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The best and most important CRPG series ever

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 26 / 27
Date: November 13, 1999
Author: Amazon User

Created by Richard Garriott (AKA Lord British), this collection spans fifteen years of roleplaying history. If you want to know how games progressed during the past twenty years, get this compilation. If you want to play good games, get this compilation. If you're looking for a good roleplaying experience, get this compilation. If you're looking for the latest in gaming greatness -- don't get it. The last game in the compilation was published in 1994, if I recall correctly. Don't let that stop you from playing, though. If you have the stamina to go through all of the games, you'll be happy you did.

Going through these games is time-consuming and often frustrating. Unlike other computer role-playing games, all of these are completely open-ended. You aren't specifically directed from point A to point B to point C; instead, you must figure out on your own what to do. To me, that makes these games much more enjoyable, and much more rewarding; they require you to think. To others, it might not be so fun.

Why four stars, then? Well, if you're like most of us, and running a PC with Windows 95 or 98 installed on it, you're going to have trouble getting some of these games running. Some will be too fast; others won't work at all unless you pull some technical wizardry (or have someone else do it for you). These games are designed to run under DOS, which these days is about as common as the Dodo. So: for all of you having trouble getting these games to run, contact me. I can help.

Some of the best RPGs of all time

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 18 / 19
Date: January 16, 2000
Author: Amazon User

This collection is a mixed bag, but for the price it's a great deal. My impressions on the games herein:

Ultima VII - Worth the cost of admission. Even now it is the best game in the series. The plot and the graphics totally immerse you in the world of britannia. Although the graphics are a little dated it still doesn't look too bad today. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Ultima VII part 2 - This game could have been wonderful. However, there is an extremely violent and unnecessary plot twist near the end that pretty much killed my motivation for continuing to play. I thought the rest of the story was a bit thin as well. The game is also rather linear.

Ultima VIII - This game sucks, and the reason why has been adequately explained elsewhere. It does, however, have the best music featured in any Ultima, if you have a General MIDI-compatible sound card.

ULTIMA VI - I've just started playing this one. I prefer a point-and-click conversation system, rather than typing my words in, but i'm enjoying myself in any case, and the plot is very good. The world is very detailed, only superseded by Ultima VII.

Ultimas 0-5: The games I described previously I played when they came out (except VI). The rest of these depend on whether you're a fan or not; they are REALLY old, and somewhat simple by today's standards. But they represent some of the most important achievements in computer role-playing games. Have a look.

Worth buying just for Ultima 7 alone

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 14 / 14
Date: August 12, 2002
Author: Amazon User

I'll say it right out-- this package is a bargain and worth every cent just for Ultima VII alone. But more on that later-- first, a run-through of the games contained on this compilation:

Akalabeth (ultima prequel), U1, U2, U3 (Exodus):
Revolutionary in their time, but now you'll probably just want to check them out to see what games were like back then. The casual gamer will be turned-off immediately by the those horrid 3 color graphics, (which just happen to be the ugliest 3 colors you've ever laid your eyes on) and even only the most nostalgic of hardcore ultima fans will be able to play through them. But as i said, still worth a look.

U4, U5:
Slight improvement in graphics, and leaps & bounds in the story department. If you're a casual gamer-- these will be hard to get into, but you will be rewarded by an awesome story and true interaction. Ultima fans will of course have a great time with these.

U6:
Often bashed for its poor interface, (and sometime i'm inclined to agree), the game still contains a great story and for once, a musical score.

U7 (parts 1 and 2):
Now here's the gem: I personally think it's the -greatest- game of all time. of all the games i play, this is the only one i can keep replaying over and over. to tell the truth, i wasn't always into ultima or crpgs for that matter. I used to play final fantasy "rpgs" (really, they're actually horrid linear interactive anime movies that have no role-playing elements, boring fights, and cliched soap-opera stories), but then a friend let me borrow an old disk version of Ultima 7- the black gate, and i've been hooked ever since. Not only does this game contain a truly great story and has good graphics (they may be a little old but still hold up well), but contains a -completely- interactive game world. If you see it, you can use it or manipulate it in some way. Have long conversations with npcs, forge your own sword, explore dungeons, and even bake bread. Add some good music and an innovative point-and-click mouse-driven interface, and you have a masterpiece.

U8:
Casual gamers will find this game the easiest to get into; after all it contains psuedo-3d graphics and is the most modern one. Personally i thought u7 was better in terms of story and game world, although u8 had its high points. That and the action elements seemed a little out of place. However, not a bad rpg, but not a great one eithier.

Those are the games contained on the collection; now the pros and cons of the collection as whole:
PROS--
1) It's a great bargain
2) Contains an atlas with all original maps, a reference guide, and all the original manuals on the cd
3) has "Moslo" a program that slows down your cpu to make the games playable on modern pc's
4) The games (especially u7) are worth it
5) Has cool interviews with ultima's creator, richard garriott

CONS--
1) Missing some of the other great ultima games (worlds of ultima, ultima underworld)
2) Can be a little tough to get ultima 7 and 8 working in windows, (due to its odd dos-run memory manager). But, that problem can be easily solved by ... getting the ultima 7 and 8 windows patches.

