Ultima V was pretty significant for me. I also wonder how much the real-life aspects that Richard Garriott had, during the time, influenced the story of Ultima 5, especially after Ultima 4. Given that Ultima 4 was kind of a reflection on the flak he got for Ultima 3. I remember, when Ultima 3 came out, the cover of it looked similar to the D&D Monster's Manual, by having a demon-like figure on the cover. This really brought some ire from certain religious groups just for the cover, and within the aspect of the D&D fears going around. Ultima 4, by putting the image of a pious individual, the Avatar, was about as on the nose for a reaction cover from all that stuff that happened from releasing Exodus. I think Ultima 5 was sort of a Garriott's revenge, but not exactly that. But more of a warning about taking a rulebook of morality too far. Pushing the practice and enforcing to the point of tyranny. Yes, historical precedent definitely influences stories like this; but I can't help but think Richard was seeing at least a partial echo, with his experience, and decided to put together a story that is also informative.
Ultima series' influence on both western RPGs and JRPG cannot be understated. Moreover, it dared to do things modern games would never dream about doing. I want to re-iterate, I'm glad someone's out there discussing Ultima in current year, when most gaming media + gamers have forgotten about it. Glad you trudged through the cumbersome parts to show how they did immersion, created atmosphere and imparted the narrative.
Thank you! You wouldn't believe how much your support means to me, man. As I've said before - if someone as well-versed in quality gaming videos as you finds my channel interesting - I must be doing at least something right :) And, genuinely, Thank You for sharing the video - it really makes the difference. You're the best! :)
I was given Ultima V as a gift for Christmas of 1988 for the Commodore 64. I didn't realize until later that the C64 version didn't have enough memory for music. I played the whole game without music and the atmosphere was fantastic without it. Years later I played it on a Commodore 128D which had enough memory for music and it totally changed the tone. The music was great but I enjoyed the game more without it.
Ultima V was the very first game I played as a young child. I lacked the structure to beat the game then and the time to play it now, so I'm glad to hear your take on this classic
Ultima V was my first and is my favorite. I played it on C64, and I didn't know there was music. Later in life I tried playing it with sound and I felt the same as you. I love the music, but the gameplay was better w/o it. Thank you so much for these! I hope you make it through the entire series.
I think this is my favorite of all the Ultimas for exactly the reasons you mention about not remembering the inconveniences and annoyances, but for having some genuinely hard decisions to make in a world that felt oppressive. Playing on the C64 back in the day didn't have music, so it was just the world and SFX. The silence might have even added to how bleak everything was and felt. I had a slight advantage to the enjoyment of the game as well. Since I hadn't played 4 yet, I didn't know the mantras. That cycle of going to a town with guaranteed things to do was still there. Find the mantra, the word of power, someone to join you and some other things made each town feel important. The real point for me with this game was Origin's motto: We create worlds. Ultima V has always been their best example of that for me. There were consequences from the last game, and from choices in the game. Not a strong "This is a bad guy kill him and everything gets better" and multiple cases of understanding why some people would throw in with Blackthorn's forces. Also using Lord British's journal of his trip to follow his campaign into the underworld and find clues to what happened. Or a real attempt to bring aspects of the first 3 games in and bulid out the lore on their backs. Thanks again for this video. It analysis of the game is wonderful, and the banter between you and Seal is well done as always.
Thank you! I actually remember you mentioning that you've played U5 before 4 in one of your Ultima videos :D It's so neat to see The Lost Sectors lore appear outside of the videos, per say ^_^ But let me stop fanboying for a second... It'd, indeed, alter quite noticeably to not have played U4 before this one. In my defense I did try (almost like you did in your video of U4) to only use mantras once I'd found them in the game, but still, there's definitely something lost there. In any case both U4 and U5 are wonderful games, and whichever will be the first will have the strongest, fullest impact. Also that motto resonates so well with me - the feeling of being lost in an entirely different world is for me (as for many) is one of the core reasons for loving RPGs and CRPGs, so them prioritizing that aspect of it is... well, in my eyes, validates Ultima as the right choice to make such an expansive marathon. ...Wizardry still has better dungeons though :D
@@GeorgGreat_GameReviews Oooo. I'd have a tough time deciding on better dungeons: Wizardry or Bard's Tale? I really liked aspects of both. But to the point of something lost with between U4, I have to agree. U4 is a great game with a good story. U5 is a great story, with a good game. With U5, I loved my first play through of it, but have never had an interest in playing it again. As opposed to games like Deathlord and Curse of the Azure Bonds, both I've played many many times. Are you going to keep pushing on Ultima? Or are you going to take a break at any point? Anyway, you can't fan boy me, I'm busy fanboying you. Tell Seal hi for me.
"U4 is a great game with a good story. U5 is a great story, with a good game." - perfectly said. I think I'll stick with Ultima all the way to 9 and the Underworlds. I mean, it would be, emm... dishonorable to quit now :D But speaking of Bard's Tale - I'd really love to cover it one day. Damn... I really should think of a way to make those videos at a quicker rate... Oh, and Seal says that he really likes Deathlord and CotAB (that one especially) as well!
Dude, that's so cool! I can imagine a surprise of a classmate asking you to show them notes (maybe they missed something in class or wanted to check how to solve a particular problem) and then seeing it written in runes :D
I watched this before your Ultima IV video (currently on it) I'm shocking a game from 1988 built such atmosphere. Tackling moral ambiguity in such in interesting way, the oppressions imparted from actual real reasons. If the game was remade today, it will get critical acclaim.
I know, right!? Isn't it, just... the best? ^_^ U5 is a legit mature and atmospherically nuanced game from the 1988 and U4 (in addition to making a gameplay system that would be impressive in the indie scene even *today* ) raised interesting philosophical questions... in '85! And they actually did it well :D
Check out Ultima 5 - Lazarus: A fan remake that captured everything great about the original and added an alternate ending (ala Knights of the Old Republic)
These deep dive retrospectives are amazing as always, and i still appreciate the dialogue between you and Seal as something that adds quite a bit character and maybe even insight in its own way to each review. These old Ultima games feel like they embody the phrase 'Don't judge a book by its cover' because one could very easily be turned away from the game before all of the pieces come together in a way that makes you appreciate it. I might argue that a game that pushes you away before you can truly be captured by it does its job poorly, but at the same time you do such a good job of putting all the pieces together that it truly makes these old games sound like masterpieces. Sometimes I have to wonder if there really is this hidden world written between the lines that many of us simply cant easily see or experience for ourselves, or if you're just such an exceptional storyteller that you can weave anything into an intriguing narrative! Perhaps both are true as some of my own experiences with Ultima 4 can attest to. I was too young when i first played U4 (on the NES) to fully embody exactly what it was trying to do, or that a strict adherence to the virtues was how you'd complete it. But i still found its gameplay to be among one of the most memorable for games of that time. From finding the secrets, to exploring the towns, understanding the moongates, or the economy, though battles sure could be a slow grind for very small reward at times; it was a game that rewarded you for your patience, and for learning to speak its language, so to speak. It wasn't a game without its flaws, but by putting enough time into it, you really could appreciate how solving the riddles and puzzles immersed and drew you further into its world. Its fascinating to see the contrast between Ultima 4 and Ultima 5 with regard to how it approaches the Avatar's virtues, and how those could be subverted and twisted into the dystopia of the fifth game. I have to admire the dedication it takes to persevere through the series' fiddliness, absorb all of these elements, and then be able to convey them back to us in such a thoughtful and entertaining manner. Thank you for always providing such an amazing insight to games that i would consider to be so flawed that they would be hard to engage with. It will be interesting to see your take on more modern variations of the series and genre to see if those games can still deliver such compelling material, or if something becomes lost once the experience that delivers them is no longer so unwieldy, vague, or demanding of the player. (But thats a whole other can of worms to try and unpack!) Once again great work Georg, your videos remain unparalleled in my experience. Thanks for all work you put into making them!
And, from the bottom of my heart, Thank You too. It's always a joy to read through your comments - your nuanced feedback is indicative of how attentive you were to the video, that it was something you actively listened to and thought about. That is worth the world for me, so, genuinely, Thank you. I also want to comment on the "hard to get into, but great once you do" thing. It's a thing I find quite fascinating about video games in general. It's not just the survival horrors, cinematic platformers, souls-like and Paradox interactive strategy games, etc... but even the most accessible "normal" games can fall under that category (like the Razbuten videos illustrate). Whenever I try an "entry-level" game of an unfamiliar genre there's always a wall that I have to push through. With Ultima games, as with others, I guess, it all boils down to how interested you are in the given game. Like, with U4, in particular, there was barely a moment (including first hours) that I could say that I honestly disliked. It's maybe a matter of taste, but this style and look of a game appeals to me, so it's not so much a flaw, as a part of appeal. But again, there's no right answer when it comes to media and art.
@@GeorgGreat_GameReviews You make a particularly good point; a willingness to become invested is an important factor, and is something that you've built up through both your playing of the previous games for the channel, the post-play research you've done, as well as the deep analysis into the characters, story, narrative, and world of each. I almost feel like thats something that most people struggle to have in quite the same way. They're often there more to have an experience, than to absorb the narrative on the same level that someone who is analyzing it for review might which is a shame. But to be fair sometimes it is also hard to really get everything out of an experience if you're spending every moment making notes about things. Somehow it feels like you managed to figure out how to do both! :P Whenever I get a brainworm in my head about a game that i saw or played when i was younger and want to try and figure out what it was, i will go looking through google and screenshots and be overwhelmed by the feeling of pleasant nostalgia at all the colorful or atmospheric imagery of games that most people would consider inferior these days. I will remember the deeper, or at least more invested experiences that a young mind took to those things, and how some of those elements were so memorable even 20 years later. It really was a different era when we were consulting the manuals, creating maps, memorizing corridors, and in some cases literally translating aspects of the game. Strange how a piece of art in a manual could evoke such a vivid bit of imagination as to bring a few pixels on screen an entirely different life when we were younger. I need to work on clawing a little bit of that magic back into my modern-day experiences, especially as you make these games sound so enriching to have explored! :)
Dude! Almost a week ago I saw a promotional Starcraft render (the one with the protos to the background of a mountain) that I saw in a magazine back in the day and I literally got the same nostalgia "kick" that you've described. Even though I have played Starcraft years later, that image sort of remained separate in my mind: like it's from a different era of my life, the one in which this RTS game was a mysterious world that I can only briefly glimpse in such promotional images and screenshots. It's a very special thing, that nostalgia or whatever it is :_)
This is for a course that you teach? Is the rest online? Enjoyed it thoroughly. I grew up with these games, and it is wonderful to come back to them and to digest them more thoroughly as an adult. You and Seal have been of inestimable assistance in this regard. Thank you!
