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RPGDot Game Rating Machine |
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Ultima 9 - Ascension
has been rated 69 times so far, average score: 6.49/10 points |
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Comments
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Jay
has rated 1/10 points
(Click here to see more Reviews from Jay) |
The retail version was so bad it was virtually unplayable. I heard they eventually got it patched to playability, but I wasn't wasting any more time. Took perverse pleasure in breaking the CD into flinders. |
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garrett
has rated 8/10 points
(Click here to see more Reviews from garrett) |
A pity, it did not offer stats and a more sophisticated RPG systen and a better story and... |
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Nietchse
has rated 1/10 points
(Click here to see more Reviews from Nietchse) |
Extremly buggy-Unpolished-It won coaster of the year award.Lord British himself would roll over in his grave if he saw what has been done to a once great RPG legacy. |
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ItBurn
has rated 7/10 points
(Click here to see more Reviews from ItBurn) |
Aside from the engine problems, this game is solid entertainment. I suggest applying all the patches. With all of them, the game is very playable, but it is still slow due to the engine. I had hours and hours of fun playing this game, mainly due to exploration. You have this relatively big world and there is caves, secrets and stuff to find everywhere! I spent entire nights just exploring, and it was a blast. The story is nothing spectacular, the character development either, but still, this game is Ok in what it dosen't do very well. If only it wasn't so buggy or slow at first, people might have given it a chance. |
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Sheltem
has rated 2/10 points
(Click here to see more Reviews from Sheltem) |
This game could hold on it's own if it was anything but an Ultima title. Anyone who enjoyed the previous games and is looking for more of the same will be dissapointed. This isn't an Ultima game its Tomb Raider does Britannia. |
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DarkFencer
has rated 8/10 points
(Click here to see more Reviews from DarkFencer) |
This game, especially a couple years after release deserves a second look. Now that the bugs have been fixed, and people (in general) have faster machines capable of smoothly running the game, it is really a great game.
The story is a worthy end to the Ultima saga, that started over 20 years ago with Ultima I. Even a couple years after release, you can admire the graphical and aural qualities of the game, which would stand even with and better then many recent games.
Find the game in a bargin bin somewhere and give it another chance. It might not be the same calibur of games like Ultima VII, or Ultima IV, it is well worth your time.
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Tarq
has rated 1/10 points
(Click here to see more Reviews from Tarq) |
Wasn't completed on release nor after. |
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Brassi
has rated 6/10 points
(Click here to see more Reviews from Brassi) |
Not really an RPG. It is an adventure game like zelda. |
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IonHunter
has rated 8/10 points
(Click here to see more Reviews from IonHunter) |
I still weep for this one. Oh how it could of been so GREAT! But, it flopped, like a huge flap-jack. I play it from time to time still. I hope one day someone will get the rights to remake this one the way it should of been done. I liked the 3D view, the graphics where not half bad for its time, but the story, the glitchs, the bugs, and the more bugs.... Ok, i'll stop there. :) |
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Wolfie
has rated 6/10 points
(Click here to see more Reviews from Wolfie) |
Classic example of a game that could have been one of the greatest, but got done over by the publisher in too much of a hurry to recoup their costs. COuld have been an 11/10 game, but instead can only give it a 6, and that's ignoring the poor 3d engine performance. |
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SirVincealot
has rated 7/10 points
(Click here to see more Reviews from SirVincealot) |
Still the most purely beautiful piece of software ever made, with GIANTS a close second. |
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Lucky Day Dragon
has rated 6/10 points
(Click here to see more Reviews from Lucky Day Dragon) |
The most anticipated game of 1998 - mostly because of we were looking to give redemption to the creators of Ultima Online. How can they do that to us twice? This had the shell of a potentially good game.