Overall, it's a must-buy for ultima fans, and if you like rpgs, i reccomend this for not only ultima 7 but the other great rpgs contained within.

If you like ULTIMA games, you will love this!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 9 / 9
Date: January 07, 2000
Author: Amazon User

I had played ULTIMA II, III and V when I was younger. I loved them! I bought the collection so that I could work my way through all of the games. It has been wonderful! I had no trouble installing and running the software. Some of the games need the speed adjusted, but the instruction manual tells you exactly how to use the enclosed program MOSLO to get the speed just right. I had no problems after that. It has been nothing but enjoyable. Sure the games are old, so if you aren't into ULTIMA or old computer games you may not like the collection as much. But if you are nostalgic about computer games, then go for it - you won't be sorry!

Antic

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 16 / 27
Date: November 15, 1999
Author: Amazon User

A nice collection of antic games, but it lacks refurbishing. The box is highly deceptive - none of the games run under Windows 95/98 - only the helps system and the sneak peaks. Several interviews with the creator add some spice for the hardcore fans though. I wouldn't recommend it for anybody but the hardest fans or the extreme enthusiasts. My recommendation to Origin - update the games before republishing! Follow the LucasArts example with X-Wing and Tie Fighter.

Serious improvement needed.

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 12 / 19
Date: April 15, 2000
Author: Amazon User

The Ultima Collection features some of the greatest role-playing games of all time. Yet many of these games are very old and very difficult to tolerate for people who did not play them on their first release. Certainly, when these games were first published, they probably represented great technological improvement on previous games, but technology, and particularly graphics, has evolved considerably since Ultima VIII was released in 1994. The way it is marketed right now might only appeal to those who originally played the games (not me, I only got my first computer in 1997, but I had already played Ultima IV on 8-bit Nintendo, which was WAY better than the PC version featured on this CD-rom), or to people who consider writing doctoral theses on the history of the development of computer gaming. The rest of the population might simply overlook these games, no matter how significant they were in the development of role-playing games, because of their poor graphics.

More important is the question of playability. Poor graphics do not help, but the most annoying thing about these games is that they have retained their basic characteristic of making use of DOS. To me, and to many other people who have begun using computers after the arrival of Windows 95 or 98, DOS means little more than that annoying C:\>. I know very little about DOS myself, and I have been unable to play some games in the collection, including the famous two parts of Ultima VII. "Akalabeth" and the first six "Ultimas" are easily playable through Win 95 or 98, but Ultima VII (both parts) and Ultima VIII require a special DOS configuration, which I have been unable to use, and the information included in the booklet has been of almost no help.

Even worse is the question of sound. A paragraph from Origin's booklet included in the Ultima Collection reads, "Akalabeth and Ultima I-V use the PC speaker for sound. Many current multimedia PCs do not include a PC speaker. If you do not have a PC speaker you cannot hear sound effects in these games" (Ultima Collection reference card, p. 15). Origin therefore knew that these games would not be 100% compatible with today's computer systems, yet allowed these games to be re-released in their original format, and this is what annoys me most.

If Origin re-released these games, we might assume that it is because the company viewed them as eventually profitable. But if the company saw the previous Ultimas as cash cows, couldn't they have been more profitable had they been completely redesigned, from the graphics to the used interface, and sound as well ? What I fear, however, is that if they had indeed redesigned these games, the result might just have looked like Ultima IX: Ascension...

Best games ever made!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 5
Date: June 07, 2000
Author: Amazon User

Ultima 6 and 7 have to be the best games I have ever played. I remember nights where I would stay up all night crawling thru a dungeon in 7 with the hairs on the back of my neck standing up because the game was so thrilling to play. Sure the graphics of 6 are outdated, but anyone who has played thru it entirely knows the gameplay more than makes up for it. These games had a very strange atmosphere which made you wonder what would happen next. Another great thing about them is you can move/steal any object and kill ANYONE at any time which adds up to months more entertainment besides just the great story. Ultima 8 however was a horrible action type game made by EA and not the original director. But 6 and 7 are a fantastic deal at this price, especially for collector like myself. The only gripe I have is that Ultima7 was not redesigned for windows and you may have some problems getting the mouse/sound to work. It would have been easy for them to redesign it for Win98 and would have saved alot of people headaches. Still this is a fantastic piece of gaming history. BUY IT NOW!

A collection Ultima fans will enjoy

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 5 / 5
Date: December 19, 2000
Author: Amazon User

I got hooked on the Ultima games since I was 12, starting with Ultima III and Ultima IV. Although I hadn't played the previous ones, I must say that the remake of Ultima I is definitely worth a look. Ultima II however, leaves much to be desired on graphics and sound (why not a remake?). Ultima III is an OK version, and Ultima IV is when the games began to get better. If you don't get too picky on the graphics and sounds, you'll enjoy both. As for Akalabeth (the precursor of the games), I think it was included more because of its historic value than for its game play.

