Genre: RPGDeveloper: Origin SystemsYear: 1993
Rating: 0.00 / 10.00
(based on 0 votes)
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Richard Garriott invented and reinvented the computer RPG genre after every new title of the Ultima series. Playing the whole series is like studying the very history of CRPGs. All games were very popular back in the days, and that's probably why the series went on forever.
Serpent Isle is the second part of the excellent Ultima VII -- more of an expansion pack, only you don't need the original game to play it. It is not as fun as the first part, which is in my opinion the best RPG of all times, but carries along much of its shine just by keeping the original engine, with slight improvements. Ultima VII's engine alone answers for all the excellency in gameplay, graphics and roleplay capabilities of all characters in the game, as mentioned in my review for Ultima VII: black gate.
The reasons why Serpent Isle isn't as good as Black gate are hard to explain. The game starts out a bit too linear, then gets a bit confusing since the world is still large and open-ended while *not* being Britannia (with which most would be already familiarized). Then maybe here the characters aren't as deep as in the first part, although the roleplay has improved slightly. After such a diverse and rich experience in Ultima VII: black gate, making a new game with the same main characters, same setting, on the same engine makes it hard not to repeat oneself a bit.
As stated above, Serpent Isle *is* still a great classic, with glorious moments of fun and surprise, while not outshining its predecessor, from where it took nearly all its best qualities. If you never completed the first part, do it, because it's the best CRPG of all times. If you did, get this one quickly, because it is a worthy return to the world of Ultima.
