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I'm an old-school classic RPGer. I cut my teeth on the Bard's Tale, Might & Magic, and the Gold Box games when I was a kid.

Somehow, along the way, I managed to never play a single Ultima game.

I've been following the CRPG Addict's trek (http://crpgaddict.blogspot.com/), and enjoyed his posts on the Ultima games. However, while I'm ok dealing with the UI quirks of old games I know and love, sometimes I get fed up with the ones I'm not so familiar with.

Is it worth going in on the Ultima games? Seeing as I have a backlog of never-played RPGs that's literally in the dozens, does Ultima deserve to butt in at the front of the line?

(Cue Sartrean comments on considering the audience I've just asked for advice....)
Post edited September 11, 2011 by gammaleak
At least try out 4, which you can do for free. It's fascinating as an experiment in unorthodox gameplay and goals.
If you tried IV and liked it, I'd get the full IV-V-VI package for sure. V takes the basic premise of Avatarhood and turns it on its ear in a most intriguing way, and VI is simply one of the most immersive RPG worlds you're ever likely to see in addition to another compelling storyline that cleverly ties together elements from the earlier games. You can also see how the CRPG evolved from the early Apple II-based days (all Ultima games prior to VI were first developed on the Apple before being ported to the PC and other platforms), very clearly from game to game. Even though you're really only paying for two out of the three games, at $3 each for V and VI it's still a bargain.

The I-II-III package, as much as it hurts me to say so, probably isn't worth it, unless you really got into the series and want to see how it truly all began. While Ultima I is still pretty fun as a dungeon-crawler even today, neither it nor II has aged particularly well. II in particular is very buggy, contains gigantic areas of little to no significance whatsoever (it's possible to play and win the game without ever entering a single dungeon or tower!), and due to the way EA has packaged the game since the early '90s is virtually impossible to win without fan patches. Of the original trilogy, IMO only III is really worth playing today, and even there you'll have to deal with annoyances like ugly CGA, having to individually manage each party member's food, characters that only gain EXP when they actually deal the killing blow, and some decidedly primitive game mechanics. (And don't even get me started about how you have to increase your stats...) Get past all that, however, and III still features some rewarding gameplay and a true sense of accomplishment when you reach an in-game milestone such as a level-up or finally hacking your way through a particularly difficult set of enemies.

In short, definitely try the freebie IV to see if Ultima's your cup of tea. If it is, get the second trilogy. Only get the first trilogy if you decided you liked IV-V-VI enough to want less elaborate games along similar lines, or if you're a completist/historian.

Mind you, this is all just my own opinion, and I'm an Ultima fan from way back. YMMV, of course.
Post edited September 12, 2011 by TheKid965
I would go with the second trilogy (4-6), i'm new to Ultima too and i've bought both pack. Ultima 1-3 are a bit too dated in my opinion and they are harder to get into. I also recommend the Ultima patcher http://www.pix.oneuk.com/UltimaPatcher.rar to upgrade the graphics a bit and play with the music. It's definitly worth it, they are awesome games and i'm really looking forward to play the last trilogy.
From my own history, Ultima III is a worthwhile purchase, especially if you like wild self-imposed challenges, party experimentation, and war games. It's the most replayable of any of the Ultimae. That being said - IV, V, and VI are way better games, and despite my nostalgic attachment to Ultima IV (and its significance in gaming and RPG history, despite its relatively small modern base of players) I'd have to say that Ultima V was Lord British's crowning achievement. The game is finely balanced - to the razor's edge - and covers matters of philosophy and the evils of fanaticism (still relevant!), while still providing puzzle solving, dungeon crawling, and epic adventuring. The threat level is near oppressive in some parts of the game (the Underworld, the Dungeon Doom, Stonegate Keep, Castle Blackthorn) and it keeps you looking over your shoulder.
These are none of them games for the Final Fantasy set, mind. They leave you largely directionless - not that there's no advice available in-game, but that the game will not hand it to you on a silver platter. You will experience moments where you don't know what to do next, and the answer is always "do something." Go exploring, find someone new, and solve their problems. Eventually (especially in U4) it all ties together. In any event, the second trilogy is far superior to the first in terms of game and world construction, and for my money has yet to be truly equalled (although the Exile/Avernum series from Spiderweb Software is pretty darned close).
Thanks everyone for the suggestions! I'll give U4 a try and see how it goes. I'm a neurotic completionist, so if I like it, I'll probably start from Ultima I.

