Some collections, like the awesome Big Box Collection, have multiple variants of the same big box game. My collection isn’t nearly as extensive on the multiple variants front, but I do have some nice ones. Like the collector’s editions of Baldur’s Gate II and Neverwinter Nights, which both are just blown up regular big boxes. Certainly one of the biggest boxes (blown up regular big boxes that is) available, is the Dragon Edition of Ultima IX: Ascension.

I recently picked this up, because playing Ultima IX is one of my most treasured gaming memories. I like this game. A controversial opinion, I know. I love roaming around in 3D fantasy worlds and Ultima IX was one of the first games that gave me that opportunity. I wasn’t hindered in my enjoyment of the game by the many inconsistencies with earlier Ultima games. I had only played (and loved) Serpent Isle and the Underworld games before that and those games are not very deeply connected to Ultima lore and don’t take place in the Britannia overworld. I also played Pagan, and although I liked the world, I didn’t like the gameplay as much.

Unboxing new arrivals is one of the most satisfying parts of collecting and this time also didn’t disappoint. I had underestimated the size of this behemoth. It’s a lot bigger than I thought it would be. It’s almost as much bigger than the aforementioned Baldur’s Gate II CE, than that is bigger than the regular big box release. It dwarves the XL releases of Might and Magic IV and V! I could have known beforehand of course, if I had only remembered the posts about the different versions of the game on Benjamin’s site.

Although the Dragon Edition doesn’t have the gatefold flap on the front of the box, or multiple flaps that the US regular big box has, it does have some nice upgrades over the standard edition. The main reason I wanted it, is that is had the soundtrack on CD, which I listen to every once in a while to take me back down memory lane. There’s also the Ultima Collection with all the games on CD. I had the big box release at some point and I remember that it had a nice timeline on the inside of a flap with all the games in the series. The two manuals have nice faux leatherbound covers. There’s a notice in there from Lord British and then there’s a poster of the original coverart. The map is the same, as are the playing cards and the tapestry of ages.

Now where to put it? I had originally planned to put it behind the other games in the series so that I could see it sticking out, just as with the Might and Magic games. But it’s simply too big. On its side, its just as high as those XXL M&M games are. So that’s probably what I’ll do: I’ll put it on it’s side behind the other Ultima games. It seems a bit of a shame to hide it like that, so I’ll think about it some more (while listening to the soundtrack 🙂