Ha-ha, nah, man, there's no hidden course ^_^ There are some videos that I've unlisted on the channel, though. If you're interested, check out my "Videos" playlist for top 10 indie games of 2016 (here's the link: ua-cam.com/video/GOWq-tJTU1I/v-deo.html) And I'm glad that you find my videos interesting! Thank you!
This was a really fun video. I clicked on it with no intention of watching beyond the intro, and here I am, an hour later, with far more knowledge of a video game that I've never played than I intended to gather.
Great videos! I've been a fan of the Ultima series since I discovered them sometime in the mid 1980's as a young lad. I'm glad to see people still play and examine them. They remain to this day some of the greatest and most influential CRPG's ever made.
Thank you once again! Yeah, playing them has been greatly illuminating: a lot of things about RPGs really "came together" for me so to speak, like seeing the gradual split of CRPGs and JRPGS from Ultima 3 onward, the equally gradually increasing focus on dialogues, etc. Plus they are still amazing to this day - Ultima 4 is, without any irony, now one of my favorite RPGs period.
They really are fantastic. Ultima 4 was in many ways a kind of introduction to philosophical thought for a young, impressionable me.@@GeorgGreat_GameReviews
Amazing video as always. From what I have learned by watching your Ultima videos is that the creators really did not just follow a formula but tried lots of new things for every game. It makes it very interesting and I wish more companies nowadays had the same courage to just scrap some things and try something else. I mean, the old games are always there to replay if you do not like the new entry. Anyway, keep them coming. I found a really nice other channel which reminded me of you. Basement Brothers. Pc 88/98 heaven goes through lots of old games and slowly explains and reviews them. Actually very different from what you are doing but somehow I felt others who enjoy what you do might find it interesting as well. Take care! Until next time.
And Thank You as always! That variety is one of the main reasons I chose Ultima for such a marathon, as it makes each entry fun and interesting to review ...Another major one being that I liked the name of the series :D And thanks for namedropping Basement Brothers, as I have, actually, not known about them, so I'll be checking them out. It's always awesome to discover a new fun channel, so I appreciate that :) Hope you're doing well! ^_^
Great review of a masterpiece of a game. I still remember playing this in the 80s and scribbling in my notes, "Sosaria has turned evil!" as the state of the world unfolded. Make sure you play Lazarus!
This was an amazing retrospective on a game I played as a kid which left me with a melancholy feeling of wonder that I still remember to this day and which no other game has since captured in quite the same way.
@@tohitAC0 In all honesty, probably not. That sense of wonder we have as children invariably gets eroded to some degree by our experiences and the passage of time. Ultima V was the first real open-world sandbox RPG I played. There just weren't really any other games quite like it back then. I imagine I would still appreciate the game were I to be able to play for the first time in this day and age, but not in the same way I did as a kid.
@kirbyjoe7484 I wonder if, in a couple decades, the kids of today will have the same nostalgia towards the games they're playing right now. Or if there is no longer that kind of attachment. I played U4 and U5 in junior high and have a similar view as you do.
35:20 I've heard people talk about how extrinsic motivators cause people to not care about intrinsic motivators before, but it's neat to hear it cause (or at least contribute to) someone to not seek vengeance in a game. Then again I guess that's what reputation and legal consequences do normally, most games just don't have systems like that, or if they do they don't have stories to make you hate characters.
That's true, usually people sort of demonize the extrinsic motivation, with the intrinsic being posed as the "good" one (at least in stories/narratives), so this situation presents a somewhat atypical narrative dynamic, especially for a fantasy game. Damn, man - nice catch! I haven't actually thought about it from such an angle, but it's cool stuff! Also thank you for watching the video so attentively - it genuinely means a lot.
This is the first video I've seen from this channel and it's great! Really in depth, entertaining and well edited. Surprised the channel doesn't have more viewers to be honest. Maybe retro games are just that niche now, damn.
@@GeorgGreat_GameReviews ah, that does explain a bit but I also wish you the best luck with the channel, you deserve it. A lot of my favorite creators upload only once or twice a year. Generally speaking it means the content is actually made with a bit of passion :).
Thank you! It's always great to hear that the video did not disappoint ^_^ There's no hurry - the videos are not going anywhere and, considering their length, I would even advise to take your time with them :D P.S. I've had to go away for a couple weeks - sorry for taking so long to answer...
It makes me happy to hear! I'm working on it - recently (about two months ago) I was able to speed up the process that prior was very slow due to amount of real life things that needed to be taken care of. For a handful of months now I had returned to the normal (normal for this channel, I mean) rate of production. But still, U7 is an especially tough video to make, as it turns out. Hope it'll be worth the wait!
I watched your videos up to Ultima IV but got delayed to play Ultima V until now. I see you put up an Ultima VI video as well now so I am still behind but working on. For me Ultima V took a big leap towards the standards that we take for granted in these games today, and I will probably remember it for it's oppressive feel and message, after I forgot the game itself. Ultima IV have the strongest impact on me so far due to how unique it is, but I am still happy for having finished V.
Glad to see that you're still on the Ultima marathon! It's a big commitment, but I find it to be rather gratifying :) The video on Ultima VI isn't going anywhere, so no rush. I, myself, try to avoid videos on games that I intend on playing, only checking them out once the game has been completed. U4 is my favorite as well (so far), with U5 being second.
@@GeorgGreat_GameReviews I do confess to having watched almost your entire Ultima V video before I got into the final dungeon, but luckily it didn't contain any spoilers at that point. My commitment to the series came from wanting to play Ultima VII and Ultima Underworld back in the early y2k, but felt I couldn't do that before playing the other games first. And Ultima I was the first CRPG I ever bought when I was too young to understand it. But I go back and forth between binging singleplayer games and not, and my list of titles to play is long. I might not get into VI immediately as I have a few contenders already for my next game, but I will get there eventually. Hopefully faster than 2 years this time. :)
Holy cow! Has it been two years already? Time sure flies, huh? It really feels like we've only just chatted about Ultima 3 recently. Truth be told, I can relate very well to what you're describing. There are games I've played recently that I'd had on my mental "to play" list for literally more than 15 years :) Ultima titles being some of them.
@@GeorgGreat_GameReviews I am surprised myself. I checked the date of my Ultima IV savefile and it's September 2020... My landmark achievement was finishing Knightmare on the Amiga in the beginning of the year. My grandma got that for me as a young boy and it was too hard for me. It was the only game ever we returned to the store. So finishing it now, 30-35 years later, was really big. :) And it also finished my list of Amiga blobbers (if you're familiar with the term). Now I am back into Pillars of Eternity, with Dark Sun 2 on the side. I am curious where Dark Sun fits into the timeline. I can't recall a crpg with full monkey-island style dialogue prior to Dark Sun, which make it feel like a bridge over to Fallout / Baldur's Gate.
Congrats on beating Knightmare! Haven't played myself, but watched some videos on it - looks like an interesting title. And that's an intriguing observation about the Dark Sun being the bridge to Fallout/Baldur's Gate dialogue trees. It certainly would be fitting, since there's something akin to Dark Sun in early Fallout games
Instasubbed!!! So glad I stumbled on your channel. The Ultima series is something I've always been curious about but only ever played Ultima 7, which I loved. So thanks, this makes me want to start them all in order : ) Can't wait to binge your other vids tonight and tomorrow. Cheers bro!
At 19:00 you talk about moving each character while looting. You can in fact select only one character with a number key to have him and only him fight and loot. Other then that it was a great review. I completely agree about the music. The depressing hail Britania theme was fitting in the castle since LB was missing, but everywhere else it detracted from the feel.
My take on the town-solving thing: I think the downside of the U4 town format is that you know exactly what you're in for. It makes the world feel smaller and the narrative feel less organic when you can slot everything new into a box that way, and the good part about a plot that relies less on such "templates" in its design is that you can't size up exactly what you can expect the rest of the game's content to be. I'm also not necessarily sure how fair the music criticism is, since the original game didn't have it, IIRC; correct me if I'm wrong on that, though.
That's actually an excellent point. I can't think of it off-hand, but that formulaic "fit-everything-into-a-box" type of design has, indeed, lessened some games for me in the past due to the very reason you've described. I guess, because U4 doesn't really feel like a living, breathing world to begin with (having, essentially, only gameplay and themes going for it) this "boxy" design fits there like a glove. But, indeed, such design (although gameplay-wise satisfying) lessens the atmosphere and believability of the game world (thus it would worsen U5).
Georg - check out Nox Archaist. It's a 2021 game using cutting-age 1988 tech with a feel very similar to U4/U5. It ships with an Apple II emulator as a hard drive image you can play on a PC.
have you ever played akalabeth, aka the richard garriott game before ultima 1? its really simple even compared to the first few ultimas but its fun to play for history purposes
Another insightful deep dive sir. This one hits close to home with what's happening in America now and all over the world. When you speak of "knowing" that situations within U5 are wrong it brings to mind Mere Christianity and the Law of Nature by C.S. Lewis. PS, nice touch with the Rand book on your shelf. ;)
This game is great in many ways. I skipped over it when it came out because I was still using the Atari 800, and it wasn't released for that system. By the time I got a DOS machine, Ultima VI was out and I played that game. After Ultima VI and VII, I found it hard to go back to the clunky old interface of Ultima V and earlier, but I eventually made my way through it. It is a great follow-up to Ultima IV, and it made many advances in game design. There is a fan-made remake called Ultima V Lazarus. It is a mod for Dungeon Siege, which is janky in its own different ways, but I find it to be an improvement. In addition to using a more advanced game engine, it adds a lot of content, including side quests, new NPCs, and more places to explore. This, of course, takes an already very long game and makes it longer, but it is a great Ultima experience.
U5 is very special. It's interesting to hear how you - being a series veteran - have only played through this one after experiencing later titles. I guess the fact that you made it through it means that - despite inferior interface - the game was interesting enough to keep your attention :)
I worked for Lord British at NCSoft (which was Origin). Small world. Anyway, this was the first game that ever felt “open world” to me. I was excited to get in trouble for bad language, for seeing myself in a mirror, gaining a bad reputation, exploring…….
