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Ultima Online: Games
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In September 2007, Ultima Online will be a decade old. Despite its age and now archaic 2D isometric view, this MMOG continues to thrive in a crowded marketplace. The first of the mass market MMORPGs, Ultima Online changed the way people think about online games and inspired countless knockoff and derivative products. Unlike its chief rival EverQuest though, no one has yet to capture the style of play that made UO famous.
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Ultima Online is a spin-off of the Ultima series started by Richard Garriott, aka Lord British, at a time when RPGs were merely text on a screen. This incarnation takes place entirely online and contains no stand alone version of the game. After establishing an account, which initially cost ten dollars a month, players log on and create a character. Gameplay occurs in an online world that literally takes hours to walk across.
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Ultima Online is and always has been the most customisable of all the online role-playing games. This ... makes it very different. Unfortunately there are ways in which it has not kept up. There were no missions, combat was limited and warrior classes were severely disadvantaged. Also the storyline was somewhat vague and lacked application in the game world. Age of Shadows has begun to address these problems.
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Ultima Online is considered to be the father of modern MMOs. Richard "Lord British" Garriott, in turn, is considered the father of Ultima Online. When his avatar was murdered at a public appearance, it was the virtual equivalent of Nietzsche claiming "God is dead," then stabbing him in the face with a fictional dagger. As a result "Lord British" is seen as both Garriott's avatar and a metaphor for the tenacious resolve with which MMO gamers will strive to exploit these games with complete disregard for other players, or the game's creators themselves. Plus, it's simply hilarious.
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Like prior Ultima games, Ultima Online uses an isometric, third-person-perspective view of the gaming world. A transparent "sighting bubble" allows you to keep an eye on objects that otherwise might be obscured behind walls. The graphics and character animations are detailed and very well done. The extensive musical score largely consists of high-quality General MIDI versions of music from earlier Ultima games. The mouse and hot-key driven interface is intuitive and customizable.
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Ultima Online is a multiplayer online role-playing game that takes place in the mystical, medieval world of Britannia. Players become part an epic saga that unfolds on a daily basis as they go adventuring, build houses, tame animals, run shops, or just chat over a goblet of virtual ale. Ultima Online has won numerous awards from organizations such as Gamepen (Best Online Only Game), Online Game Review (Best of 97 -- Online-Only Game), MCR Online (Online Game of the Year), and Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences (Online RPG Game of the Year -- 1997, 1998).
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