In all seriousness, I do think that your series is very important for bringing knowledge of these important games to future generations. Thank you for everything that you do.
Thank you for saying so. If anything, these videos are pastiches of information that dozens of people have spent their free time documenting & archiving. I'm incredibly grateful to them. If I can present the history in a way that's entertaining and helps people appreciate pioneers of the medium, that's all I could ask for.
I've treasured Ultima growing up and to this day. Stones always gives me goosebumps and I value this opinion and your work Maj. Thank you for your chronicle of this legendary series.
Especially when young people like me can't even see exactly how this game would be fun enough to dive into upon a first glance, but learning about how the games grew with the industry and the culture that surrounded them is fascinating.
@Majuular hu,great video. Might be worth to credit those (dozens) of people :) Edit: the UA-cam Fireborn does a nice work of sourcing infos. He's less big than you ,but a good example of repo of due diligence
Man, I can't believe Ultima V was almost 40 years ahead of the curve introducing the shadow wizard money gang, and we just weren't ready to realize it yet.
Man going from the nostalgia critic era spoony videos to this kind of thoughtful stuff we get from guys like you today restores my faith in youtubes cultural health
@@MegaDeathRay10 yeah spoony's ultima videos ended with plain depression and a "childhood ruined" type of conclusion. Like yeah the game sucks, we get it, now can we get on with the retrospective of the game? Actually I'm not sure he had a thesis after he lamented how the game ruined his early memories of Ultima
"How could something so unsurmountably evil be yet so pityably fragile" - Reminded me of Sauron. There are a lot of parallels if one thinks about it. He was impossible to defeat in a direct confrontation but was brought down by casting a small item, containing the essence of what he is, into a very specific fire.
Creativity is a funny thing, it comes and goes on it's own. I love painting, writing, all sorts of stuff. Sometimes projects take awhile because I suddenly lose that drive. Other times it burns as bright as the sun until my project is finished.
My creativity is at its peak when I'm at work and I'm daydreaming about that story in my head. By the time I get home and prepare to start writing it out, I lose it. I can picture an entire universe of novels, movies, and video games, but I lack the drive, skills, and knowledge to actually bring that universe to life.
Creatively unfortunately isn't a faucet you can just turn on. If it isn't coming, then trying to force it out is tortuous. Hence why writers block and losing ones muse are such universal tropes.
As a kid I grew up on devs like Broderbund, Origin, SSI, Psygnosis and Infocom. It's truly a delight seeing a continued interest in those formative years of gaming and game development! It also shows how the Major Publishers (I'm looking at you EA) became such the bully bait for the internet, and how they ALREADY were behaving so BADLY decades ago.
@@Majuularthere is a Desire to see EA burn meme image that is many hands of many groups of fans. Many many. They are to videogames what Harmony Gold is to mecha fans. It's just in Origin's case many of the people are just as responsible as EA in killing some beloved IPs. Roberts and Dickie B have just been embarrassing themselves for the last 25 years or so. Course most of the other big creators or not so big but should have been mostly got out of videogames where the money and hours are much much better.
@@CaptainRufusIts truly sad seeing Richard Garriot so fallen fron grace that the mans last project was NFT related... Really wish Ultima would get a proper reboot with or without his involvement. Honestly probably without
yeah, Isekai are old as time. Gullivers travels, alice in wonderland, oz, never land, Orpheus traveling to the underworld. jack and the beanstalk, can argue the Odyssey as well.
I’m now genuinely curious as to what a timeline we would have had if Origin and Falcom had teamed up. While Origin is defunct Falcom is still popular with JRPG fans for both Ys and The Legend of Heroes franchises both of which having long and storied histories. It’s always surreal when you find that kind of information thank you so much for your research!!!
Yeah, it was sad to find out that Richard's ego got in the way of what could have been another legendary team up. Yes, the shop clerks were obviously inspired by Richard's work but they were not directly lifted and they were not even remotely breaking copyright law.
The original canon was that, after his exile, Lord Blackthorn ended up with the Xenkan monks on Serpent Isle, where he found peace. This was unfortuntately undone/retconned in Ultima 9: Ascension.
Really annoying because that was a retcon that definitely could work within the frame Literally just say that him having been possessed before meant he was accessible again by them because they know his mind
Been in a not great headspace lately and have been going through the channel for some fascinating comfort food. Haven't been so happy to see a new video in my feed in a long time. I don't know how you put these out so fast my dude, but I appreciate you.
Thanks very much. Truthfully I'll probably pull it back a bit in terms of writing/editing hours for my next video. gonna spend more saturday afternoons with my family & friends instead of screaming as Adobe Premiere crashes for the 67th time. I do love the work though! Hope things get better for you sooner rather than later bud. They always do.
@@Majuular I don't think anyone would fault you for that. Heck, I don't even know how you can play the game and make a script in a month, let alone record and edit the thing. Well done regardless! I appreciate the kind words. I've been here before and I am dealing with it, it's just a frustrating and slow process. But it'll get there. Cheers. 🙂
I never write UA-cam comments, but I have to tell you how much I love this series. Just, every aspect these videos is so good. The history of the people involved in their production, the game review itself, your sense of humor and editing, the glimpses of whats going on in the wider world of gaming when these released, it's all completely enthralling. I had no idea these games had so much to offer before your videos on them. Just the fact that Ultima IV is about mastering a complex belief system, and then Ultima V is a deconstruction of that belief system is so wild to me. I love it. Great work man.
It's something I've enjoyed as well. I remember seeing Ultima IV in my GOG library when I first made it among other games but ignored them all. It's been fascinating though seeing the journey Lord British has gone on with developing these games and gives me an immense appreciation for them even if they are too difficult for me to play.
There are a few others nowadays but Majuulars here is probably the best. Especially if you have any empathy for human beings and are aware what Spoony was going through during most of his. It's hard to be entertained knowing about it.