That's awesome! What was it like working at NCSoft? Hope Garriot was alright ^_^ Yeah, I can see how you can lose yourself in a game like this, especially back then. I mean, I got absorbed into it *now*, so back in the day it might have qualified for a black hole in terms of "sucking you in" :D
@@GeorgGreat_GameReviews I just saw Richard around. He was a bit aloof but not really bad at all. I did say hello to him in a stairwell and he just stared at me lol. My father worked at NASA when Richard’s father was a Skylab astronaut at NASA. Small world. At NCSoft in Austin I did QA game testing for mainly Lineage 2 and City of Heroes. I loved it but I had a drinking problem and resigned. I was playing in a band with Daniel Johnston (Google him) at the time which I thought required late nights and drinking - my life was crazy. I LOVED the people at NCSoft though. Game testing is hard work btw. Not everybody can do it….well. So. Lol. You were complaining about the time it takes to gather treasure, or being locked in a castle etc….I played the game on a C-64. Oh my god the load times. The floppy disks. The horror. .You are playing on a very old looking but still over clocked PC. Is that and old 486 or Pentium processor?
@@tranceightseven Wow, small world indeed! and damn, you've had quite a life: working with several prominent cultural figures in several entertainment industries... I'm somewhat jealous, he-he :P Yeah, that PC is old, but not as old as the monitor - I'd just connected that syncmaster to my PC circa 2011. So yeah, no Pentium, I'm afraid. I'd love to get my hands on a proper old-school hardware, but that's definitely not going to happen in my current financial situation
I'm going to be honest here. The best thing about Ultima 4 is the personality test. This is the point that Garriot created a stand out series. Because the genius of that is to make you feel as the character, the 'Avatar' is actually you, in the game. Garriot invented the term, which is still in use. The second reason U4 is revolutionary is because for the fist time in a game, your actions are not limited and they will affect your progress in levelling up your moral stats and eventually become an all powerful do gooder and set a good example. Instead of just to get as powerful as possible and eventually slay something. It's very clever and meditative. So what I'm saying is. It is the tarot cards and virtue system that put the series on the map and if I'm not mistaken, this game drops those elements. What was refreshing about Ultima 4 and gave it mass appeal was the fact you are playing yourself and not a pre-written character which gives U4, to this day, the greatest sense of immersion and consequence I've ever felt in a game. It's this consequence that brnigs this game and the npc's alive. Because you could actually slay them. Even if they respawn and you just lost 7 hours of grinding. You _can_ actually do it. The other major point is that U4 is a game about being good, not bad. This sets it apart from nearly every other game. In which being good involves simply killing the bad guys. This is a revolutionary idea and makes U4 a shining example and easily in the pantheon of greatest designed games ever. Ultima 5 is pointlessly negative and strange and oppressive. It feels as if Garriot is annoyed at having to make a game with a moral message. Despite the fact that the virtua system is the only thing that raises U4 above the rest. I can't blame U5 though. Because it's the logical next step in a narrative arc that follows a perfect world. The next logical connecting development is for that to be subverted to be re-examined from another angle of how to save Britannia from a new conundrum involving the dangers of dogmatic adherence to doctrine and religious fervour a-la the bonfire of the vanities or Spanish inquisition. But this is a bit of a blunt object to hit religion with as Lord Blackthorne simply goes nuts for no dsicernable reason. I guess he's possessed by evil dark force energy, the pesky dark force energy. This feels just like 'magic' to me and not a proper examination of humanity which is thoughtfull or as wide ranging in scope as U4 when looking at humanity. Really the Ultima series peaked with U4 which remains a continuing source of reflection on game design for me, both narratively and to a lesser extent mechanically. I think the series went in the wrong direction after 4 as Origin spent time making bad SNES ports and adding too much complexity to inventories and eventually ending up a platforming action-adventure. The cancelled Ultima X (great ost btw) was just open world. EA chasing trends. It would have sucked.
You raise some good points. I don't know how I would have reacted to U4 if it had no personality test at the start - it's such an important frame for it. I will actually talk a bit about Blackthorne in my U7 video, but, in my view, he represents a paradox of a man committed to enact the most moral and virtuous actions imaginable, who in actuality becomes the worst tyrant imaginable due to the flaws of moral code that he absorbed. The Spanish inquisition is apt comparison, as they were convinced of the righteousness of their conduit. The tragedy of Blackthorne is a profound one, as there's no fault with his reasoning within the boundaries of the virtue system. Imagine literally doing everything right for your entire life and, at some point, you realize that your actions were bringing only harm the whole time. As the meme goes, "he did nothing wrong" - in fact doing the wrong thing (as in, NOT adhering to virtue system as rigidly) would be the right thing. Hence the paradox: how on earth could he have known that the right thing is the wrong thing and vice versa? Bottom line: I'm just happy that both U4 and U5 exist, as they both have very strong individual merit.
@@GeorgGreat_GameReviews Garriot drew from eastern religion such as precursors to Hinduism and Buddhism for his virtue system, Very old a basic ideas for morality that, I think, as with all ideas, shouldn't be taken as inflexible. That is the interesting thing about Ultima 4. The actions are so vague and don't really make sense like trying to figure out which monster is evil or not and to let it run away or kill it for xp. The most interesting thing being given the opportunity to steal gold at any time but it's completely pointless because you just lose like 5 Eigths. That's the major failing of U4. It is inflexible. So it's too shallow because of that. Only perfection being the goal is ridiculous because there's no such thing as perfect. So the premise of U4 was deliberately set up by Garriot to fail so he could make the game he wanted to make in U5. Because Garriot is a gloomy man who runs around in the woods with working bolt action crossbows. But to his chagrin, U4 is his flawed masterpiece that he chose not to follow the design cues of long before EA just bought him.
I have said it before and i will say it again i would love it if they took these games and game them a modern day makeover. Better graphics better gameplay more story (but with the exception of Ultima 9, which i don´t think anyone would mind if it was completely rewritten) don´t change it too much simply expand it. When i say expand it i don´t mean put modern day politics, representation and all the rest of the modern day buzzwords in the game. I mean more in line of taking all the story from the manual and incorporate it in the game. Also with the benefit of hindsight maybe set up the various characters much sooner. ala Lord Blackthorne was in the game from the beginning and you got to know him that would make his fall to evil hit much closer to home. At the same time it would make sense why he was put in charge of Britannia while lord British was gone. Also maybe put up hint for serpent island much sooner so once again when you go there in Ultima 7 its not as much of a ohh so this place exists and they had a completely different religion... okay... Maybe even make it canon that it was the serpent of balance you removed in Ultima 3. All such small things that wasn´t in the original game, but later became important in later games. Do that and i personally think we would have a game series that would sell quite well.
do you ever tried console(saturn and psx to be more precise) versions of wizardry 6 and 7? I really want to get into 6 and 7 but enjoy comfy gaming with gamepad much more. The language barrier is not a problem cause i can read some japanese, but the fact that there's almost zero reviews on console versions is meh so I'm not sure on hoq good they are as ports. You really should check them and make some small reviews on them
Yeah, sorry, I have no clue about the ports, but - truth be told - it doesn't seem like such a distinctly PC RPG would translate all that well to consoles. Even if they were to do an excellent job of porting and adapting it - something would be lost in the process. Essentially, if I were to play them for the first time, I'd go with the DOS version... like, I don't want to be over-dramatic, but comfortable is a word that doesn't come to mind when thinking about those games.
Indeed. I treasure the fact that I can access those games with such relative ease (sometimes the emulator set up and rom-hunting takes time). It's something I literally couldn't even dream of back when I was a kid - that all those games could be within an arm's reach.
On the music, I had the Amiga version and it only had the one song playing on loop. That song was a mournful piano piece much more in keeping with the atmosphere of the setting. Could be nostalgia talking but I don’t ever remember it getting irritatingly repetitive and still hear it in my head to this day.
It was probably "the stones" song, and yeah, I can see it fitting the tone quite well. Better than the triumphant town theme from the DOS version at least ^_^
@@GeorgGreat_GameReviews It wasn’t stones, it was this, I vaguely recall now someone saying it sounded like it was inspired by Metallicas “One” and I definitely get it but don’t know if that was official! ua-cam.com/video/6RPkakVp2vk/v-deo.htmlsi=0a7V4v-VTpEt2j4T
That was a great song! It definitely fits the mood. In the version I'd played this music was put over the character creation process - an awesome track! :D
I found the combat the opposite. Moving characters into alignment to attack is far worse than aiming a cursor with a keyboard. Also, you suffer from not having the reference card. You can set and unset an active character with the number keys. You don't have to walk everyone off screen and you can traverse rooms with non-straight routes one at a time. U4 rooms were UI hell with the specific places to stand and the character cycling.
I guess it's basically a preference thing with the aiming :) And yeah, I've been notified that you could, in fact, use individual characters by pressing numerical buttons. I'm sure I'd read and used reference guide while playing, but it seems I'd just missed that bit of info.
I remember about a year ago, commenting about how Ultima 4 had great music. Listening while playing really set a mood, and I consider it one of the greatest RPG soundtracks of all time. U5 didn't have music in the 64, and later I played U6 on PC I didn't own a soundcard. It wasn't until much later than I heard the tracks, and the main theme in both games is basically identical. Honestly, I always thought the music for 5 and 6 was rather crap. Basically nonsense fanfare that gave me whiplash.
It's not just the main theme, but the whole soundtracks that are nearly the same (at least the versions I'd played). I don't have as much a problem with the music itself, which I rather like, as with its context, hence the segment about it in U5 video. In U6, on the other hand, I thought this soundtrack fits in rather well... But again, its just a matter of preference - it's perfectly alright to just not like this OST flat out. P.S. It's great to see you again! Great profile pic, btw. The best Neuromancer-related piece of cover art, imo :) Have yet to play the game, but loved the book
@@GeorgGreat_GameReviews yes I meant the whole soundtrack. It's all awful noisy trumpets all the time, it's super annoying, compared to U4s nearly perfect piano compositions. It's trying too hard to sound "epic". It's not that its quality is bad, but it's like having someone with a trumpet just letting go straight in your ear while trying to have a conversation. I don't remember U6's being as awful and out of place, but I know the main theme in U5 was reused in U6. PS: Thanks! It's either from the cover or the Amiga intro screen of Neutromancer. It's a pretty fun game, I recommend you try it out.
Yeah, it's definitely annoying. That part about someone going off with a trumpet next to your ear as you're trying to converse rings especially true. I really appreciate that in U6, when you talk to an NPC, the music stops. I wonder how I would have felt about it, if it kept going through the conversation. Probably not favorably.
Ultima V is a 2008 game dropped into 1988. I'd suggest downloading Dungeon Siege and installing the Ultima V Lazarus game. A masterpiece of 3D immersive gameplay within the early Ultima universe.