Although no one's lips moved everyone was unique, and the graphics could be jaw dropping sometimes - espcially moonglow. Some good puzzles and dungeoneering and music that makes you cry. |
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Jones
has rated 9/10 points
(Click here to see more Reviews from Jones) |
Ultima 9 is an ambitious attempt and if it managed to get release 6 months or even a year after its actual release date (when all the bugs got fixed and people got more powerful machine), then it would have been a masterpiece.
Still, if you are willing to give it a second chance or second look today - i.e. reinstall the game into your PC, apply the latest patch, then you will find that the game really look gorgeous (even compare to today's standard), and the gameplay is very immersive and fun too.
I think to be fair, the game really deserve a 7 or 8 rather than 1 or 2. |
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Snoekie
has rated 5/10 points
(Click here to see more Reviews from Snoekie) |
What a pity. It could have been so much more.
No character development to speak of and a ton of bugs...
A shaming end to a great series.
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lanael
has rated 7/10 points
(Click here to see more Reviews from lanael) |
Could have been the gothic of its time. IMO we can feel a clear vision of the future of (RPG) games. |
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endho
has rated 10/10 points
(Click here to see more Reviews from endho) |
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Lintra
has rated 3/10 points
(Click here to see more Reviews from Lintra) |
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Maggot
has rated 4/10 points
(Click here to see more Reviews from Maggot) |
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Jason F
has rated 5/10 points
(Click here to see more Reviews from Jason F) |
Storyline, characters, interactivity, spells (nearly everything in fact) were WAY below ultima standards, but the graphics looked good. U5 to U7.2 kicked its ass. |
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Azira
has rated 7/10 points
(Click here to see more Reviews from Azira) |
The last game in the Ultima series. This game was to wrap up the entire storyline.
The result was poor.
But I'll still give it a '7', because I was entertained for a while. A sad finish to a great series though. |
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Banshee
has rated 10/10 points
(Click here to see more Reviews from Banshee) |
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Kalivyrn
has rated 4/10 points
(Click here to see more Reviews from Kalivyrn) |
This game had cool graphics, especially with my Voodoo II I had because it was written for Voodoo cards and performed better with them than directx cards. Still, this didn't make up for it. Even with the patch, I found the characters and storyline to be dull and boring. The world was immense and pretty, but there just wasn't a good game there. Combat was arcade-ish and unexciting. The plot just doesn't tie in with other Ultimas (though fan patches have fixed that a bit). Basically, it just doesn't cut it as a decent RPG. |
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Parcival
has rated 9/10 points
(Click here to see more Reviews from Parcival) |
Great game, much ahead of its time.
Still better than many 3d adventure rpgs recently published.
Dont be distracted by complains about bugs, download the patch and start playing... |
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Mario
has rated 10/10 points
(Click here to see more Reviews from Mario) |
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Kelendil
has rated 10/10 points
(Click here to see more Reviews from Kelendil) |
I recently bought this title, with all the patches and the recent hardware, this game runs very fine. It's a lot of fun! |
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RiverRat
has rated 10/10 points
(Click here to see more Reviews from RiverRat) |
U9 was virtually unplayable on my computer when I first bought it. However, my computer was so out-dated at the time, that even if the game wasn't so buggy, it would have been unplayable. A year later, I bought a new computer and gave it another changce, and I was very impressed. I thought the game was awesome, maybe not the best game in the series, but still a worthy Ultima title. I just wished the launch was delayed until most of the bugs had been patched. Then people could have seen the game for what it was, and I guarantee it would have gotten rave reviews. Honestly, my only gripe with the game was the inventory system. It seemed kind of silly that a bag could only hold 12 items, but any of those items could be a bag, which could hold 12 more items, and so forth. I got to the point where finding a bag was much more exiting than finding a better weapon or armor. |
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Player
has rated 9/10 points
(Click here to see more Reviews from Player) |
Great after patch, a true RPG. Crappy magic system though. |
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gothmog
has rated 1/10 points
(Click here to see more Reviews from gothmog) |
This was the single most disapointing piece of software I have ever purchased in many years of computer gaming.That it was released at all in such shape was an insult to every Ultima fan. |
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Val
has rated 7/10 points
(Click here to see more Reviews from Val) |
Enjoyable after patching, but I don't feel that it really lives up to the Ultima name. |
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Gollum
has rated 8/10 points
(Click here to see more Reviews from Gollum) |
Its hard to rate this game, previously I would have reated it a 5, but today...
