<s>
Ultima	B-Application
Underworld	I-Application
II	I-Application
:	I-Application
Labyrinth	I-Application
of	I-Application
Worlds	I-Application
is	O
a	O
1993	O
first-person	O
role-playing	O
video	O
game	O
developed	O
by	O
LookingGlass	O
Technologies	O
and	O
published	O
by	O
Origin	O
Systems	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
the	O
sequel	O
to	O
Ultima	B-Application
Underworld	I-Application
:	I-Application
The	I-Application
Stygian	I-Application
Abyss	I-Application
,	O
the	O
game	O
is	O
set	O
in	O
the	O
Ultima	O
fantasy	O
universe	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ultima	B-Application
Underworld	I-Application
II	I-Application
began	O
production	O
in	O
April	O
1992	O
,	O
shortly	O
after	O
the	O
completion	O
of	O
Ultima	B-Application
Underworld	I-Application
;	O
and	O
it	O
was	O
developed	O
in	O
nine	O
months	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Most	O
critics	O
gave	O
Ultima	B-Application
Underworld	I-Application
II	I-Application
positive	O
reviews	O
and	O
lauded	O
its	O
graphics	O
,	O
design	O
and	O
nonlinearity	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
reaction	O
to	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
difficult	O
development	O
,	O
Looking	O
Glass	O
altered	O
its	O
design	O
approach	O
:	O
they	O
streamlined	O
ideas	O
from	O
the	O
Ultima	B-Application
Underworld	I-Application
series	O
to	O
create	O
System	B-Application
Shock	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
team	O
pitched	O
a	O
sequel	O
to	O
Ultima	B-Application
Underworld	I-Application
II	I-Application
multiple	O
times	O
,	O
but	O
Origin	O
Systems	O
rejected	O
the	O
idea	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Arkane	O
Studios	O
 '	O
Arx	B-Application
Fatalis	I-Application
(	O
2002	O
)	O
is	O
a	O
spiritual	O
successor	O
to	O
the	O
franchise	O
originally	O
pitched	O
as	O
a	O
sequel	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
OtherSide	O
Entertainment	O
's	O
Underworld	B-Application
Ascendant	I-Application
is	O
the	O
first	O
officially	O
licensed	O
entry	O
in	O
the	O
series	O
in	O
over	O
23	O
years	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ultima	B-Application
Underworld	I-Application
II	I-Application
is	O
a	O
role-playing	O
video	O
game	O
that	O
takes	O
place	O
from	O
a	O
character	O
's	O
eye	O
view	O
in	O
a	O
three-dimensional	O
(	O
3D	O
)	O
graphical	O
environment	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Because	O
it	O
uses	O
the	O
same	O
engine	O
as	O
its	O
predecessor	O
,	O
Ultima	B-Application
Underworld	I-Application
II	I-Application
shares	O
many	O
of	O
that	O
game	O
's	O
features	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
starts	O
in	O
the	O
castle	O
of	O
Lord	B-Application
British	I-Application
,	O
through	O
which	O
the	O
player	O
accesses	O
other	O
dimensions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unlike	O
in	O
Ultima	B-Application
Underworld	I-Application
:	I-Application
The	I-Application
Stygian	I-Application
Abyss	I-Application
,	O
skills	O
are	O
not	O
improved	O
at	O
shrines	O
;	O
rather	O
,	O
they	O
are	O
increased	O
by	O
training	O
with	O
NPCs	O
at	O
the	O
castle	O
or	O
in	O
other	O
dimensions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
with	O
its	O
predecessor	O
,	O
Ultima	B-Application
Underworld	I-Application
II	I-Application
was	O
designed	O
to	O
generate	O
emergent	O
gameplay	O
through	O
the	O
interplay	O
of	O
simulated	O
systems	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ultima	B-Application
Underworld	I-Application
II	I-Application
is	O
set	O
in	O
the	O
fantasy	O
world	O
of	O
the	O
Ultima	O
franchise	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Chronologically	O
,	O
the	O
events	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
occur	O
directly	O
after	O
those	O
of	O
Ultima	B-Application
VII	I-Application
:	I-Application
The	I-Application
Black	I-Application
Gate	I-Application
,	O
rather	O
than	O
those	O
of	O
the	O
original	O
Ultima	B-Application
Underworld	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
with	O
Ultima	B-Application
VII	I-Application
,	O
the	O
villain	O
of	O
Ultima	B-Application
Underworld	I-Application
II	I-Application
is	O
the	O
Guardian	O
,	O
an	O
