Well, since I haven't been able to play much for www.backlogkiller.com I thought I would just write something short and sweet about Ultima Underworld here. Ultima Underworld is one of the most original and revolutionary PC titles to come out in the early 90's and really set the stage for many modern titles. First designed as a complete dungeon diving simulation and later combined with the Ultima universe, Ultima Underworld puts you in the role of the Avatar who is now wrongly accused of kidnapping. Forced to prove your innocence, you are thrown into the Stygian Abyss to rescue the duke's daughter.

Beginning with nothing more than the clothes on your back, you are forced to face monsters, traps, and dark corridors using your wits and any other equipment you come across. Unlike most of its contemporaries, Ultima Underworld features fully 3-D environments (floors above floors) and texture mapped surfaces. Unlike Doom and Wolfenstein, the UU engine also allows you to look up, down, and even fly given the correct circumstances. The engine was a technological wonder when it came out and was a direct influence for other more famous titles such as System Shock and, by direct lineage, Bioshock.

Even though I am only three levels deep in my play through, it was immediately apparent that Ultima Underworld is one of the most important games of the early 90's. Combining true role playing choices in conversations, challenging immersive game play, and the pure joy of exploring, Ultima Underworld is MUST play if you are at all interested in influential titles from the past. Even though it is a little rough around the edges, it serves as a great statement of the power and creativity a small group of programmers can muster. I, personally, find its systems and mechanics more satisfying than many regaled games that have come out recently.