Although the first Ultima game was an Apple II original, the Commodore 64 version of this early RPG is arguably the best-known. Re-made and released in 1986, the C64 version of Ultima [one] features colourful graphics and absorbing gameplay that is pretty much identical to the Apple II remake.
Continue reading Ultima I: The First Age of Darkness, Commodore 64
This first game in Richard Garriott‘s Ultima series was initially released for the Apple II in 1981 by California Pacific Computer and was originally called just “Ultima“. It was later re-named as “Ultima I: The First Age of Darkness” when it was re-made and re-released by Origin Systems in 1986. This 1986 re-code features improved graphics and gameplay, with a number of significant changes made to bring the game up-to-date with market conditions in the mid 1980s, and that is the version I’m featuring here. If you want to see the original 1981 version (and an explanation of how to play the game), click here.
Continue reading Ultima I: The First Age of Darkness, Apple II
Released in 1983 by Sierra On-Line, Ultima on the Atari 8-bit is more archaic and frustrating than the original Apple II version. And it looks pretty awful too, with a real lack of colour – especially in towns where the game is in monochrome unless you play on a machine (and monitor) that supports “artifacting“. In artifacting mode the dungeon and town graphics look similar to Apple II graphics, but they don’t really take advantage of the Atari‘s superior graphics capabilities.
The original 1981 Apple II version of Richard Garriott‘s Ultima was the first version of Ultima ever released. It was published by California Pacific Computer and is a stripped-down version of the more widespread re-release version put out by Origin Systems in 1986 (which can be seen here).
Herc’s Adventures is a cartoon action game developed by Big Ape Productions and published by LucasArts and is based on Greek mythology and the adventures of Hercules. It was first released in 1997 for the Sega Saturn and Sony PlayStation. The game is similar in graphical style to two other LucasArts classics, Day of the Tentacle and Zombies Ate My Neighbors, in that it uses exaggerated cartoon-style animation to present the world and characters.
Developed by TOSE and published by Capcom for the PlayStation Portable in 2006, Ultimate Ghosts ‘N Goblins is a remake of the classic arcade game Ghosts ‘N Goblins (and its even better sequel, Ghouls ‘N Ghosts), combining them together with new levels, new enemies, new weapons, new armour, new bosses, and new 3D graphics.
The Commodore 64 version of Cinemaware‘s Sinbad and the Throne of the Falcon is the version to play in my opinion – the earlier Amiga version of this excellent fantasy adventure game is uncharacteristically poor in terms of presentation.
Continue reading Sinbad and the Throne of the Falcon, Commodore 64
Capcom‘s 1985 arcade hit, Ghosts ‘N Goblins, is renowned for its difficulty. It is SO tough that grown adults weep when they play it…
The King of Grabs 