Ultimate Ultima Marathon Blog
I have seen some wild fan blogs out there, but this one takes the cake. The author of Blogging Ultima, Ophidian Dragon, is on a one man quest to beat all of the Ultima games, from beginning to end. I’m sure a few of you out there have played an Ultima game, but has anyone ever finished one? Seriously, the games are incredibly long and slow for my taste.
I really loved the original Final Fantasy game when I was a kid, so I asked for Ultima: Exodus. I was excited to play, because it sounded a little like Final Fantasy and Dragon Warrior combined. When I popped it in, I quickly realized that this was not the game for me and I wanted to cry. There are people out there who love long, slow, tedious RPGs, but I’m not one of them.
What is great about his blog, it that he obviously loves the material. His writing conveys serious interest and allows you to catch the highlights of the games, without the endless grinding of random battles. In about a month and a half, he has blown through the first five Ultima games. Currently he is on Ultima V, so he has about five more to go. I find it amazing what people will do with their love for role playing.
Ultima marathon: the employed need not apply [Joystiq]
Toots
Posted to Video Games on 29 March 2007
· Comments (4)
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But is he playing them the right way?
My favorite game and the game that made me a gamer was Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar.
They are NOT slow at all if you know what you're doing. Matter of fact the first 6 Ultima in the game series really can be notoriously short if you figure out the solution. Usually, the dealbreaker for most people in these games is of course the Magic/Reagants system that truly is on the tedious side.
I loved Ultima - Avatar on the NES. I actually went back and replaced it a couple of years ago. It was probably one of the most polished NES RPGs.
As far as the question you pose, I beat Avatar and 8. I played 7 a lot though. That game was huge, and offered a ton of freedom. Fighting was a bit wonky though.
I finished the original Ultima one day when I stayed home sick from middle school. If I remember correctly, I actually was sick, but not very, and it was a quite convenient cold indeed. I beat II, III, and IV as well (all on an Apple ][+); never played much of the later ones.
Those were the days when you got great stuff in your game boxes. Infocom's throwins were maybe a little better, but the Ultima ones were pretty cool. Cloth maps, a little metal ankh, yay.