Developed by Origin Systems and published by FCI (North America) and Pony Canyon (Japan), in 1993, Ultima: Runes of Virtue II is the sequel to Ultima: Runes of Virtue, although in reality it is more of a remake than a sequel.
Tag Archives: real time combat
Ultima: Runes of Virtue, Game Boy
Ultima: Runes of Virtue is a cut-down version of Richard Garriott‘s famous Ultima games, in particular the Age of Enlightenment trilogy, because Runes of Virtue features some of the main characters from those games. It was developed by Origin Systems and published by FCI in North America, and Pony Canyon in Japan, in 1991.
Golden Axe: Beast Rider, PlayStation 3
Golden Axe: Beast Rider was developed by Secret Level, Inc. and published for the PlayStation 3 and XBox 360 by Sega in 2008. What initially drew me to this game was the fact that it was 18-rated, in an age when few games are. I wondered why it was an 18. I also wondered if it was worthy of the Golden Axe name.
Diablo II: Lord of Destruction, PC
This is the expanded version of Diablo II, called Lord of Destruction, released by Blizzard in 2001.
Phantasy Star Online, Dreamcast
Phantasy Star Online was developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega in 2000 for the Dreamcast. The game is an online/offline JRPG in the style of the previous Phantasy Star games, and is much-celebrated. We’re looking at PSO “Version 2” here, which came out in 2001, with expanded content.
Illusion of Gaia, Super Nintendo
Developed by Quintet and published by Enix in Japan in 1993, and by Nintendo, everywhere else, in 1994 and ’95. The later ‘Westernised‘ version was censored in places, but there are some good fan-patches of the uncut Japanese version available in English.
Usagi Yojimbo, Commodore 64
Also known by its more long-winded name: Samurai Warrior: The Battles of Usagi Yojimbo, this elegant fighting game was developed by Beam Software and first published by Firebird in 1988. Programming was by Doug Palmer; script was by Paul Kidd; graphics by Russel Comte, and music by Neil Brennan.
Dark Souls, PlayStation 3
Considered by many to be a masterpiece of video game design, Dark Souls is an action-based fantasy role-playing game, and was developed by From Software and first published by Namco Bandai Games in 2011.
Dark Souls was so successful, in fact, that it created a succession of similar games, called ‘Souls-likes‘. Not many games can claim to have created a whole sub-genre on its own, but this game did.
Fallout: London, PC [Part 7 – Rabbit and Pork]
Okay, here’s a “secret, hidden” bonus seventh instalment of my recent Fallout: London adventure. This one is all about the “Rabbit and Pork” DLC/add-on that was released on 30th September 2025, and grabs of my THIRD Fallout: London playthrough.
“Rabbit and Pork” is Cockney rhyming slang for “talk“. It’s also the name of a recent DLC for the Fallout 4 total conversion – Fallout: London.
Continue reading Fallout: London, PC [Part 7 – Rabbit and Pork]
Fallout: London, PC [Part 6 – Tributes and References]
The magic sprinkled over the top of Fallout: London, I would say, are the many historic and cultural tributes and references, and other fine details, that have been woven into the game by the skills and dedication of the developers.
Continue reading Fallout: London, PC [Part 6 – Tributes and References]
The King of Grabs 