Sound

Am I Sure the Headphones Are On?

When it comes to candy, Ultima IX certainly does NOT disappoint. The graphics are amazing and the sound continues the legacy. Footsteps, background voices and all sorts of ambient sound effects are done extremely well. They might cut in and out a little too abruptly at times but the sounds themselves are quite spectacular.

The Guardian's columns rumble ominously often before they are even seen, doors creak when swung open, and sharp footsteps resound in stone hallways. The environment feels very much alive thanks to the intelligent use of the sounds. When walking through town you might come across an inn, but the sounds of the robust crowds will reach you much sooner. The Cathedral in Britain will exude all sorts of holy sounds and music, with angelic voices in accompaniment.

I hate his wife.

A storm cometh

Problems Creeping In…

Unfortunately, while the ambient effects are pretty good, the sound in Ascension starts taking a downturn from here. The aforementioned music is the first sign. It cuts in quite abruptly and ruins the mood more than helps it. When walking around, often the first sign of trouble you get is the battle music coming on… well, let's call it battle music. It's not really that much of a thriller - it doesn't add as much tension as it should. Worse yet, it is short and repetitive. Throw in the often quick combat and the battle song barely starts, fades out, then starts again a few seconds later as you run into the next baddie. This isn't good by any stretch of the imagination.

This tapestry details the Avatar's saga

A better view of the same thing

Speaking of combat, the combat effects need some help. Right now they sound dreadful. If we knew what the sounds were, we'd probably mock it for sounding like pots and pans, but it doesn't get even that good. The weak fight sounds, thrown together with the goofy fight effects (blood gushes out in the most interesting ways in Ascension…) provide for a rather unsatisfying fight sequence.

Did They Find These Guys at the Lumber Yard?

Speech is awful. Aside from the Guardian and a few minor characters, nobody is really worth listening to. The actors either sound like a battalion of Al Gores going off randomly, or over-act dreadfully. There's this one kid in Paws who cries in the most pitiful fashion anytime you get within 10 feet of him - and there's no way to not set him off. More than the trials at Pagan, this punk stressed the FiringSquad Avatar's commitment to virtues such as "thou shalt not smacketh orphans in broad daylight."

We really like this shot, OK?

These cases contain relics of the Avatar