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Good game, but it's a pig

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 11 / 14
Date: November 29, 1999
Author: Amazon User

The playability of this game is good, although I would love to be able to turn using arrow keys. The graphics are beautiful and the story, so far, keeps on moving without dragging. The real downside to the game is that you need a screaming machine in order to have smooth movement.

An unsurpassed virtual world

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 7 / 7
Date: January 09, 2000
Author: Amazon User

Ultima IX in my opinion has the largest, best looking virtual world of any game.Everything can be interacted with and you can go anywhere. Climbing to the top of a mountain peak to get a better view of your surroundings, or swimming out to a small island in a river are just a couple of examples. Graphics are outstanding as is the design of the land. Your character is viewed in 3rd person, ala Mario 64, and you control his movements with your mouse and keyboard. I just thought I would add that, because the game box does not really explain that. Every other character you come across has his or her own problem which you can choose to solve or not to solve. Because the world is so huge, you better be ready for hours of hours of exploration. There are no linear paths to follow and you can go about your quest however you see fit. The downside of this game is the occasional crash, choppy frame rates in some areas where there are many trees and objects(but not unplayable), and I had problems installing it on my computer. The auto install feature does not work very well, but theses problems are minor compared to the overall greatness of the game. My system is a 300mhz Pentium II, 160 megs of ram(more would be better), a Voodoo 3 3000. I am running the game in 640X480 with 16 bit color.

An Ultimately Sad Finale

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 8 / 9
Date: January 08, 2000
Author: Amazon User

First, let me introduce our computer: Pentium II 400 128MB RAM Matrox Millennium G200 AGP Creative AWE64 Gold Running Win98 w/ latest drivers & versions of Direct-X

We've had this machine for awhile and have never had any problem running anything until we tried to run Ultima: Ascension. Very nice opening sequence (we've seen it about 100 times, but that's about all we've seen), wander around the Avatar's house until CRASH. No problem. Go to web-site and get the latest patch. That will fix it, right? WRONG! Run game, CRASH! No problem. Go back to web-site, to message boards this time. Lots of solutions, but guess what: NO ANSWERS! So what do you have to do to run this game? You got it! Buy a computer designed especially to run Origin products. Right.

Bottom line: do not buy this game until every virtual Dick & Jane can see Spot run when they load it up. Otherwise expect that you will more than likely be the proud owner of a very nice box. Yes there are others who seem to be running the game just fine. If you know one of them play it on their machine.

It is a pity that the last game in this lovely series should be such a bug-ridden wreck, especially considering the loyalty of those who have played these games from first (C-64) to last (Cray? ). I am really hoping that Origin makes the effort to resolve the problems because, frankly, I'd like to see how it all ends (and so would a whole lot of others). This is only my opinion based on my experience.

Greatest game ever made!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 9 / 11
Date: December 01, 1999
Author: Amazon User

This game is breathtaking, the graphics and technology behind it is amazing. I get totally lost in another world when i play this game. Only problem with the game, which i only see as a temporary problem, is that the game requires the fastest and most equipped computer money can buy and most people wont be able to play this game. But even if you have to struggle through low framerates and crashes on todays computers, its worth it because the game itself is a work of art, and i can see myself playing this game again a year from now with even better performance with a better computer.

neither longtime fans nor action gamers will care for this

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 6 / 6
Date: February 02, 2000
Author: Amazon User

