Voidbrand

Yet, another ramble. About one of my favorite CRPGs of all time next to Ultima VII: Gothic II Classic. WITHOUT Night of the Raven. Gothic II released in 2003 in NA, being pretty much the same game with some extra skills to learn, and two whole, open-ended maps to explore and lose yourself in. Gothic II is Piranha Bytes best game, with great character progression, and an immersive experience.

The 4:3 aspect ratio is because I played this on a 4:3 1600x1200 LCD monitor. Streamed at https://www.twitch.tv/voidbrand VOD archived at: https://youtu.be/cm6oSDaWu4M Here I ramble about Arkane Studio's first game: Dark Messiah of Might and Magic. Released in 2006, I find Dark Messiah still holds up rather well, and is an absolute blast to play. While I didn't really play the mainline Might and Magic games, Dark Messiah is a game where you don't need that kind of experience. Beyond all that, I hope the video is enjoyable.

Just a video on Gothic I where I literally ramble about it for about 17 minutes. Developed by Piranha Bytes and published by Xicat Interactive in North America, Gothic I and its sequel are some of the best CRPGs released, and a lot of people consider the first two Gothic games as Piranha Bytes best entries. I didn't play Gothic I first when it came out, Gothic II was actually my first game. I streamed it about a month ago, and had no plans on doing a video on it, but, well, I changed my mind. So here we are.

Part 2 Timestamps: Ultima Online - 59:12 Ultima IX - 1:20:22 Ultima An Introspective With Richard Garriott (Interview) Part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkoTf6t87jU Ultima An Introspective With Richard Garriott (Interview) Part 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qLl0gSlaIw Ultima An Introspective With Richard Garriott (Interview) Part 2.5 - The Last 18-20 Minutes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2LwL2b9gZok Hacki's Ultima Page: https://hacki.bootstrike.com/english/nitpicks.htm Ultima IX Development History (Ultima Codex): https://wiki.ultimacodex.com/wiki/Development_history_of_Ultima_IX Credits goes to Ultima Codex for the various 3D isometric screenshots, and Pirate Canvas for letting me use part 2 of his interview. Finally ready to ramble about Ultima IX: Ascension. The best game in the series and a satisfying conclusion to a long-running, CRPG classic. Well, I haven't played this game since it came out, so this is my first time playing it again in a long while. Which probably explains what I think about it... Ascension had a very shaky development cycle, which resulted in a game that had extremely poor connection with previous Ultima games. This video attempts to explain that, as well as my experience playing this game at release. I also talk about Ultima Online and its influence on the last mainline Ultima game, and a bit of the Bob White Plot.

Rambling about The Lost Vale. The lost expansion to Ultima VIII: Pagan. The Lost Vale Design Documents: https://gallery.ultimacodex.com/the-lost-vale-plot-documents/ The Lost Vale Screenshots: https://wiki.ultimacodex.com/wiki/Ultima_VIII:_The_Lost_Vale The Lost Vale Box: https://gigi.nullneuron.net/ultima/u8/u8tlv.php

In-game Maps: https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/pc/930227-the-legacy-realm-of-terror/faqs Let's Play: https://lparchive.org/The-Legacy/ Happy Halloween. 💀 It's October, so it's to ramble about an old, very niche horror game from 1992: The Legacy: Realm of Terror. A game that I have never heard about until GOG released it on their storefront. Realm of Terror plays much like a Dungeon Hack, or an Eye of the Beholder. Basically a dungeon crawler, or rather, a "mansion" crawler. A very interesting idea to combine dungeon crawling with horror elements. The game itself is heavily inspired by the Cthulhu mythos, what with eldritch Gods and monsters that can drive a human being mad with insanity. This is a fun game, with not too many frustrating elements other than the puzzle and quest designs. I'd love to see a remastered/remake version of this, but unfortunately it looks like this is the developers (Magnetic Scrolls) last game.

