Has the original Diablo aged well? No, not quite. Is it's grid-based navigation clunky? Very much so, it was originally a turn-based strategy game in it's early development stages. Am I nostalgia blind for it? With zero shame, yes. Yes I am. This is the game that finally got me to invest in a Windows 95 PC after previously being solely a Commodore user. It's still my favorite of the series for it's concise and smaller scope compared to Diablo II and III. The gameplay loop is the originator of the hack n' slash loot-fest RPG and shows with near perfection how to implement the hunt for better gear in a way that still gives mundane equipment meaning to the player's progress and survival. That being said though, it's very easy to see that a lot of gameplay sensibilities and standards we now take for granted are entirely absent as this was 1996, after all. For me, muscle memory kicked in and I fell right back into the rhythm of it like it was yesterday so I'm not as thrown off by it's antiquated design. If you weren't born yet or just never had the chance to play it back then and you have enough of an interest, I can't recommend buying it enough. If anything, you might enjoy it as a historical experience in PC gaming. Should you need some guidance, there are plenty of gameplay guides out there to help and older players who can impart some advice and pointers. One last thing to note, this does NOT include the Hellfire expansion made by Sierra but it's non-canon and you're not missing much without it. The Monk class and couple new dungeons felt pretty tacked on and arbitrary anyway, in my opinion. You couldn't play them over battle.net either.
Regardless of it's rocky beginnings, this game is a worthy addition to any PC game collection. The main campaign is a monster of an adventure and a thrill every minute. Mask of the Betrayer is a fantastic follow-up with a much more grim and dark premise with visual storytelling unseen in many RPG's. Mask of Zehir brings the much requested feature of creating and running an entire party of your own creation a la Baldur's Gate albeit with a much shorter story mode. Even once you've conquered everything this collection has to offer, you can keep your game going with fan-made content from the NWN Vault website.
Everything anyone needs to know about Ultima IX can be heard at spoonyexperiment.com in not only a 4-part retrospective of this game, but the entire Ultima series from the beginning. Only an avid life-long fan of the series can fully articulate how awful this game is. And from a personal perspective, the game is just insulting to one's intelligence. Much of the sub-par quality can be pin squarely on EA's poor handling of Origin Systems during that time. Ultima IX went through 4 builds and just as many rewrites to the plot until everything was so garbled and switched around, it no longer resembled it's original conception. "What's a Paladin?"
Having purchased this game in 1999 when it came out, I can honestly say that the level of challenge versus enjoyment has aged incredibly well. I still love this game. Obviously the graphics haven't aged well but if you're here on GOG.com buying these games, that's not a concern to you. In 1999 terms, it's a very pretty and vibrant game. The lighting engine still looks surprisingly good and does much to convey the atmosphere of the game world. I recommend this game to anyone that is a fan of Diablo, Torchlight, and other hack n' slash RPGs. You won't be disappointed!
