Perhaps one of the longest ever RPG series Ultima has delighted audiences throughout the known time of gaming. Yes Ultima 1 was slightly poor, Ultima 2 got better and Ultima 3 revealed prospects that RPG developers could build on but Ultima IV really does form the foundations of RPGs.
As soon as the game opens, with the fortune-teller, a mysterious character development is put forward in the form of a selection of cards following the virtues such as compassion etc. Those of you, like myself, who have played Ultima Online will know of the different virtues and of course the land itself.
And for me it is fun to head back to Trinsic or Yew and reveal in the true foundations of an AI controlled city and I think to myself that this is the basis of all those modern RPGs like Oblivion and Neverwinter Nights 2.
The one complication with the game is the actually controls via a keyboard, once downloading this again I had to spend a good time trying to learn those vital controls such as casting spells etc. The spell system is not modern yet is still effective in creating an RPG style genre that novice and expert users alike can slowly grasp again - and once you’ve got it you’re away in the game world!
The graphics on the game itself are meagre today’s standards,
yet as I constantly tell all my console switching dark side friends- graphics ain’t everything! To explore a vast world and beat monsters, level and collect some good gear is what this game is about. You zip out of the world of the 1980s and are launched in the world of Ultima or Britannia and here you will experience a true RPG style game. There are better out there but for a quick and immense game experience try this and you may be pleasantly surprised.
Do you imagine exploring the old school Trinsic and Yew and do you go around humming ‘Rule Britannia’? Then this may be the game for you! Or perhaps you want a quick bash at ‘old school’ role-play then try this. However, this game is sadly not as good as Ultima Underworld 2, which is still my favourite Ultima series game including the snowball throwing apes that as a kid used to scare the rats out of me!
Ignore the graphics and get involved in the game play and basic dialogue system and have a go at impressing your friends that you still have that old style gaming touch!
