Wizardry 8 Retrospective, Concluded

Jay Barnson reaches the end of Wizardry 8 and therefore his retrospective series, though he'll be looking back at it from a design note viewpoint later. End of the game, so beware of spoilers.
Wizardry 8 was the final episode in one of the longest-running computer RPG series of all time, spanning twenty years from 1981 to 2001. I missed the game when it was initially released, and recently got a chance to play through this classic of "old-school" style roleplaying gaming. This series has been a chronicle of my adventures.