These Ultima retrospectives are great too. ua-cam.com/video/ma26h-iu4OY/v-deo.html They've got the annoying skits from old-school UA-cam, but they're very thoughtful, introspective and considered videos. I really enjoyed them, and I'd rate them well over the Spoony ones, particularly the ones from when his internet persona started to take shape.
You are on a generational run. Every video you put out is something I look forward to... And your pace for releasing these is really remarkable now, TY mr maj.
Was just thinking how pumped I was for the next Ultima retrospective. Absolutely some of my favorite content on this platform, being both a history lesson and let's play simultaneously with the best of both represented. I was always just far enough removed from computer RPGs growing up that I knew of the series but only ever dabbled with the console ports. To see how the entire series formed from the beginning has been an absolute treat.
Been looking forward to this one even since I caught up on the Ultima saga. Thankfully that wait is over. Love your vids dude, thank you for the comprehensive history of a game that I never knew inspired so many of my favourite games.
Every time I finish a Majuular video, I feel like a 9 year old boy king, who is being carefully manipulated behind the scenes by his father' treacherous chamberlain, after a juggler finishes his set --- clapping my hands, chortling, shouting "MORE! MORE! MOOORE!"
"Please note: I didn't write in the manual. The previous owner was enjoying this game to fullest. Bless him." is such an indictment of good will that its borderline avatar behavior.
Ultima 5 is the TotK to Ultima 4's BotW. Both include a largely reused world with many minor changes, new high elevation areas, and a massive underground area unveiled by the lands' uplift
I appreciate all the work towards telling the backstory of the game's development, not just because it gives context to why things are the way they are in the game, but just the raw effort of research for fun
16:02 I wonder if Treasure Island (Robert Louis Stevenson) was ever an influence to start drawing maps like that... It's impossible to read that book and not feel the temptation of drawing a few maps on paper later on... What a cool underrated book in literature's history... It was heavily influential for some and heavily criticized for others, a mark of achieving greatness. Rest in peace brave soul
I was just watching the Ultima IV video again last night thinking it was almost time for the video on the fifth game. lo and behold, here it is! this is gonna be good
The leaps in quality in the late 80s and early 90s sure were impressive, with storytelling ambition to boot. In any case, now we're getting to my favourite Ultimas! I was old enough to understand them at the time, and they're really just masterpieces anyway.
This is the format I didn't know I needed. The mixture of well-researched behind-the-scenes information and detailed game retrospective and critique is truly absorbing. Apart from that, your videos are very well presented and actually funny. Well done, Sir! Keep 'em coming, please! :)
@@Majuular Im more of a M&M fan but Ultima will still be an important part of our culture. Also the effort you have put in in this series is awe-inspiring
It's INSANE how well written and edited these videos are. The documentary segments on Origin Systems, and Richard's life and career, are some of the best pieces of PC gaming journalism I've ever seen.
It's funny. I re-watched Spoony's old Ultima Retrospective yesterday and now today UA-cam decides to recommend your channel and your videos. And can I just say; as someone who fell madly in love with Gametrailers' (rest in peace) old Retrospective series, your content fits right up my alley.
As I sit and watch this video the more I see similarities to other RPGs, Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, Fire Emblem, Fallout and the Elder Scrolls. This totally feels like the predecessor of those games. I could imagine a first person Ultima reboot or a Ultima Tactics style game. Because these games are the foundation of modern RPGs.
That would require EA to care enough. They don't. According to Garriott himself (who isn't known for being 100% honest mind you..) he has talked to EA about doing remakes and being told no or not getting any form of response.
Ultima V was a thing that shaped my entire life. I'll never forget that experience, and it's still on my all time favorite games list. I loved this video. It brought me back to one of the happiest times in my life.
Love listening to this series when cooking or doing dishes. I know so much more about this foundational rpg series thanks to your videos. You have a really engaging way of walking us through these games without just flatly describing the lore or mechanics from point a to point b - its a warm cozy documentary, or seasoned and enthused historian lecture kind of feeling.
Great post. Thanks for sharing. Like others here, I grew up with these great games and vendors, including SSI. I loved the Phantasie series from SSI and I loved inventive titles from Trillium who sadly doesn't get as much love. It's hard for today's gamers to understand now, but as a budding software developer, D&D fan, and gamer, I would lose my sh*t and be so inspired by all the innovation happening at that time in the 80s. When I was fortunate enough to actually afford the real deal and open one of the beautifully packaged games like those from Trillium, the excitement was palatable. Then I'd see what at the time were amazing character animations in games like Shadowkeep where the enemies would actually (but slowly) rush down the hall towards you for battle or find that if I put on the included cardboard glasses for Trillium's Farienheit 451 I could see 'the truth' in the hidden messages otherwise not visible on the billboards and the like depicted on the screen of my Apple IIe. Ultima V was the last Ultima game I really took a shine for. I just wasn't a big fan of the new art style introduced in VI after investing SO, SO many hours into Ultima 2 - 5, but that was just me being bound by nostalgia on my part. Thank you kindly for this thoughtful and thorough piece on this great series and this great time of constant innovation. Warmed this vintage Geek's heart. Thanks for that.
So here I am stressing about what I can watch tomorrow on a need for long form content and one of my top 5 people of all platforms just drops 2 hours worth of undoubtedly well edited, well commented and well written video. My goodness I'm blessed - thank you!!
Can you believe that when I first this on the PC back in '89, I got all the way down to LB I. The underworld and didn't have the Sandlawood box. Imagine my surprise when he asked about it. I was like... "what box..." lol. Backed all the out and up back to Britain to get the box then trekked all the back! :) good times
There's a modern "Ultima" programmed in 6502 assembly language for the Apple // called Nox Archaist. It has the blessing of Lord British (he appears as a character in the game). The programmer grew up playing the early Ultimas and pushed the Apple hardware to it's absolute limit. For example he created a lightning bolt spell which allows you to select a target, and crosses tiles in a straight line. The math calculation to cross tiles at uneven angles in a single unbroken line was thought to be beyond the capabilities of the Apple. It's well worth a look.