On release, I felt screwed by the bugs, the engine performance and the inconsitencies in the story and world. After all the patches (official and fan-made) however, most of the annoyances are gone and it is a quite different game. It plays better and is way more immersive. You'll be rewarded by one of the most complete 3D wolds to date and whatever it is that remained of the original concept and story (which is still of better quality than a great number of other games).
If you feel very picky about consistency with the previous Ultimas you won't enjoy it, but if you can live with a few of those its actually a very good game by now IMHO... |
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Sony666
has rated 6/10 points
(Click here to see more Reviews from Sony666) |
Wow this is a hard one...
The potential was a true unique one, story and concept are just awesome. Unfortunately, the programers screw all up :(
Story/concept/artwork: 10/10, technical realisation: 2/10 |
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Terilem Dragon
has rated 3/10 points
(Click here to see more Reviews from Terilem Dragon) |
*sighs* Ultima IX. This game was Origin's chance to redeem the series after the abysmal failure of Ultima VIII, and it probably would have done so had it followed its original release schedule of Christmas 1996. Instead, Ultima fans the world over were in for yet another disappointment, as this one made all the mistakes Ultima VIII did and then some. So, how did this game go from being a classic to being even worse than Ultima VIII? There were many factors, including countless plot re-writes and the interference of Ultima Online. The latter caused a major team overhaul which included the dropping of a select but important handful of designers, programmers and artists who had worked on the incredible Ultima VII. The game just kept getting delayed again and again until all Origin wanted to do was get it finished and out the door. When it was eventually released in November 1999, it bombed. Some liked it, but most loathed it even more than its predecessor. Ultima IX is fun for about the first ten hours or so and it does have a visually beautiful engine, but it is majorly let down by a painfully simplistic and repetitive plot, little world interactivity, and perhaps most of all its near total ignorance of the previous games in the series. Sure, the Ultimas have never been completely consistent with each other, but Ultima IX just makes some plain terrible mistakes, and a lot of them too. Both minor and major historical events are either contradicted or ignored, and the map seems to have been mixed around for the sake of falling in line with the plot progression rather than being historically accurate. All this was not at all helped by the incredibly large pile of glitches that were present at release, but even with the installation of bug-crushing patches, Ultima IX is still not an excellent game by any means. Anyone who claims the plot is even close to being on par with the previous chapters needs to play U4-7 again.
Ultima IX is probably an okay game in its own right, but as an Ultima it is an embarrassingly bad conclusion to the entire series, right up to the insultingly inappropriate ending music. If you're an Ultima fan who hasn't played this yet, quit while you're ahead and stay well away. |
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Artic Blaze Dragon
has rated 5/10 points
(Click here to see more Reviews from Artic Blaze Dragon) |
It pains me to write this Ultima was perhaps the most immersive game series ever, I've grown to know and love Britannia and then UIX came out:
a) Bugs: the game was rushed leaving it with many bugs that probably turned off newbies to ultima, altough nowadays with patches and better machines it is quite playable if still cumbersome.
b)Story: For an Ultima fan this is where things turn bad. The plot is repetitive, boring and previous Ultima lore is either ignored or thrown in the story without any care for context, dialogues are bad and NPC are poorly developed.
