tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post4531056694457693302..comments2024-03-28T10:08:39.972-04:00Comments on The CRPG Addict: Ultima VII: The Black Gate: Summary and RatingCRPG Addicthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comBlogger244125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-52119607017978589592023-03-16T11:51:26.082-04:002023-03-16T11:51:26.082-04:00I've found both that and the opposite is true....I've found both that and the opposite is true. Games might be graphically and mechanically competent, but it's just no good. Sometimes they're simple and shallow, but really great.Zack Macomberhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18077050078436768492noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-68231310521162991552022-10-10T16:51:02.372-04:002022-10-10T16:51:02.372-04:00Contemporary German reviews of U7 can be found her...Contemporary German reviews of U7 can be found here:<br />https://www.kultboy.com/testbericht-uebersicht/325/.<br /><br />Eva Hoogh in ASM 1/92, page 6 (Rating 11/12) mentions that combining clues is more important than beating up monsters. She liked the game world, graphics, sound and interface.<br /><br />Max Magenauer, PC Joker 4/92, page 51 (94%) reviewed it together with UU (92%) and liked much of the same as his ASM peer, even though he missed the character creation options of earlier Ultimas.<br /><br />Power Play 7/92 (84%) had two reviewers. Michael Hengst thought that in spite of improvements the same world as in the prededessors would make it hard(er) to enjoy for newcomers with its level of detail, in-jokes and references and stated he prefers UU. He also makes a side comment that LB isn't the same anymore, not being bothered by the Fellowship. Volker Weitz, on the other hand, enjoyed the immersion in the game world, graphics and sound/music and considered the issues of the new interface and inventory are quickly to master. Both also mention the high system requirements.<br /><br />Oliver Menne, Play Time 7/92, page 48 (74%) didn't play very far. He liked the game world, graphics, music and interface as well. However, he found combat chaotic and complained about the performance issues on anything but state of the art equipment.Buscanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-31873877286957186532022-10-10T14:23:59.673-04:002022-10-10T14:23:59.673-04:00"Her [Scorpia's] review cuts off on Page ..."Her [Scorpia's] review cuts off on Page 108 of the issue and, as far as I can tell, never resumes."<br /><br />The missing end of Scorpia's review was included in the following (September 1992) CGW, page 85. After finishing the sentence, it's (only) the two paragraph conclusion that follows:<br /><br />"Overall, Ultima VII is one of those games that give me very mixed feelings. On the one hand, the graphics, sound, and realism of the world is excellent. No other Ultima has made Britannia come alive as a real place the way this one does. The story, although sometimes obscured by side plots, is engrossing. The new mouse interface (when combined with those hot keys) simplifies much of the interaction in the game.<br /><br />On the other hand, not enough thought went into some of the technical design. The vanishing keys, poor combat AI, lack of solo mode, relative worthlessness of many spells, and some other problems of lesser note, along with the bugs and slow speed, detract greatly from the enjoyment of the game. Getting through this Ultima will require a certain amount of patience and forebearance."Buscanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-33755323575300564512021-07-14T20:49:16.174-04:002021-07-14T20:49:16.174-04:00A possible counterexample to this that no one give...A possible counterexample to this that no one give in the comments right now:<br />"One curious thing I've noted about the Ultima series over the years is that despite its inarguable quality, it's hard to find games that seem directly inspired by it."<br />I heard that Gothic has been called "what Ultima IX should have been" (I think) mostly because Ultima IX and Gothic are fantasy and in 3D, but Gothic is well done.<br />Furthermore Piranha Bytes said that they were inspired by the Ultima saga for the creation of some monster design (you can read this here: https://gothic.fandom.com/wiki/Gothic_1#Trivia ), but I think non only in this aspect.<br />Now, I don't really know more than very little about the Ultima saga, so i cannot really assert that the Gothic saga has inherited the "soul" of Ultima (even if it is obvious that there are SOOOO many differences between the two products), this can be said from someone that knows well both sagas, but I still think that this is an interesting food for thought that deserves to be considered.<br />I like to think that the Ultima saga has influenced the development of western CRPG of the last couple of decades firstly through the Gothic saga (mainly the first two), and secondly the Witcher saga because the developers of the latter said that they were much inspired by the Gothic saga.Giulionoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-34082696313766968992021-01-05T05:00:24.962-05:002021-01-05T05:00:24.962-05:00Replying on an old post, but couldn't help it....Replying on an old post, but couldn't help it.<br /><br />I only played D:OS2 and it was one of the best RPG experiences of my life. I don't recall noticing any particular homophobic/sexist/etc issues, and I'm generally fairly sensitive on such things, though it's possible they blended into the primitive unjust world the game takes place in. There's some humor and silliness here and there but it was nowhere near such a level that it would have impacted my immersion.