Ultima™ Underworld 1+2

What can i say, these games are near perfect. I you like to dungeon crawl, explore, discover secrets of the underworld deeps, then this series is for you. This was also one of the first "3d" 1st person perspective games, which boasted some impressive tech for its day. The GOG release is solid, but it is unfortunate that the default sounds and music patches aren't quite right on my Win7 system. This can be corrected but may require significant research on part of the player. Nothing beats playing this game using the an original Roland MT-32/ CM64L or compatable Roland sysex sound device. These old external sound devices are ideal as they can be plugged in to modern computers through a USB/Midi cable. Then is a simple matter of telling Dosbox to use the external device as default midi port. This whole process was much easier in WinXP byt he way.

UW1 was groundbreaking when it was released. There was absolutely nothing else like it. To this day it is still the most immersive game experience I have ever had. Yes, the contols are clunky, but with a little practice they work just fine. The graphics were state of the art on release but are now quite dated. The openness and immersiveness of this game are what makes it shine. Few games since have come even close to equaling that aspect of UW. If you have not played UW before, then it will give you a view of the birth of first-person gaming.

You read that right! There has never been a game in this subgenre before or since that has been as influential, innovative, or damn good as this title the Ultima series is already very important in the history of ALL RPGs, even JRPGs, but this one is a First Person spinoff that was developed by the team that would go on to make classics such as System Shock and Deus Ex. But, everything that makes those games good is already here, in primordial form! The whole of "immersive sim" and even Arkane's whole shtick begins here. Plus, this is the game that inspired the ENTIRE Elder Scrolls series! They basically just took this games design, and decided to make a massive world out of it(which ends up being less polished and more buggy than this title's contained environments). the 3D engine is also FAR more advanced than Wolfenstein 3D(which came out AFTER), with the ability to look up and down, NPCs to talk to with dialog trees, and rudimentary physics. If you like classic PC RPGs, this one is pretty much ESSENTIAL, and doesn't require much knowledge of Ultima lore to jump into.

Ultima Underworld I & II are simply incredible. I barely managed to finish the first, and, to be honest, never quite completed the second—but that never stopped me from enjoying them both immensely. That said, I couldn't help but notice some (newer?) players complaining about the "clunky, boxed graphics" and the difficult controls… Well, of course they are like that. These games were among the very first 3D games ever made! They came out in the '90s, pioneering mechanics and systems that would later shape the entire genre. Criticizing them for their visuals or interface is like dismissing The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920) for not being "colorful enough." Context is essential to truly appreciate any work of art—and believe me, these two games are exactly that. 5/5, without question.

These games really taught me the meaning of the "Epic Quest" that so many games these days purport to offer. These are the original "Start with nothing, build yourself up" games that a lot of others owe a great debt to. Highly, highly recommended.