There’s a lengthy article up at GamerXP which heaps praise upon Ultima Online for offering an unmatched role-playing experience (in the sense of allowing you to create and inhabit a character, and then play-act as that character in-game):

I like to consider myself a Role-Playing Gamer. From Darklands to Witcher 3, and from Diablo to Guild Wars 2, I play RPGs the same way; I create a narrative in my head for the character I am playing, and where applicable I chose dialogue options that fit the character I’ve created. However, only one game has actually managed to provide me with a near flawless experience: Ultima Online.

…

Roleplaying in Ultima Online was the most intense form of it I’ve ever experienced. It was more like acting in a play that never ended – and continued without you – as opposed to sitting around a table with your friends, delving into a dungeon filled with goblins and trolls. The characters you created could have any background you’d like, provided that it fit within the setting, and/or passed the sometimes-extensive application process many shards employed to keep things consistent. From lowly commoner to high-born noble, from two-faced politician to power-mad magician, from deceptive jester spy to tortured vampire; the only limits were what you were capable of effectively portraying within the setting, and finding that balance between statistical power and personal reputation. If you wanted to play a badass bandit who robs people on the roads, you would need to have the power to back up your badassery, or else the heroic paladin might come and teach you a lesson.

Much of the article actually deals with the subject of freeshards, many of which did crop up so that people could indeed step up their roleplaying to a nigh-unlimited degree. But much of what the author says also applies to vanilla UO, and the game does indeed continue to offer a unique experience for those who want to dwell in a virtual world and play as a character of their own design.