c) Gameplay: There is no party system wich adds to lack of an Ultima feel to the game, the inventory is horrid, there is no more the freedoom to explore the world, you can only travel by boat moongate or on foot, and forget interacting with the world like in UVI or UVII, even the RPG elements like character development are poor (although to be fair the best character development in any Ultima was that of two Underworlds), I did like the combat system and you could now run, climb, jump, and swim (BTW the Avatar runs faster sideways than forward... AARHG)
Bottom line if it wasn't an Ultima it might have been a 6, as a Ultima is a 4, so I guess it's a 5 |
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Steve
has rated 10/10 points
(Click here to see more Reviews from Steve) |
One of the best games in the greatest rpg series ever!!! |
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Hacki Dragon
has rated 3/10 points
(Click here to see more Reviews from Hacki Dragon) |
Boring, stupid plot, childish characters, linear as hell, buggy, annoying dungeon puzzles, sucky action parts, unprofessional voice acting, too much of an action adventure, too little role playing, shitload of inaccuracies concerning the Ultima storyline, shortest dialogues since U5, bad writing. Need I say more?
Not worth the name "Ultima". |
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Friedrich Hanisch
has rated 2/10 points
(Click here to see more Reviews from Friedrich Hanisch) |
For kids only. |
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Shyguy
has rated 7/10 points
(Click here to see more Reviews from Shyguy) |
Any ultima fans expecting this game to be a great ending to the ultima saga were extremely disappointed. And all game players picking this up and trying to play it before the patches were also extremely disappointed. But now that it's patched and can now run fairly smoothly on today's pc's, it's really not that bad. The graphics were gorgeous at the time (and still are) and the sound effects were good, too. The plot was quite mundane and the role playing elements, non-existant. To be frank, this is a fun little adventure game with overblown production values and not much else. |
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Wizzban3
has rated 6/10 points
(Click here to see more Reviews from Wizzban3) |
The Story got lost with that girl. Reminded me to Monkey Island in some way at the End of the Game :D. But it was fun at least exploring all the dungeons and train the character using some tricks possible with that engine :D |
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Astaroth
has rated 6/10 points
(Click here to see more Reviews from Astaroth) |
This game had great potential but unfortunately didn't live up to the expectations. It was somehow empty...dead...especially compared to the Black Gate and Serpent Isle. Overall, after installing all of the patches you get an average game with no replay value. |
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Joachim Andersson
has rated 8/10 points
(Click here to see more Reviews from Joachim Andersson) |
I'm giving this a high grade because of the game itself which I enjoyed immensly. However, if I should rate the crappy engine as well, the grade would ease toward a 4 or 5... |
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Ronaldo
has rated 9/10 points
(Click here to see more Reviews from Ronaldo) |
A really enjoyed this, even though it was buggy and had only a few RPG elements. Farewell Avatar, we will miss you |
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hieronymus
has rated 7/10 points
(Click here to see more Reviews from hieronymus) |
The eye candy took a big step forward, but the immersiveness of the world took a big step back from the U7 days. No party, NPCs stand in one place day & night, the plot drags you along by the nose, pretty lame voice acting, etc.
Despite all of that, I felt compelled to play through the entire game out of nostalgia for the previous Ultimas... unfortunately a major gamestopper bug occurred near the end and I had to put it away unfinished. |
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hone
has rated 8/10 points
(Click here to see more Reviews from hone) |
Huge 3D world, great graphics but also gameplay issues like dull NPCs, weak enemies, annoying dungeons and lame ending. Towards the end repetitive |
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alucard
has rated 8/10 points
(Click here to see more Reviews from alucard) |
A dissapointment, sure. But it is still ultima, and the last one in that. Still feels nice to walk around Britannia, though it is sad to see such a mediocre ending in such a great serie. |
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Frank
has rated 10/10 points
(Click here to see more Reviews from Frank) |
A great game, but maybe too much ahead of its time. Try it (again) someday.Great graphics, nice story, good interface. Most beatifull music. Unfortunatly unplayable if you didnt have the patch installed (ahead of its time with that one...) and not what some die hard core ultima fans expected of it. Dont let this bother you. Ultima IX is great. |
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Theron
has rated 4/10 points
(Click here to see more Reviews from Theron) |
Well, what can I say? I bet anyone giving it more than 6 (the graphics are undoubtedly ok) has never played (AND loved) "The Black Gate" (and I'm not talking about tech issues, I wouldn't even have noticed them if the game had been worthy of his name) and the other Ultimas. Let's be straight: after playing Ascension I miss Ultima 8, which in comparison to this one is a shining example of an Ultima. |
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Enoille Calpale
has rated 7/10 points
(Click here to see more Reviews from Enoille Calpale) |
This game was released buggy and basically unfinished. Lord British was being pushed out of Origin by EA so that EA could make Origin focus solely on Ultima Online. He obviously had staff/time/money chopped.
