The Chatty Community over at Shacknews has, over the last few weeks, been tallying votes for their Top 100 PC Games of All Time, and the list thereof was published just recently. Naturally, a few titles produced or published by Origin Systems are on the list, beginning with Ultima Underworld at #87:

The Ultima games stand as one of the best RPG series ever made. But there were also a few spinoffs of Richard Garriott’s great tale. This one combined the great talents of Bethesda and Id Software to create one of the first instances of first-person action on a 3D map. It may not be a main Ultima entry, but it’s still one of the greatest.

“To say this is the best dungeon game we’ve ever played is quite an understatement”
-Dragon Magazine

Meanwhile, Ultima 7: The Black Gate captures a respectable, if somewhat underwhelming, position at #29:

This is considered by many to be the peak of the Ultima series and the last of the truly great games before Ultima VIII began the series’ downward spiral. Little things like removing the visual tile grids was just the beginning. Ultima VII is beloved for its shift to real-time, its brilliant AI companions, and the game world’s interactivity. Britannia never felt more alive.

“Ultima 7 is the crowning achievement of Richard Garriott and Origin. The open world, character development, and sophisticated environment interaction set a bar that in some ways hasn’t been matched to this day.”
-Varquel

“Best RPG Ever Made”
-kbnerd

“Deep, highly interactive world. It felt like I was transported to another place. I have never experienced this sense of exploration since.”
-greenlief

“Origin creates worlds, and the mystery of Britannia, starting with a grisly murder, launches into one of the most interesting story lines in RPG history. I remember how much of a quantum leap the graphics were in this game, and how you could bake bread (or use a bucket of blood to make “blood bread”). I think this game broke my 386 and my parents bought me a 486 to replace it (yay!!!). The Fellowship and the Guardian were great adversaries, and the Blackrock sword is pretty much the best weapon ever next to the Hoe of Destruction! RPG gaming at its finest!”
-sergeon

“After submitting my first top15 I rethought the order. Ultima 7 IS my favourite game but part 1 and 2 have to be judged seperately. This one deserves all the praise and probably will be the one ending up in the top 100. It’s one of the most important and maybe also influencial RPGs. This needs to be at the top, but I had to honor Serpent Isle here as well.”
-razorblade79

Half Life and Half Life 2, confusingly, managed to capture the #2 and #1 spots, respectively, which…is what it is. It should also be mentioned, however, that Wing Commander: Privateer earned a nod at #74 on the list:

Wing Commander is one of the most highly-praised PC gaming franchises out there and 1993’s Privateer stands out as one of the best. Controller a privateer, players now had the option to choose their occupation, adding the potential to create their own unique adventures. Toss in the acclaimed Wing Commander gameplay style and Privateer proves to be one of the better games in the series.

“Playing in the Wing Commander universe gave this game a strong background to pull from. What is not to love about going from dogfights with space cats to smuggling slaves and drugs.”
-obiquatro

“It’s goddamn Privateer!”
-Cliffzorz

All in all, a reasonable showing by Origin Systems; it’s a testament to the longevity and excellence of their games that they are still routinely making appearances on lists of this nature, twenty (or more, in some cases!) years after their initial releases.