Runes of Virtue II in Nintendo Power circa 1993

Nintendo Power was published in-house by Nintendo of America during the late 80s and 90s, and covered some of the most popular releases for the NES, SNES, and Gameboy.  They frequently published detailed hint guides to the most anticipated releases of  the day, including the Ultima series.  What was especially wonderful about these publications were they often included bright full-page colour graphics and custom illustrations.

In November 1993, Volume 54, Nintendo Power produced a 4-page article featuring Ultima: Runes of Virtue II, which had been released that year.  The article gave  the handheld version a respectable rating of 3.525/5, with 3.0/5 for graphics and sound, 3.3 for play controls, 4.0 for challenge, and 3.8 for play and fun. The review praised the game’s story, cutscenes, and plot, while stating the graphics were small and the gameplay was overly complex for some players.

Nintendo Power briefly reviewed the SNES version of Runes of Version II in late 1994, with 2.8/5 for graphics and sound, 2.8 for play controls, 2.5 for challenge, and 2.0 for play and fun. The review praised the game’s story, graphics, and plot, while criticizing its controls and game view.