evil	O
being	O
who	O
seeks	O
to	O
conquer	O
Britannia	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
features	O
recurring	O
characters	O
from	O
previous	O
Ultima	O
games	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
Lord	B-Application
British	I-Application
,	O
Nystul	O
,	O
Dupre	O
,	O
Iolo	O
and	O
Mayor	O
Patterson	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Also	O
present	O
are	O
Lady	O
Tory	O
and	O
Miranda	O
,	O
the	O
latter	O
of	O
whom	O
appeared	O
in	O
Ultima	B-Application
VII	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
One	O
year	O
after	O
the	O
events	O
of	O
Ultima	B-Application
VII	I-Application
:	I-Application
The	I-Application
Black	I-Application
Gate	I-Application
,	O
the	O
Avatar	O
and	O
many	O
other	O
recurring	O
characters	O
from	O
the	O
Ultima	O
series	O
attend	O
a	O
celebration	O
at	O
the	O
castle	O
of	O
Lord	B-Application
British	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
denizens	O
of	O
these	O
dimensions	O
are	O
ruled	O
by	O
the	O
Guardian	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
player	O
must	O
free	O
each	O
world	O
to	O
weaken	O
the	O
Guardian	O
's	O
power	O
over	O
Lord	B-Application
British	I-Application
's	O
castle	O
and	O
elsewhere	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Looking	O
Glass	O
Technologies	O
began	O
to	O
develop	O
Ultima	B-Application
Underworld	I-Application
II	I-Application
in	O
April	O
1992	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
team	O
's	O
goal	O
was	O
to	O
build	O
upon	O
the	O
foundation	O
laid	O
by	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
predecessor	O
,	O
Ultima	B-Application
Underworld	I-Application
:	I-Application
The	I-Application
Stygian	I-Application
Abyss	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
additional	O
designers	O
allowed	O
Looking	O
Glass	O
to	O
more	O
carefully	O
revise	O
levels	O
in	O
Ultima	B-Application
Underworld	I-Application
II	I-Application
,	O
so	O
that	O
players	O
would	O
have	O
"	O
interesting	O
stuff	O
"	O
to	O
see	O
and	O
do	O
each	O
time	O
they	O
explored	O
an	O
area	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
team	O
attempted	O
to	O
fine-tune	O
the	O
role-playing	O
mechanics	O
of	O
Ultima	B-Application
Underworld	I-Application
,	O
such	O
as	O
by	O
making	O
certain	O
skills	O
more	O
powerful	O
in	O
the	O
sequel	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
More	O
puzzles	O
and	O
interactivity	O
were	O
added	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
game	O
world	O
was	O
made	O
several	O
times	O
larger	O
than	O
that	O
of	O
Ultima	B-Application
Underworld	I-Application
,	O
according	O
to	O
Church	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Like	O
its	O
predecessor	O
,	O
Ultima	B-Application
Underworld	I-Application
II	I-Application
was	O
produced	O
by	O
Warren	O
Spector	O
,	O
who	O
was	O
Looking	O
Glass	O
 '	O
main	O
link	O
to	O
publisher	O
Origin	O
Systems	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
music	O
system	O
from	O
the	O
original	O
Ultima	B-Application
Underworld	I-Application
was	O
retained	O
with	O
only	O
minor	O
alterations	O
,	O
but	O
the	O
team	O
included	O
digitized	O
sound	O
effects	O
instead	O
of	O
the	O
synthesized	O
audio	O
used	O
in	O
the	O
first	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ultima	B-Application
Underworld	I-Application
II	I-Application
was	O
developed	O
in	O
nine	O
months	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ultima	B-Application
Underworld	I-Application
II	I-Application
was	O
built	O
with	O
an	O
improved	O
version	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
engine	O
used	O
for	O
its	O
predecessor	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Director	O
Paul	O
Neurath	O
commented	O
that	O
Ultima	B-Application
Underworlds	I-Application
texture	O
mapping	O
had	O
failed	O
to	O
"	O
look	O
quite	O
as	O
good	O
as	O
we	O
had	O
hoped	O
"	O
,	O
and	O
that	O
the	O
new	O
system	O
realized	O
their	O
vision	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
's	O
code	O
is	O
roughly	O
30%	O
larger	O
than	O
that	O
of	O
Ultima	B-Application
Underworld	I-Application
—	O
bloat	O
that	O
Church	O
attributed	O
to	O
"	O
second	O
project	O
syndrome	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