I have watched a lot of Ultima content on youtube over the years, but this is some of the best and most thorough. Can't wait to see Ultima 6 covered, that's where I came into the series and it still holds a tremendous amount of magic to me.
Thank you for this series. I feel like I played the game and in the context of the time and place it was released. Ultima VI was the first Ultima game that I bought and loved. Reading the history of Britannia I could only imagine the adventures the Avatar had been on before.
As an *Elder* who played all these games: V is the last great new idea. Think "Morrowind." VI is basically "Oblivion." A huge move forward. The biggest jump foward ever. Strangely genius. VII is when everyone gave a shit, this is Skyrim. Like Skyrim, this is where everything starts to die. Nothing is new under the Sun.
While I'm a bit too young to have nostalgic memories of Ultima, this is a series that fascinates me. So relatively primitive yet so damn ambitious in its storytelling, themes, and gameplay, and Ultima V I think is the standout of those for me. A story about taking something that seems so good, so unquestionably positive...and making it a totalitarian nightmare as being a good person is suddenly forced upon pain of torture and death, with a man who has been deluded into thinking he's the benevolent, hero unaware he's the pawn of three monsters. The addition of the Xenkan Monastery, showing that Blackthorn had found peace after his exile, knowing that despite the corruption he brought to the land, he was still able to come to terms with it and let go of the things the Shadowlords used to corrupt him was the cherry on top.
I haven't seen a documentary in this field ckose as emersive as this series. I love the personal details about everything around the main topic. Thanks a lot!! ❤
A timeline exists where the Falcom-Origin relationship actually worked out, Falcom bought up the rights once EA sucked Ultima dry, and there are now Japan-original Ultima entries detailing the daily life of students at Avatar Academy.
Isn't that just the later seasons of My Little Pony G4? Twilight Sparkle pretty much is the Avatar already. Though I'd be lying if a crossover RPG with Adol Christin and Estelle Bright teaming up to beat up the Guardian doesn't sound like the most Hype thing ever...
@@thegobbojones don't forget how thirsty everyone would be for the Avatar then. Cuz like Ys has everyone wanting Adol's sword if you dig. Britannians aren't usually that hot for the Avatar. Usually.
It's hard to ignore now how primitive Ultima 4 and 5 are, but also you have to consider how instrumental they were for future games, narrative in games, game design, the roles of game design. Games in the mid-late 80's where your objective isn't just to kill everything that moves is rare.
@@Nukle0n The lack of advancement in the technology has zero impact on it's importance of the two games that proved in-depth narratives and nonlinear storytelling weren't just possible but that the audience wanted it so much they'd muscle through needlessly complex interfaces to get it.
With another Majuular banger, this series continues to be amazing! All the history, all the deep dive of mechanics and just the right amount of humor throughout.
Videos like these are really important. Going through the history of something so culturally phenominal and documenting it is very important. UA-cam is a library of Alexandria.
It still blows me away that these videos are so good. I truly could not give a shit about Ultima, but a 2 hour Majuular video about Ultima? Now you're talkin my language.
Echoing the sentiment of others by saying thank you for bringing this series some light. Of course, I always love when you deliver into the JRPG Mines too.
Ahh, is there anything more cozy than settling in with a good Majuular video for the evening? Thank you for your work! I've only just started this one.
Man, I rewatch Spoonys series on Ultima at least twice a year. From what I've seen so far of this series, looks like I might have to add this to the list. Thanks for the content.
From the other direction, the moment I first fell into the depths in TotK and realized what it was doing, I was like "Wait... did the devs play Ultima V?"
@@HowManyRobot it definitely reminds me of that Twain quote, "History Doesn't Repeat Itself, but It Often Rhymes". It 100% would make sense if the Devs behind ToTK had some Ultima influence.
@@NigelMelanisticSmith For sure, Ultima was huge in Japan in the 1980s and early 1990s. (Of course it was, it's an isekai.) I haven't seen the earlier Retrospective videos yet but I'm sure Majulaar mentioned that the entire JRPG genre was birthed when Yuji Horii played Ultima III and Wizardry on an Apple II then created Dragon Quest. It doesn't come across in this video quite how much of the late-game is taken up by exploring the Underworld. Basically the entire last 1/3 of the game is diving into one of the many entrances, exploring, mapping, making progress, going back to the surface to rest, recover, and resupply, and diving back in. I haven't beaten TotK yet but that was almost identical to the game loop I was going through when I last played it.
These are legitimately some of the best videos being put up on this site right now. The attention to detail and willingness to meet the games on their own terms frame the series in an honest, fascinating way, one that many modern players may not be able to see due to the age of the series. I think you're doing very good work here.
Maajular is the absolute GOAT. I'm grateful that you are the reason I've become familiar with the Ultima franchise. You're a great man, in the classical sense.
This is just the absolute definitive work not only on Ultima, but on Garriott and Origin Systems at large. So much detail and journalism and, at this point, history. Well done as always, looking forward to U6!
Just wanna thank you for your videos Majuular. Really great stuff. I wish we could get remakes of the Ultima games, akin to the newly released Wizardry Remake.
1:05:35 The reason why you can never resurrect the character is actually mentioned in The Official Book to Ultima by Shay Addams: Apparently, if the character were sacrificed on the pendulum, the game was programmed to erase the character from the disk, so there would be nothing to resurrect the character from. This is why back in the day they recommended a play disk be made, so that you would not use your Master disk and risk having character data be deleted.
...So wait. Am I reading this wrong, or does this mean that if you used the master disk, you could end up permanently deleting party members forever and having to re-buy the game if you wanted to use them again?
@@LonelySpaceDetective From the book: "Tell [Blackthorne] what he wants to know, and there will be disastrous effects on the land and its people, but refuse to do so and Iolo ... not only gets sliced in half, but is also erased from your disk--which means he can't even be resurrected!" So, yeah, that's pretty much implied.
