Ultima™ 9: Ascension

I bought this game way back when it first came out. Before all the patches. I absolutely loved this game. The colors, the story, the action, the music. This game felt magical. The game looked fantastic especially for its time. The colors and graphics just really popped. The level of interactivity was something we wouldn't see again until the Oblivion. I think a lot of people judge this as part of a series rather than as a stand alone game. Maybe in comparison to 7 or 8 it isn't the best it could have been. But in my teen years, it the did the job perfectly of transporting me to a different world. I can still remember all the musical cues as monsters crept closer or I neared the castle. To this day, I can't understand what the haters see. I remember that every town had a distinct feel and I loved exploring new places. I wish so much that this game would be remade to fix some of the parts such as draw distance and controller support. I would definitely pay $30 for a HD version.

I know that this game, as an extension of the Ultima universe, was a huge letdown. However, for someone who was drawn to the game for its adventure and fantasy and not for its role in the Ultima universe, I'd say this game does not disappoint. Sure, it's old. Yes, it's clunky. However, it is enjoyable as a standalone adventure game for a variety of reasons. I remember seeing screenshots for this game back when I was a kid and I just couldn't wait to get my hands on it and play it. Ironically, decades later, I am just now getting around to playing it and I am having a blast. Good-natured storytelling, fun adventures, lovely landscapes and scenery, and fun gameplay. I know that this game is a pitiful example of an Ultima game based upon my research from fans' opinons, but if you're looking for a simple, classic, fantasy/role playing game this is it.

This game doesn't get much love, and I was probably one of the few who loved it from the beginning. UltimaIX was famous for its many bugs, but probably I was lucky, as it seemed I had the perfect configuration for this game at the time (one of the last 3dfx voodoo cards and a shiny new soundblaster with ambient effects). Game wise It is not comparable in terms of size to the previous Ultima VII or VI, the map it's smaller, and the cities are just a bunch of buildings. It's not so very realistic in this aspect, nevertheless, for its time, I guess it was already a great accomplishment to have such a world at your hands. That said, the game still begs for some exploration fun. I felt the plot was fitting to the ending of this series, it had a sense of decadence, and I still remember enjoying the graphics and one of the first 3d open worlds, you were basically free to roam wherever you wanted, and without charging screens! When I played Skyrim I definitely had back some of the vibes I got while playing Ultima IX, so that tells you a lot of what kind of game this was.

This game is bad.....really bad. Bugs galore and it completely ignores all previously established canon. The story has no clue what it wants, and the Avatar has seemingly forgotten even the most basic of details that he should have known (his knowledge of the land is great, indeed!). This is the game that killed Ultima underservingly. The series deserved better than this, and with hope it may come back someday. I'd give this lower than a 1 star if I could.

They kept releasing patches they claimed would fix all the problems everyone but the developers claimed to be having, and then after the 4th patch was released, they shut down their forums so no one could post any additional problems. They said judge them as they were now, not what they were before. It still sucks. You could have an enemy rush up behind you and start attacking, and before you had time to turn around to face him, you'd be dead. They were auctioning off a terrified teenage girl as a sex slave in Buccaneer's Den, and you could hire a prostitute there, and if you used a drug you'd wake up in a bed with a male pirate there instead of her, indicating you got man raped. Things like that shouldn't be in the game at all. You had one dungeon which was the most horrible time consuming massive maze imaginable, you having to run back and forth looking for different color things to get through it, and it just ridiculously tedious. Not fun at all. The lag problems won't be an issue with modern computers, so no need to bring that up. The dialog and plot are lame. Eliminating the rest of my review, so its not too long to post. I'm sure you get the point.