Why Ultima VIII Pagan is a Flawed Masterpiece: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1_8YOifhjs&list=FLLVrmXHhqBefZCPtO0rCzBA&index=4 Plot Cuts in Ultima VIII (Ultima Codex): https://wiki.ultimacodex.com/wiki/Plot_cuts_in_Ultima_VIII Bunch of SPOILERS in this one as before. I ramble once again about the Ultima games. This time, Ultima VIII: Pagan. A very disappointing game to long-time Ultima fans, and a game that was hampered by a harsh deadline, which resulted in numerous bugs, plotholes, dropped story segments, and unfinished areas, as well as a finished expansion which never saw the light of day to the lower than expected sales of VIII, and the expansions to Ultima VII. And despite that, it still remains one of my favorite Ultima games even to this day. The game has some high points to it, with its dark atmosphere being one of them, and an excellent soundtrack by Nenad Vugrinec. The new engine provides great graphics for the time, enabling the Avatar to walk, run, climb, and jump, with the jumping being absolutely broken on release, with a lot of Ultima fans jokingly calling Ultima VIII as the "Super Avatar Bros." This engine would later be used for the excellent Crusader No Remorse/No Regret games, both directed by one of the programmers for Pagan: Tony Zurovec.

Ultima Codex Interview With Bill Armintrout (Serpent Isle Writer, Frigidazzi Cut): https://ultimacodex.com/interviews/bill-armintrout-si20/ Material Cut From Serpent Isle (Ultima Codex): https://wiki.ultimacodex.com/wiki/Material_cut_from_Serpent_Isle Material Cut From Serpent Isle (Graphics and Objects) (The Cutting Room Floor): https://tcrf.net/Ultima_VII_Part_Two:_Serpent_Isle Material Cut From Serpent Isle (Unused Text/Dialogue) (The Cutting Room Floor): https://tcrf.net/Ultima_VII_Part_Two:_Serpent_Isle/Unused_Text Greetings... In this video, I ramble about the story and cut content of Serpent Isle, concluding Ultima VII as a whole. Origin decided to call Serpent Isle Ultima VII Part Two as it uses the same engine as The Black Gate. Serpent Isle is much more linear than The Black Gate, with the same gameplay, and improved paperdolls which gives the player a visual representation of what weapon, armor, and equipment they're wearing. Serpent Isle is a game I love as much as The Black Gate, and the story is among the best in the series right next to Warriors of Destiny.

SPOILERS within. Time for another ramble about another classic first person dungeon crawler: Ultima Underworld II: Labyrinth of Worlds. Released in 1993 and developed by LookingGlass Technologies, Ultima Underworld II released very quickly due to quick development time in under a year after the first game. Rather than the game being set in a huge sprawling dungeon like in The Stygian Abyss, Underworld II has the Avatar traversing various different worlds under the Guardians' control while he looks for a way out of the blackrock dome surrounding Castle British. Ultima Underworld II is my personal favorite Underworld game due to its connection to Ultima VII: The Black Gate, but both games play similarly, with the sequel having better graphics, a bigger game window, and a more interesting plot.

This video contains spoilers about The Black Gate. A retrospective on my favorite CRPG. Ultima VII: The Black Gate released in 1992 by Origin Systems and published by the much beloved, well respected Electronic Arts (sarcasm). Ultima VII was the start of a new trilogy of Ultima games labeled "The Age of Armageddon." Gone are the small game window with a user interface surrounding it, with Ultima VII using every pixel on the screen to display its graphics along with full mouse support. Coming from games like Shadowrun and Phantasy Star IV to Ultima 7 was a huge jump for me, and it stills stands as my favorite CRPG of all time even today.

GitHub page: https://github.com/hankmorgan/UnderworldExporter Underworld Exporter: https://github.com/hankmorgan/UnderworldExporter/releases/download/V1.09/Windows.x64.V1_09.zip Music Pack: https://github.com/hankmorgan/UnderworldExporter/releases/download/1.07/Music.Packs.zip PS1 version soundtrack: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWSqLYQG4Qs&list=PLqH8BQgKEc_bI4uec5dQhu98O69mCRCcX The r/ultima reddit thread talking about the latest 2 versions I mentioned in the video: https://www.reddit.com/r/Ultima/comments/143untn/can_anyone_help_me_with_underworld_exporter/ A look at Ultima Underworld in the Unity engine. v1.09. The next and hopefully soon to be ideal way to play the classic dungeon crawling game from Blue Sky Productions/Looking Glass & Origin. The Unity version comes with mouselook, 3 different music settings to configure in the config.ini file (PSX/PS1 Sound Blaster 16, & MIDI), higher resolutions, smoother gameplay, quicker transitioning to your stats/skills page and rune bag, etc. It's currently a work-in-progress (the latest release is v1.10 back in 2021, and the playable one being v1.09, which released in 2018), so keep that in mind if you jump in to this. I did a quick installation guide, with steps from the Looking Glassed channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qt9kPzDRL2Q https://www.youtube.com/@lookingglassed As well as gameplay commentary.