It's from animated film "Belladonna of Sadness" from 1973. It's a phenomenal feature - highly recommended (although be warned - it's highly disturbing).
Someone should port this game to Genesis. I bet with a six button controller and smartly implemented ui it wouldnt be too cumbersome. I've played quite a bit of the Master System version of IV and it was surprisingly intuitive in the way it arranges the menu for the most part, and I bet a few actions could be mapped to the same button, and the commands you can economize the use of, relegate those to the menu.
Yeah, it would be manageable... But I don't think it could ever replace the PC version: interaction with the text parser is best with the keyboard and without a text parser the dialogues would lose their "puzzle" element of figuring out what to ask, etc. Plus the gameplay would be slower with options/menu management and this game is somewhat slow as it is.
@@GeorgGreat_GameReviews hahaha shhh you did. Its official Cannon now. Especially since the seal is your side that rationalizes game development so if the seal likes a game it's a good game! I'd love you to slide that in on a new video lmao I won't even say anything ;^)
@@GeorgGreat_GameReviews Names Tyler by the way in case you see me hanging out on your comments! What made you think if the seal therapist idea anyways lol because it's pretty funny. If you ever want to play baldursgate multiplayer or any old rpgs I'm deffinsntly down as finding people to group up with is hard
Mine is George, nice to meet you :) With the seal it was a number of things, primary of which was that I needed someone to have a dialogue with in the video, and, well, Seal is handy for that ^_^
Oh no! I'm getting the impression you went through the whole game without realizing there is a solo mode. You can use this to move a single character after battle without having to cycle through them turn by turn. Much less tedious than even removing all but one from the battle field.
I don't think it's music per se which is the problem here, but more the dissonance of the heroic fantasy soundtrack to the dystopic game atmosphere. Ultima VII, for example, uses a lot of vaguely mysterious, sinister songs to underline that all is not right in parts of that world, and it is largely successful.
I deffinsntly agree man im a huge fan of ultima 4 when I played it I was blown away how much was packed into a game this old and was excited for ultima 5 I bought box sets of 4 5 and 7. I loved 7, But when I tried 5 it just felt oppressive sad and I couldn't find where to go or what to do it was way too tedious. Even in 4 the combat was tedious and while I would have preferred more tactical faster combat like 6 in 7 I see why the decided just to go with you control your main character in 6 and in 7 you don't even control combat.. Which is sad because in u there's alot of weapons and cool things to use and equip but they all feel kind of pointless except out of combat. If I knew how to program I would love to make a tactical combat mod for ultima 7 similar to ultima 6 or baldurs gate and I think it would be the perfect game. Maybe combat encounters take you into an arena again and give you abilities and skills to use by your companions and yourself.
That's actually a really cool idea. Tbh, when starting U7 I, sort of, expected it to have a battle system like Baldur's Gate. Personally, I really dig the oppressive atmosphere of U5. It's a flawed game in other areas (being tedious is one of them), as I'd outlined in the video, but I still think its a good game.
@@GeorgGreat_GameReviews I actually just found out exult which is how I played ultima 7 has a real time with pause feature which you can use to pause and give commands or cast spells! It's a little junky but if you pause and right click on your party members it brings up the targeting icon for like spells and cannons and allows you to target enemies. Although combat still goes a bit too fast to really be useful.
@@GeorgGreat_GameReviews I'm finally getting my girlfriend to play baldurs gate 1 with me and it's my first time playing baldurs gate multiplayer. It's actually pretty fun but a bit awkward with the pausing.
Hating Blackthorn, because he was influenced by the Shadow Lords he should be forgiven. Ya, say that to Ultima 9 that Retcons this growth Arc and made him a Mustache twilling villain just wanting to get back at the Avatar. lol
@@GeorgGreat_GameReviews You might want to still play through Ultima 7 (Part 2 Serpents Gate) That has a more satisfying Blackthorn story of what happen to him after Ultima 5. It's just sad that the Only reason why he was changed in 9 was because EA Happened. The original U9 was scrapped because EA wanted them to rush it out ASAP and thought the story was Not friendly for new players.
Oh my... thank you for mentioning it. I legit have heard it pronounced properly in movies, but for some reason it just never connected in my mind with the "Shakespearean" thou, even though it is probably the thing people associate to it the most. English is not my first language, as you can easily tell (^_^'), so there must be a ton of such issues with the way I talk. If you hear something particularly obnoxious, don't hesitate to write - I'll try to adjust later... and yes, some things are unfixable due to my accent, unfortunately.
Just thought it would thematically fit in with the game (^_^') The big books on the bookshelves beside Seal are Gulag Archipelago and Das Kapital, btw.
ultima 5 has the same problems of the older ultima games, assecibility, the gameplay once again is not well suported by the ui and controls, actuly is worse than u4 since it had his firsts quests based on cities while ultima 5 they are all over the place, once again you need outside walkhtrughs to make progress, once again you need exell to make sence of the quests.
Yeah, the UI is my major gripe here, I definitely agree. Even though I did manage to beat this game without an FAQ or a guide, I do think that U4 is the superior title in terms of gameplay.
@@GeorgGreat_GameReviews for u6 there is a mod (Nuvie) that adds a dialogue tree and new sprites for companions also some graphicals things i recomend. u6 also is much more like a snes game in terms of assecibility
@@Ale-ft4re Yeah, it truly is - I've actually already finished it and even wrote the script for its review. The only thing left is, well, making the damn thing :D
@@GeorgGreat_GameReviews Likewise. I can't believe it has only been 5 months since your last upload. Time flies it seems. Since the last video I got a proper game programming position but despite having to move another country for it, it is definitely worth it! Hopefully gaining enough experience and resources to do a game of my own.. I have one in the works (+9 months on/off) but the process has slowed down a lot after getting the job. I hope you are doing great in these troubled times. Hopefully the youtube algorithm picks up your videos one day. They are underrated as everyone knows :D
@@Empowerless Oh man, I'm so glad to hear that you're doing so well! I'd love to see your game once it's ready - I still remember how you'd shown me that top down shooter back in the day :) It's wonderful to know that this passion has not dissipated over the years!
Ultima V was pretty significant for me. I also wonder how much the real-life aspects that Richard Garriott had, during the time, influenced the story of Ultima 5, especially after Ultima 4. Given that Ultima 4 was kind of a reflection on the flak he got for Ultima 3. I remember, when Ultima 3 came out, the cover of it looked similar to the D&D Monster's Manual, by having a demon-like figure on the cover. This really brought some ire from certain religious groups just for the cover, and within the aspect of the D&D fears going around.
Ultima 4, by putting the image of a pious individual, the Avatar, was about as on the nose for a reaction cover from all that stuff that happened from releasing Exodus. I think Ultima 5 was sort of a Garriott's revenge, but not exactly that. But more of a warning about taking a rulebook of morality too far. Pushing the practice and enforcing to the point of tyranny. Yes, historical precedent definitely influences stories like this; but I can't help but think Richard was seeing at least a partial echo, with his experience, and decided to put together a story that is also informative.
That's a solid biographical reading of Ultima 3-5. Props, man!
Ultima series' influence on both western RPGs and JRPG cannot be understated. Moreover, it dared to do things modern games would never dream about doing.
I want to re-iterate, I'm glad someone's out there discussing Ultima in current year, when most gaming media + gamers have forgotten about it.
Glad you trudged through the cumbersome parts to show how they did immersion, created atmosphere and imparted the narrative.
Thank you! You wouldn't believe how much your support means to me, man. As I've said before - if someone as well-versed in quality gaming videos as you finds my channel interesting - I must be doing at least something right :) And, genuinely, Thank You for sharing the video - it really makes the difference. You're the best! :)
I was given Ultima V as a gift for Christmas of 1988 for the Commodore 64. I didn't realize until later that the C64 version didn't have enough memory for music. I played the whole game without music and the atmosphere was fantastic without it. Years later I played it on a Commodore 128D which had enough memory for music and it totally changed the tone. The music was great but I enjoyed the game more without it.
Glad I'm not the only one that liked it more without music :) And thank you for watching!
Yeah I have a commodore 64 and 128c and the 128 has issues with some games but ultima 5 is the game worth having for a 128!
Ultima V was the very first game I played as a young child. I lacked the structure to beat the game then and the time to play it now, so I'm glad to hear your take on this classic
Thank you! Glad you liked it :)
I was just thinking of your Ultima videos again yesterday when I started another play of Ultima 3. Glad to see another upload! Cheers!
What a neat coincidence :) And hey, I'm also glad to see you again, man! Cheers!
Ultima V was my first and is my favorite. I played it on C64, and I didn't know there was music. Later in life I tried playing it with sound and I felt the same as you. I love the music, but the gameplay was better w/o it. Thank you so much for these! I hope you make it through the entire series.
Thank you! Glad you like them! And yep, I will be covering the entire series (although it might take some time ^_^')
I think this is my favorite of all the Ultimas for exactly the reasons you mention about not remembering the inconveniences and annoyances, but for having some genuinely hard decisions to make in a world that felt oppressive. Playing on the C64 back in the day didn't have music, so it was just the world and SFX. The silence might have even added to how bleak everything was and felt.
I had a slight advantage to the enjoyment of the game as well. Since I hadn't played 4 yet, I didn't know the mantras. That cycle of going to a town with guaranteed things to do was still there. Find the mantra, the word of power, someone to join you and some other things made each town feel important.
The real point for me with this game was Origin's motto: We create worlds. Ultima V has always been their best example of that for me. There were consequences from the last game, and from choices in the game. Not a strong "This is a bad guy kill him and everything gets better" and multiple cases of understanding why some people would throw in with Blackthorn's forces. Also using Lord British's journal of his trip to follow his campaign into the underworld and find clues to what happened. Or a real attempt to bring aspects of the first 3 games in and bulid out the lore on their backs.
Thanks again for this video. It analysis of the game is wonderful, and the banter between you and Seal is well done as always.
Thank you! I actually remember you mentioning that you've played U5 before 4 in one of your Ultima videos :D It's so neat to see The Lost Sectors lore appear outside of the videos, per say ^_^ But let me stop fanboying for a second... It'd, indeed, alter quite noticeably to not have played U4 before this one. In my defense I did try (almost like you did in your video of U4) to only use mantras once I'd found them in the game, but still, there's definitely something lost there. In any case both U4 and U5 are wonderful games, and whichever will be the first will have the strongest, fullest impact.
