CRPG Addict - Review Roundup (Part Twenty)

Ultima VI. 'nuff said.

 

1990

Spirit of Excalibur (1990)

Spirit of Excalibur (..) underwhelms me in just about all of its areas. It manages to combine three genres--adventure, RPG, and strategy--without being good at any of them. (..)

With its highest scores in the "game world," "NPC interaction," and "quests" categories, we have a game that's relatively strong in narrative but weak in mechanics. The final score of 33 puts it slightly below my "recommended" threshold. Despite what sounds like a lot of pessimism, I'm glad I played it--but mostly for the plot alone. I enjoyed reviving my long-dormant interest in Arthuriana.

1. Game 137: Spirit of Excalibur (1990)
2. If not Always the Letter
3. Won*
4. Final Rating

Ultima VI: The False Prophet (1990)

Ultima VI is one of the best games I've played since starting this blog, and I fully expect it to finish, quantitatively, among the top three. Whether it technically beats Ultima V or even Pool of Radiance isn't a particularly important concern--at this level, small differences in the final rating are somewhat meaningless. In broad strokes, in terms of just exploring and messing around, I had more authentic fun with Ultima VI than any other game I can remember, but it leaves me unimpressed in certain RPG categories, predominantly combat. (..)

It's one of the few games of any era in which you can have a lot of fun just screwing around--in which you can make little vignettes and scenarios for your characters that don't depend on the regular plot. (..)

Add 'em all up and we get a final score of 68--still one point lower than Ultima V! But owing to small variances in scores that I can never make fully consistent, I think we can consider them tied. V is a "tighter" game, with better combat and difficulty, and just as good in most other categories. VI offers better game mechanics that create that "sandbox" feeling.

1. Game 139: Ultima VI: The False Prophet (1990)
2. Mis-Rule, Britannia!
3. It Must Have Been Moonglow
4. Gypsies, Tramps, and Thieves
5. Clair de Rune
6. It's a Small World After All
7. Treasure Hunt
8. Combat, Equipment, and Magic
9. Won!
10. Playing in the Sandbox
11. Final Rating

Tunnels & Trolls: Crusaders of Khazan (1990)

There are some strengths to Crusaders of Khazan, which will come out in the GIMLET, but the fusion of literal gamebook text with a CRPG frame is something I hope we don't see again. (..) It's an interesting take on a CRPG with elements that we haven't seen before. I'd recommend to both hardcore T&T fans and students of CRPG history. If you're not one of those, load up a Gold Box title. (..)

The total is 49, but I'm subtracting 3 points for all the bugs and dead-ends, resulting in a final rating of 46.

1. Game 141: Tunnels & Trolls: Crusaders of Khazan (1990)
2. Choosing My Own Adventure
3. Computer Solo Adventure
4. Might & Magic
5. Mowing to Victory
6. Back to the Books
7. A Full Map
8. Tunnels & the Ultimate Trolls
9. Won!* (with Final Rating)

Lord of the Rings, Vol. I (1990)

While I may not like the use of a licensed title, no one can deny that Middle Earth is a good setting for a CRPG, with plenty of races, monsters, history, lore, magic, and other trappings of fantasy role-playing. The manual gives a nice overview of history, people, and places for those not familiar with the books. (..) the game does a good job responding to the players' actions, and of course the party's place in the setting is very well-established. (..)

That gives a final score of 49, a very respectable rating that puts the game in my top 20. (This applies to the 1993 CD version, anyway; the real 1990 version would score 1 point lower for "interface" and 2 points lower for sound, putting the rating at 46.)

1. Game 144: Lord of the Rings, Vol. I (1990)
2. A Different Shire
3. Exploration Angst
4. Forging Anew
5. I Will Take the Ring to Mordor!
6. You Shall not Pass!
7. Won!
8. Final Rating

 

Early Years

Empire II: Interstellar Sharks (1982)

The manual says that "Interstellar Sharks is the simulation of the complexities of modern day life projected onto a galactic scale." I guess I have to agree, but I find it bizarre that anyone thought players wanted a game like that, let alone make it. The game's good ideas (the stats checks, the crime system) are subsumed by a monotonous gameplay that contrasts starkly with the completely far-out game manual and back story.

1. Game 138: Empire II: Interstellar Sharks (1982)

Tunnels of Doom (1982)

I get why TI-99 owners from the early 1980s felt this was a gem, but today it's interesting solely as a curio. It only scores a 18 on my GIMLET (..) [Edit: in consideration of features I didn't experience, I increased the "encounters and foes" and "economy" ratings to 3, increasing the overall score to 21 overall.]

1. Game 140: Tunnels of Doom (1982)

The Valley (1982)

On a GIMLET, I can't do better than an 11. Its primitive approach to character development, its lack of NPCs or equipment, and its boring, random gameplay put all of its scores at 0, 1, or 2. It barely qualifies as an RPG under my definitions.

1. Game 142: The Valley (1982)

Expedition Amazon (1983)

The back story is idiotic, but the game deserves some credit for offering a modern South American setting with themes from Incan mythology. This isn't the first RPG to offer a non-fantasy setting (that would be 1978's Space), but it is the first to offer a contemporary setting. (..) The final score of 21 is about par for the course for these early-1980s, mostly-forgotten offerings that never had a DOS port.

1. Game 143: Expedition Amazon (1983)
2. Final Rating
3. Won!

Galactic Adventures (1983)

The game is full of things we haven't yet seen in 1983 and that I've never seen before at all. (..) Even the skill system, which certainly isn't unique to this game, has a few selections that I've never seen elsewhere, such as "atomic wand," the ability to duplicate small objects; and "bio transform," the ability to change the appearance of a living organism. (..) The final score of 33 is pretty high for the era, though perhaps a smidgen lower than the point at which I'd say "definitely check it out for yourself." 

1. Game 145: Galactic Adventures (1983)

Gateway to Apshai (1983)

At best, the game is an action RPG, but one that isn't very fun. It seems primitive even for 1983, and the Apshai label seems like a cynical attempt to cash in on a famous name. (..) This gives a final score of 10, one of the lowest I've ever given.

1. Game 146: Gateway to Apshai (1983)

Halls of Death (1983)

The game doesn't fare well in a GIMLET. With no game world description, no character creation, character development that consists only of finding items, no NPCs, primitive magic and combat, no controllable inventory, and so forth, it scores only a 10. I do give it credit for relatively brisk gameplay, an easy-to-master control scheme, and innovative use of color in an era where things tended towards the drab and monochrome.

1. Game 148: Halls of Death (1983)