Don't worry, I'm not crazy enough to try Akalabeth first. ;^)
If you're a completionist, Ultima IV will be good for you - there's a grand total of one (1) sidequest. Everything else is basically mandatory, although many of the more open of puzzles (finding certain objects, attaining certain character values) can be done in a variety of ways, or at least have a number of different paths leading up to a conclusion.
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organmike: If you're a completionist, Ultima IV will be good for you - there's a grand total of one (1) sidequest. Everything else is basically mandatory, although many of the more open of puzzles (finding certain objects, attaining certain character values) can be done in a variety of ways, or at least have a number of different paths leading up to a conclusion.
There's a sidequest?! Which is the sidequest?
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gammaleak: Thanks everyone for the suggestions! I'll give U4 a try and see how it goes. I'm a neurotic completionist, so if I like it, I'll probably start from Ultima I.

Don't worry, I'm not crazy enough to try Akalabeth first. ;^)
I have the same problem you have, I can't stand the thought of starting a series from the second game (let alone fourth game!).

That said, the Ultima games are very different apart, both in story, world, approach of the main character, objectives, and of course, technology (graphics, sound and gameplay). So if it makes some difference for you to play the most accessible installments in the series, I'd definitely discard Ultima 1-3, starting with Ultima IV (perhaps using the Xu4 remake http://xu4.sourceforge.net/ along with the graphics update patch) and, if you still don't like it, start right out with Ultima 6, which is a prelude to the best RPG ever, Ultima 7.

Here's what you'll miss from a simplistic point of view:

Akalabeth: Richard Garriott didn't even know he was going to create on of the major franchises of CRPGs, so he just made a dungeon crawler with no places to visit or people to talk to.
Ultima 1: very early Ultima history, it pretty much recreates the world, you feel the world has no history at all, very basic.
Ultima 2: it includes a plot in the real world (yeah, Earth and the Solar System) and expands the villain from Ultima 1.
Ultima 3: although expanding the history, the early Sosaria geography is completely disregarded and recreated again. People explain it saying Sosaria was composed of 4 continents and 3 of them were destroyed by a cataclysm, but the remaining continent is completely different, bringing many inconsistencies. The gameplay itself looks like Ultima 4.
Ultima 4: fans everywhere will throw bricks at me, but this is a complete reboot of the series. Both the earlier geography of Sosaria and the basics of the story are disregarded, bringing for the first time the continent of Britannia and the focus on the 8 virtues that will mark the rest of the series. This is very inconsistent with earlier games, but much better also, and more mature.
Ultima 5: expands the story and world of Ultima 4 consistently.
Ultima 6: expands the story and world consistently with revamped graphics and much more accessible gameplay!
Ultima 7: expands the story and world consistently with better graphics. Best game of its time and best RPG yet.
Ultima 8: regards earlier story but takes the game to a different world, because that's what Richard Garriott does since he was a teenager. There's no Lord British, so you know the guy was on crack.
Ultima 9: lacklustre attempt to return the story to classic Britannia, and that's about the only thing really good in this game.

So above you see why I pretty much don't bother playing the first trilogy in favor of the second. It doesn't make much of a difference for the story, and the games are much less accessible. So, yeah, as a collector and huge fan, I own all of them, but actually playing the first ones is not that sexy.
What RafaelLopez failed to mention above is that there's another game that takes place between Ultima VII and VIII, Serpent Isle. Although it's officially called Ultima VII Part 2 it really should be considered a full-fledged sequel, one that just happens to use the same engine as VII with minor enhancements. (The reasons why it wasn't "Ultima VIII" are open for debate, with explanations ranging from "The game was too large and had to be broken into two parts" to "Richard Garriott didn't want a 'new' Ultima to rehash an old engine, since every game's engine had been rewritten from the ground up.")

Serpent Isle is notable in that it represents a nearly-successful attempt to fully integrate Sosaria (the setting for the first trilogy) into Britannian history. The titular Serpent Isle turns out to be one of the three "lost" continents from Ultima I, its towns are populated by the descendants of Sosarian dissidents who fled here after Lord British united the lands under his rule, and there's even an attempt to clear up how Shamino could have gone from being a "king" in Ultima I to just another one of your companions in the later games. While this could have come off as little more than a silly retcon, it's a testament to Origin's storytelling powers that it actually makes sense in context! (There are even some clever puns based on Ultima I's bizarrely-named towns and dungeons. For instance, in the original game this continent contained a town incongruously named "Bulldozer." The corresponding location in Serpent Isle features a tavern on that spot dubbed... get this... "The Inn of the Sleeping Bull!" There's even a legend about how it got its name if you talk to the right NPC.)