<br /><br />I love the combat system. In an ideal world, I prefer turn-based WEGO, but for whatever reason the world's developers never use that approach. But outside of that, the combat here is about as good as it gets.<br />It's challenging and tactical and there are always many many different ways to take advantage of the plethora of options. Battles that seem utterly impossible at first require to rethink your strategies and be creative. It's the total opposite of the all-too-common approaches of "just bring enough healing potions" and/or "just grind until you're strong enough" and/or "you need to find magic item X to defeat it". For example there are no random encounters (i think) - there's no way to just cheesily grind up into an overpowered beast and it's not resorting to ridiculous level-scaling to achieve that balance.<br /><br />It has a pretty good balance between telling a good story (which almost always means sacrificing nonlinearity) and giving you role-playing choices.<br /><br />And co-op (split-screen) multiplayer was just a mind-blowing amount of fun. I played the whole game with my kid, arguing/planning/debating all our choices and this just made the whole thing SO much more of a "role-playing" experience than any computer rpg before it. This feature really is what made this game transcend from a great RPG to something that puts in my top 3 gaming experiences ever.<br /><br />(And then there's a whole DM mode that I haven't tried.)<br /><br />If I have to think of anything negative to say, it would be that I'm not a fan of the massively epic youre-the-chosen-one save-the-world plotlines. I just don't find it as immersive as something more down to earth and personal. urgruenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-72223950226812636182020-12-30T17:33:56.695-05:002020-12-30T17:33:56.695-05:00The entire Divinity series is heavily inspired by ...The entire Divinity series is heavily inspired by Ultima 7. Swen Vinke himself has said as much. The similarities to Diablo, and later on every other modern 3rd person rpg with Div2, came about because thats what their publishers wanted because thats what sold at the time. The modern Divinity Original Sin games are a result of them doing their own thing instead of whatever is popular, and its paid off. It got them the license for BG3 which no other studio has been able to do, and not for lack of trying.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-54998416617177992272020-12-09T15:04:46.670-05:002020-12-09T15:04:46.670-05:00Back in the day lining up a game release date with...Back in the day lining up a game release date with expectations of what would be "reasonable" hardware for our customers to have then was very difficult. My company had relationships with hardware suppliers that helped us make decent predictions, but since we ultimately couldn't control what was being done by other companies nor could we perfectly predict buying patterns for what were - at the time - very large purchases we often missed the mark a bit. Folks need to remember that for the 80s and a good chunk of the 90s a computer was the most expensive household purchase beyond a house and car(s).King Tutnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-83308076248417583872020-11-21T17:59:56.834-05:002020-11-21T17:59:56.834-05:00The Gimlet is actually a pretty great system, beca...The Gimlet is actually a pretty great system, because it is so clearly representative of the things Chet values most. Critiquing things is always going to be a subjective iffy process, and his system really lays out specific criteria, which gives us a transparent picture of how his feelings measure against our own. Your version of the system might account for "unquantifiable artistry," but it seems to me that Chet values the mechanical ingenuity and clarity of a game like U5, over a game like U7, which probably depends most on atmosphere and exploration for its quality. It's an accurate representation of what he enjoys most. More critics should use a system like this... I've been deeply confused in the past by critics who can't quite articulate why they like or don't like something, you always know where you stand with Chet.Joet88https://www.blogger.com/profile/06298640825880372478noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-10363436059299253192020-11-16T18:02:29.135-05:002020-11-16T18:02:29.135-05:00Likewise. And beyond D&D, I would even questio...Likewise. And beyond D&D, I would even question that combat takes up that late a part of a gems mechanics or playtime in most p&p groups. In ours, it has become simply one of many ways the characters can react to challenges emerging from the Gameworld and each other. There is nothing essential about it at all, not even mechanically in our system - you roll a die against a climb value or persuasion just as you roll a die against an opponent's fencing skill. The crucial element rather seems to be, as is rightly pointed out, cooperative storytelling, i.e. with some form of player input, a definition which I believe applies to the crpg genre as well. Incidentally, I have difficulties seeing many jrpgs as RPGs for that reason.Iseweinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16755411457833492660noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-7850684365883605362020-11-16T17:41:01.246-05:002020-11-16T17:41:01.246-05:00Street lighting existed in mediaeval Spain. Not ga...Street lighting existed in mediaeval Spain. Not gaspowered, I grant you that, but the infrastructure required for it isn't that outlandish. I can't recall whether it is ever explicitly stated in game that those are gas lamps. I suppose strongly owing to the language, I have always placed Ultima's Britannia in the Shakespearean / Jacobite age, which fits the prominence of piracy and the burgeoning civil urban society quite