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Ultima Online Provides an Amazing Virtual Reality

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 29 / 31
Date: November 07, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I'm 34 years old and first played the non-online Ultima games on the old Apple //e in the 80's, including Ultima 2, 3, and 4. Those games were truly awesome in that they showed a progression towards a creation of a virtual reality, rather than a typical RPG with a limited set of rules. They were far superior to games such as Wizardry in the 80's.

Now, Ultima Online is the ultimate realization of those early efforts at producing a complex, deep, interactive virtual world. In some ways, this is less of a game, and more of an alternate reality. You almost think that this is a version of the virtual reality or the "matrix" in the movie, The Matrix, where you can plug yourself in and be something very extraordinary.

In this reality, there are of course monsters and magical elements. You can develop a multitude of characters and have an extraodinary number of skills (e.g. cooking, bushido, swordsmanship, fencing, mace fighting, fishing, stealing, stealth, magery, taming, necromancy, chivalry, tailor, mining, lumberjacking, carpentry, muscianship, and many, many more) to customize your character. You increase skills the way you normally would in your real life, through simply performing activities that utilize those skills. As your bard plays music more frequently, your musicianship skill will rise, for example.

The complexity and depth of this reality is startling. You can literally cut trees down to obtain different kinds of wood. That wood can then be cut into boards or pieces to be assembled into complex furniture. Miner's can with appropriate skill look for different ores to mine. These then have to be smelted. Each of these requiring different skills. The smelted ingots can then be utilized to make different types of armor or weapons. Because this world requires basic commodity type elements (e.g. leather, cloth, food ingredients, wood, ore, etc) your character can simply exist providing unique trade services for other characters. You can simply be an excellent miner to sell your ingots to smiths, for example. It creates a complex online economy and dependency on other players and their (or your) unique services.

This game simply has to be played to be understood, as it is vastly different from usual RPG's or more goal-oriented games with a limited set of rules. The home ownership aspect alone is amazing, as you'll find yourself desiring a virtual house for your characters (with furnishings, decorating, etc) as you would normaly want a house in real life. You'll have to deal with an online real estate market and understand the conveniences of having a place to store your items and meet other players, like you would in real life!

If you don't believe that virtual items in this virtual world could seem "real" or convincing, then check out eBay. Do a search for "ultima online" and you will see hundreds of virtual property for sale. There is a reason why so many people are willing to pay actual money to buy virtual Ultima Online items, such as gold, weapons, or houses.

If you want a game with more flash and graphics, then buy World of Warcraft of Everquest. How many complain of the game of chess because of its simple use of a board and pieces? If you want something completely different because of the complexity of an interactive world, then try this game. Do not think because of the lack of advertising, or lackluster packaging that this game is obsolete or unentertaining. This game is truly a gem, and one that you can end up playing for many years. How many games do you know of where players have literally played for 4-8 years almost daily?

Great Game With Lots of Depth

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 10 / 12
Date: November 01, 2005
Author: Amazon User

This is the Eighth expansion of Ultima Online - one of the great online roleplaying games. The game has old-fashioned graphics, but it is still the only game that lets the player customize each character's skills - and now - race. There are plenty of options for crafters - this game has the most options for crafters available. There are also lots of new monsters and lands to explore. This is a great game.

Still loving UO after all these years...

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 5
Date: January 20, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Well I have been playing UO since 1999 and I still love it. The new expansions are getting better all the time.

I have one warning to give people buying UO: The 8th age though. This package does NOT come with the latest expansion! The new expansion is called Mondain's Legacy and there is no package or CD for it, you can only buy a code to download it through the UO website.

I think the way EA marketed this was very deceptive. You can play UO if you buy the 8th age but there are many new dungeons and areas that you will not have access to. You will not be able to make an elf character. Also, there is a free gift that comes with 8th age. If you select the quiver or talisman for your gift you will not be able to use them until you buy the Mondain's Legacy upgrade code (for 29.99).

Anyway I love this game and highly recommend it to all. But I would advise you to save some money and just go to www.uo.com and buy the Mondain's Legacy pack instead of 8th age. That way you'll have access to everything in the game.

