U 01

 
Ultima: Exodus 
 

FCI/Pony Canyon

February 1989

Role-Playing

1 Player

This conversion of the third title in the immensely popular Ultima series suffers from poor character artwork and a sluggish combat system, but things aren't all bad for Exodus.  For starters, the music is well-written and fits the medievel setting well.  Also, although the fighting can be slow, it offers more freedom of movement than in most console RPGs.

FAST FACT:  Ultima is one of the oldest electronic role-playing games, dating back to the early 1980's.  The game's influence can be seen in countless Japanese RPGs, which streamlined its basic interface to make it more appropriate for home game consoles.  Ultima so inspired Japanese game designers that one of the ships in the shooter Gradius is named after Ultima's creator, Richard “Lord British” Garriot!
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Ultima: Quest of the Avatar
 

FCI/Pony Canyon

December 1990

Role Playing

1 Player

Pony Canyon sands out the rough edges in their first NES Ultima translation, resulting in a noticably improved RPG that hovers somewhere between satisfactory and impressive.  The graphics are considerably more polished, and so is the dialogue you'll read when talking to townsfolk.  Virtue-based play mechanics that let you control your hero's fate round out the package.
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Ultima: Warriors of Destiny
 

FCI/Pony Canyon

January 1993

Role Playing

1 Player

Hoping to make their next Ultima game more like the critically acclaimed computer version, Pony Canyon completely overhauled its graphics, adding depth to the backgrounds and making the characters more realistic.  There's a price to be paid for this realism, however... namely, choppy scrolling and a confusing point-and-click interface that just doesn't belong in a console game.
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Ultimate Air Combat
 

Activision

April 1992

Flight Sim

1 Player

There are two styles of gameplay in this fun action title... first, you'll fight enemy aircraft from a first-person perspective, then you'll skim over the ground, firing missiles at ground-based targets.  The artwork in Ultimate Air Combat is a little sloppy, but the music and sound (especially the voice!) is outstanding, and the game plays pretty darned well, too.
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Ultimate Basketball
 

Sammy

September 1990

Sports

1-2 Players

Forget the crude court graphics and the shameless palette-swapping in the cut scenes that slaps wavy hair on the black players for a minute.  What really makes this game an ultimate headache are the stunningly cheap computer opponents, who constantly steal the ball out of your hands and get in the way when you're trying to reach the basket, forcing dozens of offensive fouls.
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Uncharted Waters
 

Koei

November 1991

Strategy

1 Player

Set sail (or just stay at the harbor inn and play poker all day) in this adventure game that's mercifully more straightforward than your usual Koei fare.  Resource management is still a key part of the gameplay, but the less overwhelming selection of choices makes the game more user-friendly than Koei's other strategy titles.  Plus hey, there's poker and blackjack!
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Uninvited
 

Kemco/Seika

June 1991

Adventure

1 Player

Zoinks!  When you crash your car into a tree, you and your sister are stranded near a spooky old mansion.  Can you find help within its walls, or just a gruesome demise?  It's up to you in Uninvited, the graphic adventure game with an engaging storyline and some devious puzzles to solve.  You'll be making a lot of fatal mistakes, so be thankful you're given unlimited saves.
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The Untouchables
 

Ocean

January 1991

Shooter

1 Player

The Untouchables casts you as Eliot Ness, out to stop the mafia from taking over Chicago.  As the famous G-man, you'll blast mobsters hiding in alleyways, then infiltrate abandoned warehouses in search of evidence.  The alley scenes look terrific, but the rest of the game just isn't much fun, and the techno soundtrack is so very out of place.
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