Ultima Online: Samurai Empire Expansion Pack

Rating:
Summary: Soul Stone Redemtion
Review: ...for those of you who have complained about the lack of a "Soul Stone" I tell you this; you are a "Nob!" Soul Stone's, as per the instruction issued at the SE Homepage, must be redeemed by using your "Digital Locker" here at Amazon.com ~ I'll give you the fact that Amazon didn't mention this terribly well, nor is it a well published feature, but had you been paying attention to the instructions issued by the pre-order pages of UO, you would not have struggled.

Aside from that... pre-ordering is a joke. I Pre-Ordered from Amazon as well as GameStop. I also picked-up a copy from EB's local store November 2nd... the day of the release. The kind gentleman at the counter had only too many Soul Stone Codes and promptly issues me one WITHOUT a PRE-Order. By the 5th, GameStop had delivered. Today, Amazon delivered... Pre-Order? I don't think so.

So as not to end on a note of negativity... I rather enjoy the expansion, and find it interesting how many things seem to be having an Asian theme as of late. EA still has some work to do with this release, but I think they are headed in the right direction. Look forward to the future of UO... it should prove interesting.

Rating:
Summary: Game is Fun, but beware the pre-ordering
Review: Game is great... However, I was promised a soulstone with the game. I am a hardcore UO fanatic and as fanatics do, I bought two games so I could have twice as much fun! Well, no, actually so I could have two soulstones. I placed my order for not one but two games. I even paid for 2-day air. I spent a whopping $71.00. I finally got my game on Friday, November 5, after having to drive to the UPS central location because it had been loaded on the wrong truck. This of course was 3 days after it was available at Best Buy. Then I find that my order only included one code for a single soulstone. I immediately sent an e-mail to Amazon.com and they said "I'm sorry, but we will need to research this situation further." At this time, I still only have one soulstone and a $30.00 box sitting on my desk that I can't help but wonder why did I buy that. No satisfaction yet. No soulstone. No cash. No gift certificate. Nothing but an "I'm sorry"...

Rating:
Summary: The game is ok but the company sucks
Review: I bought this game 2 weeks ago. There is no game codes in the box. I contacted the manufactory (Electronic Art) via email, website support, phone, and mail... They basically treats you like a scammer and keep you in a loop of email and website. I sent them the copy of receipt and barcode but got no answer. Buy this game at your own risk.

Rating:
Summary: Best MMORPG by far
Review: I have played many mmo's like EQ, L2, Daoc and several other minor ones and this one is by far teh best. It gives you much much more freedom then any of the other mmo's I have played. I have played for 5 years and still play everyday almost. The only problem I have found is the expansion AOS 2 years ago.

Rating:
Summary: Is Samurai Empire only for online play?
Review: If anyone can enlighten, please do. Does the game not allow one to play against your computer without paying the monthly UO subscription fee?

Rating:
Summary: AMAZON IS THE PROBLEM
Review: The game is fine, but the soulstone issue is really annoying. Amazon did not send the soulstone code with the box. Instead, Amazon put it into an unreadable video format in the Digital Locker.

No software known to man can read Amazon's video format so you can't get the soulstone. Amazon customer service tells you to use the Digital Locker. The locker is the whole problem.

Rating:
Summary: Samurai Empire
Review: The game is ok its just the company that puts it out..I ordered several CD.s had to retreive the darn soul stone from Amazon Locker and then....only one code showed up!!!!!! suppose to be a code for each game that one orders..what a rip off..I dont think its worth it to get the expansion pack..save your money!!!

Rating:
Summary: UO: Samurai Empire - More is good.
Review: The sixth expansion pack for the 7 year old Ultima Online series is at hand. What does this mean for the many citizens of shattered Sosaria? In a word: More.

More culture. Some people have criticized the addition of an Asian themed facet claiming it doesn't fit with the primarily medieval feel of the game. I disagree. Each facet *should* have its own identity and Tokuno certainly achieves uniqueness.

