Introduction:

Ultima III was a PC game that was ported to the NES.  Many features were changed in terms of dialogue options. The graphics were improved.  For anyone who is an Ultima fan this game is very similar to the first two ultima games which were not ported to the NES.

Story:

Basically the traditional storyline is where an evil force threatens to destroy Britannia. The king calls you forward to restore peace and destroy the evil monsters roaming the lands.
 

Gameplay:

This is a role playing game where you fight monsters you randomly encounter on the world map and in dungeons.  The only non-traditional element is the dungeon fighting, which is done from a first person perspective with 3-d tunnels.  Basically build up magic and fighting skills by fighting evil creatures and visiting shrines to improve attributes such as strength and dexterity.

I give the gameplay: 8/10

Graphics:

The graphics for this game were well designed. They were not exceptional but it was clearly evident that hard work was utilized in designing cities and landscape.  Still, some work could have been done to improve the visual quality of the monsters.

I give the graphics: 7/10

Sound:

Sound was decent but not exceptional. The same tunes play over and over again and after a while you should mute it to prevent yourself from going crazy.  Listen to the music in moderation and you will enjoy the selection offered.

I give the sound: 7/10

Replayability:

None. There are no other endings for you to reach.  This may be the game's major weakness, but most NES games suffered this drawback.

I give the replayability: 2/10

Challenge:

This game was challenging for a little while at the beginning when the monsters were strong, but later in the game the monsters can't keep up with a well developed character.  The need for lots and lots of money can be annoying at times.

I give the challenge: 7/10

Frustration:

There were some frustrating aspects to this game. The random monster encounters happened often and were largely tedious. If you don't build up the characters' attributes then they become very weak, even if your characters have been leveling up. Also hidden items were difficult to locate and the casino was hard to win money from.

I give the frustration: 3/10

Value:

This game has some value but doesn't stand out too much from the crowd. If you are looking for a traditional role playing game for the NES system than this game is right for you. However, if you are looking for something revolutionary than this game may not be your first choice. Still if you can find this game I recommend that you purchase it.

I give the value: 8/10

Overall:

Overall this game was enjoyable to play but not terribly exciting. There were no surprises in the game that I did not anticipate.  I was happy with the majority of features such as sound and dungeon appearance but was unhappy with other aspects such as random monster encounters which happened too frequently.

I give Ultima 3: Exodus: 9/10

Conclusion:

This game is a traditional role playing game that does not stand out from other role playing games except for the fact that it was well designed and the music was decent.

Written By: Vitani
E-Mail: bmbarry@smcm.edu

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