Love your 1990 list. That was such a great year. I think I owned 3 copies of Super Mario Bros 3 at one point. And Castlevania III is my favorite Castlevania of all time (I am a classic Metroid and Metroid Prime fan, but I didn’t like it when they Metroidized the Castlevania series. Super Castlevania IV had fantastic music, but it was a bit too easy, and didn’t have different characters like III did.).
Anyway, I wanted to point out one game that wasn’t on your 1990 list (yeah, I know you couldn’t pick them all out): Ultima IV on the NES. I was a young kid at the time and never got to play any Ultimas on the PC. Ultima IV on the NES was the first Ultima game I played, and I absolutely loved it. I played it so many times, starting with different characters and such. I recently snagged Ultima IV (for free) from GoG and started playing it, but I just couldn’t get into it. I had no idea the PC version of the game was released in 1985!! The NES version (the one I grew up with) was released FIVE YEARS LATER!! I just couldn’t get into the 1985 PC version, which is unfortunate. Once I got past the opening, I couldn’t get past the archaic UI design. Why do I have to press ‘E’ to enter a town – why can’t I just walk on the tile? Why do I have to choose the direction in which I want to talk – why don’t you just talk the direction my character is facing? More than once an NPC actually walked away from me when I was choosing the direction I needed to talk, and I had to chase him down. Argh… If any of your readers have the same issues as me, I’d highly recommend trying the NES version. I’m sure that the NES version was dumbed down some, but it was still very complex and had better graphics, and maybe better music.
One thing I will say, though, is that the manual that GoG provided with the game was very very cool. Way cooler than the NES version. Extremely detailed with much lore. It feels like it was part of Britannia.
Man… now I want to go buy Castlevania III and Ultima IV on the virtual console.
While younger people may wonder what was going on in those times to choose those years, I would explain it is the process of genres being born. Young gamers do not get the privileges of witnessing new genres being born. Playing Wolfenstein 3d or Doom was very exciting. But when Halo comes around, we just shrug. However, young people haven’t had the FPS experience yet so they think Halo is the best thing since sliced bread (when, in actuality, it is standing on the shoulders of giants). Its innovations are in production, not in design. Not that production is bad, but I am sad that gaming is all about production and little to nothing about design. This is why I’m carefully watching the ‘Indie’ games and unaligned markets (such as Russia) seeing if something will happen there. I have no faith in the Game Industry as they only make Production Towers of Babel. Where is the design?
Here’s a question: what was it like when these new genres were being born? Having been an attentive gamer during those times, I would say no one conceptualized them as ‘genres’ until only after a game had been a smash hit with imitators rushing into the market. The bridge the consumers crossed was made of content. We didn’t see an RPG. We saw knights, castles, wizards, and monsters which were familiar themes (and what we couldn’t get enough of). When we saw Dune 2 or Command and Conquer for the first time, we thought: “War game!” haha. Command and Conquer came out during or right after the Iraq War so everyone was very familiar with military machines and the desert.
I’m positive the game makers made the game depending on how they could best manipulate the computer. However, the consumers don’t see the programming. They only see the content. “Ahh, historical type game…” “Ahh, military type game…” “Ahh, detective type game…” I’m convinced consumers consume a game in the reverse way how games are made. Notice that the gamers who notice the programming and the ‘engine’ are the extremely dedicated gamers and only then after they’ve played the game forever.
I left Ultima IV off the list since it was a NES port. I never played the Ultima IV port but chuckled when I saw some letters to Nintendo Power talking about how they loved playing the game (that Ultima fans played half a decade ago). I like to tell the story that when the NES came out, my reaction was, “Psshhhh, that thing ain’t gonna touch this,” referring to my glorious Commodore 64 (and it really was glorious). Part of the reason was due to games like Ultima IV and that I only knew consoles in the form of the ColecoVision and Atari 2600… which PCs could play all their games and do it better. “That Japanese system doesn’t even have joysticks. Who is going to play with controllers you have to hold with two hands!?”
Wikipedia says this is the difference with the Ultima IV NES version:
Like Ultima III, Ultima IV was released to NES by FCI and Pony Canyon. This version, titled Ultima: Quest of the Avatar, was released in 1990.
The NES port of Ultima 4 is very different from the other versions, the graphics had been completely redone, as was the music. The dialogue options were quite limited once again. Another change is that you cannot have all seven recruitable characters in your party at the same time, as you could in other versions. Any character over the four you could have would stay at a hostel at Castle Britannia, requiring you to return there to change characters. However, the combat system was fairly close to the personal computer games, with the additional option to use automated combat. Additionally the spellcasting was simplified, removing the need to mix spells. Both the intro and big puzzle at the end of the game was removed as well.
What!? The intro was removed? For shame! You go to a Renaissance Festival and that is where you meet the gypsy (I’m certain the Origin guys were all Renaissance Festival weirdos… :) ).
I’m going to watch a video of someone playing the Ultima IV NES version.
The music and graphics are improved. However, they are chopping stuff out. I prefer the grandiose PC title screen:
Above: Amazing how a 1985 PC title screen can still be charming…
They chopped out the intro about you meeting the gypsy. The gypsy is chopped out as well apparently. I could be wrong, but I don’t think you could answer ‘Valor’ or ‘Compassion’ in the PC version. You answered the gypsy’s questions and that would do valor or compassion in the background. While today’s RPGs just have you pick a character and put in ‘stats’, the Ultima Character Creation tried to assess your personality and build your character based on that.