More exploration. The Tokuno Islands offer a wide range of terrain from grasslands to deserts to frozen wastelands to active volcanoes. Some areas are fairly barren (no doubt intended for new housing developments), while others are rich with detail and variety.

More character customization. The addition of the Ninjitsu and Bushido skills allow players greater variety in play style. Aspiring Ninjas and Samurai will have access to many new abilities.

More creatures. The new enemies found in Tokuno are primarily based upon Asian mythology. Most are designed to be challenging even for experienced players - even powerful well equipped characters will have a hard time fighting toe to toe with some of these new creatures.

More items. A wide array of new clothing styles, weapons, armor, collectibles, etc. The ability to dual-wield certain weapons is a particularly welcome addition.

More housing. In addition to the added housing areas in Tokuno, players will have access to new tiles and add-ons when customizing their homes.

More other stuff... Various other game mechanics (such as the guild system) have also been improved. Even the much neglected virtue system has received some attention.


So yes Samurai Empire is very much about making UO more than it was. But are any of the new additions truly earth shattering? Not particularly. If you are happy with UO as it is now you will no doubt be very happy with SE. If you are looking for vast changes to UO however, you won't find them here. As far as UO expansion packs go SE lives up to expectations. No more, no less.

In spite of all the additions and improvements however UO still fails to achieve one important thing: purpose. This is a failing with the vast majority of MMOGs however and not limited to UO. You are given massive worlds to explore, thousands of players to interact with, and a wide variety of options... But no purpose. Nothing you do in the game has a lasting effect, there is no epic storyline that progresses in any significant way, the virtual world and people of Sosaria remain unchanged regardless of your actions. Instead of actively challenging you, the game merely exists and expects you to amuse yourself.

It is high time for MMOGs to begin incorporating the epic nature of traditional RPGs. UO in particular has a great legacy to live up to. The original Ultima series (now 25 years old) remains the finest example of RPG gaming. Ever. Ultima X promised to bridge the gap between the genres... With UXO's untimely demise UO more than ever needs to strive for something greater.


Bottom line:

Is it worth checking out for new players? Yes - as long as you don't rely on high end graphics for your gaming pleasure. There is a reason UO has been around for 7 years - there is a LOT to see and do. Whether this is your first massively multiplayer online game or you've been playing them for years UO is worth experiencing. Unlike some MMOGs UO doesn't require you to buy all the previous versions separately - every release includes ALL previous expansions. At the very least it offers you good value for your money.

Is it worth getting for current players? If you enjoy UO there is no reason not to get SE. If you've experienced the addition of previous expansion packs you already know what to expect. New landmass, new monsters, new items, new skills.

Is it worth returning to for former players? I suppose it depends on the reasons you left. If you originally quit in frustration over technical issues, SE runs with far more stability than AOS did upon release. If you quit because you felt unfulfilled with the game, SE probably won't be enough for you to return for.

It's not perfect, but it IS good.


Rating:
Summary: MMORPG
Review: UO is an mmorpg which means it can only be played online...i am a large fan of ultima online, but the free shards online are worth the 0 dollars you pay...i love it to death but i think its run its race

Rating:
Summary: Something Oriental :)
Review: Well to be honest i have not been in ultima online too long, about 7 months. And it is one of the greatest things that has happened to me in my life ( even though my parents say it is the worse.. lol ). Since i joined uo i have made many friends and enjoyed myself sooo much, people who say this game is dieing can go back to bashing wolves on there stupid everquest, samurai empire once again drops something fresh and exciting into the uo world, i was in on beta testing and thouroughly enjoyed playing it, fighting with the new weons and armors, tekagi, mempo etc. It almost brought me to tears when i found out the beta was closing, the new skills are okay, nto the main highlight. Bushido does nothing for me... but ninjitsu, ninjitsu is better than necromancers and paladins, mages and warriors, ninjitsu rulez!! :D.

Two Words: BUY IT ;D,