Originally Posted by aardvark
I think that the Underworld games are the best rpg's ever made. I've played Baldur's Gate, the Diablo's, the Elder Scrolls games, Betrayal At Krondor, Dungeon Master, heck even Wasteland, the original Pool Of Radiance and NetHack. None of them even come close to the sense of immersiveness and fun I got (and get) from UU and UU2.
I wonder why this is. I think it's about layers of detail.
Popcorn. It's all about popcorn. If you've played the game you know what I mean. And undocumented stuff. Experimentation can pay off in an Underworld game. -- An automap that allows notes to be written on it. Many crpg designers still haven't caught on to the fact that this is an essential crpg feature.
Bags, pouches, coffers, boxes and packs. Put this in that and those two in this one and so on... It's game just playing with your boxes and coffers. Somewhat standard now but the Underworlds probably did it first.
If you can't unlock a door you can bash it but it might damage or even break your weapon. Of course, you can pick the lock or cast an opening spell on it too.
You learn a particular "monster language" and actually use it to communicate. (Amazing!) - If you find a musical instrument, you can actually play it by tapping keys on your keyboard, and a lute sounds different than a flute too.
Melee, close combat, something LGS was always quite good at simulating (while most other 3D game developers cop out by offering only ranged weapons in their games), was great. Pulling your weapon back and holding it as long as possible for a stronger attack was a brilliant touch and one that gave feedback to the player. Nice. Sounds like Thief doesn't it...
The Underworld levels are superb. It is fair to say that I have seen nothing like them in a game since. No skimpy dopey level one either. The first level of Underworld 1 is large, interconnected, diverse and challenging. It's really fun even when you go back to it now, and it teaches all of the basics for dungeon survival that a player will use throughout the rest of the game --without ever seeming like a trainer. Wow.
The Underworld games, particularly Underworld 2, are non-linear. Non-linear is a buzzword now. The Underworlds were among the first crpg's to eschew the typical linear "lead the player by the nose" design. Very cool.
I liked the ice (Yow!), yeti and snowballs. I liked clearing out monsters from a room, then moving in and arranging my stuff all over. I liked having to move my "apartment" as I explored deeper (or dimensionally displaced) levels. I loved flying and fighting. I loved teleporting. Boots of Jumping? You bet.
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