A WORLD OF NEW FEATURES TO EXPLORE

Ultima Online: Lord Blackthorn's Revenge will offer both the new and current player a host of new and exciting features significantly expanding the depth of the experience offered in the game world.

Box Contents

• Game CD
• Game Manual
• Installation Instructions
• Action Figure (while supplies last)
• Comic book (while supplies last)

Over 30 new monsters and creatures from the mind of Todd McFarlane. - Who better than the master of Spawn’ himself to create the most compelling and fantastic monsters ever to roam an online massively-multiplayer world? These new monsters will be as clever as they are visually compelling. Watch where you go, because you never know where one might just "spawn."

Access to the 3D land of Ilshenar for 2D players. - Now, all the citizens of Britannia can enter the realm of Ilshenar and experience all its fantastic glory in both 2D and 3D. Monsters, creatures, and map locations will all be available to the 2D player in their full beauty as exact replicas of their 3D models. It's also rumored that Lord Blackthorn will be making his new home somewhere in the land of Ilshenar. See it and experience it as you have always wanted to, and join the fight for Virtue!

Over 30 new items to craft, collect, and trade. - Make no mistake, Britannia is growing. There will be new items to craft, collect, and trade. Try your skills as a Blacksmith, Swordsman or Mage. Each profession has its own set of challenges and rewards, as well as special strengths. Just don't get caught wandering alone by Lord Blackthorn or his fearsome minions!

New ongoing fiction tied to in-game events in which players determine the outcome. - An intriguing plotline has been introduced, which describes a series of events taking place in the world, portending an oncoming reign of evil. This ongoing fiction will spin a tale of intrigue and deception, and new fiction will continue to be released here on our website, both prior to and following the launch of Lord Blackthorn's Revenge. Each chapter will have serious and far-reaching repercussions on the world of Sosaria. Only by taking action and joining forces as allies will the citizens of Britannia be able to push back and affect the outcomes of the battles to come. Join the battle, help fight for a virtuous land, and stop Lord Blackthorn's Revenge from destroying the world of Sosaria.

Monster AI oriented toward strategic combat tactics as opposed to simple skill gain. - Now, the monsters and creatures populating the world of Sosaria will be even more clever and compelling. Some of them will have special powers, and only through ingenuity and logic will they be bested. However, if you do defeat them, great rewards will be yours. You may even win their undying loyalty or, in some cases, their loathing!

Significantly enhanced new player experience. - Joining the world of Britannia as a new citizen just got better, easier, and a lot more fun! Now, new player templates have been adjusted to allow new players to learn skills and develop their abilities at a much more manageable rate while having fun and participating in new player quests and combat situations. Also, new players will be actively recruited by veteran players to increase their strengths and Virtue levels. Plus, a new Game Wizard tied to the UO website is available to answer any questions a player may have as they explore the land. A fully downloadable version of the New Player Guide is also updated and accessible through the website at UO.com.

Introduction of a Virtue System. - An additional level of character development will enhance your ability to customize your character in the world of Sosaria. Learn about all the Virtues, how they will combine for different character combinations, as well as how to gain or lose them. Who do you want to be: a noble lord or an honest merchant? The choice is yours!

Source:

Electronic Arts web site

**ORIGIN SYSTEMS SHIPS ULTIMA ONLINE LORD BLACKTHORN’S REVENGE

Latest Installment of Longest Running Online Subscription Game to Feature More Than 30 New Monsters Designed by Todd McFarlane, Creator of Spawn**

AUSTIN, Texas, February 12, 2002 -- Origin Systems, an Electronic Arts (NASDAQ: ERTS) development studio, today announced that it has begun shipping Ultima Online Lord Blackthorn’s Revenge, the latest version in the award-winning Ultima Online (UO) series. The game introduces 30 new monsters designed by Grammy and Emmy–winning Producer and Director Todd McFarlane, creator of Spawn, McFarlane Toys and Spawn.com.

In Ultima Online Lord Blackthorn’s Revenge, players face evil forces that have aligned their powers in an attempt to take control of Britannia. Integrated into the fiction is Lord Blackthorn, an evil tyrant who controls most of the new, fantastical monsters. Present throughout UO’s five-year history, Blackthorn, in a quest for power, has undergone a transformation that has left him half human and all evil. His forces lend a dark, edgy twist to the game.

