I don't play Ultima Online anymore...but figured this would be a fun story to post.

FAIRFAX, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Mythic Entertainment™, an Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:ERTS) studio, today announced the Return to Britannia Campaign in celebration of the 12-year anniversary of Ultima Online™ (UO). As part of the Return to Britannia Campaign, all former players are being welcomed back to UO, one of the longest-running MMORPGs in history, for unlimited free game play through October 16th. Closed accounts in good standing have been re-activated, and former players can log back into the game using their original user name and passwords.

New content available to returning players through the Return to Britannia Campaign includes Mondain’s Legacy, the 7th UO expansion which introduced the playable Elven race and dangerous, new dungeons to explore. Mondain’s Legacy was made available at no charge in August 2009 to existing subscribers and to new players as part of the Ultima Online 14-day free trial.

“We’re hoping that, as part of the Return to Britannia Campaign, former players will once again rediscover the joys of Ultima Online,” said Jeff Hickman, Executive Producer for Mythic Entertainment. “UO was the first love of many MMORPG players, and it still holds a special place in their hearts after 12 glorious years. I think returning players will be pleasantly surprised to find a thriving and vibrant community from around the world ready to welcome back their former compatriots and include them in their ongoing adventures.”

I still remember back to my high school years...when I first heard about Ultima Online.  I'd seen the box art of the game with the dragon and all the piles of gold...all of which could be mine.  I, however, resisted the temptation.  I believe I joined the game during the "2nd Age" expansion.  I upgraded my 28.8 modem to, I believe, a 56k modem.  I huge upgrade for me...actually..this was the first time I had ever taken the case off my Packard Bell computer.  That literally, was my first PC upgrade. 

I remember running through the forests...chasing animals that I could kill...getting PK'd...ahhh..the memories. 

Jason...how much did you play UO back in the day?  Time for us old timers (we aren't really old) to reminisce about the old days of gaming....

For those who actually want to play more UO...here is the rest of that announcement:

Players returning to Ultima Online through the Return to Britannia Campaign can download and install the UO client for free at: http://www.uoherald.com/trial/. Players who no longer have access to their Ultima Online username and password can retrieve their account information at: http://support.ea.com.

Imagine this.... The game we all know and love but with no board, no dice, and on a much grander scale.  Now stop imagining cause it's happening September 9th, 2009 at approximately  1 pm EST. Using the Google Maps API, Hasbro has designed a game where we can become the richest property magnate in existence by buying and building on real streets around the world.  You can register at Monopolycitystreets.com tomorrow.  Not much more information has been given but definitely check the site out tomorrow and in the meantime read the FAQ at their official blog.

If you are a trekkie with a PC and a love for MMO games...you might be interested to hear that signups have started for the beta test of Star Trek Online.  You can check it out here.


ENGAGE!!

Not sure how many of our readers actually played Vanguard: Saga of Heroes or if they did, how invested into the game they were.  I know I played for quite a bit until I got burned out on the crap that was being shoveled my way.

Well, former co-owner of the now defunct Sigil games has come out of hiding and is posting his thoughts on his personal blog about what went wrong with Vanguard.  He also says he is getting the “itch” again.  I’m assuming he is talking about game development.

Personally, I think he’s a hack and not some MMO genius.  He got lucky with Everquest.  It came out at a perfect time….the market needed something and it filled the gap.

Anyways…you can check it out over here.