Game Review of Ultima AscensionJeff PiersonCIS 58709/24/2001Game Review of Ultima AscensionBasic InformationGame title: Ultima Ascension (Ultima IX)Company & Author: ORIGIN, Lord British (Electronic Arts) Type of Game: 3D/Adventure/RPGPrice: $19.99 newMinimum stated hardware requirements:- 266 MHz or faster Intel Pentium II processor- 64 MB RAM- 8x CD-ROM drive (1200K/second transfer rate) using 32-bit Windows CD-ROM driver- DirectX 7 compatible Sound Card- Supported 8 MB 3D graphics accelerator with DirectDraw and Direct3D or Glide capability. - 640 x 480 screen resolution- 600 MB free hard disk space plus space for saved games- Keyboard, mouseActual hardware required:- 900 MHz at least- 384 MB or more- Any speed CD-ROM should do- Supported 32 MB or higher graphics accelerator, or best Voodoo graphics card- 72,000 rpm IDE hard drive at minimum- Soundcard with DirectSound3D and EAX supportGame SummaryQuick overviewUltima Ascension is the ninth installment of a popular PC role playing game that was firstreleased for the Apple II in 1980. As a first attempt at a 3D version of Ultima, Ascension does a swell job at keeping many of the fun and unique aspects present in previous gameswhile exploring new visual and graphical technologies. Although Ultima Ascension contains similar and recurring elements from the previous Ultima releases, its story and subject matter are unique enough for Ultima newbie’s to follow.Story line/Player’s roleThe player’s character in Ascension is known as the Avatar, who originally from Earth is drawn to a different world known as Britannia in order to restore tranquility and order. In the world of Britannia there are eight runes of virtue (add the virtues here) exist, which when used for good help to keep peace and prosperity to Britannia but can and have been used to also do great evil. In Ultima IX, it is expected that the Avatars long time archenemy (the Guardian) is behind the crumble of civilization and the twisting of sacred virtues. The main goal of the Avatar in Ascension is to collect the runes of virtue along with it’s sigil in order to cleanse each of their corresponding shrines. As the shrines are cleansed the Avatar gains abilities including strength, dexterity, intelligence and the ability to bind magic to his spell book for more efficient use. The game also has many other optional side adventures which tie in well with the story line.InstallationUltima Ascension is installed onto a hard drive from a CD. A custom installer steps the user through the process giving options such as inclusion of a DirectX 7 installation alongthe way. Once the installation is complete, the game can be run from the hard drive but requires that the game CD is in the CD-ROM drive when playing. Some options that are selected during the game’s setup procedure can be accessed by choosing setup when afterinserting the disc.User InterfaceThe user interface is quite effective and is surprisingly similar to previous Ultimas which have an isometric style design. The interface consists of a pointer which when moved with the mouse or pointing device rotates the 3D view which includes the Avatar in the view. Movement is controlled with the right mouse button and/or the directional keys on the keyboard. Most of the inputs for actions such as jumping and opening the spell book are all done on the on the keyboard only. Other parts of the interface include many moveable objects, a backpack and bags which support drag and drop with many of the game objects, books that can be opened and read, and a world which can be explored very realistically. Game PlayBecause of the many realistic and well thought features of this game it seems to take a long time to get tired of playing. New goals including side adventures seem to come up every twenty or thirty minutes of play, and are usually quite exciting and unpredictable. The replay-ability of this game however, like most RPGs, is uncommon because the storysimply gets old after experiencing it for the first time. Some drawbacks to the game play are slow running speeds, and difficulty of enemies.ScoringAs an RPG scoring in this game is simply the advancement of the characters abilities, andprogress in the storyline. One odd aspect of this game is that it doesn’t give the player access to a broad amount of numerical or visual representations of the player’s status. Theonly information that is accessible is the life meter, mana(magic) meter, amount of gold, armor strength meter, and weapon power meter. Even though dexterity, intelligence, and strength exist in the game they are not available for viewing.ArtworkThe artwork done for this game includes 3D characters, enemies, moveable and usable objects, realistic weather effects, terrains, habitations, 2D paintings, and magic spells. The terrains include water, swamps, mountains, fields, forests, and deserts. Habitations include houses, shops, castles, churches, museums, court houses, caves, dungeons, boats, shrines, and villages. The graphics settings are highly customizable in order to give a decision of performance vs. quality of graphics.Sound and MusicSound and Music (add the choices of adjustment to the complaints)Ultima Ascension features real voice conversations, environmental sound effects, and music. The voice conversations are very well done and are included for all characters thatspeak or even make noises. Some characters speak off in the distance to each other, and for those with sound card that have EAX support voices and other sounds can come from any direction giving a very immersive feel. The music in this game has a dark feel too it, and sounds as if it is real instruments playing.Special FeaturesOne special feature of the Ultima games is that all game objects have persistence. This means that if you move a bottle or chair or whatever, it will be there forever unless you oranother character moves it again.ManualThe manuals for this game are quite unique and in some ways add to the vibe of the game. Some Examples are the physical hard copy spell book, journal, and world map. These portions of the documentation read as if the player is inside the game. Other piecesof documentation such as input descriptions and technical directions are extremely scarce, and combined with very limited in-game directions for the interface makes for a very difficult learning curve.BugsAlthough Ultima Ascension has had numerous bugs in the past, the latest
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