Ultima 8: Pagan is one of the most controversial and polarizing games in the Ultima series. As somebody who first played the game without any previous exposure to the Ultima series, I have to say I enjoyed it and was surprised when I first got on the internet to find all the negativity surrounding this game. Not to say that it is perfect- far from it. The combat system is lackluster, the controls can be difficult, and the platforming is some of the most frustrating ive ever seen (fortunately this was later patched but can still be tricky). In spite of these flaws I have a lot of fond memories of exploring the town of Tenebrae and its surroundings. I feel the game is best approached as an action/adventure hybrid with some RPG trappings. There is a large world to explore and many interesting characters to meet. The graphics are very impressive for the era and still hold up quite well I feel. Overall the game is pretty unique and I cant think of many others to compare it to, for better or worse. If you can overlook the rough and simplistic combat systems there is a very interesting world to explore here.