@@GloryQuestor That makes me wonder how many copies of V in the wild are just missing Iolo or whoever, because a previous owner foolishly neglected to make a play disk and played through this scenario thinking their party would somehow escape unscathed.
Lord British literally out-Postal'd Postal with the child room. The entire point of Postal 2 is that you don't HAVE to choose the violent option, it's just the most convenient thing to do. Any violence you commit is all on you. And of course, Running With Scissors considers violence against children to be the one line they refuse to cross. They even stripped out the Elementary School cutscene from Postal 1 (where Postal Dude tries to commit a school shooting but apparently none of the kids are real and he has a mental breakdown and gets caught) with the Redux version because real life school shootings killed the "joke".
Perfect timing! Again! 8u I think in hindsight, Ultima 5 is probably my favorite of the ones I played (not counting Underworld, that's its own beast altogether). It maintains the world-map/town-map separation (unlike 6, which does the whole Open Cities shebang), but it also has more going on than 4. I still have a ton of notes in a little notepad from my playthrough, and I even used my phone to snap pictures of all the dungeon maps (because hoo boy, my brain gets lost without a steady map lmao).
These videos are litterally the only reason a open up UA-cam once a day. And oh boy i'm hype everytime it drops. Really amazing work on that content. Like we say in french "Chapeau" for building up a series of videos this good.
You’re one of the best creators out there presenting and preserving the history of some very important and influential games. Keep doing what you’re doing, it rules. 👍
In all seriousness, I do think that your series is very important for bringing knowledge of these important games to future generations. Thank you for everything that you do.
Thank you for saying so. If anything, these videos are pastiches of information that dozens of people have spent their free time documenting & archiving. I'm incredibly grateful to them. If I can present the history in a way that's entertaining and helps people appreciate pioneers of the medium, that's all I could ask for.
I've treasured Ultima growing up and to this day. Stones always gives me goosebumps and I value this opinion and your work Maj. Thank you for your chronicle of this legendary series.
Especially when young people like me can't even see exactly how this game would be fun enough to dive into upon a first glance, but learning about how the games grew with the industry and the culture that surrounded them is fascinating.
@Majuular hu,great video. Might be worth to credit those (dozens)
of people :)
Edit: the UA-cam Fireborn does a nice work of sourcing infos. He's less big than you ,but a good example of repo of due diligence
@@Majuularyou are making them into a futureiche.
*lets self out.*
Man, I can't believe Ultima V was almost 40 years ahead of the curve introducing the shadow wizard money gang, and we just weren't ready to realize it yet.
I used to carry the coin around like a dork. Lol. I was 14 so I was already a dork….but now a dork with a coin!!!
An aura of money surrounds ye...
Man going from the nostalgia critic era spoony videos to this kind of thoughtful stuff we get from guys like you today restores my faith in youtubes cultural health
His videos on Ultima aren't bad but poisoned by his own sad tale. It is nice to see a telling of the adventure without the baggage.
@@MegaDeathRay10 yeah spoony's ultima videos ended with plain depression and a "childhood ruined" type of conclusion. Like yeah the game sucks, we get it, now can we get on with the retrospective of the game?
Actually I'm not sure he had a thesis after he lamented how the game ruined his early memories of Ultima
@@krystaldragon17 Ultima IX is a complete shitshow, what other thoughts are really worth mentioning about it? That "game" has no redeeming qualities.
from organic to long form advertisements
@@j.2512 It sure was organic whining. Nothing else worth mentioning than how it's just his sob story.
Majuular playing the harpsichord in Britannia to the tune of "The Flintstones" is something truly amazing to behold. ❤
I've been called the songbird of my generation.
Grand Dad?
I was not expecting to have a yabba dabba doo time when watching this video
I relate very heavily to this game.
I too can't enter a city without being haunted by evil hooded apparitions.
I could make a KKK joke but I don't think you are joking so I am not going to be insensitive and I am sorry for your loss.
You live in London i take it?
@@ThommyofThennOr Ireland
That's called "Don't Look Now" starring Donald Sutherland.
@@ZX-Gearthe Klan aren't apparitions. Evil and hooded are correct. 2 out of 3 ain't bad tho.
this is the second time back-to-back I log in to UA-cam to see an entry of these series uploaded within the last minute. it was meant to be.
0:00 This is literally me, watching this intro.
@@realityvanguard2052Were you watching it? Or were you scrolling around ?
So I am not the only one!
This is the 2nd time I read this comment !😊. Glad you are enjoying like I am. Peace and love
I am the old man in the intro, booting up the Majuular console for some new, fresh content.
"How could something so unsurmountably evil be yet so pityably fragile" - Reminded me of Sauron. There are a lot of parallels if one thinks about it. He was impossible to defeat in a direct confrontation but was brought down by casting a small item, containing the essence of what he is, into a very specific fire.
Very true! Garriott considered himself a student of Tolkien, and conscious or not, it came through in his work.
Here we are. Back to enjoy Majulaar's dulcet tones and exceptional writing.
Just so fucking dulcet up in here.
Creativity is a funny thing, it comes and goes on it's own. I love painting, writing, all sorts of stuff. Sometimes projects take awhile because I suddenly lose that drive. Other times it burns as bright as the sun until my project is finished.
It’s so hard to explain that to people.
My creativity is at its peak when I'm at work and I'm daydreaming about that story in my head. By the time I get home and prepare to start writing it out, I lose it. I can picture an entire universe of novels, movies, and video games, but I lack the drive, skills, and knowledge to actually bring that universe to life.
Creatively unfortunately isn't a faucet you can just turn on. If it isn't coming, then trying to force it out is tortuous.
Hence why writers block and losing ones muse are such universal tropes.
As a kid I grew up on devs like Broderbund, Origin, SSI, Psygnosis and Infocom. It's truly a delight seeing a continued interest in those formative years of gaming and game development! It also shows how the Major Publishers (I'm looking at you EA) became such the bully bait for the internet, and how they ALREADY were behaving so BADLY decades ago.