well.Iseweinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16755411457833492660noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-68162473979055942662020-11-16T17:17:22.736-05:002020-11-16T17:17:22.736-05:00I empathise with the low regard for mundane activi...I empathise with the low regard for mundane activities for the sake of simulationism, by feel completely to the contrary about the recurring Gameworld. For those of us who (especially as teenagers, I should add) play RPGs for the escapism more than anything else, a familiar setting which gets more and more fleshed out with every installment and consequently feels more and more like a real home to return to is pretty much the holy grail of media design, and I think an important part of the appeal of serialised media. Britannia has always remained the benchmark for me in that respect. I tend to play RPGs in bursts, so to speak, with all parts of a series or even just franchise back to back even today, to the point where I still haven't given Pillars of Eternity for example a try because I'm holding out hope for part III. I think familiarity in exploration is a great appeal of fantasy games. Discovering something new and exciting feels all the more meaningful when it is connected to previous discoveries, to the already known. In fact, I have little patience for one shots in p&p or short stories in literature either. I wonder whether other RPG enthusiasts tend to feel similarly, come to think of it.Iseweinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16755411457833492660noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-16265593559491450522020-09-06T16:15:45.051-04:002020-09-06T16:15:45.051-04:00With Morrowind and perhaps Oblivion I could see th...With Morrowind and perhaps Oblivion I could see the case, but Skyrim not so much. I love that game, but it feels much more closed-off in terms of game design. If you side with the Imperials and stumble upon a Stormcloak camp in the woods, the Stormcloak quest giver will still be immortal. It's full of heavy-handed nudges towards the "correct" way to play like that--not that Ultima VII wasn't, but as Chet demonstrated there are few consequences to ignoring them in that game.Alexhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14025511634630902101noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-6527584386045074622020-09-06T11:30:15.252-04:002020-09-06T11:30:15.252-04:00I consider the Elder Scrolls games from Bethesda t...I consider the Elder Scrolls games from Bethesda to be direct lineage from Ultima. They are what I would expect a modern 3D Ultima game to be like. The same emphasis on a wide open world with lots of interactivity and intricate systems (which frequently break).<br /><br />Heck, I'm pretty sure Arena was in fact an attempt to clone Ultima Underworld. No documented evidence, just the game feel in general.bladededgehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00492636366401457969noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-588111623955218752020-08-30T05:02:46.659-04:002020-08-30T05:02:46.659-04:00The silver seed from SI is a little bit better tha...The silver seed from SI is a little bit better than Forge of Virtue (in my opinion) as the plot is more interesting and you learn some backstory (which has no influence on the main game though) but for the rest it's the same as FoV... Discobutcherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11779788258464817270noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-22911958638179236452020-08-28T23:07:41.363-04:002020-08-28T23:07:41.363-04:00Some people evaluate with their gut and some with ...Some people evaluate with their gut and some with their brain. Frankly, VGA graphics of the mid to late 90.s are so ugly, that I want pixels back. On the other hand, I have had conversations with myself on the finite qualities of many games, both computer and board games. JJnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-18300387022213698712020-08-28T06:39:50.209-04:002020-08-28T06:39:50.209-04:00Thank you for this great review! I really much enj...Thank you for this great review! I really much enjoyed to read it! Even if I don't agree with your rating.<br /><br />Up to now, Ultima VII is the only game, I finished several times. And although I am playing video games since the early 80s, it is still the best CRPG I ever played! On my all time favorite list, it is only beaten by Ultima Online, which is - in my humble opinion - the best game ever made.<br /><br />I can't wait to see your rating for Ultima VIII and IX. Kalvasflamnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-29252588533809380512020-08-26T13:19:42.793-04:002020-08-26T13:19:42.793-04:00Thanks for your reply. I guess I would have thoug...Thanks for your reply. I guess I would have thought Richard G would have still had more hands on involvement at this point than he seems to have. I get the impression that he was deeply involved (with programming and writing) in Ultima V, but the industry was moving fast from 88 - 92 so I can also see how by this point he had to be more high level. I guess the both the business management at Origin and project management of U7 could have prevented him from being able to get too far down in the weeds by this time.<br /><br />Regardless, I still appreciate the depiction of a sovereign having some blind spots and a society with some simmering discontent but not downright rebellion or hostility to the ruler. Brings the "We Create Worlds" motto incrementally closer to reality. Kirk Ahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15908957846104715486noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-81356934910917888012020-08-24T21:12:27.678-04:002020-08-24T21:12:27.678-04:00Hmmm... thanks for your reply. I would have thoug...Hmmm... thanks for your reply. I would have thought he had more creative control and influence. I got the impression that he was heavily involved in Ultima V (to the point of writing and programming a lot of it), but the industry was moving fast in those days and by the time VII came along the project size and business aspects of running Origin may have prevented him from getting down in the weeds.