Ultima™ 7 The Complete Edition

This is one of my fondest memories of playing RPGs. It is a great game with an absolutely fantastic story. Besides the story, this was the first game that gave me the sensation of being in a living, breathing world. Lots of characters to get to learn and all seem to have their place and time in this world. Each town and its residents are an adventure in itself and makes the game a really interesting experience. The interface takes a bit of getting used to, but once that is done, and the initial annoyance over that is over, it slowly gains on you and a few hours into the game you really appreciate how the interface in no way interferes with your adventures in Britannia. This is the best Ultima game out there, and if you only play one Ultima game (which every RPG player should) this should be the one.

I have played a lot of games in my time, and the experience I had playing this game is unmatched to this day. I would argue that Origin's old mantra of "We Create Worlds" is most true with this game, more than any other. Many games do a great job creating their environment so you can play in them, but this is the only game I felt like I've ever really lived in. Many today might play this game using some kind of walkthrough, which could take away from the exploration and discovery. Likewise, the nature of the game's open-endenness could be frustrating. Depending on your nature, some kind of middle ground might be best. Also, remember, this came out in 1992. The most advanced games of that year being sonic 2, the first mario kart, and wolfenstein 3d. (Aside, the minimum system requirements on GOG are almost laughable.)

I hesitated to review these games because they melted my face off, and it's difficult to type without a face. Now, 22 years later, with face replacement technology finally possible, I can offer my take on this role-playing game masterpiece for the ages. Ultima 7 is the greatest role-playing game of all time. I just replayed it last week and it was just as fun as it was in 1992. In fact, it possesses features that many games today, for whatever reason, do not have. You can cut wheat, grind it into flour, add water from a well, make dough, place the dough on an oven, turn it into bread, and then eat the bread. You can drink booze until you puke, and then your companions might puke at the site of your puke and you just started a barforama. You can take bales of wool, turn it into thread on a loom. You can find gems, gold bars, and gold nuggets and trade them for gold coins. In Serpent Isle you can even trade gold jewelry for currency. The entire world is riddled with dungeons and caves, and it is one massive cell. Every building, and dungeon is seamlessly integrated into the map. There are no loading screens. There are Easter eggs, hidden 'cheat rooms' and tons of superfluous content for the intrepid adventurer to uncover. The story is great, the characters unforgettable and the writing 100% pro. You are not an RPG enthusiast unless you get this game and discover its wonders for yourself. The End.

I joined GOG.com for two reasons: Master of Orion 2 and Ultima 7. I'm not going to leave a long-winded review of this game. What it means to me is very nostalgic and sappy. It is my favorite game of all time, though. If you are a 30-something who grew up in this era, you will undoubtedly appreciate this game. If you are younger and you've never played it, this is as close to a perfect game as you will find. The story is fun and engaging, there is more to do than there was in any other game of the time, and it has a wry sense of humor that holds up well over the decades. I cannot encourage anyone enough to try this game if you haven't. If you HAVE played it, you're only glancing at this wile you wait for it to download because you impulse purchased it because of how great it is. Either way, enjoy!

Not sure what to say that others haven't already. I remember first getting it and being put off by the isometric view. If you are too, just wait. It will grow on you. Eventually you won't care. Finding and having your former adventuring friends join you feels awesome, even if you didn't play the previous games (I hadn't). There is good banter between them. There is a fair bit to read, and the text font can be annoying at times, but such a cool game if you like simply exploring. At one point I decided to explore systematically, and found so many random characters, monsters and hidden treasures (including the flying carpet!). The main story is also quite engrossing. I hope people don't pass over this gem simply because of game quirks. This is among the top two or three games I have ever played in about 25 years of gaming.