Also that motto resonates so well with me - the feeling of being lost in an entirely different world is for me (as for many) is one of the core reasons for loving RPGs and CRPGs, so them prioritizing that aspect of it is... well, in my eyes, validates Ultima as the right choice to make such an expansive marathon.
...Wizardry still has better dungeons though :D
@@GeorgGreat_GameReviews Oooo. I'd have a tough time deciding on better dungeons: Wizardry or Bard's Tale? I really liked aspects of both.
But to the point of something lost with between U4, I have to agree. U4 is a great game with a good story. U5 is a great story, with a good game. With U5, I loved my first play through of it, but have never had an interest in playing it again. As opposed to games like Deathlord and Curse of the Azure Bonds, both I've played many many times.
Are you going to keep pushing on Ultima? Or are you going to take a break at any point?
Anyway, you can't fan boy me, I'm busy fanboying you. Tell Seal hi for me.
"U4 is a great game with a good story. U5 is a great story, with a good game." - perfectly said.
I think I'll stick with Ultima all the way to 9 and the Underworlds. I mean, it would be, emm... dishonorable to quit now :D But speaking of Bard's Tale - I'd really love to cover it one day. Damn... I really should think of a way to make those videos at a quicker rate...
Oh, and Seal says that he really likes Deathlord and CotAB (that one especially) as well!
I‘m really enjoying your reviews, especially these of the Ultima series. I hope you‘ll continue to produce these!
Thanks, will do!
Funny thing; I learned that runic alphabet so well, I wrote my high school chemistry notes in it for an entire semester...
NERD!
Dude, that's so cool! I can imagine a surprise of a classmate asking you to show them notes (maybe they missed something in class or wanted to check how to solve a particular problem) and then seeing it written in runes :D
Awesome work on this GeorgGreat! Amazing combination of entertainment and information! Thanks so much!
My pleasure! And thank you for your support! Hearing you say such positive things about my stuff... it really means a lot. Thank You!
I watched this before your Ultima IV video (currently on it)
I'm shocking a game from 1988 built such atmosphere. Tackling moral ambiguity in such in interesting way, the oppressions imparted from actual real reasons. If the game was remade today, it will get critical acclaim.
I know, right!? Isn't it, just... the best? ^_^ U5 is a legit mature and atmospherically nuanced game from the 1988 and U4 (in addition to making a gameplay system that would be impressive in the indie scene even *today* ) raised interesting philosophical questions... in '85! And they actually did it well :D
Check out Ultima 5 - Lazarus: A fan remake that captured everything great about the original and added an alternate ending (ala Knights of the Old Republic)
Always a pleasure to see you popping up in my notifications! Also, Ultima VII is getting closer and closer! 😄
Thank you! ^_^ And yes! I'd be lying, if I said that I wasn't a bit hyped about U7 :D
These deep dive retrospectives are amazing as always, and i still appreciate the dialogue between you and Seal as something that adds quite a bit character and maybe even insight in its own way to each review. These old Ultima games feel like they embody the phrase 'Don't judge a book by its cover' because one could very easily be turned away from the game before all of the pieces come together in a way that makes you appreciate it. I might argue that a game that pushes you away before you can truly be captured by it does its job poorly, but at the same time you do such a good job of putting all the pieces together that it truly makes these old games sound like masterpieces. Sometimes I have to wonder if there really is this hidden world written between the lines that many of us simply cant easily see or experience for ourselves, or if you're just such an exceptional storyteller that you can weave anything into an intriguing narrative!
Perhaps both are true as some of my own experiences with Ultima 4 can attest to. I was too young when i first played U4 (on the NES) to fully embody exactly what it was trying to do, or that a strict adherence to the virtues was how you'd complete it. But i still found its gameplay to be among one of the most memorable for games of that time. From finding the secrets, to exploring the towns, understanding the moongates, or the economy, though battles sure could be a slow grind for very small reward at times; it was a game that rewarded you for your patience, and for learning to speak its language, so to speak. It wasn't a game without its flaws, but by putting enough time into it, you really could appreciate how solving the riddles and puzzles immersed and drew you further into its world.
Its fascinating to see the contrast between Ultima 4 and Ultima 5 with regard to how it approaches the Avatar's virtues, and how those could be subverted and twisted into the dystopia of the fifth game. I have to admire the dedication it takes to persevere through the series' fiddliness, absorb all of these elements, and then be able to convey them back to us in such a thoughtful and entertaining manner. Thank you for always providing such an amazing insight to games that i would consider to be so flawed that they would be hard to engage with. It will be interesting to see your take on more modern variations of the series and genre to see if those games can still deliver such compelling material, or if something becomes lost once the experience that delivers them is no longer so unwieldy, vague, or demanding of the player. (But thats a whole other can of worms to try and unpack!)
Once again great work Georg, your videos remain unparalleled in my experience. Thanks for all work you put into making them!
And, from the bottom of my heart, Thank You too. It's always a joy to read through your comments - your nuanced feedback is indicative of how attentive you were to the video, that it was something you actively listened to and thought about. That is worth the world for me, so, genuinely, Thank you.
I also want to comment on the "hard to get into, but great once you do" thing. It's a thing I find quite fascinating about video games in general. It's not just the survival horrors, cinematic platformers, souls-like and Paradox interactive strategy games, etc... but even the most accessible "normal" games can fall under that category (like the Razbuten videos illustrate). Whenever I try an "entry-level" game of an unfamiliar genre there's always a wall that I have to push through. With Ultima games, as with others, I guess, it all boils down to how interested you are in the given game. Like, with U4, in particular, there was barely a moment (including first hours) that I could say that I honestly disliked. It's maybe a matter of taste, but this style and look of a game appeals to me, so it's not so much a flaw, as a part of appeal. But again, there's no right answer when it comes to media and art.
@@GeorgGreat_GameReviews You make a particularly good point; a willingness to become invested is an important factor, and is something that you've built up through both your playing of the previous games for the channel, the post-play research you've done, as well as the deep analysis into the characters, story, narrative, and world of each. I almost feel like thats something that most people struggle to have in quite the same way. They're often there more to have an experience, than to absorb the narrative on the same level that someone who is analyzing it for review might which is a shame. But to be fair sometimes it is also hard to really get everything out of an experience if you're spending every moment making notes about things. Somehow it feels like you managed to figure out how to do both! :P
Whenever I get a brainworm in my head about a game that i saw or played when i was younger and want to try and figure out what it was, i will go looking through google and screenshots and be overwhelmed by the feeling of pleasant nostalgia at all the colorful or atmospheric imagery of games that most people would consider inferior these days. I will remember the deeper, or at least more invested experiences that a young mind took to those things, and how some of those elements were so memorable even 20 years later. It really was a different era when we were consulting the manuals, creating maps, memorizing corridors, and in some cases literally translating aspects of the game. Strange how a piece of art in a manual could evoke such a vivid bit of imagination as to bring a few pixels on screen an entirely different life when we were younger. I need to work on clawing a little bit of that magic back into my modern-day experiences, especially as you make these games sound so enriching to have explored! :)
Dude! Almost a week ago I saw a promotional Starcraft render (the one with the protos to the background of a mountain) that I saw in a magazine back in the day and I literally got the same nostalgia "kick" that you've described. Even though I have played Starcraft years later, that image sort of remained separate in my mind: like it's from a different era of my life, the one in which this RTS game was a mysterious world that I can only briefly glimpse in such promotional images and screenshots. It's a very special thing, that nostalgia or whatever it is :_)
This is for a course that you teach? Is the rest online? Enjoyed it thoroughly. I grew up with these games, and it is wonderful to come back to them and to digest them more thoroughly as an adult. You and Seal have been of inestimable assistance in this regard. Thank you!
Ha-ha, nah, man, there's no hidden course ^_^ There are some videos that I've unlisted on the channel, though. If you're interested, check out my "Videos" playlist for top 10 indie games of 2016 (here's the link: ua-cam.com/video/GOWq-tJTU1I/v-deo.html)
And I'm glad that you find my videos interesting! Thank you!
YES! I've been looking forward to you doing a video on Ultima V.
Thank you! Glad to finally get to it, as well :)
So good! I'm always excited to hear your insights when you upload.
And I'm equally as excited to share them! As well as seeing your comments ^_^ It's great to have you!
These videos are absolutely astounding!
You're making me blush :D But seriously, thank you so much!
This was a really fun video. I clicked on it with no intention of watching beyond the intro, and here I am, an hour later, with far more knowledge of a video game that I've never played than I intended to gather.
Damn, it's so awesome to hear, man. Thank you so much!
@@GeorgGreat_GameReviews If Seal is reading this, I'm a big fan.
He seems quite happy to receive the compliment (although it's hard to judge from his... emm... facial expression)
Great work as always! Its good to see you are well and alive George.
Thank you! Sometimes I'm surprised to still be alive myself :D But, joking aside, it's great to see you too!
@@GeorgGreat_GameReviews Be safe and dont let them to drag you into this pointless war :)
@@Liatlordofthedungeon It's... just awful, there's no other words for it.
Great videos! I've been a fan of the Ultima series since I discovered them sometime in the mid 1980's as a young lad. I'm glad to see people still play and examine them. They remain to this day some of the greatest and most influential CRPG's ever made.
Thank you once again! Yeah, playing them has been greatly illuminating: a lot of things about RPGs really "came together" for me so to speak, like seeing the gradual split of CRPGs and JRPGS from Ultima 3 onward, the equally gradually increasing focus on dialogues, etc.
Plus they are still amazing to this day - Ultima 4 is, without any irony, now one of my favorite RPGs period.
They really are fantastic. Ultima 4 was in many ways a kind of introduction to philosophical thought for a young, impressionable me.@@GeorgGreat_GameReviews
Amazing video as always. From what I have learned by watching your Ultima videos is that the creators really did not just follow a formula but tried lots of new things for every game. It makes it very interesting and I wish more companies nowadays had the same courage to just scrap some things and try something else. I mean, the old games are always there to replay if you do not like the new entry. Anyway, keep them coming. I found a really nice other channel which reminded me of you. Basement Brothers. Pc 88/98 heaven goes through lots of old games and slowly explains and reviews them. Actually very different from what you are doing but somehow I felt others who enjoy what you do might find it interesting as well.
Take care! Until next time.
And Thank You as always! That variety is one of the main reasons I chose Ultima for such a marathon, as it makes each entry fun and interesting to review ...Another major one being that I liked the name of the series :D And thanks for namedropping Basement Brothers, as I have, actually, not known about them, so I'll be checking them out. It's always awesome to discover a new fun channel, so I appreciate that :)
Hope you're doing well! ^_^
A great review of a game I never got the chance to play properly!
