"Morrowind with the best gameworld? Think again"

Morrowind is touted heavily for being an interactive PC RPG gaming experience, but Ultima VII, a game released many years before it, is the most interactive and immersive single player, RPG gaming experience. This world just abounds with life. The gameworld alone makes this RPG memorable to this day.

Things like NPC schedules that dictate how characters should act and where they should be at specific times of the day are an example of the great gameworld at work. For instance, the baker during the day will be at his bakery rolling bread and baking it in his oven. Once night approaches, he'll head to the tavern, order his meal, which you can see served by the waitress. Once the meal is finished, he heads to his own house and goes to bed. And practically EVERY NPC acts in a similar lifelike manner. Sure beats the NPC who stands around in the same spot day and night, doesn't it? And then I could go on and on about all the little items that can be used or picked up in the environment, from rocking the baby cradle so hard the baby falls out, or using diapers on a baby to create dirty diapers, the ultimate weapon! Morrowind may have a large and detailed gameworld, but its NPCs come off as lifeless drones. Not so with Ultima VII.

Graphically, the game was excellent for its time. There was so much detail in the environment, and for the first time, the characters didn't look like simple blocks or stick figures. The inability to change the appearance of the character in the ''paper doll'' screen once new equipment was equipped was dissapointing, but Origin would fix this with Ultima VII Part 2.

Musically, all the classic Ultima tunes, from Stones to Hail Britannia return. The game even had voice, which was pretty rare for its time, especially from a non CD based game.

If there was a weakness to the game, it would be in the combat system. Unlike in previous Ultima games, the only member of your party who can cast spells is the Avatar. And the actual combat is very limited. Regardless of who you recruit into your party (up to a maximum of 8 party members), they'll all charge recklessly into battle with their melee or ranged weapons. There aren't battle formations, you can't pause and then issue specific commands to a party member, etc. If you want micromanagement in combat, this game doesn't offer it.

Storyline wise, it is basic stuff. The Avatar has to unearth the truths about this cult known as the Fellowship and learn more about this ''Guardian''. The storyline does a good job of sending the player throughout this great gameworld, which is what it needed to do above all else.

In terms of extras, this game has a LOT. Most towns have multiple sidequests which aren't vital to the main storyline but are quite enjoyable on their own to complete. They run the gamut from unearthing an affair on the part of a political official to stopping prejudices against gypsies. You can even get yourself into a romantic relationship, though this too requires completion of an extra quest.

Bottom line, this was a great RPG for its time and it still has unique attributes that no modern day RPG can match. This is the best Ultima since IV (I've only played IV and up) and arguably is the best Ultima title ever.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 03/09/03, Updated 03/09/03