Paul	O
Neurath	O
,	O
Ultima	B-Application
Underworld	I-Application
II	I-Application
and	O
its	O
predecessor	O
together	O
sold	O
half	O
a	O
million	O
units	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
summarized	O
Ultima	B-Application
Underworld	I-Application
II	I-Application
as	O
"	O
magnificent	O
"	O
,	O
and	O
he	O
wrote	O
,	O
"	O
If	O
someone	O
were	O
to	O
hand	O
me	O
£40	O
and	O
say	O
buy	O
either	O
Underworld	O
I	O
or	O
II	O
,	O
I	O
'd	O
take	O
the	O
sequel	O
any	O
time.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Partly	O
because	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
large	O
size	O
,	O
he	O
felt	O
that	O
Ultima	B-Application
Underworld	I-Application
II	I-Application
was	O
looser	O
and	O
less	O
involving	O
than	O
its	O
predecessor	O
,	O
but	O
he	O
concluded	O
that	O
players	O
would	O
still	O
"	O
sit	O
there	O
,	O
dribble	O
slightly	O
,	O
and	O
say	O
'	O
blimey	O
 '	O
every	O
eight	O
to	O
ten	O
minutes.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Sencat	O
was	O
unfavorable	O
toward	O
the	O
linearity	O
of	O
the	O
plot	O
and	O
dialogue	B-Application
trees	I-Application
,	O
and	O
toward	O
NPCs	O
 '	O
inability	O
to	O
take	O
actions	O
independent	O
of	O
the	O
player	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
a	O
2004	O
retrospective	O
review	O
,	O
PC	O
Gamer	O
UK'''s	O
John	O
Walker	O
stated	O
that	O
Ultima	B-Application
Underworld	I-Application
II	I-Application
"	O
was	O
new	O
and	O
exciting	O
in	O
half	O
a	O
dozen	O
areas	O
at	O
once	O
,	O
not	O
just	O
one	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
PC	O
Gamer	O
has	O
included	O
Ultima	B-Application
Underworld	I-Application
II	I-Application
in	O
several	O
lists	O
of	O
the	O
best	O
computer	O
games	O
of	O
all	O
time	O
:	O
the	O
game	O
placed	O
5th	O
in	O
1994	O
,	O
18th	O
in	O
1998	O
,	O
54th	O
in	O
2001	O
,	O
39th	O
in	O
2007	O
,	O
and	O
98th	O
in	O
2011	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
One	O
writer	O
for	O
the	O
magazine	O
wrote	O
,	O
"	O
Like	O
Ultima	B-Application
Underworld	I-Application
but	O
again	O
and	O
better	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ultima	B-Application
Underworld	I-Application
 [ II ] 	O
needs	O
to	O
be	O
hailed	O
from	O
the	O
roof-tops	O
for	O
being	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
best	O
dungeon-based	O
adventure	O
RPGs	O
of	O
all	O
illustrious	O
gaming	O
history.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2011	O
,	O
a	O
writer	O
for	O
PC	O
Gamer	O
called	O
Ultima	B-Application
Underworld	I-Application
II	I-Application
"	O
a	O
game	O
from	O
the	O
future	O
"	O
that	O
was	O
"[w]onderfully,	O
richly	O
,	O
impossibly	O
interactive	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
Church	O
,	O
Looking	O
Glass	O
found	O
Ultima	B-Application
Underworld	I-Application
IIs	I-Application
long	O
playtesting	O
phase	O
extremely	O
stressful	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
brainstorming	O
sessions	O
by	O
Church	O
,	O
Spector	O
,	O
Grossman	O
and	O
Neurath	O
,	O
Looking	O
Glass	O
began	O
development	O
of	O
System	B-Application
Shock	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Grossman	O
later	O
stated	O
that	O
his	O
work	O
on	O
the	O
Tomb	O
of	O
Praecor	O
Loth	O
was	O
in	O
some	O
ways	O
a	O
"	O
mini-prototype	O
"	O
for	O
ideas	O
he	O
fleshed	O
out	O
in	O
System	B-Application
Shock	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Looking	O
Glass	O
pitched	O
a	O
sequel	O
to	O
Ultima	B-Application
Underworld	I-Application
II	I-Application
several	O
times	O
,	O
but	O
Origin	O
Systems	O
rejected	O
the	O
idea	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Years	O
later	O
,	O
Arkane	O
Studios	O
pitched	O
Ultima	B-Application
Underworld	I-Application
III	O
to	O
Electronic	O
Arts	O
and	O
received	O
a	O
similar	O
response	O
,	O
which	O
inspired	O
the	O
studio	O
to	O
create	O
the	O
spiritual	O
successor	O
Arx	B-Application
Fatalis	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2014	O
,	O
Neurath	O
and	O
his	O
company	O
OtherSide	O
Entertainment	O
announced	O
Underworld	O
Ascension	O
,	O
another	O
spiritual	O
successor	O
to	O
the	O
Ultima	B-Application
Underworld	I-Application
series	O
.	O
</s>
