Ultima™ 1+2+3

I would advise buying these games only out of nostalgia or for collectors. Though real classics, the first three Ultima games did not age well. Very little character development and little to no story makes actually playing these games tedious. Better start with Ultima 4, the first in the series with a real storyline, exploring the virtues and where you become the avatar.

I'm a big fan of Ultima and have been waiting for the release of the main series since the announcement of the GOG's deal with EA. Imagine, then, my excitement when GOG released the first three games in the Ultima series. The first game in the series, Ultima I: The First Age of Darkness, is a fantastic game. Graphics aren't an issue, as this package includes the VGA update, and as such, the game manages to look relatively good. Gameplay consists of traveling the world, exploring dungeons and performing quests for various monarchs throughout the land of Sosaria. It's basic, but it manages to stay fun throughout, while throwing in a few surprises (a space segment comes to mind). The gameplay is basic, but that doesn't particularly shine through, and I hardly noticed while playing. I cannot say the same, unfortunately, about Ultima II. By today's standards, the graphics in Ultima II are downright archaic; only 4 colors are used, which eventually tends to grate on the eyes. This is not a fatal weakness and the game is still playable; however, many may want to download the graphical update patch developed by fans. Ultima II is certainly a step down from the first game. The game makes little sense (I still don't know why it takes place on Earth and why Lord British is hiding out in 1990s England), the world feels smaller than that of Ultima I, and there is far less variety. In fact, the questing system of the original is all but eliminated from Ultima II. Instead, the player travels through different time periods of Earth's history in an attempt to track down certain items and level up your character, as well as acquire new equipment. The items necessary to defeat Minax are not adequately hinted at in the game or the manual, meaning goals are often cryptic. I often found myself wandering with no idea what to do. In addition, EVERYTHING in this game requires gold, whether it be HP, attribute increases, items necessary for winning the game, or equipment. As such, one needs a lot of gold; acquiring gold involves killing ridiculous amounts of monsters. There is little gold and few monsters in dungeons, removing the incentive to enter them. Killing monsters generally yields anywhere from 1 to 17 gold (it is completely random), and acquiring gold literally takes up about 90% of the game. Acquiring the necessary amount of gold requires hours of ceaseless grinding. In fact, Ultima II is essentially a non-stop grindfest of frustrating proportions, and while Ultima I overcomes its basic gameplay to provide a fun experience, the EXTREMELY repetitive nature of Ultima II highlights it. Ultima III on the other hand, sees Ultima maturing towards the form it would take with Ultima IV. Generally considered to be the first true CRPG, Ultima III no longer sees you traveling alone; you can form a party of up to 4 characters to take with you on adventures. While the graphics still grate on teh eyes, the game looks considerably better than Ultima II. The locale is moved back to Sosaria under the rule of Lord British, providing a nice contrast to the silliness of the locales of Ultima II. Combat is much improved; due to the party system, initiating combat brings up a small map upon which you can maneuver your party members in an attack against the enemy. The system has considerably more depth than that of the previous two games, which consisted of trading blows with enemies. Dungeons look nicer and feel like dungeons, with solid walls rather than simple outlines. There are a few issues with the game (why is it so difficult to acquire torches, for example) but overall, Ultima III is a huge step forward for the series and the RPG genre as a whole, and would pave the way for future games. So, while Ultima I-III are dated games, this package is certainly worth your time (although feel free to give II a miss). The package provides a good picture of the early days of CRPGs, and the evolution of the series as a whole mirrors the evolution of the RPG. For some, it will be best to start at VI or VII (which are far less dated and far superior games, especially VII, which is one of the greatest games of all time), but to those who want to experience a piece of history, and to those who can handle some dated graphics and gameplay, pick these games up.

These are true classics. Every Ultima broke new ground in computer gaming, and the first three are no exceptions. However, even for dated games, these PC versions were primitive compared other platforms when they came out. Ultima 2's 4-color cyan and magenta are particularly hard to look at compared to alternatives. http://www.mobygames.com/game/ultima-ii-revenge-of-the-enchantress/screenshots What do you get in this package? Enormous scrolling worlds filled with roving monsters, at a time when you were lucky to have more than 3 animated objects on the screen at once. Extensive first-person dungeons full of hidden doors and trapped chests. Vehicle and animal travel. The beginnings of CRPG storylines and quests. Also an early space shooter, with lasers and little tie-fighter icons (no, really). Imagine sitting down in front of these games with no internet, no in-game tutorial, and no long line of similar games to compare them to. Ultima was the first game to give the feeling of a complete world to explore. What do you not get? Graphics that are anything more than icons, storylines that amount to much more than kill the big bad, characters that speak more than one sentence, automaps, arrows pointing to your next objective, or forgiving difficulty. You'll die a lot when you start out, from lack of food or unpredictable random monsters. The games are keyboard driven, but they aren't hard to learn. Everything's straightforward. Read the manuals thoroughly, though, or you won't know how to do basic things like light your way in a dungeon.

If you want pretty graphics look elsewhere. But then these are 'Good Old Games' not the latest graphics whore-fest. A piece of Computer RPG history from the days when imagination was more important than graphics. I played Ultima III late into the night when I was a kid, and I wouldn't swap that for the world.