Ultima V goes through major graphic and sound improvements, well worth the time to play and enjoy, as well as Ultima VI, which perhaps has the best storyline. But the real juice on this collection is with Ultima VII part I and II (Serpent Isle). These two games make this collection worth to buy; the storyline for both is amazing, plus you get the bonus add-ons for both (Forge of Virtue and Silver seed). Guaranteed to provide hours of game play, loss of sleep and numb fingers...

Unfortunately, Ultima VIII: Pagan was the big deception. Poor controls, an amateur-type 3D graphics engine and an archaic spell-casting system (will keep you mixing reagents for hours), left the fans disappointed. Too bad Richard Garriot (aka Lord British, the Ultima games producer) wasn't called for this one; the result may have been another. As a bottom line, I'll recommend this collection to true Ultima fans and to game players that want to get a good idea of how role-playing games evolved and have some fun in the process!

How can they get away with charging this much for this?

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 5
Date: January 07, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Now, don't get me wrong, I've always been an AVID fan of the Ultima games. In fact, Ultima 8 is what got me into game programming myself. However, at $89.90 for a used copy of this, that's downright highway robbery. I got A FREE copy of it with Ultima 9, which costs $20!

At any rate, only fans of the ultima series are likely to jump on this one. If you enjoy Ultima Online, I'd strongly recommend you go back to the origins and see where Ultima sprung up from. My particular favorite was the last in the series, Ultima 8.

Keep in mind that some of these games are over 20 years old, so don't be expecting graphics at ALL in some cases. More interestingly is reading the documentation files that come with the CD to see how Lord British (the founder of the series) started with Akalabeth, a game that only incredibly vaguely resembles Ultima, selling copies of it at his college on 5 1/2" floppies in sandwich bags!

-Javin

This review is for Ultima III & IV

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: April 01, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Back in 1985, my dad bought for my Atari 800XL home computer Ultima III: Exodus. He gave up trying to get the thing going, so it was handed over to me and once I got the thing running, I was hooked. Remember, this was back in 1985, and U3 came out in 1983. The really silly thing was when I ran it on the Atari 800XL, the water was green and the brush and grass was blue (when you ran the disk on the original Atari 800, the brush and grass was green and the water was blue, like it should be). Anyway, Ultima 3 was a very fun and challenging game. The thing I disliked was if any of your players got killed in combat, the disk drive would run and your player's death was permanently saved (but of course, you could always resurrect your player if you have enough gold to visit a healer or if you have a powerful enough cleric, although a cleric trying to resurrect your player, even with the full wisdom points required, was not always successful, and if the spell failed, the dead player turned to ash). The graphics were very crude, but then this was 1983 for you and you have to have lived through the 1980s to appreciate these early Ultimas. Ultima IV was a vast improvement. No longer are you trying to rid the land of evil (that was Exodus), but of course, you still have to encounter evil monsters (but this time there are also non-evil creatures to encounters, like spiders and snakes), you try to rid yourself of the evil by being enlightened in all eight virtues of the Avatar (Honesty, Compassion, Valor, Justice, Sacrifice, Honor, Spirituality, and Humility). To check on your progress on your virtues, you must visit Seer Hawkwind (kinda strange if you are at all aware that Hawkwind was actually a name of a little known space/prog rock band that once had Lemmy of Motorhead in their lineup). The land of Britannia was much larger, finding all the towns, castles, dungeons, and villages were much more difficult, and there was just plain more detail. Plus for the Atari 8-bit version, you had the option of switching the colors so the water and the brush and grass are the appropriate colors. You could actually interact with the inhabitants of the townes, castles, and villages by asking their job, health and of any important things they might help you on, whereas on Ultima III when you talk to an inhabitant, you only get one type of response, mostly "Good day", but a few will give you important one sentence clues and you can't talk back to them. Ultima IV is way more difficult to win than III. Going down the Abyss is a real pain. You have to be really stockpiled with tons of spells, your best bet is to include lots of Heal, Resurrect, Tremor, Kill, Awake, Negate, and Cure spells. Plus mystic weapons and armour are required when going down there in the Abyss, but I found out magical weapons (particularly the Magic Wand, which your wizard can use) works just fine, but if you forget to arm your players with any magical or mystical weapons, you will never be able to kill foes. The worst was the room that was full of reapers. They have a very nasty habit of casting sleep spells very often, and for some weird reason, if one of your players was poisoned, he would be immune to the sleep spells, which having a poisoned player actually helps when fighting many reapers in one room. Plus if you ever answer any incorrect answers, you will be forced back to Lord British's castle with most of the weapons and wealth stripped (you'll return with cloth armor and daggers). In fact I didn't win Ultima IV until 1988 (two years after I bought it in 1986), and I never won it again until 1998(!) by which the transformer to my Atari 800XL got fried and I hadn't played it since. These days, these games are curiosities, the graphics are rather crude, and with the Ultima Collection, it's a little strange that they didn't make all 8 Ultimas conform to the more current Windows format, since no one uses MS DOS these days.

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