Ultima 3: Ending Sequence (NES)
It seems fitting, on the day that the first four Ultima games are released for sale on Good Old Games, to take a look at some of the different ways that Ultima 3 has been presented to game players over the years.
Here, for example, is the ending sequence to Ultima 3, as it appeared in the Nintento Entertainment System (NES) port of the game:
Shake, rattle, and doom!
And just for good measure, here’s another gem that Sergorn Dragon stumbled upon over the weekend — a commercial for the NES port:
All it needs is a guy in big glasses and a sweater vest.
I don’t know about you, Dragons and Dragonettes, but I miss the days when Ultima ports could be found on half a dozen different gaming platforms. Or, rather, I should say I miss the days when Ultima ports were released on half a dozen different gaming platforms, which was the case right up until Ultima 6. Sure, there was a steep variation in quality between different ports of the games, but it was always heartening to think that Ultima was being enjoyed by gamers on many systems.
Then again, thanks to the tireless efforts of the fan community, it’s still quite easy to get an Ultima game running on a variety of different platforms. And to be fair, should any company start developing a new AAA Ultima title, that new game will almost certainly be targeted at both PC and consoles.
Everything old, it seems, is indeed new again.
The NES version of Ultima 3 was my first introduction to the series, and I remember the collapse of the castle well; in fact, I couldn’t remember anything else about the ending, so I clicked here to watch it again. Apparently, there wasn’t any other ending! Is this the way it is on the other ports of the game? Disable Exodus, castle collapses, and that’s it?
Well, I’m not aware of any alternate endings, if that’s what you’re getting at. All of the Ultimas had but a single ending, other than death.
The whole palace collapsing thing is exclusive to the NES version. Other ports ended once you put all the Cards within Exodus, altough the Mac Lairware Port allowed you to exit the castle by the back and continue playing for fun.
I didn’t mean an alternate ending, but rather if there was supposed to be more that simply wasn’t included. I never played the other versions of Ultima 3, just this one, so I genuinely don’t know. Do all the other Ultima 3s just roll credits too as soon as you leave the crumbling castle? It seems abrupt.
Ah, thanks Sergorn. That’s exactly the kind of thing I was wondering.
All of the Ultimas had but a single ending
You’re forgetting Ultima 7’s “evil” ending.
Sergorn: Thanks for the info; I actually didn’t know that.
Infinitron: I…don’t know if I have seen this ending of which you speak…
It happens if you pass through the Black gate instead of destroying it. You just have text making you feel miserable about how you left Britannia to the Guardian and such.
Gulluoglu-
The non-NES versions are all WAY better overall. It seems like that escape back out the catle door is sort of an anti-climax, since the game is won once Exodus is “killed”.
One thing you really missed with the NES version is the beautiful Kenneth Arnold music. Anyway, this page has both screenshots and a video at the end showing the standard finale:
http://crpgaddict.blogspot.com/2010/03/ultima-iii-won.html