I've been playing Ultima games for several years. Played u7(both), u6, u4, uw1,uw2, and the dismal U8:Pagan and UO. This is not a bad game, but it is a bad Ultima IMO. It's clear that Lord British went the way of u8 and forgot about the promises made in fans.txt in the u8 patch. The problem is that we were led to believe that it would be something that it is not. No party, no female avatar, chase camera view like Tomb Raider, no npc schedules, very tiny towns with a few npcs a la Diablo, very few side quests not part of the main plot.....you get the picture. This should have been called "An Avatar Adventure," or something like that rather than the grand finale to this series. Read the Horizons bulletin board. As for the game itself, the graphics and vistas and such are suitably spectacular, though not really any better than Drakan. Some,but not much world interactivity. It has graphic glitches and clipping problems all over the place. It is more bug-infested than a garbage can in summer; random crashes, corrupted save games, you get the picture. It is clear that this was rushed out the door just before Christmas to make some extra gold pieces for OSI. Plus, ridiculously high system requirements. Gamers with pIIIs and even Riva Geforce and tnt2 cards are getting lousy framerates making play quite a bit of drudgery. It's clear that the D3D support here is very poor. Those with voodoo3 cards apparently do the best. Whether that changes with patch3 I dunno, I haven't downloaded it yet. Play was marginally acceptable on my 128 meg system with a voodoo2. I could say more, much more. Don't buy from anywhere where you can't return it, please. Gamespot.com said it best...most disappointing game of the year.

The game world is very small. Regardless of what anybody says, this game is quite linear, forcing you to go where the game wants you to go next. Not what I expected in an Ultima. Indeed, doing stuff out of order has been reported to 'break' the game and is not recommended. Definitely has the feel of an action/adventure and not a CRPG.

Ultima for Dummies

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 6 / 6
Date: March 22, 2000
Author: Amazon User

Here's hoping you have a fly-swatter by your side before journeying onward into this now ill-fated, infested continent of Britannia. The sinister Guardian plays vanguard to an endless host of compelling malignancies here -- Wyrmguards, bugs, betrayals, DirectX Errors, dark magic, and an apparent deficiency in competent speaking skills plaguing the inhabitants.

All joking aside, I've never been so wholly offended by a piece of software in my life. In a setting where life now pivots on the bereavement of its 8 major towns' respective virtues, one would think a game with this ambition would offer a little more than 1-dimentional pseudodramas a la, "The formerly honest town is now home to all liars." ; "The once humble town is marred by pride," etc. The presentation of the basic story is blunt, and told from a condescending "Good deeds are good; bad deeds are bad" perspective that was clearly aimed at the lowest common denominator any audience could share -- the crowning achievement of a 1st grade education. Old-timers familiar with the hallmark of the series, Ultima VII, will be dismayed by the lack of continuity and respect for formerly developed characters Ascension throws out; for example, Gwenno is a cardboard character bearing no resemblance to the influencial ever-pupil that she was portrayed as in Serpent Isle. Nystul, and other once crucial characters, are simply omitted with no trace nor explanation. New-comers will simply be misled into thinking Ultima was never great, deep, or noble in the first place.

Without dissecting any more subdetails, the most holistic adjective one could use to define Ultima IX would be "rushed". Not only in factual truth, but in spirit, as well. Even technical issues aside, there is a severe lack of creative passion that groans through all of Britannia's non-synergic communities, thus detracting from any mental immersion the product may have simulated.

That said, in all honesty, one cannot completely neglect its good points. The graphics and sound are assuredly outstanding. But via this criteria, you'd be better off with an Ultima Screensaver. While the physical landscapes are well-crafted, complex, and intruiging, the game entails too many other shortcomings to justify buying a $40 sight-seeing tour. Where the engine is indeed "cutting edge", being that it fails to do what any engine should (that is, simply be the unsung foundation for a game of this type), it actually obtrudes upon the gaming experience with generally slow framerates and unnecessary awkwardness. A game doesn't really "push the envelope" unless it succeeds and can be viewed as a model for other competitors; the ambitious tragedy of Ultima IX may do just the opposite.

Furthermore, while not inherent in the product itself, but significant nonetheless, customer support for this product is notoriously nonexistant.

So, for those interested in the genre, you'd be well-advised to check out Planescape:Torment or even Might and Magic VIII, the former being a superb story-driven RPG, and the latter being a genuinely fun and non-frustrating RPG. In essence, with such qualities, they both make up for everything that Ultima 9 is not.

Is it worth it, 1 year later?

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 6 / 6
Date: October 07, 2000
Author: Amazon User

Definitely. Most people will agree that Ultima 9 had the makings of being the best RGP of all time, if it weren't for the insane system requirements and the frustrating bugs. So, how does the game play now that technology and patches have caught up?

