THE FUSE

In a series full of incredible games, Ultima VII: The Black Gate is still considered one of the greatest RPGs of all time. Released in 1992 from Origin Systems, it often makes many “best of PC” gaming lists and is cited by many developers, including Todd Howard (Bethesda, Fallout 3) and Swen Vincke (Larian Studios, Baldur’s Gate 3), as a big influence. I played it a few years ago and was completely blown away. It had a powerful story with characters and themes that I still think about. It also was a technical achievement, featuring an open world without any loading screens separating the different areas. You can go from town to overworld to dungeon and then back to overworld without any transition screens.