A System Shock Remake review of a game that is almost 30 years old now. Old school fans of System Shock would be happy to know that the remake is a 1:1 in almost every way. Might be a little too faithful some would say, so no quest log on your screen telling you where to go or a waypoint on the navigation bar, at least on normal mission mode. A very good remake I'm hoping to replay sometime in the future.

GOG: https://www.gog.com/en/game/forgotten_realms_the_archives_collection_three Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1904530/Forgotten_Realms_The_Archives__Collection_Three/ Floppy Disk Picture (5.25", Museum of Computer Adventure Game History): https://www.mocagh.org/origin/u7-disk.jpg Floppy Disk Picture (3.5", MobyGames): https://www.mobygames.com/game/608/ultima-vii-the-black-gate/cover/group-5509/cover-14809/ A Dungeon Hack review where I ramble about the gameplay, the publisher/dev and their games, good classes to play as, and the Forgotten Realms. Hardly any story in this one, but lots of pure, gridbased dungeon crawling with many different classes and portraits to choose from. Based on the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd Edition ruleset that would later show up in games like Baldur's Gate 1 & 2, and Icewind Dale.

Streamed at: https://www.twitch.tv/voidbrand PCGamingWiki: https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Ultima_Underworld:_The_Stygian_Abyss Not a retrospective, but a review of a very old, very classic dungeon crawler: Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss. Why is it not a retrospective? Because I didn't play this game as a kid (wish I had though). A spinoff of Origin System's juggernaut RPG series Ultima, Ultima Underworld has you taking on the role of the Avatar once again. Caught in the wrong place at the wrong time, the Avatar is thrown into the Stygian Abyss on a quest to rescue the Barons' daughter and clear his name. Ultima Underworld introduced many innovative mechanics. 8 sprawling levels to dungeon crawl through, a lighting system where you require a torch or candle (magical or otherwise) to light your way, fishing, using leeches to cure poison, a fully 3d space to move around, and so on and so forth. But does it hold up?

Streamed at: https://www.twitch.tv/voidbrand Soundtrack: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2xs8pQBcZk Ultima Codex interview: https://ultimacodex.com/interviews/we-had-a-lot-of-fun-with-the-other-explosives-an-interview-with-jason-ely/ Another Crusader retrospective/review where I continue to ramble about my experiences and thoughts about the Crusader series. The Silencers' "crusade" continues in this action-packed "sequel". 10 missions, 3 new weapons to play with, and several new gadgets to crush the LMC and WEC. My very first experience with the Crusader series, and my intro into PC gaming. Controls still haven't aged well, but worth getting used to for this mostly forgotten action series.

Streamed at: https://www.twitch.tv/voidbrand Very 1st game I ever streamed. Video is at 720p because I'm still new and didn't know about recording at a higher resolution while streaming, so yeah. Feel free to follow and tune in sometime. Soundtrack for both games: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2xs8pQBcZk Time for a second retrospective where I ramble about Crusader: No Remorse, another game from my childhood, sort of. You play as the Captain, a Silencer who formerly worked for the WEC (World Economic Consortium). Your team is wiped out by a WEC mech for refusing to kill civilians, so what do you do? Throw your lot in with the Resistance, and begin your "crusade" to dismantle the WEC with No Remorse! An excellent isometric action game with controls that can be pretty frustrating, but does the game hold up? The soundtrack certainly does.

WARNING: This video contains MAJOR SPOILERS. My attempt at doing a retrospective review of Suikoden I through a nostalgic lens. Suikoden is an amazing JRPG of its time and still stands on its own with unique features even today. Released in '96 in North America on the PS1, Suikoden differentiated itself from other JRPGs such as 108 unique characters to recruit, war battles, 1 on 1 duels, and a castle that grows the more allies join your army. As well as an engaging story with a memorable soundtrack.

EIZO S2133 Monitor Review | 1600x1200 Retro Gaming Specs: https://www.eizo.com/products/flexscan/s2133/ Crusader: No Remorse soundtrack by Andrew Sega Games showcased: Crusader: No Remorse (PC) Knights of the Round (Capcom Classics Collection Vol. 2) (PS2) Landstalker (Sega Genesis) Phantasy Star IV (Sega Genesis) Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master (Sega Genesis) Sid Meier's Pirates (2004) (PC) Silent Hill 2 (PS2) Suikoden (PS1) Ultima Underworld (PC)