On the good side, patching it up to the latest version removes copy protection and greatly improves it. Another superb improvement is the Ultima Fan Patch (dialogue replacement) that incredibly improves the game merely by changing the text. LB should have hired these guys for his dialogue. Really, it is like a whole new game. Good luck finding the patch, though.
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Pinny
has rated 4/10 points
(Click here to see more Reviews from Pinny) |
Highly buggy unless patched even then it still has more than a few errors.
I love the ultima games but U9 game was a huge disappointment. |
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Jesse
has rated 7/10 points
(Click here to see more Reviews from Jesse) |
No it didn't live up to the Ultima name and usual production value but with the patched version I still had a lot of fun. Like someone mentioned before, it would of been a good stand alone title but tack on the Ultima title and it just doesn't own up. |
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Smaj
has rated 8/10 points
(Click here to see more Reviews from Smaj) |
I have forgiven this game recently. It's a exceptionally beautiful game, the world is probably the same size as U7, it just looks smaller cos of the 3D viewpoint, the dialogue is much improved with the fan made dialogue patch, the cutscenes are awesome, a relatively simple interface and a plot which, well not something that would win the booker remains quintessential 'ultima'. It remains a roleplaying game rather than an 'action adventure' by the simple fact that game as a whole, rather than just questing or combat ad infinitum, is concerned with improving the character of the avatar until he is powerful enough to defeat the Guardian. In all this is still an ultima game, still a good game, but not one the reached the dizzy heights of U6, U7, Serpent Isle or Savage Empire. There is beauty in its simplicity. |
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Alfar
has rated 9/10 points
(Click here to see more Reviews from Alfar) |
Definitely an underrated title. After the patches is installed this game delivers a great atmosphere, and hours of fun gaming. The only things I can complain about is that Ultima IX got a little bit tedious sometimes, and that the fights were to easy for the more experienced rpg player, which I consider myself as, however it didn't spoil my summarized view on the game. Ultima IX is a great adventure that deserves to be played! |
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Mattias Kreku
has rated 9/10 points
(Click here to see more Reviews from Mattias Kreku) |
Ultima IX Ascension is a great game if you try to forget that it's named Ultima. With todays computers and an hour of tweaking (and applying the final patch, 1.19f) the game looks even better than many new titles of today! It has a huge world, all NPC's speak (not only text), lots of quests and secrets and an ok story. When it came out, it was way ahead of its time (noone could play the damn thing, it was so slow), but now it's a solid rpg experience. Highly recommended by me! |
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Arcana Dragon
has rated 3/10 points
(Click here to see more Reviews from Arcana Dragon) |
This has very little to do with Ultima.
Extremely buggy, a memory-hog, bad voice acting and boring gameplay.
It might be enjoyable for people who never played any of the old Ultimas. |
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SDK_Wanter
has rated 1/10 points
(Click here to see more Reviews from SDK_Wanter) |
Buggy, worst story ever written in a game, laughable and stupid AI, hideous combat system and a massive insult to the Ultima series. It's about as much a true Ultima as a turd is. |
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name
has rated 9/10 points
(Click here to see more Reviews from name) |
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Mea
has rated 3/10 points
(Click here to see more Reviews from Mea) |
The most buggy game I have ever played. No music, average graphics, awful voice-acting. Had to cheat to make playable, and still not impressed. |
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ALICE
has rated 10/10 points
(Click here to see more Reviews from ALICE) |
Maybe it was just the time in my life that was great, but I remember Ultima 9 being fantastic. The music and atmosphere was haunting. Gothic 2 is the realization of what Origin was trying to do, but at the time it was wonderful. |
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Poul Py
has rated 3/10 points
(Click here to see more Reviews from Poul Py) |
Forget it...
