

What's wrong with Tracy Hickman?

Originally Posted by Tiptoe
'Thief: Deadly Shadows' is the best game I've ever played.

Extremely underrated game.. one of my favorites as well. Defended it to death on the TTLG forums when it was new lol

It seems like they did a Trespasser with this? They got totally caught up with making things physics based, forgot / didn't have time with the rest.

Agree on Thief: Deadly Shadows, an excellent game when released, and still worth playing today. Ditto on Ultima Underworld, and thanks be to the glory that is great old games, you can grab these gems and play them today!!

Thief1+2, UU1+2, SS1+2, all those games were pure gold. So sorry they utterly failed with Ascendant…

They are lucky they did their kickstarter during the heyday of donations. A project like this would never get $900,000 now. Look how hard Realms Beyond had to fight to get over 100k.

Games like this make it harder for future projects. I will be way more stingy with my cash and I'm rich.

Originally Posted by Pappy
Honestly, crowdfunding was supposed to supply gamers with the means to support developers without the funding and headaches of a publisher. It's sad to see that so obviously corrupted with a larger scale game, and then shipping a buggy mess.

I'm not giving up just yet on the crowdfunding model. I'm still a big believer that a good number of games would have materialized back in the 2000s and early 2010s with such a venue.

But there's no two ways around the BIG problem with crowdfunding. I call it affectionately and un-pithily, "Money Up Front With Little To No Strings Attached." Generally, in life, giving anyone money up front is a bad idea. We are seeing this with crowdfunding. But this is not a crowdfunding problem, it is a human problem. One that I'm still hoping will work out in the crowdfunding space… though as the years drag on there are far more examples of crowdfunding gone wrong than gone right. I give the concept another 5 years during which it will largely correct itself or scare meaningful numbers of prospects away such that crowdfunding will no longer work.

Terrible game. Truly terrible.

Something went spectacularly wrong here. Not sure what, but something definitely did.

My primary concern is System Shock 3, though.

Thus far the game is being slammed pretty heavily on Metacritic. Zero favorable reviews. But there are one or two positive reviews on Steam. Maybe once it's patched and refined, we end up with a half descent game?

We can hope but i doubt they have the cash or talent. I haven't played; even though I have a key - there are better games to play and my time is worth more than the kickstarter pledge. xile has cash with the acqusition to support bards tale 4 and bards tale 4 was very playable (I played the whole thing); it could be a decent game with a lot of love and adjustments; from what i've read this would take a redesign. Not sure - but maybe the big names at glass weren't the real talent when it came to game design.

Originally Posted by rjshae
Thus far the game is being slammed pretty heavily on Metacritic. Zero favorable reviews. But there are one or two positive reviews on Steam. Maybe once it's patched and refined, we end up with a half descent game?

Shame how the recent crop of released Kickstarter games in the last two years have been failures. Nowadays like was said before projects struggle to get even $100,000.

I wonder how these recent projects that only got a tenth of what the past larger games earned will turn out? Looks like I shall have to hope for the best yet expect the worse.

Originally Posted by Darth Tagnan
My primary concern is System Shock 3, though.

Mine too. When I read at end of the review that Otherside is responsible for also developing System Shock 3, I said "Oh no! Either they do a proper, enjoyable SS3 or they'll kill 2 beloved franchises at once"

And, unless I'm terribly wrong here, I believe the harm is already done to Underworld Ascendant in a way there is no amount of work capable of undo the negative impressions everyone is having.

Originally Posted by henriquejr
Mine too. When I read at end of the review that Otherside is responsible for also developing System Shock 3, I said "Oh no! Either they do a proper, enjoyable SS3 or they'll kill 2 beloved franchises"

And, unless I'm terribly wrong here, I believe the harm is already done to Underworld Ascendant in a way there is no amount of work capable of undo the negative impressions everyone is having.

It remains to be seen how much of the Ascendant team is involved with SS3.

Apparently, Warren Spector is the lead guy - but after Neurath + UA and Garriott + SotA - it's pretty hard to rely on the talent of so many years past.

Wasn't there some recent announcements about it getting delayed due to an engine switch, or am I thinking' about the System Shock remake instead? Hard to tell nowadays.

Originally Posted by Couchpotato
Wasn't there some recent announcements about it getting delayed due to an engine switch, or am I thinking' about the System Shock remake instead? Hard to tell nowadays.

The remake switched from Unity to Unreal - and then they announced they were being too ambitious - so they decided to get back to a "pure" remake, instead of a more ambitious one.

The last thing I heard about SS3 was that Warren Spector had found the "one unique thing that has never been done before" that he apparently needs before he wants to make a new game.

I'm trying to ignore the games he's made lately - because that's necessary to take such a statement seriously.

So it was the remake thanks for the reply.

Anyway read a recent interview with Warren Spector.

Warren Spector Discusses His Latest Project

If you’ve been playing video games since the ’90s (or earlier), chances are that you’ve played a game from Warren Spector. The legendary game designer and producer is behind some all-time great games including System Shock, Deus Ex, and a number of games in the Ultima series, including Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss in 1992. The Underworld series is back in Underworld Ascendant (due out on November 15th) thanks to OtherSide Entertainment, and I recently had a chance to visit the studio, check out the game, and interview the creative team.

During my time with Warren Spector, he talked about leaving teaching to return to gaming, his role in the development of Underworld Ascendant, trying to recreate that experience he felt the first time playing Dungeons & Dragons, and more.

Also found another one were he talked about his Canceled Command & Conquer game.

Command and Conquer may have received something like a new lease on life as of late, but during the long years that the franchise had been left to rot, lots of things happened. Such as, for example, a Command and Conquer cancelled RPG game!

That's not even the best part, mind. The best part is that it was supposed to be headed by none other than Warren Spector - the man behind Thief: The Dark Project, System Shock, and Deus Ex! This Command and Conquer RPG was sadly dismissed by EA.