“Ultima Online has been a huge online hit since its inception in 1997, and the game gets more innovative with each new version,” said Ben Noel, vice president and chief operating officer of Origin Systems. “The new creatures and features added to Lord Blackthorn’s Revenge make it a game that will appeal to our existing fan base as well as attract a whole new group of players to the genre.”

As players progress through Ultima Online Lord Blackthorn’s Revenge, they will discover McFarlane’s new and exotic monsters. Players will encounter monsters throughout the world, but will not meet all of the creatures immediately. Their appearance is triggered by specific game events that are part of the ongoing storyline. While all 30 creatures are included on the game disk, they will be introduced over time, often through dynamic episodic fictional content releases. In essence, the fictional content releases will weave new storylines into the game every four to eight weeks, injecting even more action and excitement into the UO world on a continuous basis.

UO’s monsters are challenging to defeat because their artificial intelligence (AI) is oriented toward strategic combat tactics as opposed to simple skill gain. For example, players will have to discover which combat or magic tactical combination works on a given species of monster. As players immerse themselves in the game, they will constantly discover new game elements unfolding, as part of fictional episodes. In most cases, players’ actions will determine the outcome of in-game events. For instance, if a group of monsters is trying to overpower a town, the players can band together and push the monsters back. However, without a strong player response, the town can be lost to the monster.

In addition, a new Virtue System will be woven into UO, adding depth to the dynamic storyline. The system allows players to be rewarded or denied virtues based on their choices and behavior during the game.

New UO players will quickly become engrossed in the latest version of the game with the assistance of an intuitive help feature and stronger starting character templates, which allow new players greater opportunity to strengthen their skills and abilities early in the game. Players will discover more than 30 new items to craft, collect and trade in the world of Ilshenar—the backdrop for Ultima Online Lord Blackthorn’s Revenge and location of Blackthorn’s castle. In addition the game supports the MP3 file format, allowing players to change the music in the game. Players simply substitute their own MP3 compatible music files in place of those in the game.

Origin is also extending the UO world via a line of six action figures being released simultaneously by McFarlane Toys. The figures will be available in mid-February at retail toy and game stores. In addition, the new Ultima Online Lord Blackthorn’s Revenge game box contains both a limited edition mini-collectable McFarlane toy figure of Lord Blackthorn and a comic book based on the game’s prequel fiction produced by Todd McFarlane Productions. Both the collectable and comic book will be available while supplies last. Ultima Online Lord Blackthorn’s Revenge carries a suggested retail price of $29.99 and a monthly subscription fee of $9.95. New players will get the first month free.

Ultima Online has 225,000 subscribers and is played in more than 50 countries located in every time zone.

About Todd McFarlane Todd McFarlane is known as the creator of the best-selling comic book of all-time, Spawn. McFarlane is the creative force behind McFarlane Toys and the founder of Spawn.com. In addition to Spawn, the company produces action figures of sports, pop culture and cult horror icons from movies, music, comic books and video games. For more information about Todd and the McFarlane group of companies, visit http://www.spawn.com.

About Electronic Arts Founded in 1982, Electronic Arts posted revenues of more than $1.3 billion for fiscal 2001. The company develops, publishes and distributes software worldwide for the Internet, personal computers and video game systems. Electronic Arts markets its products under four brand names: EA SPORTS, EA GAMES, EA SPORTS BIG and EA.COM. More information about EA's products and full text of press releases can be found on the Internet at http://www.info.ea.com.

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Source:

Press Release

**Dieses Spiel wird nicht mehr hergestellt.

Ultima Online**, die führende Internet-Fantasy-Welt, wird jetzt noch schöner - und düsterer! Mehr als 30 neue Monster aus der Feder von Todd McFarlane erwarten den Spieler.

Die Welt von Ultima Online wird nun von exotischen und fantastischen Kreaturen von Todd McFarlane bevölkert. Der Spieler taucht in eine verzweifelte Welt ein, in der die Mächte des Bösen zu neuer Stärke gefunden haben und nun alles daran setzen, die Tugenden und das Gute zu vernichten!