Thank you! Cool to see you again ^_^
Great review of a masterpiece of a game. I still remember playing this in the 80s and scribbling in my notes, "Sosaria has turned evil!" as the state of the world unfolded. Make sure you play Lazarus!
Thank you for your wonderful comment! I'll definitely try it at some point!
This was an amazing retrospective on a game I played as a kid which left me with a melancholy feeling of wonder that I still remember to this day and which no other game has since captured in quite the same way.
Thank you! This game is really something special. It's a genuine work of art, in my opinion.
Do you think you'd feel the same way if you had played it for the first time nowadays?
@@tohitAC0 In all honesty, probably not. That sense of wonder we have as children invariably gets eroded to some degree by our experiences and the passage of time. Ultima V was the first real open-world sandbox RPG I played. There just weren't really any other games quite like it back then. I imagine I would still appreciate the game were I to be able to play for the first time in this day and age, but not in the same way I did as a kid.
@kirbyjoe7484 I wonder if, in a couple decades, the kids of today will have the same nostalgia towards the games they're playing right now. Or if there is no longer that kind of attachment. I played U4 and U5 in junior high and have a similar view as you do.
35:20 I've heard people talk about how extrinsic motivators cause people to not care about intrinsic motivators before, but it's neat to hear it cause (or at least contribute to) someone to not seek vengeance in a game.
Then again I guess that's what reputation and legal consequences do normally, most games just don't have systems like that, or if they do they don't have stories to make you hate characters.
That's true, usually people sort of demonize the extrinsic motivation, with the intrinsic being posed as the "good" one (at least in stories/narratives), so this situation presents a somewhat atypical narrative dynamic, especially for a fantasy game. Damn, man - nice catch! I haven't actually thought about it from such an angle, but it's cool stuff! Also thank you for watching the video so attentively - it genuinely means a lot.
This is the first video I've seen from this channel and it's great! Really in depth, entertaining and well edited. Surprised the channel doesn't have more viewers to be honest. Maybe retro games are just that niche now, damn.
Thank you so much! Great to have you on board! I think, considering how rarely I upload (2-3 videos per year), it's a bit less of a mystery (^_^')
@@GeorgGreat_GameReviews ah, that does explain a bit but I also wish you the best luck with the channel, you deserve it.
A lot of my favorite creators upload only once or twice a year. Generally speaking it means the content is actually made with a bit of passion :).
Mine too, actually! This channel is genuinely the favorite thing of mine, so... I try :) Thank you, once again!
Another great video by a great reviewer.
Great to see you again! And thank you, man. It truly means a lot.
The thing I remember most: in combat you could attack diagonally.
Yeah, that's a big one. It was a bit unfair how in older Ultimas you couldn't attack diagonally, but enemies could.
this channel is the most british thing i have ever seen in my entire life
just loved it
Bloody hell! You'd be surprised at how happy I got from reading your comment ^_^ Thank you, man! Glad you liked it :)
Finally got around to watching this video, was an amazing video as always wish I could have watched sooner
Thank you! It's always great to hear that the video did not disappoint ^_^ There's no hurry - the videos are not going anywhere and, considering their length, I would even advise to take your time with them :D
P.S. I've had to go away for a couple weeks - sorry for taking so long to answer...
@@GeorgGreat_GameReviews lmao it’s fine, your personal life is more important than responding to UA-cam comments
@@Nightmood8066 Wait... I thought it *was* personal life 0_0
Yeah, I'm still waiting for this year video. A hail from Brazil
It makes me happy to hear! I'm working on it - recently (about two months ago) I was able to speed up the process that prior was very slow due to amount of real life things that needed to be taken care of. For a handful of months now I had returned to the normal (normal for this channel, I mean) rate of production. But still, U7 is an especially tough video to make, as it turns out. Hope it'll be worth the wait!
Thanks for all the effort you put on your videos, present all that dense information so smoothly ain't easy feat.
@@Dogelao Thank you! It's all worth it for comments like this :D
I watched your videos up to Ultima IV but got delayed to play Ultima V until now. I see you put up an Ultima VI video as well now so I am still behind but working on. For me Ultima V took a big leap towards the standards that we take for granted in these games today, and I will probably remember it for it's oppressive feel and message, after I forgot the game itself. Ultima IV have the strongest impact on me so far due to how unique it is, but I am still happy for having finished V.
Glad to see that you're still on the Ultima marathon! It's a big commitment, but I find it to be rather gratifying :) The video on Ultima VI isn't going anywhere, so no rush. I, myself, try to avoid videos on games that I intend on playing, only checking them out once the game has been completed. U4 is my favorite as well (so far), with U5 being second.
@@GeorgGreat_GameReviews I do confess to having watched almost your entire Ultima V video before I got into the final dungeon, but luckily it didn't contain any spoilers at that point.
My commitment to the series came from wanting to play Ultima VII and Ultima Underworld back in the early y2k, but felt I couldn't do that before playing the other games first. And Ultima I was the first CRPG I ever bought when I was too young to understand it. But I go back and forth between binging singleplayer games and not, and my list of titles to play is long. I might not get into VI immediately as I have a few contenders already for my next game, but I will get there eventually. Hopefully faster than 2 years this time. :)
Holy cow! Has it been two years already? Time sure flies, huh? It really feels like we've only just chatted about Ultima 3 recently.
Truth be told, I can relate very well to what you're describing. There are games I've played recently that I'd had on my mental "to play" list for literally more than 15 years :) Ultima titles being some of them.
@@GeorgGreat_GameReviews I am surprised myself. I checked the date of my Ultima IV savefile and it's September 2020...
My landmark achievement was finishing Knightmare on the Amiga in the beginning of the year. My grandma got that for me as a young boy and it was too hard for me. It was the only game ever we returned to the store. So finishing it now, 30-35 years later, was really big. :) And it also finished my list of Amiga blobbers (if you're familiar with the term).
Now I am back into Pillars of Eternity, with Dark Sun 2 on the side. I am curious where Dark Sun fits into the timeline. I can't recall a crpg with full monkey-island style dialogue prior to Dark Sun, which make it feel like a bridge over to Fallout / Baldur's Gate.
Congrats on beating Knightmare! Haven't played myself, but watched some videos on it - looks like an interesting title.
And that's an intriguing observation about the Dark Sun being the bridge to Fallout/Baldur's Gate dialogue trees. It certainly would be fitting, since there's something akin to Dark Sun in early Fallout games
That creepy intro organ music with your accent on top of it is giving me serious Count Dracula vibes.
Ha-ha, that's actually pretty cool! ... as long as it's not Nosferatu vibes, that is :D
I'm also pale as heck, too.
Instasubbed!!! So glad I stumbled on your channel. The Ultima series is something I've always been curious about but only ever played Ultima 7, which I loved. So thanks, this makes me want to start them all in order : )
Can't wait to binge your other vids tonight and tomorrow. Cheers bro!
Thank you! Hope you'll like them ^_^ And yeah, I can recommend playing Ultima games from my own experience. It's been a great ride so far :)
At 19:00 you talk about moving each character while looting. You can in fact select only one character with a number key to have him and only him fight and loot.
Other then that it was a great review. I completely agree about the music. The depressing hail Britania theme was fitting in the castle since LB was missing, but everywhere else it detracted from the feel.
0_0 Holy crap! I didn't know that... I thought it was something only added in Ultima VI. Thank you for mentioning it!
Great review Georg !
I haven't played this Ultima, but it seems it would have been perfect with the Arcanum Steamworks & Magic Obscura Musical score.
Thank you!
And yeah! It would definitely fit a lot better than the game's actual score. Arcanum is such a great game, btw :)
Great video, man! I hope that you will also consider reviewing Wizardry 8 at some time. Really interested in what you think about it!
Thank you! Oh, that one is *definitely* on the list :D
Nice crt))) Is this syncmaster 997? How's dos stuff on it?
Thanks! It's Syncmaster 783 df - I haven't used an authentic dos os on it, but games in dosbox look really nice on it :)
My take on the town-solving thing: I think the downside of the U4 town format is that you know exactly what you're in for.
It makes the world feel smaller and the narrative feel less organic when you can slot everything new into a box that way, and the good part about a plot that relies less on such "templates" in its design is that you can't size up exactly what you can expect the rest of the game's content to be.
I'm also not necessarily sure how fair the music criticism is, since the original game didn't have it, IIRC; correct me if I'm wrong on that, though.
That's actually an excellent point. I can't think of it off-hand, but that formulaic "fit-everything-into-a-box" type of design has, indeed, lessened some games for me in the past due to the very reason you've described. I guess, because U4 doesn't really feel like a living, breathing world to begin with (having, essentially, only gameplay and themes going for it) this "boxy" design fits there like a glove. But, indeed, such design (although gameplay-wise satisfying) lessens the atmosphere and believability of the game world (thus it would worsen U5).
Georg - check out Nox Archaist. It's a 2021 game using cutting-age 1988 tech with a feel very similar to U4/U5. It ships with an Apple II emulator as a hard drive image you can play on a PC.
Oh, I'll definitely check this one out :) I've seen The Lost Sectors play this game and it does look awesome. Thank you for namedropping it!
have you ever played akalabeth, aka the richard garriott game before ultima 1? its really simple even compared to the first few ultimas but its fun to play for history purposes
Yeah, I have tinkered with it - amazing to see just how much (in terms of RPGs and games in general) has grown out of such humble roots :)
Finally a new review 🤩 🙏
Exactly my feeling! ^_^
This and blades of exile series had me hooked as akid
yes my favorite ultima and one of the best youtube channels
Thank you! You have a fine taste, if I do say so myself!
... Seal, why are you looking at me like that?
Another insightful deep dive sir. This one hits close to home with what's happening in America now and all over the world. When you speak of "knowing" that situations within U5 are wrong it brings to mind Mere Christianity and the Law of Nature by C.S. Lewis. PS, nice touch with the Rand book on your shelf. ;)
Thank you! I'm glad you noticed :)
I’m playing it now! Loving the setting!
This game is great in many ways. I skipped over it when it came out because I was still using the Atari 800, and it wasn't released for that system. By the time I got a DOS machine, Ultima VI was out and I played that game. After Ultima VI and VII, I found it hard to go back to the clunky old interface of Ultima V and earlier, but I eventually made my way through it. It is a great follow-up to Ultima IV, and it made many advances in game design.