While familiarity with Ultima I or III is hardly necessary to fully enjoy Serpent Isle, you'll probably gain a better appreciation of the game and its setting if you have played the original trilogy. Just thought I'd mention it.
Post edited September 14, 2011 by TheKid965
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organmike: If you're a completionist, Ultima IV will be good for you - there's a grand total of one (1) sidequest. Everything else is basically mandatory, although many of the more open of puzzles (finding certain objects, attaining certain character values) can be done in a variety of ways, or at least have a number of different paths leading up to a conclusion.
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Trevorish: There's a sidequest?! Which is the sidequest?
Finding the Mystic Arms and the Mystic Armour. It's the only thing that you're directed to do that's not necessary to beat the game. A good idea, sure (especially the Armour; I prefer Magic Axes, Bows and Wands to the Mystic Swords, but then I like reach), but not absolutely necessary.
Other than that, though, you need to do everything - although there's a nagging voice in the back of my head that says that the Skull thing wasn't necessary either, but it was A Very Good Thing To Do. I don't rightly recall; it may affect the ending if you don't do it. (I'm leaving details vague for the sake of avoiding spoilers, by the way)
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RafaelLopez: Ultima 4: fans everywhere will throw bricks at me, but this is a complete reboot of the series. Both the earlier geography of Sosaria and the basics of the story are disregarded, bringing for the first time the continent of Britannia and the focus on the 8 virtues that will mark the rest of the series. This is very inconsistent with earlier games, but much better also, and more mature.
At the risk of saying something that might fall under the header of "No True Scotsman," No True '80s CRPG fan cared enough about continuity to be overly concerned. Ultima I took place on Sosaria, Ultima II on Earth (sort of), and Ultima III on a completely different Sosaria than Ultima i.
Obsessive linking of story to make a continuous chain is a modern ill of society, an unfortunate byproduct of the internet (and, previously, of VCR; syndicated TV started it, though). We were satisfied then by a few nods to some form of continuity, if we even bothered to concern ourselves with it - since, after all, not everyone playing Ultima IV will have played the previous installments.
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RafaelLopez: Ultima 5: expands the story and world of Ultima 4 consistently.
... at which point, Origin Systems and Lord British got in and not only created a direct sequel (actually pretty rare in those days, in any game) but one wholly consistent with its precursor (equally rare now as then, incidentally) - except, of course, that whole Underworld that sprung up more or less out of nowhere, and the fact that the dungeons are all completely different now (although, admittedly, keeping them 100% consistent would have spoiled a lot of the gameplay for those who played Ultima IV! That the mantras remained - and remain - the same was enough of a roll).
Although from what I remember of those days, Origin could have raised a new island from the deep, summoned up a villain from the aether, turned a vast forest into a desert and absented the beloved lord of the realm from the entire game and we wouldn't really have minded all that much*. They knew they had a good game, and they ran with it.

The backstory to Ultima V (in the manual) also has an interesting little vignette as to how Lord British wound up in Sosaria in the first place, since he's from Earth - and is presumably an alternate-history version of Richard Garriott, the guy what made all them purty games.

* P.S. - they did all of that. And made it make sense.
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organmike: Other than that, though, you need to do everything - although there's a nagging voice in the back of my head that says that the Skull thing wasn't necessary either, but it was A Very Good Thing To Do. I don't rightly recall; it may affect the ending if you don't do it. (I'm leaving details vague for the sake of avoiding spoilers, by the way)
The Skull is a necessary item; without it you cannot open up the Abyss.
Post edited September 14, 2011 by TheKid965
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organmike: Other than that, though, you need to do everything - although there's a nagging voice in the back of my head that says that the Skull thing wasn't necessary either, but it was A Very Good Thing To Do. I don't rightly recall; it may affect the ending if you don't do it. (I'm leaving details vague for the sake of avoiding spoilers, by the way)
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TheKid965: The Skull is a necessary item; without it you cannot open up the Abyss.
Since we're on the topic: What about the balloon, glass sword, nightshade, and mandrake root. IIRC none of those items are strictly necessary and all could be called side quests.
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TheCycoONE: Since we're on the topic: What about the balloon, glass sword, nightshade, and mandrake root. IIRC none of those items are strictly necessary and all could be called side quests.
You need the Balloon to get the White Stone. I'm not sure if the other items are absolutely necessary to beat the game, but the Balloon is if nothing else.

Update: Glass Swords weren't introduced to Britannia until Ultima V.
Post edited September 14, 2011 by TheKid965