Ultima VII: The Black Gate

(Origin, 1991)

Amusing right down to its almost completely black box cover, this episode in the series was a classic on several levels. The graphics were a fantastic hybrid of the angled perspective of games like Diablo, and a top-down view; angled just enough to see the action! The environment itself is incredibly versatile, allowing players to interact with pratically everything visible on the screen. Secret lairs and levers added to the fun. While other Ultimas did something similar, this was the first to make the graphics top notch and full screen, better immersing you in the experience. The story itself was equally inspired --in the intro, an evil beast called The Guardian dares you to thwart his plans-- with many mini-quests and subplots as the game progressed. As you'd expect, this is also on the list of Techtite's choices for Top 50 Multimedia Classics. Deservedly so.

Rating : Deep Impact.

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