There is a fan-made remake called Ultima V Lazarus. It is a mod for Dungeon Siege, which is janky in its own different ways, but I find it to be an improvement. In addition to using a more advanced game engine, it adds a lot of content, including side quests, new NPCs, and more places to explore. This, of course, takes an already very long game and makes it longer, but it is a great Ultima experience.
U5 is very special. It's interesting to hear how you - being a series veteran - have only played through this one after experiencing later titles. I guess the fact that you made it through it means that - despite inferior interface - the game was interesting enough to keep your attention :)
Will you make videos of all the Ultimas until 7?
Well... I intend on covering them all, in fact Underworld games included. ^_^
@@GeorgGreat_GameReviews Cool! Underworld games are a couple of my favorite!
I worked for Lord British at NCSoft (which was Origin). Small world. Anyway, this was the first game that ever felt “open world” to me. I was excited to get in trouble for bad language, for seeing myself in a mirror, gaining a bad reputation, exploring…….
That's awesome! What was it like working at NCSoft? Hope Garriot was alright ^_^ Yeah, I can see how you can lose yourself in a game like this, especially back then. I mean, I got absorbed into it *now*, so back in the day it might have qualified for a black hole in terms of "sucking you in" :D
@@GeorgGreat_GameReviews I just saw Richard around. He was a bit aloof but not really bad at all. I did say hello to him in a stairwell and he just stared at me lol. My father worked at NASA when Richard’s father was a Skylab astronaut at NASA. Small world.
At NCSoft in Austin I did QA game testing for mainly Lineage 2 and City of Heroes. I loved it but I had a drinking problem and resigned. I was playing in a band with Daniel Johnston (Google him) at the time which I thought required late nights and drinking - my life was crazy. I LOVED the people at NCSoft though.
Game testing is hard work btw. Not everybody can do it….well.
So. Lol. You were complaining about the time it takes to gather treasure, or being locked in a castle etc….I played the game on a C-64. Oh my god the load times. The floppy disks. The horror. .You are playing on a very old looking but still over clocked PC. Is that and old 486 or Pentium processor?
@@tranceightseven Wow, small world indeed! and damn, you've had quite a life: working with several prominent cultural figures in several entertainment industries... I'm somewhat jealous, he-he :P
Yeah, that PC is old, but not as old as the monitor - I'd just connected that syncmaster to my PC circa 2011. So yeah, no Pentium, I'm afraid. I'd love to get my hands on a proper old-school hardware, but that's definitely not going to happen in my current financial situation
I'm going to be honest here. The best thing about Ultima 4 is the personality test. This is the point that Garriot created a stand out series. Because the genius of that is to make you feel as the character, the 'Avatar' is actually you, in the game. Garriot invented the term, which is still in use. The second reason U4 is revolutionary is because for the fist time in a game, your actions are not limited and they will affect your progress in levelling up your moral stats and eventually become an all powerful do gooder and set a good example. Instead of just to get as powerful as possible and eventually slay something. It's very clever and meditative.
So what I'm saying is. It is the tarot cards and virtue system that put the series on the map and if I'm not mistaken, this game drops those elements.
What was refreshing about Ultima 4 and gave it mass appeal was the fact you are playing yourself and not a pre-written character which gives U4, to this day, the greatest sense of immersion and consequence I've ever felt in a game.
It's this consequence that brnigs this game and the npc's alive. Because you could actually slay them. Even if they respawn and you just lost 7 hours of grinding. You _can_ actually do it.
The other major point is that U4 is a game about being good, not bad. This sets it apart from nearly every other game. In which being good involves simply killing the bad guys. This is a revolutionary idea and makes U4 a shining example and easily in the pantheon of greatest designed games ever.
Ultima 5 is pointlessly negative and strange and oppressive. It feels as if Garriot is annoyed at having to make a game with a moral message. Despite the fact that the virtua system is the only thing that raises U4 above the rest.
I can't blame U5 though. Because it's the logical next step in a narrative arc that follows a perfect world. The next logical connecting development is for that to be subverted to be re-examined from another angle of how to save Britannia from a new conundrum involving the dangers of dogmatic adherence to doctrine and religious fervour a-la the bonfire of the vanities or Spanish inquisition.
But this is a bit of a blunt object to hit religion with as Lord Blackthorne simply goes nuts for no dsicernable reason. I guess he's possessed by evil dark force energy, the pesky dark force energy.
This feels just like 'magic' to me and not a proper examination of humanity which is thoughtfull or as wide ranging in scope as U4 when looking at humanity.
Really the Ultima series peaked with U4 which remains a continuing source of reflection on game design for me, both narratively and to a lesser extent mechanically.
I think the series went in the wrong direction after 4 as Origin spent time making bad SNES ports and adding too much complexity to inventories and eventually ending up a platforming action-adventure. The cancelled Ultima X (great ost btw) was just open world. EA chasing trends. It would have sucked.
You raise some good points. I don't know how I would have reacted to U4 if it had no personality test at the start - it's such an important frame for it. I will actually talk a bit about Blackthorne in my U7 video, but, in my view, he represents a paradox of a man committed to enact the most moral and virtuous actions imaginable, who in actuality becomes the worst tyrant imaginable due to the flaws of moral code that he absorbed. The Spanish inquisition is apt comparison, as they were convinced of the righteousness of their conduit. The tragedy of Blackthorne is a profound one, as there's no fault with his reasoning within the boundaries of the virtue system. Imagine literally doing everything right for your entire life and, at some point, you realize that your actions were bringing only harm the whole time. As the meme goes, "he did nothing wrong" - in fact doing the wrong thing (as in, NOT adhering to virtue system as rigidly) would be the right thing. Hence the paradox: how on earth could he have known that the right thing is the wrong thing and vice versa?
Bottom line: I'm just happy that both U4 and U5 exist, as they both have very strong individual merit.
@@GeorgGreat_GameReviews Garriot drew from eastern religion such as precursors to Hinduism and Buddhism for his virtue system, Very old a basic ideas for morality that, I think, as with all ideas, shouldn't be taken as inflexible.
That is the interesting thing about Ultima 4. The actions are so vague and don't really make sense like trying to figure out which monster is evil or not and to let it run away or kill it for xp.
The most interesting thing being given the opportunity to steal gold at any time but it's completely pointless because you just lose like 5 Eigths.
That's the major failing of U4. It is inflexible. So it's too shallow because of that. Only perfection being the goal is ridiculous because there's no such thing as perfect.
So the premise of U4 was deliberately set up by Garriot to fail so he could make the game he wanted to make in U5.
Because Garriot is a gloomy man who runs around in the woods with working bolt action crossbows.
But to his chagrin, U4 is his flawed masterpiece that he chose not to follow the design cues of long before EA just bought him.
I have said it before and i will say it again i would love it if they took these games and game them a modern day makeover.
Better graphics better gameplay more story (but with the exception of Ultima 9, which i don´t think anyone would mind if it was completely rewritten) don´t change it too much simply expand it.
When i say expand it i don´t mean put modern day politics, representation and all the rest of the modern day buzzwords in the game.
I mean more in line of taking all the story from the manual and incorporate it in the game.
Also with the benefit of hindsight maybe set up the various characters much sooner.
ala Lord Blackthorne was in the game from the beginning and you got to know him that would make his fall to evil hit much closer to home.
At the same time it would make sense why he was put in charge of Britannia while lord British was gone.
Also maybe put up hint for serpent island much sooner so once again when you go there in Ultima 7 its not as much of a ohh so this place exists and they had a completely different religion... okay...
Maybe even make it canon that it was the serpent of balance you removed in Ultima 3.
All such small things that wasn´t in the original game, but later became important in later games.
Do that and i personally think we would have a game series that would sell quite well.
do you ever tried console(saturn and psx to be more precise) versions of wizardry 6 and 7? I really want to get into 6 and 7 but enjoy comfy gaming with gamepad much more. The language barrier is not a problem cause i can read some japanese, but the fact that there's almost zero reviews on console versions is meh so I'm not sure on hoq good they are as ports. You really should check them and make some small reviews on them
Yeah, sorry, I have no clue about the ports, but - truth be told - it doesn't seem like such a distinctly PC RPG would translate all that well to consoles. Even if they were to do an excellent job of porting and adapting it - something would be lost in the process. Essentially, if I were to play them for the first time, I'd go with the DOS version... like, I don't want to be over-dramatic, but comfortable is a word that doesn't come to mind when thinking about those games.
What do you think about recording the games from a real crt, i think the game would look much better, a crt creates a certain ambience.
Thanks for the suggestion! I might try that in the future :)
I like the Improvement they did to the battles in this game compared to the previous. You can now throw an axe in more than just four directions
The Return of the King
Ha-ha, thanks! I like Fellowship of the Ring more, though :)
@@GeorgGreat_GameReviews Based
My "Inverse Sub Count to Video Quality" rule continues to hold.
I always knew that I'd peaked at Wiz7.
But seriously, Thank You!
Miss when rpg games were like this
Indeed. I treasure the fact that I can access those games with such relative ease (sometimes the emulator set up and rom-hunting takes time). It's something I literally couldn't even dream of back when I was a kid - that all those games could be within an arm's reach.
On the music, I had the Amiga version and it only had the one song playing on loop. That song was a mournful piano piece much more in keeping with the atmosphere of the setting. Could be nostalgia talking but I don’t ever remember it getting irritatingly repetitive and still hear it in my head to this day.
It was probably "the stones" song, and yeah, I can see it fitting the tone quite well. Better than the triumphant town theme from the DOS version at least ^_^
@@GeorgGreat_GameReviews It wasn’t stones, it was this, I vaguely recall now someone saying it sounded like it was inspired by Metallicas “One” and I definitely get it but don’t know if that was official! ua-cam.com/video/6RPkakVp2vk/v-deo.htmlsi=0a7V4v-VTpEt2j4T
That was a great song! It definitely fits the mood. In the version I'd played this music was put over the character creation process - an awesome track! :D
I found the combat the opposite. Moving characters into alignment to attack is far worse than aiming a cursor with a keyboard.
Also, you suffer from not having the reference card. You can set and unset an active character with the number keys. You don't have to walk everyone off screen and you can traverse rooms with non-straight routes one at a time. U4 rooms were UI hell with the specific places to stand and the character cycling.
I guess it's basically a preference thing with the aiming :) And yeah, I've been notified that you could, in fact, use individual characters by pressing numerical buttons. I'm sure I'd read and used reference guide while playing, but it seems I'd just missed that bit of info.
I remember about a year ago, commenting about how Ultima 4 had great music. Listening while playing really set a mood, and I consider it one of the greatest RPG soundtracks of all time.