Über 30 neue Monster und Kreaturen lauern im einstmals vertrauten Ilshenar auf arglose Opfer. Ein neues Land, tief im Herzen von Ilshenar, ist die Brutstätte des Bösen. Wer wird den legendären Kampf "Gut gegen Böse" zu seinen Gunsten entscheiden? Welche neuen Helden greifen zum Schwert, um die Tugenden Britannias zu verteidigen ... und welche Furcht erregenden Feinde stellen sich ihnen entgegen?

Der Spieler taucht ein in die Welt von Sosaria und hilft den Bürgern, ihr Land vor Lord Blackthorns Rache zu beschützen.

Neue Features * Über 30 neue Monster und Kreaturen aus der Feder von Todd McFarlane. Wer könnte bessere und fantastischere Monster für eine Fantasy-Welt erschaffen, als der Meister von Spawn™ persönlich? Die neuen Kreaturen sehen allerdings nicht nur gut aus - sie sind klug. Der Spieler sollte also immer die Augen offen halten, denn er kann nie wissen, wo sie auf ihn lauern ... * Zugriff auf das 3D-Land Ilshenar für ehemalige 2D-Spieler. Alle Bürger Britannias, die bisher nur in der 2D-Welt gespielt haben, können nun auch die fantastische Welt von Ilshenar erforschen. Die Monster, Kreaturen und Schauplätze des 3D-Modells wurden exakt für die 2D-Version des Spiels umgesetzt. Außerdem gibt es Gerüchte, dass Lord Blackthorn irgendwo in Ilshenar sein Unwesen treibt. Der Spieler erhebt sein Schwert, um für das Gute zu kämpfen! * Mehr als 30 neue Gegenstände. Achtung, Britannia wächst. Daher kann der Spieler jetzt neue Gegenstände fertigen, sammeln und verkaufen. Er versucht sich als Schmied, Schwertmeister oder Magier - jeder Beruf ist eine neue Herausforderung. * Die Hintergrundgeschichte ist mit dem laufenden Spiel verknüpft, und die Spieler bestimmen den Verlauf der Story mit. Es wurde eine spannende Story entwickelt, in deren Verlauf verschiedene Ereignisse die Wiedergeburt des Bösen ankündigen. Diese Hintergrundgeschichte wird vor dem Start des Spiels auf der UO-Website veröffentlicht und auch danach weitergeführt. Nur wenn sich die Bürger Britannias verbünden und sich der Bedrohung gemeinsam stellen, haben sie eine Chance, die Schlacht gegen das Böse zu gewinnen. * Die Monster-KI basiert auf strategischen Kampftaktiken und nicht auf einem reinen Fähigkeitssystem. Die Monster und Kreaturen des Landes sind jetzt noch klüger und gefährlicher. Einige haben spezielle Fähigkeiten und können nur mit List und Geschick besiegt werden. Wenn es dem Spieler gelingt, eine Bestie zu besiegen, erwarten ihn großartige Belohnungen! Es kann durchaus passieren, dass ihm eine besiegte Kreatur für den Rest ihres Lebens treu dient! * Deutlich verbesserte Spielerfahrung. Den neuen Bürgern wurde der Einstieg in die Welt von Britannia deutlich erleichtert. Außerdem machen die ersten Stunden in der neuen Welt wesentlich mehr Spaß. Die Spieler haben mehr Entscheidungsfreiheit, welche Fähigkeiten sie erlernen oder verbessern möchten. Gleichzeitig können sie an neuen Spieler-Quests und Kämpfen teilnehmen. Außerdem rekrutieren nun Veteranen gezielt neue Spieler, um deren Stärken und Eigenschaften zu verbessern. Der brandneue Game Wizard auf der UO.com-Website beantwortet darüber hinaus alle Fragen der Spieler. * Einführung eines Tugend-Systems. Durch eine zusätzliche Ebene in der Entwicklung der Spielfigur hat der Spieler nun einen wesentlich größeren Einfluss auf den Charakter seines Helden. Er setzt sich mit den Tugenden und ihren Auswirkungen auf die verschiedenen Charaktere auseinander und hat die freie Wahl, ob er ein edler Ritter oder ein blutrünstiger Kämpfer sein will!

Source:

www.electronic-arts.de