Ultima Online: Lord Blackthorn's Revenge Review

7.5

Format PC

Developer Origin Systems

Publisher EA Games

Genre Role Playing

The game that kick-started the online RPG revolution is still going strong. Chris Anderson returns to Britannia and comes over all nostalgic. Bless

I think it's time to be honest with you all. All of us here at PC Zone are constantly telling you that gameplay is king and graphics don't matter. We tell you this all the time. It underlines our integrity and commitment to original and creative gameplay and makes you, the reader, feel safe in the knowledge that we are not swayed by eye candy. It's the meat under the gloss that really matters.

To be blunt, this isn't completely true, as much to ourselves as to you, because in this day and age, visuals are becoming almost as important as top quality gameplay. That might sound a bit strong, but the simple truth is that once you have tasted a true 3D world from a first-person perspective there really is no going back, no matter how tasty the gameplay delights might be from a 2D alternative.

I am talking of course, about returning to Ultima Online from a long absence in EverQuest. Ultima Online introduced a pseudo-3D graphics engine with Third Dawn, but it still retains its distinctly 2D feel and seems very, very dated in comparison with just about every other online role-player available. Does that mean it's bad? No, not at all. On the contrary...
The greatest game

Returning to UO after such a long exodus has made me realise all the things about it that set it apart from the competition. There's a million things to do in terms of trade skills; first-class, diverse character development and house-building. There's also tons of objects in the game world to interact with – the list goes on and on. The Lord Blackthorn's Revenge expansion does not do a lot to change what's already on offer but it brings a collection of new monsters to the table courtesy of comic book legend Todd McFarlane. There's a new interactive quest system in place and it's evident right from the moment you start a new game – an in-game character talks you through, giving you a variety of simple quests to teach you the basics of UO. This is a great idea and does a lot to ease new players into the game. In fact EverQuest could learn a lot from this tactic of breaking new players in gently.

Ultimately however, (no pun intended) it's still Ultima Online. The same awkward and clumsy 2D interface remains. The graphics will shock anyone who has grown up on lush 3D environments. Combat is still laughable (often you will think you are 'inside' the monsters instead of standing beside them attacking). Not even the new

virtue system, reminiscent of the original Ultima games, makes a huge difference, nor can the new storyline featuring the eponymous Lord Blackthorn. Let's face it, Ultima Online has had its day. It's still a great game, once you've tasted the full-on 3D first-person delights of EverQuest and Anarchy Online there really is no going back.

Chris Anderson