BREAKING NEWS: Ultima VIII on GOG

Good news for Ultima and Origin fans! Ultima VIII: Gold Edition has been released on GOG for $5.99! Included in the package is the game's speech pack and a variety of bonuses such as the game's manual, clue book and map. Grab a copy here, and let's keep the Origin releases coming!

Alone in the strange world of Pagan, the Avatar has to bring the battle to the Guardian.

Ultima™ 8 Gold Edition, the last 2D cRPG in the famous Ultima series, is available now for only $5.99.

Ultima 8 featured “a closer blend of fantasy and reality than ever before--real-world physics and game play” (that’s from the game box!) including platform running at several speeds, jumping unto stepping stones and transverse cliffs, walking on ledges etc. Also, Avatar is left alone, without any RPG companions, and that makes the game extremely difficult, while most of the enemies are both extremely hard to kill and extremely deadly. The graphics are flat-out gorgeous in their retro glory, and the well-detailed fluid animations hold up greatly even today after 18 years from release. The combat is a real change from the usual Ultima fare, with great fluidity, and tons of actiony goodness that make this game a great entry title into the series for fans of more action-centric RPGs.

Great graphics, sound, storyline, and special effects are what’s good about Ultima 8, and what’s best is that it’s available right now only on GOG.com for $5.99.

Vittek Redux

Back on Crusader Day we already ran an update about Origin developer Mark Vittek's penchant for appearing in multiple franchises--Crusader, Ultima and Privateer. Mark worked on all of those games and his cool name was included in each. Although Mark Vittek was an important part of the Ultima VIII project, I didn't plan to do another update on the same reference for today... unless I could come up with something new. Luckily, we discovered this awesome high-resolution image of the "TCS Vittek" with the recent cache of Privateer 3 screenshots!

Introducing the Codex

Ultimate fan site Ultima Aiera has recently evolved into the Ultima Codex. In addition to frequent news updates, the site also has a new Wiki-based information section. Read all about Ultima VIII at the Codex here!

Wing Commander's a Hit!

Since we last posted about GOG sales stats, Wing Commander 4 had shot to the top of the shooter charts! It's also pulled WC1/2, WC3 and I-War 2 up along with it. In addition to the shooter genre, The Price of Freedom has also cracked the "all genres" top ten. Way to go!

Origin Lineup Continues to Grow

Today's release of U8 caps off lengthy list of Origin classics now available on GOG. Complete your collection with the links below!

• Crusader: No Remorse
• Crusader: No Regret
• Ultima I, II & III
• Ultima IV (Free!)
• Ultima IV, V & VI
• Ultima VII
• Ultima VIII
• Ultima Underworld I & II