U5 didn't have music in the 64, and later I played U6 on PC I didn't own a soundcard. It wasn't until much later than I heard the tracks, and the main theme in both games is basically identical. Honestly, I always thought the music for 5 and 6 was rather crap. Basically nonsense fanfare that gave me whiplash.
It's not just the main theme, but the whole soundtracks that are nearly the same (at least the versions I'd played). I don't have as much a problem with the music itself, which I rather like, as with its context, hence the segment about it in U5 video. In U6, on the other hand, I thought this soundtrack fits in rather well... But again, its just a matter of preference - it's perfectly alright to just not like this OST flat out.
P.S. It's great to see you again! Great profile pic, btw. The best Neuromancer-related piece of cover art, imo :) Have yet to play the game, but loved the book
@@GeorgGreat_GameReviews yes I meant the whole soundtrack. It's all awful noisy trumpets all the time, it's super annoying, compared to U4s nearly perfect piano compositions. It's trying too hard to sound "epic". It's not that its quality is bad, but it's like having someone with a trumpet just letting go straight in your ear while trying to have a conversation.
I don't remember U6's being as awful and out of place, but I know the main theme in U5 was reused in U6.
PS: Thanks! It's either from the cover or the Amiga intro screen of Neutromancer. It's a pretty fun game, I recommend you try it out.
Yeah, it's definitely annoying. That part about someone going off with a trumpet next to your ear as you're trying to converse rings especially true. I really appreciate that in U6, when you talk to an NPC, the music stops. I wonder how I would have felt about it, if it kept going through the conversation. Probably not favorably.
Ultima V is a 2008 game dropped into 1988. I'd suggest downloading Dungeon Siege and installing the Ultima V Lazarus game. A masterpiece of 3D immersive gameplay within the early Ultima universe.
Yeah, that's a solid recommendation. It's cool that someone actually went ahead and made that mod :)
What's that animation that was shown at 34:18?
It's from animated film "Belladonna of Sadness" from 1973. It's a phenomenal feature - highly recommended (although be warned - it's highly disturbing).
@@GeorgGreat_GameReviews Jesus, you.. you were right. It's BRUTAL. Also thank you. I'm actually inspired after watching it.
My... pleasure? Somehow it feels wrong to say, given the context (^_^') I'm glad to hear that the overall effect of this film was a positive one!
Cool another video!
Hope you like it! It's great to see you again :)
When is someone gonna tell him that joining the Oppression is optional?
Oh, I know that. It's just that, during the playthrough, I didn't, which is what the script reflects.
Someone should port this game to Genesis. I bet with a six button controller and smartly implemented ui it wouldnt be too cumbersome. I've played quite a bit of the Master System version of IV and it was surprisingly intuitive in the way it arranges the menu for the most part, and I bet a few actions could be mapped to the same button, and the commands you can economize the use of, relegate those to the menu.
Yeah, it would be manageable... But I don't think it could ever replace the PC version: interaction with the text parser is best with the keyboard and without a text parser the dialogues would lose their "puzzle" element of figuring out what to ask, etc. Plus the gameplay would be slower with options/menu management and this game is somewhat slow as it is.
Ultima 4 is on the Master System and it's easy to play. I don't think U5 is a significant technical upgrade but I could be wrong.
Subscribed. You're funny and informative.
Thanks and welcome aboard!
Wait it just clicked for me.
Is that the SEAL OF APPROVAL.
Damn, why didn't I think of that!? :D
@@GeorgGreat_GameReviews hahaha shhh you did. Its official Cannon now.
Especially since the seal is your side that rationalizes game development so if the seal likes a game it's a good game!
I'd love you to slide that in on a new video lmao I won't even say anything ;^)
@@GeorgGreat_GameReviews Names Tyler by the way in case you see me hanging out on your comments! What made you think if the seal therapist idea anyways lol because it's pretty funny. If you ever want to play baldursgate multiplayer or any old rpgs I'm deffinsntly down as finding people to group up with is hard
Ha-ha, thank you ^_^ Does it mean that... your lips are *sealed* ?
Mine is George, nice to meet you :) With the seal it was a number of things, primary of which was that I needed someone to have a dialogue with in the video, and, well, Seal is handy for that ^_^
The story of Ultima 5 is happening right now in the real world, forced morality but even less sane.
Sad, but true
Yay!
Hooray! ^_^
yay, you are one of my favorites
Thank you! It does mean a lot :)
Ultima 4: The Quest for the Avatar
Ultima 5: The Whoops of the Avatar
---
Next time:
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Ultima 6: The Whoops of the Avatar Part 2
This is perfect. Holy sh*t.
@@GeorgGreat_GameReviews Keep it for the official video title.
If you want, of course.
@@38procentkrytyk I'll probably use it for the U6 - the part 2 really adds to it =D
@@GeorgGreat_GameReviews This is probably the last occasion. I don't think I agree with later instalments blaming The Stranger for those... things.
Oh, I still haven't played anything passed 6. Helps to go blind into those things :)
Oh no! I'm getting the impression you went through the whole game without realizing there is a solo mode. You can use this to move a single character after battle without having to cycle through them turn by turn. Much less tedious than even removing all but one from the battle field.
Yeah, people have pointed this out after the fact. My fault (^_^')
I don't think it's music per se which is the problem here, but more the dissonance of the heroic fantasy soundtrack to the dystopic game atmosphere. Ultima VII, for example, uses a lot of vaguely mysterious, sinister songs to underline that all is not right in parts of that world, and it is largely successful.
Oh yes, music in U7 is absolutely on point. I can't wait to share my video on it with people.
I deffinsntly agree man im a huge fan of ultima 4 when I played it I was blown away how much was packed into a game this old and was excited for ultima 5 I bought box sets of 4 5 and 7. I loved 7,
But when I tried 5 it just felt oppressive sad and I couldn't find where to go or what to do it was way too tedious.
Even in 4 the combat was tedious and while I would have preferred more tactical faster combat like 6 in 7 I see why the decided just to go with you control your main character in 6 and in 7 you don't even control combat..
Which is sad because in u there's alot of weapons and cool things to use and equip but they all feel kind of pointless except out of combat. If I knew how to program I would love to make a tactical combat mod for ultima 7 similar to ultima 6 or baldurs gate and I think it would be the perfect game.
Maybe combat encounters take you into an arena again and give you abilities and skills to use by your companions and yourself.
That's actually a really cool idea. Tbh, when starting U7 I, sort of, expected it to have a battle system like Baldur's Gate.
Personally, I really dig the oppressive atmosphere of U5. It's a flawed game in other areas (being tedious is one of them), as I'd outlined in the video, but I still think its a good game.
@@GeorgGreat_GameReviews I actually just found out exult which is how I played ultima 7 has a real time with pause feature which you can use to pause and give commands or cast spells! It's a little junky but if you pause and right click on your party members it brings up the targeting icon for like spells and cannons and allows you to target enemies.
Although combat still goes a bit too fast to really be useful.
@@GeorgGreat_GameReviews I'm finally getting my girlfriend to play baldurs gate 1 with me and it's my first time playing baldurs gate multiplayer. It's actually pretty fun but a bit awkward with the pausing.
Yeah, seems like exult is the way to go with U7. In the review I'll cover the original, though :)
Ha-ha, I imagine it would be :D So if one person pauses - it pauses the game for both?
Hating Blackthorn, because he was influenced by the Shadow Lords he should be forgiven.
Ya, say that to Ultima 9 that Retcons this growth Arc and made him a Mustache twilling villain just wanting to get back at the Avatar. lol
Omg, that's awful. U5's Blackthorn was one of my favorite parts of the lore
@@GeorgGreat_GameReviews You might want to still play through Ultima 7 (Part 2 Serpents Gate) That has a more satisfying Blackthorn story of what happen to him after Ultima 5.
It's just sad that the Only reason why he was changed in 9 was because EA Happened.
The original U9 was scrapped because EA wanted them to rush it out ASAP and thought the story was Not friendly for new players.
Not to be Mister Pedantic, but 'thou' rhymes with 'cow'
Oh my... thank you for mentioning it. I legit have heard it pronounced properly in movies, but for some reason it just never connected in my mind with the "Shakespearean" thou, even though it is probably the thing people associate to it the most. English is not my first language, as you can easily tell (^_^'), so there must be a ton of such issues with the way I talk. If you hear something particularly obnoxious, don't hesitate to write - I'll try to adjust later... and yes, some things are unfixable due to my accent, unfortunately.
@@GeorgGreat_GameReviews No need to apologize, I just wanted you to know
Really very thoughtful analysis George. Honestly it’s good. Also seal’s a dick.
Thank you! I'm happy to hear that :) And, he-he, I'll be sure to mention it to seal as well.
Proudly displaying that Ayn Rand.
Just thought it would thematically fit in with the game (^_^') The big books on the bookshelves beside Seal are Gulag Archipelago and Das Kapital, btw.
ultima 5 has the same problems of the older ultima games, assecibility, the gameplay once again is not well suported by the ui and controls, actuly is worse than u4 since it had his firsts quests based on cities while ultima 5 they are all over the place, once again you need outside walkhtrughs to make progress, once again you need exell to make sence of the quests.
Yeah, the UI is my major gripe here, I definitely agree. Even though I did manage to beat this game without an FAQ or a guide, I do think that U4 is the superior title in terms of gameplay.
@@GeorgGreat_GameReviews for u6 there is a mod (Nuvie) that adds a dialogue tree and new sprites for companions also some graphicals things i recomend. u6 also is much more like a snes game in terms of assecibility
@@Ale-ft4re Yeah, it truly is - I've actually already finished it and even wrote the script for its review. The only thing left is, well, making the damn thing :D
First
Always ;) Great to see you, man!
@@GeorgGreat_GameReviews Likewise. I can't believe it has only been 5 months since your last upload. Time flies it seems.
Since the last video I got a proper game programming position but despite having to move another country for it, it is definitely worth it! Hopefully gaining enough experience and resources to do a game of my own.. I have one in the works (+9 months on/off) but the process has slowed down a lot after getting the job.
I hope you are doing great in these troubled times. Hopefully the youtube algorithm picks up your videos one day. They are underrated as everyone knows :D
@@Empowerless Oh man, I'm so glad to hear that you're doing so well! I'd love to see your game once it's ready - I still remember how you'd shown me that top down shooter back in the day :) It's wonderful to know that this passion has not dissipated over the years!
Have a native speaker take a quick listen before recording script. So much crazy-wrong-i.e., incomprehensible.
That's why there are subtitles available...