Well, almost exactly the same. The game is still the most beautiful I have ever seen, even compared to today's standards. Some FPS are put to shame, and no other RPG comes close. The rendered backgrounds of Baldur's Gate are nice, but the 3D environments in Ultima 9 give you a sense of size and granduer that BG can never communicate. The story is also fascinating and deeply satisfying, one of my top 2 RPG favorites. The characters and themes are the most human I've ever experienced. To see the already rich world of Britania made deeper and more wonderful (by a factor of 10, easily) is fascinating.

The system requirements are still steep. I have a P400, 256MB ram, and a Voodoo 5500 AGP. I like to run the game on maximum settings with FSAA x4 (stunning, BTW), and it still chokes in a city. Changing the resolution, turning off FSAA, or reducing the detail has no effect in the framerate. Only by shortening the fog distance can I play effectively in a town like Britan. I also tried playing with 128MB ram, and noticed no improvements when I moved to 256MB. I would guess that 800Mhz CPU is the minimum required to really enjoy this game. You can still play it on something slower, and still see the utter beauty of the game, but you'll have to fiddle with the settings often.

Finally, unfortunately, the bugs are still there, although greatly reduced. The game rarely crashes, no more often than most other games these days. However, I did find a show-stopping bug where an NPC refused to acknowledge a quest I completed. I couldn't continue, and none of my saved games helped (I had a lot of them). I was forced to start over from the beginning, after making it halfway through already. Infinitely frustrating. I had the latest patch, too, and since Origin has stated that they will no longer be supporting the game, we can expect no more patches, ever.

So now what? If you are a big Ultima or RPG fan, and you have a system similar to mine, definitly get this game now. Otherwise, wait another year and play it a 1.5Ghz machine with 512MB ram and a Voodoo 10000 - it will still be beautiful next fall. But definitely play this game!

great game!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 6 / 6
Date: January 15, 2003
Author: Amazon User

okay, so i've read the reviews here 2 years after i've purchased this game--just to see what people think. i probably have the slowest computer of the this lot and have never had a problem with this game. i have a 466mhz celeron and no graphics card (bought the computer in 1999)and the game runs perfect for me. it's not choppy, it's never crashed, and no bugs. maybe i've just been lucky.

as far as the game being linear, i rather enjoy it. one reviewer said that he did not go through the cave to get to yew, well, neither did i and i never had a problem with the game. yes, you do have to do things in a certain order, but that really never bothered me. i guess i'm not such a hard core RPG person.

i recommend this game, even now, in 2003. it's a lot of fun. if you're just starting out getting involved with RPG, start with this game--that's what i did.

Ultima IX: Ascension

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 8 / 10
Date: December 07, 1999
Author: Amazon User

Ultima IX is really a great game. It's graphics are fabulous, the gameplay is awesome. I really get involved, its also huge, this will take you quite a while to finish, i've been playing it for a long time and i feel like I havn't got anywhere. There is one huge problem with the game. The system requirements. If you do not have a top of the line computer, wait for a little while before getting the game. That way it can get patched up and you may be able to play it. I have a P-3 600 with 128 ram and a Voodoo 3 and it's still pretty slow. But, i'm actually considering buying more ram, just for the reason of playing this game in its full glory. Ultima is awesome. Trust me.

Awesome, with reservations

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 5 / 5
Date: February 02, 2000
Author: Amazon User

I'm playing this game for the 3rd time, and I still love it. Patience is required, because as others have said, 3D accelleration is a must to get anywhere in the game. I also found that the patches cause more trouble than they're worth (i.e. some monsters you're required to kill to progress in the game suddenly become invincible), so I run it straight out of the box. Load time is slow, particularly in cities, but underground scenes run great (don't worry--you have to conquer 8 dungeons. You'll be underground A LOT). The graphics are second to none I've seen. The lengthy load times are more than compensated by the visual treat you receive after the wait. I'm running a 400 Mhz PC with 128 Megs of RAM, and experience hanging periodically, along with choppy movement. But again, for the quest-hungry gamer, it's a great adventure!

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