It looks like the port used the style of Dragon Warrior. Hell, it looks like Dragon Warrior on steroids! Keep in mind, I’m not knocking it, just surprised because I’m used to the PC version. The talking is done like in Dragon Warrior. On the PC version, you had to type in things to the people which could be seen as more in depth or maddening. Today, we see it as maddening! haha. However, I suppose typing things to the NPC may create the sensation you are conversing back in the day. Today, no one has time for it.
I really like the line of sight used in the game. The game looks like a really good port. Ultima V on PC introduced the ‘night time’ and ‘not seeing jack when you are in the forest’ and even talking across tables. But in 1990, two years after Ultima V, all that stuff could enter the port.
I don’t think GoG’s version of Ultima IV is the correct one. For one, the game is missing the music (oddly enough). When Lord British made Ultima IV freeware, I believe there was an updated version of the game made with better graphics and sound. Not sure if GoG uses that version or not. I’ll eventually have to investigate.
I can imagine Ultima IV NES port to really make Dragon Quests and Final Fantasy look like kid’s games. Despite how much they chopped off, the fact that your customized character starts in a different location is something the Japanese would never do. What’s so funny is that while the West was playing these sophisticated RPGs, Japan thought people weren’t buying their RPGs because Westerners were ‘stupid’ and just liked action games. So they tried to dumb down their RPGs so the stupid Westerners could understand them. Hence, Mystic Quest. But Mystic Quest bombed. I think it was only until the Japanese RPG makers tried to get into the MMORPG scene that they realized just how behind they were when it compared to the Western offerings.
With these Ultima games, you got all these manuals, trinket, and this awesome cloth map. The Japanese had to be aware of this. I remember buying Final Fantasy 3 on the SNES when it came out and it including a map… made of paper. Ewwww! I was so disappointed. Of course, today no game bothers including a map. I suppose in the pre-global trade days, the Japanese RPG makers thought they were big dogs in their small isolated market. And yet, Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest have yet to make any significant impact in the West with the exception of enormous marketing (as Final Fantasy VII had). Nintendo tried their hardest to push Dragon Quest 1 on the US and gave it away for free with Nintendo Power. I keep seeing Nintendo try again and again with Dragon Quest IX for the DS. Japan needs to realize their RPGs are just too dumbed down for the Western RPG audience. That’s what you get when you idolize Wizardry. (*snicker* *snicker*)
The Ultima Wiki has much better information about the console ports, and they are quite fascinating. It appears the Ultima NES ports were not intended for Western players but for the Japanese. Bizarrely, Ultima Manga was even made! Oh, the horrors!
Above: Ultima Manga? No! Completely wrong!
Lame how they removed all the music.
Apparently, the Sega version is much better than the NES version. Perhaps the reader should give the Sega version a try.
Apparently, Origin wanted to use Ultima VI technology for the Ultima V port which was far beyond what the NES could handle. This port was a disaster.
Back in this time period, PCs tended to be integrated hardware and software (Iwata’s favorite phrase). When you bought a Commodore 64 or Amiga, that was it. You didn’t have to buy an operating system from someone else. The Apple computers were the same way. Today, we only think of PCs as the ‘Windows machine’ with the alternative being a Mac. However, all PCs were integrated hardware and software (Iwata loves it when I say that phrase) then. Atari also made PCs.
Microsoft had partnered with IBM to make what we know today of the modern PC. Microsoft put out the operating system (known as DOS), and the hardware manufacturers competed among themselves. Only Microsoft appeared to gain any profit. Microsoft and IBM won the computer wars by targeting the mature business market and by strength of sheer scale, the other computers had no marketshare. Everything went to DOS and later Windows.
I remember playing Ultima V on my Commodore 64. When you entered a new city or dungeon, the game stopped and asked for you to insert the CITY DISK or the DUNGEON DISK. So I would do that. I had the disks all on the table so I could insert them at will. This wasn’t a big issue then since the disk drive was right at your face (our monitors then were MUCH smaller compared to today).
I remember buying an IBM PC and being amazed that I no longer had to insert disks when I entered a town or dungeon. Ultima VI was stunning because the world was integrated with no special maps for ‘city map’ or ‘dungeon maps’. And don’t get me started buying that new 386 in order to play Ultima VII which was a bitch to run. Damn that Voodoo Memory Manager! I swear it was a nefarious plot from the Guardian itself! The Guardian was saying, “Let us make the Avatar make boot disks all day! Muhahaha!!!!!!”
But anyway, when PCs went to DOS, there was no need to do ports. This is why games like Ultima III or Ultima IV have a bazillion ports and games like Ultima VI and Ultima VII have no ports.
From this time forward, gamers associate ports to mean only console ports.
Apparently, the SNES was too limited for Ultima VI and much of the game was chopped up. And why wasn’t mouse support used since the SNES had a mouse?
I didn’t know this existed. Apparently, it was released only in Japan. This goes to show that these console ports were aimed at Japan, not the West. This port was a disaster due to the SNES being such garbage hardware (compared to PCs at the time).
This is probably the worst port of any game made. Ultima VII was 20 megabytes which they had to cram onto a 1 megabyte SNES cartridge. Ouch! No wonder every third party jumped for Sony’s PlayStation after dealing with Nintendo’s garbage hardware.
Japanese only. Gamepad doesn’t emulate the mouse movements at all.
I’m curious if the emailer has played any more Ultima outside that NES game (and Ultima IV PC). Also, I’d love to know how people first discovered Ultima.
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