Ever a chance of Ultima making it to GoG? Or is EA still being excessively tight with their decades old IPs they didn't make?

Really difficult to say.

I'd love to see the Ultima games on here, I'm a big fan.

EA is a bit of an odd one though, and I do wonder if they'd rather offer their back catalogue directly.

There are rumours that they're making something Ultima related right now (via Mythic).

What's the best Ultima game to start with?

I've only played a bit of the somewhat peculiar ninth game and the rather dated first one. It's probably not either one of those, I assume.

I'd suggest starting with Ultima IV, but that depends on how much you like older graphics! It's also freely available from a couple of websites, and there's a Neverwinter Nights module too.

Links, please? :)

Great Ultima website: Ultima Aiera http://www.ultimaaiera.com/

Just check the menu for the remakes and so forth.

For anything else... I'd suggest checking online for a copy of the Ultima Collection. Should be available from ebay, maybe amazon or similar places. Second hand only I'm afraid.

I'd casually mention at this point that I'm a member of the website Abandonia, which you might want to search for.

Thanks very much, Andy. :D

I don't think it's so much of them being tight with old IP's, so much as it is the company structure being a mess making it difficult to actually give permission to release old games.

As soon as the Mayan Calendar runs out, blood rains from the purple sky and volcanoes ooze with fudge and fart with cocoa. ;)

Ultima VI is pretty decent graphics-wise and I believe the controls weren't all that bad being keyboard and mouse. Make sure to bring plenty of scrap/notebook paper to write things down because this game does not have an automap or a journal although you might be able to ask your party members for a clue as to what to do. Also, you might need to write down coordinates for some things too (longitude latitude). Make sure to have a window open with a decent map of Britannia because of the aforementioned lack of an automap. The original game came with a cloth map but now you might be able to find one on ebay.

Ultima 7 is also a good place to start if 4 is too old school. The gameplay is quite different but it has a very rich world.

Off topic sort of: I just got Ultima IX complete in the big box for $10 on ebay. Woot!

I cannot recommend it too many times: Buy Cloanto's Amiga Forever. After that, it's a matter of finding a (mostly) complete TOSEC library. It's guaranteed to have at least the first six Ultima episodes.

It's a shame.

For those looking to get into Ultima 4, I highly recommend emulating the Sega Master System version. All of the PC version's content and gameplay is within in, with better graphics, music and controls.

Still quite old school and rather unforgiving too. Ultima 7 would be the best start for someone used to 'modern' RPGs, I'd say.

There are various graphic upgrade packs available for PC Ultima IV as well.

Only problem starting with U7 is that it's the best of the series so others would feel poorer in comparison. Also there's Dungeon Siege based fan remakes of Ultima 5 and Ultima 6 floating around.