… Ultima VII! Using Exult, an open source Ultima VII engine for modern operating systems (because the original game used a weird memory manager that only works in MS-DOS, and in very specific MS-DOS configurations, at that.)
Since I created this blog, U7 was always supposed to be one of the “Games of my Life”; however, I haven’t played the game since I finished it, which was more than 10 years ago. The fact that I still remember a lot of the game speaks volumes about how good it is; on the other hand, I’d still like to have a “fresher” memory about it, before writing its real entry here.
I’ll tell you this, though: even though Planescape: Torment is still my no. 1 RPG of all time, Ultima VII is probably my second favorite… and in its particular genre, there’s nothing like it. Torment’s strength is its characters, story and atmosphere; U7, on the other hand, gives you a world to explore and live in, like probably no other game. And the story is brilliant, too.
Too bad they ruined it in Ultimas VIII and IX… 
Meanwhile, as I said, I’ve finally finished Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance. I think I’ll tackle Beyond Good and Evil next.
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I also recently played U7 and most of 7+5. I was actually disappointed. I found the dungeons wretchedly boring and could never get done with one soon enough. The combat was a complete joke, and the joke was on me. And unfortunately, that’s the bulk of the second half of the game.
It was also clear that the game was unfinished. A few scenes that didn’t quite work, a lot of scenes that were referred to but never presented, a number of story lines that just sort of peter out… It sure would be nice to see the fan community go beyond re-implementing the engine and actually rewrite the game! Maybe next decade.
I still have to give U6 a better play, but so far my favourite is probably still U5. Though it’s been a very long time, perhaps it’s not as good as I remember it. Funny how that happens!
I really have to disagree. U7 (and SI) are by far my favorite Ultimas, in terms of plot, story, atmosphere, characters, interacting with the world, and everything.
Yes, combat was quick and easy, and quite forgettable - I actually think it’s there just because RPGs are “expected” to have it. Much like, for instance, another of my favorite CRPGs, Planescape: Torment. It’s as if the developers themselves thought combat was just in the way of the plot, and so made it happen quick, and not give too much trouble to most players.
It’s not like I don’t enjoy a game with a great combat system, such as Natuk. But there, the combat is the main part of the game, and it’s brilliantly done.
Don’t get me wrong, they were worthwhile games (unlike a certain sequel we all know). I just found that the game mechanics had really suffered from several iterations of simplification. And, as the games progressed, they seemed to became more simplified rather than more complex! (The add-ons for each game — what was up with that, anyway? — only made this worse. Imagine, add-ons that REMOVE gameplay elements.) They both started out a lot of fun, but then really tailed off. By the time I got to the end of U7, I was fed up enough to just go home through the black gate. Sucks on you, Brittania!
But, seriously, combat was only one of many elements that was dumbed down, both to attract a wider audience (I guess) and to support the horrible mouse-only interaction. A small example: we are to believe it is an improvement over hitting the ‘H’ key to open your backpack, find your bedroll in the terrifying clutter, clear a space on the ground, drop your bedroll, use your bedroll, roll up your bedroll again, and finally put it back in your backpack. Perhaps this was one of the “interacting with the environment” features you found attractive, but I just found it a tedious bother. It appears to me like bedrolls only exist due to the limitations imposed by the interface simplifications. If it were not for the fact that it happened in the Ultima world, I probably would not have given the games the attention I did just because of the rotten interface. And even still, if it were not for the excellent Exult engine’s interface improvements, I would not have played more than an hour, I am sure.
(I *did* like the world interaction in Morrowind quite a lot, and generally I see rich interactions like in U7 to be a positive thing. I just don’t think it was implemented well at all.)
It was very pleasant and comforting to visit Britannia and Serpent Isle. But I think I would have rather just read the story in a book. When I wasn’t talking to people and doing their trivial errands, I was bored.