The EA of yesteryear was a pretty different beast, but there were some hints of what was to come...
@@Majuularthere is a Desire to see EA burn meme image that is many hands of many groups of fans. Many many. They are to videogames what Harmony Gold is to mecha fans. It's just in Origin's case many of the people are just as responsible as EA in killing some beloved IPs. Roberts and Dickie B have just been embarrassing themselves for the last 25 years or so. Course most of the other big creators or not so big but should have been mostly got out of videogames where the money and hours are much much better.
@@CaptainRufusIts truly sad seeing Richard Garriot so fallen fron grace that the mans last project was NFT related...
Really wish Ultima would get a proper reboot with or without his involvement. Honestly probably without
You know I kind of love how the whole avatar arc of Ultima is technically an isekai. Man was really ahead of the times.
Isekai first got big in the 1400s with the hit classic "Inferno"
Y'know, I've never really thought about it like that 🤔
Isekai was actually popular in the 70's through 90's, though it was usually a female lead and didn't include death
Portal stories are as old as the hills.
yeah, Isekai are old as time. Gullivers travels, alice in wonderland, oz, never land, Orpheus traveling to the underworld. jack and the beanstalk, can argue the Odyssey as well.
I’m now genuinely curious as to what a timeline we would have had if Origin and Falcom had teamed up. While Origin is defunct Falcom is still popular with JRPG fans for both Ys and The Legend of Heroes franchises both of which having long and storied histories. It’s always surreal when you find that kind of information thank you so much for your research!!!
TRAILS MENTIONED RAAAHHHHHHHH
Yeah, it was sad to find out that Richard's ego got in the way of what could have been another legendary team up. Yes, the shop clerks were obviously inspired by Richard's work but they were not directly lifted and they were not even remotely breaking copyright law.
Your musical skills are remarkable, Avatar!
Truly a grand performance!
"Yabba dabba doo" - The Avatar of Legend
The original canon was that, after his exile, Lord Blackthorn ended up with the Xenkan monks on Serpent Isle, where he found peace. This was unfortuntately undone/retconned in Ultima 9: Ascension.
I thought he married Navani Kholin?!?
Really annoying because that was a retcon that definitely could work within the frame
Literally just say that him having been possessed before meant he was accessible again by them because they know his mind
Ultima Online furthered the retcon too.
His brother's wife??? how scandalous!@@davidt3563
What Ultima 9?
Been in a not great headspace lately and have been going through the channel for some fascinating comfort food. Haven't been so happy to see a new video in my feed in a long time. I don't know how you put these out so fast my dude, but I appreciate you.
Thanks very much. Truthfully I'll probably pull it back a bit in terms of writing/editing hours for my next video. gonna spend more saturday afternoons with my family & friends instead of screaming as Adobe Premiere crashes for the 67th time. I do love the work though!
Hope things get better for you sooner rather than later bud. They always do.
Hopefully you get out of that headspace soon.
@@Valkbg Thanks. 🙂 I am dealing with it as I have before, it's just a slow process.
@@Majuular I don't think anyone would fault you for that. Heck, I don't even know how you can play the game and make a script in a month, let alone record and edit the thing. Well done regardless!
I appreciate the kind words. I've been here before and I am dealing with it, it's just a frustrating and slow process. But it'll get there. Cheers. 🙂
@@PXAbstraction As someone who is in the same boat I know its a slow process but worth the effort
26:04 "there is something perpetually special about seeing guards relieve each other..."
I knew I was gonna get this comment but I was really betting on it being more than an hour after the video released....
@@Majuular i can't believe it took this long
Damnit i was about to comment that too but i just saw this, glad to see like minded people here
@@Majuular when in doubt, always assume that people will be as immature as possible.
@@ogto Neither can the guard.
I never write UA-cam comments, but I have to tell you how much I love this series. Just, every aspect these videos is so good. The history of the people involved in their production, the game review itself, your sense of humor and editing, the glimpses of whats going on in the wider world of gaming when these released, it's all completely enthralling. I had no idea these games had so much to offer before your videos on them.
Just the fact that Ultima IV is about mastering a complex belief system, and then Ultima V is a deconstruction of that belief system is so wild to me. I love it. Great work man.
You're too kind. I'm as excited to learn about these games as anyone, just glad to share it with others.
It's something I've enjoyed as well. I remember seeing Ultima IV in my GOG library when I first made it among other games but ignored them all. It's been fascinating though seeing the journey Lord British has gone on with developing these games and gives me an immense appreciation for them even if they are too difficult for me to play.
Holy shit, the Avatar played the Flinstones theme on the piano. Screw those shadow lords, this guy is a hero.
WILMA!!!!
eh what did you expect? yabba dabba doo!? lolz
*harpsichord. The primary difference is that a piano hammers the strings while a harpsichord plucks them.
[ Siivagunner Intensifies ]
*makes Dino barking noises at the door*
Verma Corma DOOO!!!
I'm living the retro dream right now: watching this fantastic Ultima V retrospective while grinding in the Wizardry 1 remake.
Murphy's Ghosts turn Bishops into Ninjas yo! Just make sure you MALOR properly. Don't forget that part. :(
@@CaptainRufus I benched my Bishop, but used the ghost to turn my Mages into Clerics and my Clerics into Mages :D
For the longest time the only Ultima series retrospective was the spoony videos.
These are much better. Thank you so much for your work.
There are a few others nowadays but Majuulars here is probably the best. Especially if you have any empathy for human beings and are aware what Spoony was going through during most of his. It's hard to be entertained knowing about it.
These Ultima retrospectives are great too. ua-cam.com/video/ma26h-iu4OY/v-deo.html
They've got the annoying skits from old-school UA-cam, but they're very thoughtful, introspective and considered videos. I really enjoyed them, and I'd rate them well over the Spoony ones, particularly the ones from when his internet persona started to take shape.
So many videos game retros act like gaming started with super Mario. And ignore how influential CRPG were especially ultima.