<br /><br />Regardless, I still like the fact that the king has some blind spots. To me it's one more touch making the Britannia of Ultima VII seem like a real society. Kirk Ahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15908957846104715486noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-55059773638771572232020-08-20T20:38:48.566-04:002020-08-20T20:38:48.566-04:00Well, knowing that Maher likes him makes me feel b...Well, knowing that Maher likes him makes me feel better about him. Honestly, I don't have enough experience with his writing to say whether he's a good or bad writer or a good or bad reviewer. if the former, he clearly had an off day with the <i>Black Gate</i> review.CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-66984689215638426022020-08-20T04:31:56.191-04:002020-08-20T04:31:56.191-04:00The last couple of paragraphs of Scorpia's rev...The last couple of paragraphs of Scorpia's review are printed in the Letters page of the following issue, on page 85.<br /><br />Regarding Charles Ardai, I know he's a favourite of Jimmy Maher's. I do appreciate that, like Scorpia, he has actual opinions beyond breathless enthusiasm. However, I've personally been a little leery of him since issue 115 where he opines that Sam and Max Hit the Road is trying too hard. I could have accepted that if he didn't later in the same issue praise the manual of Innocent Until Caught as being "startlingly well-written" where my own impression was closer to "overblown and tiresome".<br /><br />Needless to say, this take is only glancingly relevant here and completely irrelevant anywhere else on the planet, and so I thank you for your time.Bunyiphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09568418061481970011noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-12632776029005328462020-08-19T03:21:10.263-04:002020-08-19T03:21:10.263-04:00In response to Raifield: Ultima VII was released ...In response to Raifield: Ultima VII was released in May of 1992 , not in 1991 and although it was sluggish on my 386-25 it was entirely playable. You didn't need a 486 to play it. Perhaps a 386-16 was too slow though. Blacbraunhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01798086823277087151noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-55317231099398134572020-08-18T16:31:36.581-04:002020-08-18T16:31:36.581-04:00I started playing U7 during elementary school when...I started playing U7 during elementary school when my English skills were still pretty poor, and at beginning I did not really follow conversations and the plot. Still since interface is easy to grasp and offers so varied amount of stuff to do I would spend days just toying around not progressing that much in actual story. Later after discovering debug mode from Finnish gaming magazine, since cheat code enables to pickup almost any object from the world (walls, trees...) and I could make any npc join the party, things evolved quite a bit.<br />With my best friend we would create our own lairs (shipwright at Britain was my favorite spot) and pillage anything noteworthy from the world (things such as Guardians throne, black gate) to decorate. Game engine being what it is, it was inevitable that game crashed and other issues such as stuff disappearing started to occur so periodically needed to restart the game.<br />My favorite story is when after discovering the Fellowships involvement, providing the proof and cleansing the ether, Lord British would join my party (along with Nystul) and finally take matters into his own hands for the end game bringing destruction to isle of Avatar.<br />So for me the debug mode further enabled to correct issues with original plot. I could then just role play that Lord British was affected similarly as mages and thus with clouded mind was unable to really act until I fixed that by destroying the machine disturbing magic.Seplepeltnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-70743803063125703232020-08-17T16:25:06.198-04:002020-08-17T16:25:06.198-04:00This probably why I wouldn't consider U7 top 5...This probably why I wouldn't consider U7 top 5 RPG of all time as a game, but definitely a top 5 most influential RPG of all time. Huge difference between those two and probably captures the transcendent nature what came out of U7 with designer's attempt to make a believable and real world.BoardGameNuthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03573162816708652568noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-48642236325137710332020-08-17T00:57:15.534-04:002020-08-17T00:57:15.534-04:00FFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUU is an expression of nerdrage, w...FFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUU is an expression of nerdrage, wasn’t an eff you.Tristan Gallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16769219573533545742noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-20402249693999027892020-08-16T14:35:14.032-04:002020-08-16T14:35:14.032-04:00I appreciate the note on not taking it personally....I appreciate the note on not taking it personally. I might otherwise have misinterpreted the "f*** you" in your first comment.<br /><br />There's nothing objective about any of this, whether you go by my GIMLET or your assertion that it is "easily one of the top 5 RPGs of all time." If you focus on what I said in the text of the entry instead of the summarized score, I don't think you'll find many points of disagreement. CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.com