/vr/ - Retro Games

[Anonymous No.3070015]

Hey /vr/ what is the best way to get into Ultima?

[Anonymous No.3070016]

>>3070015
or the best entry point into the series, I should have said

[Anonymous No.3070020]

>>3070016
Either Ultima IV, where the actual multi-game spanning story starts, or VII, arguably the high point in the series (if you find the older games TOO old)

[Anonymous No.3070067]

>>3070020
IV for sure.

[Anonymous No.3070138]

>>3070015
There's really no reason I can see that you shouldn't just play them all by publication date.
I mean, why wouldn't you? Like what do you think would keep you from approaching the series from whichever angle?
I mean I guess Ultima 0 is kinda minimal but it's not a long playthrough either.
But I guess it's true that the series only really comes into it's own from Ultima IV on. But those are just really exceptionally great games, given that you can place them in their context of course.
If you have the time and dont mind the grind, just do them all, and make sure you don't miss out on the Ultima Underworld games.

[Anonymous No.3070148]

>>3070138
It was my understanding ultima had great games and shitty ones. I wasn't sure where the best point of entry would be to get the feel of the series without wallowing through shit

[Anonymous No.3070149]

>>3070148
2 is shit.
Avoid 2. Otherwise all are pretty good.

Up to 7. 8 and 9 are also shit.

Also 4 is the best starting point.

[Anonymous No.3070172]

I played Ultima 1 for the first time not too long ago and I had a pretty good time. However it is pretty basic so if you just want to skip to the others then you won't miss out on much.
Play them in order if you are one of those types that find it hard to go back to the older games in a series once you play the newer ones

[Anonymous No.3070190]

>>3070015

>Akalabeth, First Age of Darkness and Revenge of the Enchantress

Extremely dated. These games are essentially on par with any community game designed for a TI calculator. The only reason you should play any of these is if you have a perverse curiosity about the origins of computer role-playing games.

>Exodus

Now we're talking. Exodus lets you construct a party of adventures from a number of different race / class combinations, then thrusts you in an open world to gather several key items. The computer versions might be a bit sluggish to control due to every inventory requiring you to look up key mappings, but the NES port is much more playable.

>Quest of the Avatar

Completely disregards the elements of Exodus, doing away with character races altogether and radically changing the layout of the game world. Instead of generating a party, you generate a single character and gather a party of NPCs as you go along.

The game may be impossible to complete without a guide, as the NPCs don't actually hint at the locations of every key item you need to assemble, such as the stones. Some are placed in completely inexplicable spots, like random grass tiles in villages that you'd never think to examine.

From this point, the series veers off into some really butchered writing.

>Ultima V and onward

Most everything that follows Quest of the Avatar rehashes the same setting, characters and themes. Unless you absolutely loved Ultima IV and can say to yourself, "Wow, that sure was fun! Now I want to experience the exact same game a dozen more times!" then you probably shouldn't bother.

[Anonymous No.3070240]

ultima is shit.

[Anonymous No.3070841]

>>3070190
I have completed DOS U4 not long ago, and I don't think it lacks any hints for the important items. I know the Master System version lacks one in-game hint on where to look for the Shrine of Spirituality. Are you referring to any specific port, or to U4 in general? Some of the characters are just hidden behind walls, or inside forests, so you can easily miss a character who has an important hint. The rule is to look attentively at every wall tile, open every locked door and explore forested areas inside cities. And absolutely read the Book of History (manual), for some of the hints that aren't in-game must be there.