![PC Games (Games) PC Games (Games)](http://a.fsdn.com/sd/topics/pcgames_64.png)
![Role Playing (Games) Role Playing (Games)](http://a.fsdn.com/sd/topics/rpg_64.png)
![Entertainment Entertainment](http://a.fsdn.com/sd/topics/entertainment_64.png)
![Games Games](http://a.fsdn.com/sd/topics/games_64.png)
Ultima Online Expansion Goes All... Samurai? 36
Thanks to Yahoo for reprinting an EA press release announcing the Ultima Online: Samurai Empire add-on, a "new expansion pack" for the long-running PC MMO title. According to the release: "Traveling around a mysterious Asian environment filled with exotic beasts, expansive dungeons and scenic housing areas, players can strive to become a fierce Samurai, dedicated to the art of Bushido and focused on learning new physical combat abilities.... Players also have the choice of joining the elite ranks of the Ninja, where they will concentrate on magical combat and stealth." UO Stratics has both concept art and screenshots from the newly-announced expansion, quite a thematic departure from "the European high fantasy" of the original title, and "scheduled to ship November 2004." We recently covered both Ultima Online's 7th anniversary and the cancellation of Ultima X: Odyssey.
Huh? (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Huh? (Score:3, Insightful)
But hey, it sure beats actually developing a new game in the series!
Re:Huh? (Score:2)
I am completely mystified as to why this was made instead of a new UO game, and who they think the target audience fo
Re:Huh? (Score:1)
Re:Huh? (Score:2)
'course, I am not Japanese, so who knows, maybe the players will eat it up. Certainly, Americans would be all over a cowboys & indians Squaresoft title, and probably find any stereotyping in it amusingly quaint.
Re:Huh? (Score:2)
Cashing In (Score:3, Interesting)
For a real fun Japanese experience, VM Japan [falcom.co.jp], from Falcom is a cool Japanese mythology based tactical RPG for the PC. I still enjoy a game of PC RTS Shogun Total War (the developers aren't Japanese but they put a LOT of research into the history), which was the first Total War game.
Concept Art looks Good (Score:4, Insightful)
I figure there's two ways to really screw this up: repackage same old paradigms to look exotic, or bore players with stereotypes from film and TV. Concept art looks good except for the cut and paste "screenshot."
Alex.
Turning Japanese (Score:5, Funny)
Japanese market? (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Japanese market? (Score:2, Interesting)
Alternatives (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Alternatives (Score:2)
Considering all things... (Score:3, Insightful)
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Considering all things... (Score:1)
Definitely no ninjas in U7 (didn't make it any less of a Great Game, though), and while U7pt2 had quite a few assassins there probably aren't any ninjas in it (I'm only halfway through though), I'd guess not in U8 (though I haven't really played much that either), and I can only hope not in U9 (which I've only played a little bit so far).
Hope that's a satisfactory answer? =)
Hmm (Score:4, Insightful)
I think they are LONG past due on graphics improvement (the crappy GUI is the reason I cancelled my account after 10 minutes of play after being convinced to join by a friend). I know about the UOX plans and cancellation etc. but lets hope they go ahead with what I've heard and plumb in the UOX engine into UO proper. I think I'd sign up then.
Re:Hmm (Score:4, Insightful)
Anyways, there's my rant. I loved UO, but I dont think I will ever go back again.
Yeah, that's BS (Score:4, Insightful)
This is 20-something years now I've been playing the Ultimas. EA finish screwing it over, and give it back to Richard, please.
Ultima....and so on. (Score:1)
While I admit I haven't really played any of the newer games and haven't even looked at UO, I must admit that this expansion both makes me curious but also makes me disapointed.
It doesn't seem that they are updating it enough and the only logical sucessors to UO have been canceled. (UO2 and UX:O).
What I want to know is, are UO player numbers increasing? or has 7 years of running taken its toll?
And doesn't EA realise that maybe co
Ms Cleo Here... (Score:1, Funny)
Which really means, it's scheduled to be cancelled by September 2004 since it's MMO releated.
Almost enough to make me check it out again (Score:1)
In that respect, EQ was a much more inviting game (and one that kept me involved for several years). UO had promise, but at least in the early phases they really let the griefers/macroers run away with the game.
This
A little more info on UO - current player (Score:1)
Griefing has been removed by the fact that pvp is not allowed on 3 of the 4 parts of each server - if you go to the pvp part, you might get punked.
I still like UO cause it has a lot of content & loot. If you want the old school pure pvp ultima you can play on the Siege Perilous server which is 100% pvp.
The interface is so old...damn. I recently logged out of UO and played SWG - its like interface shock or something =).
Im not a fanboi of UO - but
School girl time! (Score:1)
Not surprised (Score:2)
These people are failing to take into account that there is a HUGE asian MMORPG market. Far larger than anything we have here in America. So it would seem they are merely making an attempt to cater to that market with little R&D costs on their side, and if they pick up the Japan fans in America, so much the better.