You are on a generational run. Every video you put out is something I look forward to... And your pace for releasing these is really remarkable now, TY mr maj.
Was just thinking how pumped I was for the next Ultima retrospective. Absolutely some of my favorite content on this platform, being both a history lesson and let's play simultaneously with the best of both represented. I was always just far enough removed from computer RPGs growing up that I knew of the series but only ever dabbled with the console ports. To see how the entire series formed from the beginning has been an absolute treat.
You somehow always upload when I'm about to go on some form of vacation. The weather is dark and stormy and the vibe is cozy, thanks Majuular.
Dark and stormy is peak 'talking about Ultima V' weather!
I started listening to your Ultima retrospective today at worm and i am at number 4 now, this is such perfect timing
At worm. He is at worm.
real worm hours
Worm hard yes, play hard yes!
Been looking forward to this one even since I caught up on the Ultima saga. Thankfully that wait is over. Love your vids dude, thank you for the comprehensive history of a game that I never knew inspired so many of my favourite games.
My pleasure, thanks for watching them!
Every time I finish a Majuular video, I feel like a 9 year old boy king, who is being carefully manipulated behind the scenes by his father' treacherous chamberlain, after a juggler finishes his set --- clapping my hands, chortling, shouting "MORE! MORE! MOOORE!"
This series is something I look forward to a lot.
This series is quickly becoming my go to ultima retrospective. I will probably save these and rewatch for years to come.
"Please note: I didn't write in the manual. The previous owner was enjoying this game to fullest. Bless him." is such an indictment of good will that its borderline avatar behavior.
Writing in the manual was standard practice back in the day, well that and throwing them and all packaging in the garbage.
This series is really incredible and shows what makes these games special better than any other reviews.
Ultima 5 is the TotK to Ultima 4's BotW. Both include a largely reused world with many minor changes, new high elevation areas, and a massive underground area unveiled by the lands' uplift
One step closer to our knowledge of the land being great.
one step closer to the edge and i'm about to break
I'm not entirely sure...
What's a paladin?
Giant EVIL Columns!
I appreciate all the work towards telling the backstory of the game's development, not just because it gives context to why things are the way they are in the game, but just the raw effort of research for fun
16:02 I wonder if Treasure Island (Robert Louis Stevenson) was ever an influence to start drawing maps like that... It's impossible to read that book and not feel the temptation of drawing a few maps on paper later on... What a cool underrated book in literature's history... It was heavily influential for some and heavily criticized for others, a mark of achieving greatness. Rest in peace brave soul
I was just watching the Ultima IV video again last night thinking it was almost time for the video on the fifth game. lo and behold, here it is! this is gonna be good
The leaps in quality in the late 80s and early 90s sure were impressive, with storytelling ambition to boot. In any case, now we're getting to my favourite Ultimas! I was old enough to understand them at the time, and they're really just masterpieces anyway.
This is the format I didn't know I needed. The mixture of well-researched behind-the-scenes information and detailed game retrospective and critique is truly absorbing. Apart from that, your videos are very well presented and actually funny. Well done, Sir! Keep 'em coming, please! :)
This series has blown my mind. Its a must see for everyone who loves gaming history.
Also as a Bulgarian I indeed dont get lost in Britannia
Thank you for saying so!
@@Majuular Im more of a M&M fan but Ultima will still be an important part of our culture. Also the effort you have put in in this series is awe-inspiring
It's INSANE how well written and edited these videos are. The documentary segments on Origin Systems, and Richard's life and career, are some of the best pieces of PC gaming journalism I've ever seen.
Thank you for taking the time to bring the history and context of these games to life, we all really appreciate your work.
The pleasure is all mine. Thanks for chipping in to help make it happen, I greatly appreciate it.
It's funny. I re-watched Spoony's old Ultima Retrospective yesterday and now today UA-cam decides to recommend your channel and your videos.
And can I just say; as someone who fell madly in love with Gametrailers' (rest in peace) old Retrospective series, your content fits right up my alley.
As I sit and watch this video the more I see similarities to other RPGs, Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, Fire Emblem, Fallout and the Elder Scrolls. This totally feels like the predecessor of those games. I could imagine a first person Ultima reboot or a Ultima Tactics style game. Because these games are the foundation of modern RPGs.
That would require EA to care enough. They don't. According to Garriott himself (who isn't known for being 100% honest mind you..) he has talked to EA about doing remakes and being told no or not getting any form of response.
Ultima V was a thing that shaped my entire life. I'll never forget that experience, and it's still on my all time favorite games list. I loved this video. It brought me back to one of the happiest times in my life.
I didn't play it until like 2008 and it's still one of my favorite games of all time.
Love listening to this series when cooking or doing dishes. I know so much more about this foundational rpg series thanks to your videos. You have a really engaging way of walking us through these games without just flatly describing the lore or mechanics from point a to point b - its a warm cozy documentary, or seasoned and enthused historian lecture kind of feeling.
My favorite series on UA-cam right now
These videos do an amazing job in keeping the memory and legacy of Ultima alive.
Great post. Thanks for sharing.
Like others here, I grew up with these great games and vendors, including SSI. I loved the Phantasie series from SSI and I loved inventive titles from Trillium who sadly doesn't get as much love.
It's hard for today's gamers to understand now, but as a budding software developer, D&D fan, and gamer, I would lose my sh*t and be so inspired by all the innovation happening at that time in the 80s.
When I was fortunate enough to actually afford the real deal and open one of the beautifully packaged games like those from Trillium, the excitement was palatable. Then I'd see what at the time were amazing character animations in games like Shadowkeep where the enemies would actually (but slowly) rush down the hall towards you for battle or find that if I put on the included cardboard glasses for Trillium's Farienheit 451 I could see 'the truth' in the hidden messages otherwise not visible on the billboards and the like depicted on the screen of my Apple IIe.
Ultima V was the last Ultima game I really took a shine for. I just wasn't a big fan of the new art style introduced in VI after investing SO, SO many hours into Ultima 2 - 5, but that was just me being bound by nostalgia on my part.
