That is unless you own it for PC-98 it would appear. Whatever your take on roms and abandonware, it has to be said that the internet is a great resource for being able to get hold of games that you do actually own but wouldn’t be able to play otherwise. I couldn’t have been more wrong.įirst off, there was the matter of getting the game onto my computer. I naively went into this expecting not to have too much more trouble than running a game using any other emulator. There is an excellent article at Hardcore Gaming 101 on Japanese systems for anyone who wants to know more.Īn upgraded Ultima 4 has to be worth a look so I thought I’d see if I could get it running. Combined with the inevitable advances in technology since their original release, this meant that ports of familiar games to us Westerners often got something of an upgrade when they were made, Ultima 4 being no exception.
It was an IBM-PC variant but had its own features such as high-resolution graphics. They were an expansion to the earlier PC-88 series and were around for many years but little seen outside of Asia.
The PC-9801 was a Japanese computer system which I’ve not had any exposure to until trying to run this game. It’s a nice package overall, only let down by the disks themselves which look completely out of place. The documentation is a close reproduction of the original (after being translated), with some snatches of English in there. I do prefer the more traditional boxes but this still looks like new 20 years later which is a definite advantage. It was published in 1987 (according to the title screen), converted from the original by Pony Canyon, and comes in a plastic case which is a lot tougher than the old cardboard boxes I’m used to. I’ve never really gone in for collecting all the foreign versions of games but I was intrigued enough by this to want to try it out and above all I liked the price. Ultima 4 on the PC-98 is one of my more recent acquisitions and it was my first (and so far only) purchase off a Japanese auction site.
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