Ultima Collection

The Good
Wait a sec.. best AND worst? How do you figure? I'll tell you.

Ultima Collection is a fantastic (and cheapest) way to experience the series that is Ultima. From it's humble roots in the game Akalabeth to the often-ignored but highly detailed Ultima 8:Pagan... you get it all.

If I even tried to detail each game, it would take forever. Eventually I'll get around to review each individual game, but here is not the place.

The CD includes quite a lot of material though. Help files are included for each game, including each of the maps, and manuals, along with walkthroughs for each of the games. AVI interviews with Richard Garriott are also included. Lord British comments on each game and also comments on Ultima Online, And Ultima 9:Ascension.

The Bad
What I didn't like... Well the fact that the games are originals is a plus/minus. It is nice to have the original games (along with a Registered version of MOSLO.COM), but at the same time, I do wish they could have made them more friendly for the faster computers out there. I can run Ultima 1-6 on my P3 1gz, but both Ultima 7 and 8 are unplayable due to the fact they are completely native to DOS. I really wanted to play U8, but because of Microsoft's phazing out the DOS-compatibility of it's operating systems, the only way to really play it is to have a computer that doesn't have Windows on it at all.

The Bottom Line
Personally, I would like to see Origin (or whoever currently owns the right to Ultima) re-release updated versions of the original 8+ games so they can run on Win9x machines.

The Ultima Collection is a great buy. I found it for $20 at Staples, so if you can find it on the rack, it's shouldn't cost all that much.

Bottom Line: Depending of your computer speed and your willingness to screw around with your configuration (in order to get U7 and U8 to run right) should affect your decision. But if you've never played any of these groundbreaking RPG, you owe it to yourself to give these a try. And Ultima Collection is the best, easiest and cheapest way to do it.

The Good
With this amazing package you get Akalabeth (Richard's first game) and ultima I-VIII. Every PC should have the ultima collection. Im not going to review each game for it will take to long. But for just a recap ultima is one of most popular long running CRPG's in history. The series ran for 2 decades which started out as white lines in zip lock bags to a detailed and simulated world. In the package, it also includes interviews with Richard Garriott explaining each ultima game and a utlima atlas.

The Bad
Their are a couple things that bothered me in this collection. First is that they didn't include Ultima Underworld 1 and 2 or Savage Empire and Martian Dreams. they didn't put any midi music on the old ultima games and ultima VII and VIII won't run on windows. But ultima fans made programs(exult) and patches that makes sound possible and ultima VII and VIII run on windows. Another thing that bothered me is that they had the remake of Ultima I I would prefer the old black and white graphics since I like to play the originals.

The Bottom Line
So if you never played an ultima game before, I suggest you buy this collection and experience the awesome land of Brittania.

The Good
1. They packaged everything up neatly for a very low price. 2. They included slow down programs so you can play the games properly. 3. They added a link that makes Ultima VII work! 4. They added interviews with Richard Gariott.

The Bad
What's wrong with this collection? There's something wrong with this collection?

The Bottom Line
Your 2nd chance to get the earlier Ultimas.

The Good
The Ultima series is one of the oldest, influential and popular RPG series on the computer, the only series can think of to compare it to is Wizardry. This bundles the first 8 Ultima games together. Going through these games after almost 20 years since it started will excite and dissapoint a player.

Ultima IV despite its age is a true classic. You really should play this game if you are an RPG player. Great story and truly innovative, but don't trust me just read the praise it gets in the Moby reviews. Ultima V is a solid if unexceptional game from the 80s, it doesn't quite have the kick of the previous game. Ultima VI which launched the VGA and soundcard era for the series, while it has an excellent story I find the interface, in particular the small action window to be a bit frustrating, but it is still worth playing. Part VII ironed out the flaws in the interface and became a modern classic, this set is worth getting for this game alone . Ultima VIII which once brought the super computers of its day to their knees is a bit controversal for some fans, a love it or hate it game, because it does not take place in Britannia and of the real time combat. I find its quite a good adventure and a nice change of setting.

The Bad
Ultimas 1-3 and Akalabeth, may have been great in their day but today they are nothing more than monty haul and kill the baddie CRPGs with ancient, practically black and white graphics and poor interfaces. Only diehard Apple II and Commodore 64 fans wanting to re-experience their youths will find them of interest.

This is not the ultimate Ultima collection. It is a shame that they did not include the two excellent Ultima Underworld games and the two often forgotten World of Ultima games. Those four games are much more playable to a modern player than the first 5 Ultimas.

The documentation stinks. The Ultima series is well known for being one the best games for including bonuses with its games, only Infocom was better in my opinion. The orginal games had cloth maps, some had metal coins or other trinkets and the manuals were often made to look like they were bound in leather and covered with runes for that old world look. This game puts all the documentation on the disk. It does come with the Ultima Atlas, which is a stapled booklet of small, black & white reprints of the orginal maps. Its okay to look at and compare the changes in the continents but is too small for practical game play.

Getting some of the games to run on a new computer will be hard for some people. I am fortunate in that I have an old Pentium 100 to play these on and had no problems.

The Bottom Line
So basically you get 2 classics, 3 good ones, and 3 aged throw aways. If you are an RPG fan there is no reason not to invest in the low price to get Ultima IV and VII. Old guard Ultima fans should get this just so they have CD-ROM backup of the old games since floppies go bad with time.

The Good
This is a collection of what are possibly the most influential CRPG's ever created. The games are presented in their entirety and unaltered form (Ultima I, however is the 1987 rerelease version for the PC, not the 1980 Apple II version).

Most of them will run straight from a DOS window while in Windows so start-up is a snap; simply load the game from your Start menu. Origin has also built MoSlo into batch files for all but three of the titles and has it pre-configured so they will work on modern systems immediately after installation. They behave well, for the most part. Ultima VI even played its music through my year-1999 sound card!

I did not have the priviledge of playing these great games when they first came out. Finally, I can know what made the Ultima series the legend it is today.

The Bad
Even with MoSlo, some of the older games, namely Ultima II and III, run a little fast (I am using a Pentium III computer). You may need to tweak the speed settings in order to make these games playable. Unfortuntately, the documentation included for MoSlo is quite complicated and may be downright indecipherable to the layman.

I also experienced problems with Ultima VII and VIII which will not run from within windows. These require you to restart your computer in DOS mode and some additional configuration. I have yet to be able to get either of these games to run properly, which is a shame.

The Underworld games are not included in the package.

The Bottom Line
Despite the quirks with some of the games, this collection is pure gold. Whether you are, like me, discovering these classic games for the first time or reliving treasured memories, this is retro-gaming at it's finest. Those who have been spoiled by today's graphics and bells & whistles might be a little dejected, but if you can get past that it is truly a worthwhile experience.