I have played Ultima 7 recently. It absolutely did not spoil the memory. In fact, I discovered a lot about the game that I avoided because it simply frustrated me as a kid. A recent play through of that game, plus its addons, Black Gate and Serpent’s Isle, was really awesome. Especially because, with the modern remasters, I was able to play it on a much more stable and high-performance platform than I could afford back in 1992.
All of the Ultima games are available on the GOG store, btw. Cheap.
Some games don’t hold up well , some do. I have a few I still go back and play from time to time. Others, I let sit in my memory and view through the rose colored glasses of nostalgia. I can certainly understand leaving a game in either state. For example, I’ll likely never play Microsoft Flight Simulator 2 ever again. But, just thinking about it brings up happy memories of hours spent with my father learning to fly a Sopwith Camel. And that’s how I always want to remember that game.
I made the mistake of logging into EverQuest a couple years ago… I totally get what he means.