Ultima Online 8th Age ROCKS!!!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: January 29, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I find this game to be very well written. Not only is the gameplay superb, but there are so many facets and things to do the potential is endless! Quests, fighting in multiple styles and against unlimited enemies, player vs. player, craftable items, collections, you name it, this game has it and more than you could ever hope for. I recommend this game above all others I've ever played...and that says something. My only gripe is the 3D graphics, or lack thereof. The 2D version is almost as appealing, and is much more fluid. Nice job EA games...

A Grand Adventure

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: February 23, 2006
Author: Amazon User

You will be pleased with this! If you want to be able to go to extra places you need the prequel Mondain's Legacy that you download off the computer but its worth it. The extras that come with this game make Ultima more exciting!!

Great RPG Game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: February 25, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Its a great game to play you can play on your own or with others. This game doesn't have a set plot and the game never really ends unless you want it to. Your character can progress in any way you wish(warrior, mage, potion maker, tailor,tamer, you name it). Now it does take a bit of time to advance but that seems realistic to me. So don't get frustated and keep playing any you'll find that you then appreciate your charater more. I enjoy playing it and the only problem I can see with it is that it cn be kinda addictive... ;>)

This game is awsome.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 1
Date: April 22, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I got this game a while ago i do have to admit i did like the old UO stuff (but that was mainly cause it was a bit easyer to gain skill crfaters were much more needed and i knew a few um cheats but most of them have been made were u cant do them now) but its still a fun game its like other mmos but this one feals more free u can do just about anything u want fight in PvP build a house be a crafter, tame beasts, use magic or just plain fight and they have more stuff added now like chivlery and nijustu the charter build part isnt the best ive seen but still its very nice compared to others. also the skill sytem is a bit difrent than others u have 700 skill points to use wich is basicly 7 skills 100 points is called grandmaster and thats the highest untill u use a stat power scroll (which could rase it to 120 and it isnt very easy to do) but still u have to pick skills that build off each other (like if u wanted sowrdsmanship u would have to have tactics anatomy healing and resist spells to and then you would have 2 extra skill slots (id do like parry and then maybe a craft like tinkring but thats just me) and many more skills in it over all this game has many fun fetures also many lands (trammel, felucia, tonko islands, malas, and ishlenar (i think thats how u spell it) and alot of cool stuff in it like a tammer can some times find and train a "super chicken" which is a pretty strong chicken ( but i dont think it can take a dragon) and like if u click a cow enough times u can "tip" it which makes it fall down but it gets back up like 2 seconds later. and Uo has many dungons and things to help new players, i just have one word of advice for young players dont waste your "young" time (it makes hostile monsters not attack u on sight if u die youll be telaported back to a wandering healer to be rezed and stuff) like i did. All in all this game is a very fun game and it dosnet take the newst computer to play (but a good one helps.) so if your looking for a fun MMO that lets u play a little more freely then get UO.

Been playing for 8 years . . .

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: January 09, 2007
Author: Amazon User

. . . and still love it!

Great role playing game.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: January 18, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I have been playing Ultima for almost 7 years now. What I like about this, is there are so many different ways you can play the game. You can either grab a sword and go fight demons or dragons, have one on one duels with other characters or go out and tame yourself a dragon for a pet. Or if you would rather take a boat out for a little fishing, go out and mine for metal to build your own weapons and armor or even just go out and explore the many lands just to see whats out there.

Still good...

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 4 / 5
Date: January 12, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I agree with the first reviewer, this is still a good game! he covered pretty much all the topics, I just want to add my own two cents.

I'm going to start with the things I don't like about it. The houses/stores. They are everywhere. You go out into the wilderness, and bam!-you're in the middle of suburbia. It's not like there are people hanging out their either, just a bunch of player owned NPCs who sell stuff. Often, they don't even have anything, just a bunch of advertisments. Another thing I don't like is the Lag, or latencey, or whatever. My internet connection is fast enough, but I still get lagged, and bad. I don't think there is an appropriate server for my area. The lag has been so bad, I want to try other games now. There is only so many times you want to die because the world around you is still moving, but you aren't.

Good things. The people in the game are great. All the "well-to-do" players are all about helping out the new player. I have made several friends and have had much help, and that is the reason I still have the game. It's fun and challenging. I strongly reccomend it.

One last note, the EA technical support is not up to my expectations for something you pay a monthly fee for. If I have a question, I expect it answered for $12.95 a month!

If you get this game (and don't live in the middle of nowhere) you will have a good time, period.

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