This game is boring.
U6 was good.
U7 was slow but better.
U8 was crap
U9 was a sad end to the story.
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SiL
has rated 9/10 points
(Click here to see more Reviews from SiL) |
World, atmosphere, story, graphics, music, sounds,... all is great. A little buggy (even with unofficial patch 1.19f), but Great! |
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Few
has rated 10/10 points
(Click here to see more Reviews from Few) |
Real 3D CRPG! |
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Frodolf
has rated 9/10 points
(Click here to see more Reviews from Frodolf) |
Its got its problems but it was still a great gaming experience back in '99. |
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zpt
has rated 10/10 points
(Click here to see more Reviews from zpt) |
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n4tune8
has rated 8/10 points
(Click here to see more Reviews from n4tune8) |
Although buggy, this game was like a Morrowind ancestor. You could go almost anywhere in the world, pick up all kinds of spell components, etc. Nice story (predictable but entertaining), lots of various locales to explore, virtues to uphold, treasures to discover... I don't understand why it got such a low rating. |
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avatar
has rated 10/10 points
(Click here to see more Reviews from avatar) |
great... |
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ylem
has rated 9/10 points
(Click here to see more Reviews from ylem) |
now it's year 2005, i got this game (and patches) and found it very very .. What a nice design! |
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Loz
has rated 3/10 points
(Click here to see more Reviews from Loz) |
I think I may be too generous with 3 points to this one. The graphics were good, and the swimming was nice, but that's about it for the good.
I didn't mind the bugs, even having to patch it, and then unpatch it to defeat the demon triumvirate wasn't a big deal to me. What I did hate was how the story line just ignored all the previous games in the Ultima series. The biggest annoyance for me was how the in U7 the Guardian was touted a conquerer of worlds and a member of a race of his kind by the wisps. Now sure they might have been wrong, but since they specialized in gaining knowledge I have trouble believing they were. My conclusion was that the evil twin story-line was written by someone who was totally ignorant of the past three ultimas. No attempt was made to tie it in with previous ultimas. At best they were ignored, and in many cases they were contradicted (e.g. the false prophet story-line was well and truly finished off in Ultima VI, only to be resurrected and abused in U9).
The moronic dialogue you were forced to say was annoying. The characters were bland and stupid. Your old friends from previous Ultimas acted like they had amnesia and had lost all their personalities. The 'love story' with Raven was contrived and superfluous.
The actual plot was just the same thing 8 times over: go to column, defeat naughty person, learn mantra you should already know, repeat 7 times.
The freedom of travel I'd come to expect from an Ultima game simply wasn't there. If you really think about it, you're more or less led from one place to another by the nose. If you want to, say, go to Yew right at the start, you can't (without exploiting the ability to get over the mountains). You have to get up to the point in the plot where LB lets you go there.
All in all this was a terrible diappointment and its only redemption was that in hindsight made me realise how bad Ultima 8 could have been. |
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Zalan
has rated 2/10 points
(Click here to see more Reviews from Zalan) |
Sent the Ultima series out with a whimper... |
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Ygern
has rated 7/10 points
(Click here to see more Reviews from Ygern) |
Once it is patched this game is huge fun. As a stand-alone adventure it is beautiful to look at and has an absorbing plot. The gameplay is a little repetitive, but most complaints levelled at it are from those who were expecting a 3D version of Ultima 7. It isn't U7, but then, what is... |
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Viger
has rated 7/10 points
(Click here to see more Reviews from Viger) |
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