Ultima Online Expansion Goes All... Samurai?

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.

Comments

Huh?

[Kirsha]

Samurai's and ninjas? Is there any mention of such oriental themes in the previous Ultima games? Seems to me like something out of place for Britannia...

Re:Huh?

[Jeff Reed]

It's probably a cheap attempt to cash in on anime fanboys and South Korea. I suspect it won't really add anything to the gameplay and will basically be a glorified graphics pack.

But hey, it sure beats actually developing a new game in the series!

Cashing In

[dancingmad]

I'm no huge fan of the series but it seems like Ultima is trying to capitalize on how cool Japanese stuff is in America these days. I'm sure it will be a shallow attempt to cash in.

For a real fun Japanese experience, VM Japan, 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

[xanderwilson]

There was a trend a decade or two back in paper-and-dice RPGs when everyone was headed "East." Some of it successful, some boring. I wasn't into Vampire but their Kindred of the East book blew me away.

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

[Ohreally_factor]

This shouldn't be a foreign concept to the /. crowd.

Japanese market?

[dammitallgoodnamesgo]

EA have been trying to break the Japanese market for a while now (and failing) - I know that I've seen some very prominant adverts for FOMA UO, which is coming soon, and I suspect that Ultima Online has a certain amount of mindshare amongst MMORPG players here - I've seen a few guides for it in the walkthroughs section of shops. It's possible they wanted to encourage the Japanese market by making them feel at home.

Re:Japanese market?

[yakitori]

The last couple years, there has been increased emphasis on the Japanese market in UO. From the major localization changes a couple years ago to this new expansion coming out soon. It would be safe to wager that possibly 30-40% of the subscription base of UO is located in Japan (of about 200k+ subscribers). If a player hopped onto any of the Japanese servers, they can quickly see they are far more active than most of the American servers (shards). Of course, FFXI is eating away slowly at that base, but not quite so badly I imagine. They are both mmorpgs, but at a basic level, different games.

Alternatives

[PD]

It was either go samurai, or go commando. I think they made a wise decision.

Considering all things...

[MMaestro]

MMORPGs are designed to be join in, get hooked, and dig in for the long haul systems. The addition of an expansion clearly aimed at Asian markets (I didn't play Ultima 7, 8, or 9 but I'm guessing ninjas and samurais weren't in them) probably won't garner much success. After all, why switch to a 7 year old game just for an expansion when you can pick up a copy of the 2 year old Final Fantasy XI which already features ninjas and samurais?

Re:Considering all things...

[falcon5768]

and looks 100 times better at that and can be played on a PS2 too. On another note, I play FFXI and not only can you be a Ninja or Samurai (you have to quest to get the job type though, its not a starting class) but the Beastmen enemys you face can ALSO be those job types too.... not cool when you get a sam or nin special attack done to you

Hmm

[skinfitz]

At the risk of being called a troll, the GUI for UO is so shit how could anyone tell if a character is a samurai or anything for that matter?

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

[override11]

I played UO for almost 6 years, and I think the worst thing they did was update the graphics engine. It used to be that, for PvP, you had to have skill, and low ping times, and you could whoop ass. Now the 3D client slows you down, not to mention all the wussies need Trammel so they can farm all day. I for one miss the pre-trammel days, where there was a real danger from PK's (like me, hehe) The game was fun! you had adrenaline pumping, and you had a risk carrying around too much treasure. Now the game is pussi-fied. Item insurance, zero reg cost, Trammel, the game is a bunch of bunk now. Not to mention that skill is not involved in PvP any more, its almost completely "What Relic's do you have". Ring of the magi = you can own another mage, almost regardless of skill.

Anyways, there's my rant. I loved UO, but I dont think I will ever go back again.

Yeah, that's BS

[ryanr]

If they want to expand the genre a little, add the space weapons and travel back in.

This is 20-something years now I've been playing the Ultimas. EA finish screwing it over, and give it back to Richard, please.