Author: CRPG Addict

The Black Gate: Open Your Eyes

Having woken up after 200 years, Penumbra really needs to hit the head.           We leave the troubled Vesper behind us–planning to return once we have the “Unlock Magic” spell and some more money–and head east across the channel. It has been long enough since I played an Ultima that […]

Morabis I: Won! (with Summary and Rating)

              Morabis I: The Dungeons of Morabis United States Independently developed and released as shareware Several versions released for DOS between 1991 and 1992 Date Started: 2 May 2020 Date Ended: 10 May 2020 Total Hours: 11Difficulty: Moderate-Hard (3.5/5)Final Rating: (to come later)Ranking at time of posting: (to come later) […]

The Black Gate: My Way

Regrets: I’ve had a few. But then again, I’m riding a goddamned magic carpet.             There he was in front of me: Batlin of Britain. The anti-Avatar. The con man with a shuck-and-jive so powerful that he even seduced the in-game narration. “At once humble yet dignified, his gentle eyes […]

The Black Gate: Wee Britain

More than once, in idle moments, I’ve gone through a sentence like this, seeing how it changes meaning depending on where you put the emphasis.          After speaking to Lord British, I had three items on my “to do” list for Britain–five if you include a quick trip back to […]

Closing the Books on Crystalware

Crystalware was not the sort of company to let trademarks deter them, whether incorporating the Enterprise in their logo or marketing an unlicensed game called Imperial Walker.             A year ago, I’d never heard of Crystalware. Then, someone rediscovered their catalogue and uploaded all of its games to MobyGames and […]

Planet’s Edge: Two Seasons

The Moonbase commander congratulates us on retrieving one of the eight artifacts.             As several commenters have noted, Planet’s Edge has shaped up to have a real Star Trek feel, with the quest titles obvious analogues for episode titles. In fact, it’s safe to say that without budget constraints for […]

Game 363: Ultima VII: The Black Gate

A deceptively pleasant introductory screen.               Ultima VII: The Black Gate United StatesORIGIN Systems (developer and publisher) Released in 1992 for DOS; 1994 for SNES Forge of Virtue expansion released later in 1992 for DOS Date Started: 20 March 2020 I first played Ultima VII in 1999. I had just […]

Game 362: OrbQuest (1981)

I’m playing the second edition of the game. The first is not available anywhere.              OrbQuest United StatesAlternate World Simulations Released in 1981 for CP/M Date Started: 10 March 2020 Date Finished: 15 March 2020 Total Hours: 25 Difficulty: Moderate-Hard (3.5/5) Final Rating: (to come later) Ranking at time of […]

Game 361: Planet’s Edge (1992)

Note that the game’s title screen does not technically exclude the possibility of returning from this point.           Planet’s Edge United States New World Computing (developer and publisher) Released 1991 for DOS, 1993 for FM Towns and PC-98 Date Started: 5 March 2020            Because it […]