One of the greatest classic rpg's ever made. complete interactivity, great plot, overall a unique gameplay.
User Rating: 9.3 | Ultima VII: The Black Gate PC
This game is a personal favorite for me. I played it when it first came out, later lost the disk, and recently bought the Ultima Collection because I liked it so much and wanted to play the entire series. I would like to mention that I am reviewing the exult version of the game, which adds a few improvements, like better AI (very much necessary). Now the way exult works is you install ultima 7, then install exult, a free program that you run instead of ultima. Ultima 7 is a DOS program so in Windows XP you can't play ultima without exult or something like it. you can download exult at exult.sourceforge.net On to the ratings Gameplay 8/10: Very unique, yet very good gameplay. I haven't seen a game like it really except its sequel. You control a party like many rpgs, but only have control over the main character (the Avatar). You can force your party members to drink potions, use bandages, or so forth, but during during combat they act independently of you. The AI is drastically better in exult, yet even in the original game it didn't ruin the experience. There are a couple of reasons why I gave it an 8. The main one is the dialog. While new options are there if certain criteria or previous conversations merit it, old dialog options are there, and too often you end up having the same conversation because you can't solve a certain quest and have to keep trying different dialog questions to determine what you need to do. Thats the main thing that makes this game so difficult. Graphics 9/10: The graphics are ancient compared to the realism of today's games, but then again those capabilities weren't around in 1992 in the mainstream. Also this game doesn't need the graphics of today's games, in fact I think that if the graphics were as good as today's games, it wouldn't be as good, because the graphics fit the game. The graphics do what they need to in this game. Sound 10/10: This game's sound are great, albeit simplistic, but again remember the technology of 1992. My opinion on the sound is similar to the graphics, they are meant for the game and I wouldn't want to change it. Value 10/10: This game is cheap now. You can get it in the Ultima Collection for a good value. It was a good value when it was out if my memory serves me. Tilt 10/10: I think every gamer who is a fan of RPG's should play this game. It is a perfect example of how a good plot and gameplay alone can make a game great and an instant classic, despite simplistic graphics and sound.
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