Thank you kindly for this thoughtful and thorough piece on this great series and this great time of constant innovation. Warmed this vintage Geek's heart. Thanks for that.
No matter how many times I see it, the channel intro puts a smile on my face. Keep up the good work, Majuman!
I'm learning a lot about roleplaying history from this series.
So here I am stressing about what I can watch tomorrow on a need for long form content and one of my top 5 people of all platforms just drops 2 hours worth of undoubtedly well edited, well commented and well written video. My goodness I'm blessed - thank you!!
Can you believe that when I first this on the PC back in '89, I got all the way down to LB I. The underworld and didn't have the Sandlawood box.
Imagine my surprise when he asked about it. I was like... "what box..." lol.
Backed all the out and up back to Britain to get the box then trekked all the back! :) good times
There's a modern "Ultima" programmed in 6502 assembly language for the Apple // called Nox Archaist. It has the blessing of Lord British (he appears as a character in the game).
The programmer grew up playing the early Ultimas and pushed the Apple hardware to it's absolute limit. For example he created a lightning bolt spell which allows you to select a target, and crosses tiles in a straight line. The math calculation to cross tiles at uneven angles in a single unbroken line was thought to be beyond the capabilities of the Apple. It's well worth a look.
Definitely going to give this a look!
I have watched a lot of Ultima content on youtube over the years, but this is some of the best and most thorough. Can't wait to see Ultima 6 covered, that's where I came into the series and it still holds a tremendous amount of magic to me.
Thank you for this series. I feel like I played the game and in the context of the time and place it was released. Ultima VI was the first Ultima game that I bought and loved. Reading the history of Britannia I could only imagine the adventures the Avatar had been on before.
Every new tidbit of history that comes with each video has left me speechless. The Ultima resonance cascade is real
Fantastic Retrospective. Thanks for all your work, Majuular!
My pleasure! Thank you for the super thanks Patrick, it is greatly appreciated.
This is a truly exceptional series. Well done.
I always felt this game was a gift to the true Ultima fans. It was also the last of the great 8-bit RPGs IMHO.
I can't wait to see what you make of Ultima VI and VII! This series is fantastic!
18:21 Remember this moment for anyone watching this in order, for the Ultima 6 video when it gets to the question of "who IS the False Prophet"?
As an *Elder* who played all these games:
V is the last great new idea.
Think "Morrowind."
VI is basically "Oblivion." A huge move forward. The biggest jump foward ever. Strangely genius.
VII is when everyone gave a shit, this is Skyrim. Like Skyrim, this is where everything starts to die.
Nothing is new under the Sun.
Thank you, Elder 🙏
While I'm a bit too young to have nostalgic memories of Ultima, this is a series that fascinates me.
So relatively primitive yet so damn ambitious in its storytelling, themes, and gameplay, and Ultima V I think is the standout of those for me. A story about taking something that seems so good, so unquestionably positive...and making it a totalitarian nightmare as being a good person is suddenly forced upon pain of torture and death, with a man who has been deluded into thinking he's the benevolent, hero unaware he's the pawn of three monsters. The addition of the Xenkan Monastery, showing that Blackthorn had found peace after his exile, knowing that despite the corruption he brought to the land, he was still able to come to terms with it and let go of the things the Shadowlords used to corrupt him was the cherry on top.
It cheers my soul to hear Falcom being mentioned, albeit with the slightly unfortunate turn of events.
1:26:54 -Boss- Avatar you killed a child ...
... Amazing! Mission complete! That right there is why you're the best -Boss- Avatar!
God Ultima V is such a good game. 4 and 5 were pinnacles of crpgs.
I haven't seen a documentary in this field ckose as emersive as this series. I love the personal details about everything around the main topic. Thanks a lot!! ❤
I've never played Ultima, but I love this series about it. Good stuff, dude. Your channel is great.
Love all of your video essays. As soon as you release a video, I’m watching it.
Keep up the good work, sir.
Oh how DARE you release this right as I'm about to go to bed and gotta get up early tomorrow! You devious man!
I got so hyped when I saw this video pop up as a recommendation after finishing another video!
It's always a good day when Majuular uploads!
A timeline exists where the Falcom-Origin relationship actually worked out, Falcom bought up the rights once EA sucked Ultima dry, and there are now Japan-original Ultima entries detailing the daily life of students at Avatar Academy.
Isn't that just the later seasons of My Little Pony G4? Twilight Sparkle pretty much is the Avatar already. Though I'd be lying if a crossover RPG with Adol Christin and Estelle Bright teaming up to beat up the Guardian doesn't sound like the most Hype thing ever...
@@CaptainRufus I mean, Ultima is essentially an isekai already. I can already envision a full reboot of the series.
Could only imagine how much more dangerous sea travel would be in a Falcom-made Ultima game.
@@thegobbojones don't forget how thirsty everyone would be for the Avatar then. Cuz like Ys has everyone wanting Adol's sword if you dig. Britannians aren't usually that hot for the Avatar. Usually.
@@CaptainRufus Ha that's true. Adol flies through love interests so much you swear the boy's got wings.
9:58
>Xanadu music (I assume!) starts playing
>It's a banger
>Falcom is, of course, present in the cover of the box 😂
Without a single hint of hyperbole, I feel like Ultima V is the single most important RPG ever made.
the absolute best.
It's hard to ignore now how primitive Ultima 4 and 5 are, but also you have to consider how instrumental they were for future games, narrative in games, game design, the roles of game design. Games in the mid-late 80's where your objective isn't just to kill everything that moves is rare.
meh
@@Nukle0n the technology may have been limited but the game design rivals modern games. Those early game devs were wizards with computers
@@Nukle0n The lack of advancement in the technology has zero impact on it's importance of the two games that proved in-depth narratives and nonlinear storytelling weren't just possible but that the audience wanted it so much they'd muscle through needlessly complex interfaces to get it.
