Ultima: The Black Gate

"A new adventure best forgotten."

This is a port of the game of the same name for the computer. In this game you are the Avatar. You have entered a portal from the modern world and its your mission to save this fantasy/medieval world. If you have played any of the previous ultima's, you'll notice a lot of familiar characters.

As good as the original is, this port is stripped down to its barebones. A lot of the towns look different, but not for the better. It has been stripped down, and all of the towns look very generic.

Sound 3/10

Although the sound is not horrible, and the music is not grating at all. The game just sounds really bland and boring. It is very easy to drown it out, which I recommend doing. Sound effects are your generic sword swipes, and the "THWAP" of being struck.

Control 7/10

The controls for this game are not frustrating in the least bit, thank heavens. Its difficult for a controller to take the place of an entire keyboard, so it can feel limiting at times when casting and switching between your spells. If you die in this game its not because your controller screwed up, so you'll have one less excuse to make.

Story 7/10

The story is still pretty decent, but a lot of the better scenes have been cut out of this from the original installment . Dialogue between you and the locals is more immersive, because you actually select what you want to ask the people you encounter.

You enter a portal in your backyard only to find yourself in a different world in the middle of a murder mystery. Not just any murder though, a brutal dismemberment. You take the role of the Avatar, who is widely known as a hero throughout their world, and are charged with solving this murder. Its a very promising storyline with twists and turns. Filled with dragons and dungeons and religious cults.

Fun Factor 4/10
If only the game delivered on the promises it made. While playing you can feel that there is more you could be doing. This adventure is very linear, and limited to what the game designers want you to see and nothing more. The character development and involvement is missing from the original.

The game really boils down to a lot of hack and slash. You basically go from city to city smashing the A button to dispatch snakes and scorpions in your path. When you get to the cities there are some good conversations to be had, but these are few and far between. Travelling to towns feels very empty when you realize that they are all basically the same towns with different types of people.

Replayability 1/10

If you do manage to make it through to the end, there is little reason to play again. Unless you want to try it with an axe instead of a sword. The only reason to play this game again would be if you were having trouble sleeping.

Regret factor 4/5

If you manage to stick it out through this game and beat it, you should be commended! Alas, you will not be rewarded. The ending is poor and so is the gameplaying experience. After playing/beating this you won't touch it again except to ebay it.

I found it very hard to enjoy this game, but my opinion is not fact. The story and gameplay might be right down your alley. So by all means, rent this game if you have the chance, borrow it! You can find it on ebay for cheap also. I wouldn't play this game with high hopes though.

Reviewer's Score: 4/10, Originally Posted: 07/26/07