Ultima Collection

by Electronic Arts

Product Details

• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B000028U20
• Media: CD-ROM
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #23,248 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

Amazon.com Review

The long-running Ultima series is one of the beloved foundations of the computer game industry. You can see for yourself just how great the older games are with the Ultima Collection, which contains everything from the original game to Ultima 8: Pagan.

Bad as the graphics in the early games are, they are still some of the most fun role-playing titles we've ever experienced. We were shocked that something created more than 20 years ago was still eminently playable and highly addictive. Things just kept getting better as we progressed through the later games in the series, which peaked with The Complete Ultima 7. Origin went all out with these titles to create living, breathing worlds that were completely interactive. From hunting for food to dealing with the passage of night and day, players always have something to do.

What makes the Ultima games so great is that their overarching stories never get in the way of the players' freedom to explore and play the games the way they want to. Players can interact with practically every object in the game universe, from monsters to frying pans to chairs to other characters roaming the streets. There's always so much to see and do that the main goal can seem like a secondary consideration at times, and even Ultima 1 managed to maintain our full attention from the moment we created our character. If you want to see a terrific example of how timeless great game engines can be, grab a copy of the Ultima Collection. It's an outrageous bargain for those who value gameplay over graphics. --T. Byrl Baker

Pros:

• 10 Ultima games in one box at a low price
• Tons of addictive gameplay if you can suffer through the primitive graphics

Cons:

• Hard to get these games running unless you have a lot of computer experience (lack of printed manuals doesn't help)

Amazon.com Product Description

Ultima Collection is a history of the role-playing genre, all on one CD. Included are 10 games from the Ultima series and commentary by game creator Richard Garriott on the genre and the history of the Ultima series.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The best and most important CRPG series ever, November 13, 1999

By 

James Touton (Fresno, California) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ultima Collection (CD-ROM)

Created by Richard Garriott (AKA Lord British), this collection spans fifteen years of roleplaying history. If you want to know how games progressed during the past twenty years, get this compilation. If you want to play good games, get this compilation. If you're looking for a good roleplaying experience, get this compilation. If you're looking for the latest in gaming greatness -- don't get it. The last game in the compilation was published in 1994, if I recall correctly. Don't let that stop you from playing, though. If you have the stamina to go through all of the games, you'll be happy you did.

Going through these games is time-consuming and often frustrating. Unlike other computer role-playing games, all of these are completely open-ended. You aren't specifically directed from point A to point B to point C; instead, you must figure out on your own what to do. To me, that makes these games much more enjoyable, and much more rewarding; they require you to think. To others, it might not be so fun.

Why four stars, then? Well, if you're like most of us, and running a PC with Windows 95 or 98 installed on it, you're going to have trouble getting some of these games running. Some will be too fast; others won't work at all unless you pull some technical wizardry (or have someone else do it for you). These games are designed to run under DOS, which these days is about as common as the Dodo. So: for all of you having trouble getting these games to run, contact me. I can help.

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Worth buying just for Ultima 7 alone, August 11, 2002

By 

"jc_denton" (Denver, CO) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ultima Collection (CD-ROM)

I'll say it right out-- this package is a bargain and worth every cent just for Ultima VII alone. But more on that later-- first, a run-through of the games contained on this compilation:

Akalabeth (ultima prequel), U1, U2, U3 (Exodus):
Revolutionary in their time, but now you'll probably just want to check them out to see what games were like back then. The casual gamer will be turned-off immediately by the those horrid 3 color graphics, (which just happen to be the ugliest 3 colors you've ever laid your eyes on) and even only the most nostalgic of hardcore ultima fans will be able to play through them. But as i said, still worth a look.

U4, U5:
Slight improvement in graphics, and leaps & bounds in the story department. If you're a casual gamer-- these will be hard to get into, but you will be rewarded by an awesome story and true interaction. Ultima fans will of course have a great time with these.

U6:
Often bashed for its poor interface, (and sometime i'm inclined to agree), the game still contains a great story and for once, a musical score.

U7 (parts 1 and 2):
Now here's the gem: I personally think it's the -greatest- game of all time. of all the games i play, this is the only one i can keep replaying over and over. to tell the truth, i wasn't always into ultima or crpgs for that matter. I used to play final fantasy "rpgs" (really, they're actually horrid linear interactive anime movies that have no role-playing elements, boring fights, and cliched soap-opera stories), but then a friend let me borrow an old disk version of Ultima 7- the black gate, and i've been hooked ever since. Not only does this game contain a truly great story and has good graphics (they may be a little old but still hold up well), but contains a -completely- interactive game world. If you see it, you can use it or manipulate it in some way. Have long conversations with npcs, forge your own sword, explore dungeons, and even bake bread. Add some good music and an innovative point-and-click mouse-driven interface, and you have a masterpiece.

U8:
Casual gamers will find this game the easiest to get into; after all it contains psuedo-3d graphics and is the most modern one. Personally i thought u7 was better in terms of story and game world, although u8 had its high points. That and the action elements seemed a little out of place. However, not a bad rpg, but not a great one eithier.

Those are the games contained on the collection; now the pros and cons of the collection as whole:
PROS--
1) It's a great bargain
2) Contains an atlas with all original maps, a reference guide, and all the original manuals on the cd
3) has "Moslo" a program that slows down your cpu to make the games playable on modern pc's
4) The games (especially u7) are worth it
5) Has cool interviews with ultima's creator, richard garriott

CONS--
1) Missing some of the other great ultima games (worlds of ultima, ultima underworld)
2) Can be a little tough to get ultima 7 and 8 working in windows, (due to its odd dos-run memory manager). But, that problem can be easily solved by ... getting the ultima 7 and 8 windows patches.

Overall, it's a must-buy for ultima fans, and if you like rpgs, i reccomend this for not only ultima 7 but the other great rpgs contained within.

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Some of the best RPGs of all time, January 16, 2000

By 

"djpinpoint" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ultima Collection (CD-ROM)

This collection is a mixed bag, but for the price it's a great deal. My impressions on the games herein:

Ultima VII - Worth the cost of admission. Even now it is the best game in the series. The plot and the graphics totally immerse you in the world of britannia. Although the graphics are a little dated it still doesn't look too bad today. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Ultima VII part 2 - This game could have been wonderful. However, there is an extremely violent and unnecessary plot twist near the end that pretty much killed my motivation for continuing to play. I thought the rest of the story was a bit thin as well. The game is also rather linear.

Ultima VIII - This game sucks, and the reason why has been adequately explained elsewhere. It does, however, have the best music featured in any Ultima, if you have a General MIDI-compatible sound card.

ULTIMA VI - I've just started playing this one. I prefer a point-and-click conversation system, rather than typing my words in, but i'm enjoying myself in any case, and the plot is very good. The world is very detailed, only superseded by Ultima VII.

Ultimas 0-5: The games I described previously I played when they came out (except VI). The rest of these depend on whether you're a fan or not; they are REALLY old, and somewhat simple by today's standards. But they represent some of the most important achievements in computer role-playing games. Have a look.