With another Majuular banger, this series continues to be amazing! All the history, all the deep dive of mechanics and just the right amount of humor throughout.
My man put out 2 two hour long videos in the span of a month, absolute madman
Videos like these are really important. Going through the history of something so culturally phenominal and documenting it is very important.
UA-cam is a library of Alexandria.
Nothing comes close to this game. I'll never be a kid again, but it will always be #1 in my heart. 16 colors, lets go!
I appreciate the Legend of Legaia music. Would love to see a review of that game in the future!
It still blows me away that these videos are so good. I truly could not give a shit about Ultima, but a 2 hour Majuular video about Ultima? Now you're talkin my language.
Thanks buddy 🤝
You are my target audience!
Echoing the sentiment of others by saying thank you for bringing this series some light. Of course, I always love when you deliver into the JRPG Mines too.
Ahh, is there anything more cozy than settling in with a good Majuular video for the evening? Thank you for your work! I've only just started this one.
Glad to see all that information on this series is now being collected into a single series.
You're doing something really important here!
I was dying of boredom at work with nothing to listen to. Then, salvation arrived.
This series should be broadcasted to every home. Its such an important piece of historical preservation.
I just realized that the next installment is Ultima 6 and it's gonna be hard to wait
Man, I rewatch Spoonys series on Ultima at least twice a year. From what I've seen so far of this series, looks like I might have to add this to the list. Thanks for the content.
Tears of the Kingdom's Depths immediately came to mind. This whole package reminded me of ToTK a bunch actually. I guess trends come in waves.
From the other direction, the moment I first fell into the depths in TotK and realized what it was doing, I was like "Wait... did the devs play Ultima V?"
@@HowManyRobot it definitely reminds me of that Twain quote, "History Doesn't Repeat Itself, but It Often Rhymes".
It 100% would make sense if the Devs behind ToTK had some Ultima influence.
@@NigelMelanisticSmith For sure, Ultima was huge in Japan in the 1980s and early 1990s. (Of course it was, it's an isekai.) I haven't seen the earlier Retrospective videos yet but I'm sure Majulaar mentioned that the entire JRPG genre was birthed when Yuji Horii played Ultima III and Wizardry on an Apple II then created Dragon Quest.
It doesn't come across in this video quite how much of the late-game is taken up by exploring the Underworld. Basically the entire last 1/3 of the game is diving into one of the many entrances, exploring, mapping, making progress, going back to the surface to rest, recover, and resupply, and diving back in. I haven't beaten TotK yet but that was almost identical to the game loop I was going through when I last played it.
These are legitimately some of the best videos being put up on this site right now. The attention to detail and willingness to meet the games on their own terms frame the series in an honest, fascinating way, one that many modern players may not be able to see due to the age of the series. I think you're doing very good work here.
Maajular is the absolute GOAT. I'm grateful that you are the reason I've become familiar with the Ultima franchise. You're a great man, in the classical sense.
GrimBeard is the goat, but majuular's work is absolutely magical.
This is just the absolute definitive work not only on Ultima, but on Garriott and Origin Systems at large. So much detail and journalism and, at this point, history. Well done as always, looking forward to U6!
Just wanna thank you for your videos Majuular. Really great stuff.
I wish we could get remakes of the Ultima games, akin to the newly released Wizardry Remake.
1:05:35 The reason why you can never resurrect the character is actually mentioned in The Official Book to Ultima by Shay Addams: Apparently, if the character were sacrificed on the pendulum, the game was programmed to erase the character from the disk, so there would be nothing to resurrect the character from. This is why back in the day they recommended a play disk be made, so that you would not use your Master disk and risk having character data be deleted.
...So wait. Am I reading this wrong, or does this mean that if you used the master disk, you could end up permanently deleting party members forever and having to re-buy the game if you wanted to use them again?
@@LonelySpaceDetective From the book: "Tell [Blackthorne] what he wants to know, and there will be disastrous effects on the land and its people, but refuse to do so and Iolo ... not only gets sliced in half, but is also erased from your disk--which means he can't even be resurrected!" So, yeah, that's pretty much implied.
@@GloryQuestor That makes me wonder how many copies of V in the wild are just missing Iolo or whoever, because a previous owner foolishly neglected to make a play disk and played through this scenario thinking their party would somehow escape unscathed.
Lord British literally out-Postal'd Postal with the child room.
The entire point of Postal 2 is that you don't HAVE to choose the violent option, it's just the most convenient thing to do. Any violence you commit is all on you.
And of course, Running With Scissors considers violence against children to be the one line they refuse to cross. They even stripped out the Elementary School cutscene from Postal 1 (where Postal Dude tries to commit a school shooting but apparently none of the kids are real and he has a mental breakdown and gets caught) with the Redux version because real life school shootings killed the "joke".
1:26:57
AMAZING, quest complete. That right there is why you're the Avatar of Virtue, Boss. The one and only.
S-RANK
Perfect timing! Again! 8u
I think in hindsight, Ultima 5 is probably my favorite of the ones I played (not counting Underworld, that's its own beast altogether). It maintains the world-map/town-map separation (unlike 6, which does the whole Open Cities shebang), but it also has more going on than 4. I still have a ton of notes in a little notepad from my playthrough, and I even used my phone to snap pictures of all the dungeon maps (because hoo boy, my brain gets lost without a steady map lmao).
As far as this early "format" of Ultima goes, it tops my list too.
Wow these Ultima games seem to keep getting better each installment! I bet the final one is the best one of all!
These videos are litterally the only reason a open up UA-cam once a day. And oh boy i'm hype everytime it drops.
Really amazing work on that content. Like we say in french "Chapeau" for building up a series of videos this good.
Thanks to youtubers like you who make series like these for games I know I could never get myself to play but found them so interesting.
You don’t understand the happiness that falls over me when I get a Majuular new video notification.
You’re one of the best creators out there presenting and preserving the history of some very important and influential games. Keep doing what you’re doing, it rules. 👍