Have you ever gone back to something only to realize how you've outgrown it and it's just simply not fitting to who you are now as opposed to who you where then? Happens to everyone right? For some it's a movie, others it's a place, for me and for today it's a game.
Ultima Online. If you surf tl enough you'd of seen the ipy2 thread speaking of it's greatness. It's not for me, or rather it's not for me now. I did go and I have played but man it's just not the same game I remember it to be, most likely because I know of it all already or enough to take the adventure out of it.
The best time I had was playing during the summer way back and just wandering around the world, I didn't have a clue what I was doing, didn't need to. I just went around trying to enjoy myself. A world where skills and your mind mattered more then gear and items. Not so much now thou and man it really puts a work feel on it rather then a feel free to have fun attitude. It's not the games fault nor is it ipy2's ruleset. It's mine.
It's aged well it really has, I however have changed. I no longer have the will or inclination to try random skills and abilities mostly because I know they are not very good.(I made a begging, fishing character just to try it out back in the day) Now I know better, besides the locations of some places I know it all it's no longer a mystery it's all just something in my head. I guess that's the downfall of any kind of older game that involves adventuring. In the end, you've done everything know where to go for everything and the best way to get to where you need to go. It's disheartening just thinking about it.
Nostalgia is cruel like that. Get's you all worked up and sometimes just leaves you hanging. It does however make you appreciate the games that you still enjoy that are classics. Brood War being the prime example, I can still sit down and enjoy that game today with a friend or hell I've even been known to replay the campaign occasionally just because I still enjoy it to this day.
I love uo and it'll always have a special place in my heart but I think it's best we just remember the good times we've had. Maybe we can hang out occasionally but no, I don't think we should be so close any more.
Having said all of this, I'd dive head first into a new ultima game or perhaps a UO2(I can dream..)