soulgrindr: If you look at the sales of Final Fantasy, Elder Scrolls, Fallout3, etc... I can't work out why EA isn't churning out Ultima games like there's no tomorrow. We should be up to Ultima 23 by now, like Final Fantasy.
Instead we're producing Evony clones...

Gundato: I love how EVERY SINGLE response to this is "I haven't played it, but they ruined Ultima!"
Here is an idea: Maybe, just maybe, you should give it a shot before you say they "ruined" Ultima (and, let's be honest, that horse was sodomized and killed a while ago).
Everyone complains that the franchises they like are gone, then they go crazy when they come back.

Gundato: I love how EVERY SINGLE response to this is "I haven't played it, but they ruined Ultima!"
Here is an idea: Maybe, just maybe, you should give it a shot before you say they "ruined" Ultima (and, let's be honest, that horse was sodomized and killed a while ago).
Everyone complains that the franchises they like are gone, then they go crazy when they come back.
Is it a good game or "worthy" of the Ultimate title? Probably not, but none of us know. But I will say this:
Go look at how NMA (and a large portion of the Fallout community) reacted to Fallout 3. Now look at how it has been embraced by the majority of the Fallout fans as "different, but still great".

AlphaMonkey: Normally, I'd agree with your sentiments, but there's a big flaw in your comparison.
Fallout 3 may have changed the style of the gameplay from a 2D isometric, turn-based combat system to a first person/third person shooter-style combat system, but at its core, it was still very much a roleplaying game. You walked around, you talked to people, you did quests, you developed your character. More than that, the things that set the Fallout world apart from other settings, such as its dark and twisted sense of humor, remained intact despite the change of perspective. So while a lot of people raged, others still considered it close enough to the spirit of the original games to be considered a true continuation of the franchise.
What's being shown here is a strategy game, something very unlike a roleplaying game, which is what the franchise originally was to start with. Could it be a decent enough game in its own right? That remains to be seen, but at its core, it won't be a true part of the franchise since it's not in the same vein as the originals at all.
The author of the article, I think, has a point: that it seems very much that this is simply an attempt to capitalize on a name that was, at some time, well known by a large number of game players, and that in doing so, they're not staying true to the franchise's roots. It's shoddy handling of a good name.

Gundato: Except that other RPGs led to strategy games (and strategy games are actually the origin of RPGs. Look it up :p).
Look at (Heroes of) Might and Magic.
I think we got a few D&D strategy games.
And there are bound to be more that I don't even know about.

AlphaMonkey: I'm aware of this. I've played Heroes of Might and Magic. I'm aware that it's a spin-off of the Might and Magic roleplaying games. I know it happens. I'm not saying it cannot work. But the Heroes games are not true sequels to the Might and Magic games, are they? That is what I'm saying.

AlphaMonkey: I'm aware of this. I've played Heroes of Might and Magic. I'm aware that it's a spin-off of the Might and Magic roleplaying games. I know it happens. I'm not saying it cannot work. But the Heroes games are not true sequels to the Might and Magic games, are they? That is what I'm saying.
EA is attempting to trade on the Ultima name at a point when the Ultima name is no longer fresh in people's minds. And they are attempting to do so, not by reviving the franchise through a true sequel, but by attempting a spin-off franchise. This is where a lot of the frustration comes from. Die-hard proponents of the franchise do not want a new franchise, they want their old, familiar franchise restored to its former glory, not cheap knock-offs or wannabes.
What they want, is a true Ultima game, in the same vein as the older ones. A strategy game cannot accomplish this. A well made ROLEPLAYING game, could.

Navagon: Are we supposed to overlook the existence of Ultima Online? Or is that now a totally legit, non-commercial addition to the series?

Petrell: I can hear Richard Garriot turn in his grave. Oh wait... ;)
Oh and possible screenshot from game can be found at Ultima: Aiera. Witness the full horror of the blasthemy the game is going to be.
So anyone else joining the lynch mod storming EA HQ and EA Phenomic studios and burning the heretics at stake?

Petrell: Ultima VIII, IX and Online never happened, they are just figment of your imagination.

Navagon: Ah, I see. Thanks for clearing that up.