ABSTRACT
Pirates of Realmspace offers a variety of gameplay modes, including real-time, first-person 3D flight simulation, turn-based tactical “boarding combat,” and a menu-driven planet interface. If immersive 3D graphics were what gamers demanded, then the Descent engine seemed like Interplay's ace-in-the-hole. Its graphic engine was incredibly efficient, offering fully 3D polygon meshes and textured environments, noticeable improvements over the other first-person shooters of the day. Game-crashing bugs alone aren't usually enough to turn away gamers from an otherwise solid production, but the lack of polish is immediately apparent. Most Ultima critics bitterly dismissed Ascension out of hand, but the game did manage to attract a small but dedicated community of iconoclasts. The complaints and defenses are many. One of the most often heard is that it's really more of an action adventure than a true Computer role-playing games, a claim based on Ascension's limited leveling up capabilities and linear plot structure.
