[Apple II] Ultima (1981) (California Pacific Computer Company)

[rooks726]

Wow I remember this! ... and what it took to beat it! It was so weird, you end up flying a shuttle in space and doing all kinds of crazy stuff. This game may be what hooked me on RPGs.

[randy0987]

I remember in one of the early Ultimas you could travel to different planets and one of the types was a preacher or something. If they didnt like your preaching,they could throw rocks at you, and youd have to flee. Also you could mine for precious metals... maybe it wasnt Ultima.

[LordKarnov42]

@randy0987 I think you're mixing up a bunch of games, haha.. In Ultima II you can go to different planets, and there is a preacher. But it's completely noninteractive, you just go there and talk to him so you can go back to Earth and get the ring that will let you go through the forcefields in the last castle and win. No rock throwing or fleeing. And the only Ultima game that has mining is Ultima Online.

[LordKarnov42]

@tinabranford614 It's probably not a coincidence, the first few Ultima games were a huge hit in Japan through the 80's and early 90's. I'm sure someone at Konami on the Gradius/Salamander/Life Force team was a fan!

[tinabranford614]

w..What!? i did not possibly think about this!

i mean, i know that some ultima games made it to japan but i still never knew there could be possibly any connection between ultima and gradius... X(

gradius is one of my fave game series. but then i'm more into the more recent games of the series...

[LordKarnov42]

@tinabranford614 I think they all made it to Japan except Martian Dreams and maybe Ultima IX. And they only got the terrible butchered SNES port of Ultima VII. But the Fujitsu FM-Towns Japanese PC version of Ultima VI is the only one with voice acting [with series creator Richard Garriott voicing Lord British if you select the English setting]. The Japanese Ultima licensee, Pony Canyon, even made their own [kinda crappy] Ultima Action RPGs on the GameBoy, Ultima: Runes of Virtue I and II.

[BigUnitMcGee]

Man I remember this game! I used to love it, but I remember how annoying the dungeon traps were! I remember stealing stuff all the time from the castles and being chased. LOL

[desiv1]

It's impressive how much better Gariott became as a programmer between Akalabeth and this... This was the first one I actually played, on my friends Apple ][+. Great fun! Thanx..

[Adrenailine]

How do I play this version?

[LordKarnov42]

Either buy an Apple II and the game, or google "AppleWin" and "ftp apple asimov net"