Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind Game Of The Year Edition

That being said, what kind of game is Morrowind? As I said before, it is extremely immersive, extremely detailed, extremely open-ended. What are the weak points?
Although it is possible to gun through the primary quests in much less time than the entire game encompasses, but why? If you want a game that can give you a fast fix (say 30 minutes of action) then this is NOT the game for you. The biggest hurdle most people face is getting familiar with the game. When I first played the game, I initially became quickly frustrated at the lethargic pace of progress my character was making. For people who like fast action-oriented games, they will likely abandon this game after 30 minutes because the pace is too slow and their character is too weak to even handle a rat. It will likely take hours of gameplay before your character has enough fortitude to wander through the wilderness at night and not get killed by even the most benign of critters. However, once you get past this initial hurdle, you will most likely be hooked for life.
The other limitation of the game is combat. Despite whatever weapon used, there are really only three different moves a character can make: chop, slash, and thrust. For fighter oriented characters, this gets quite boring after a couple of hundreds of hours. However, this also offers up a new opportunity. If you max out your fighting skills (say 100% with long swords) then why not take up a little bit of magic with the same character? Unlike other games, you are not restricted in any way in which skills you can pursue. Another limitation this game has is the repetitiveness of dialogue, voice acting and character graphics (I must remind you that what becomes boringly repetitive for Morrowind is not on the same scale of most other games as you will likely play the game several orders of magnitude longer, as a result even the most creative aspects of the game will seem a bit boring after, say 500+ hours of gameplay). However, as I mentioned before, there are mods out there that add a great deal of diversity to all of these constantly keeping the game fresh.
The other significant limitation to the game is a lack of multiplayer. The game was never designed with multiplayer in mind. Although some people have tried modding it to be multiplayer, none have been successfull. What makes Morrowind great: a completely immersive single-player experience, is what keeps it from becoming multiplayer.

All in all, a fantastic, unparalleled, single-player CRPG. A game that will redefine the genre. For people who are willing to become immersed in a limitless, unique world for hundreds of hours at a time. Not a game for people looking for quick, fast action. This game truly takes time and dedication to enjoy. It is addictive at some level, but you can also leave it for months, come back to it and enjoy it anew. Any when you finally think you have seen everything there is to see or would like to change something to your liking, just hop onto the bulletin boards and start downloading some mods. Quite limitless gameplay and probably the most entertainment bang for your buck in gaming. Morrowind will likely have replay value for years to come, since the mod community is still growing strong.

On a side note: picking up the strategy guide is a must for most fans of this game. If for nothing else than the maps that show exactly where certain quest tidbits can be found. It is far too easy to spend hours looking for the precise location of something in several acres of terrain. After spending 6 gameplay hours looking for a specific person in the vast city of Vivec, I gave up and bought the strategy guide and found them in 10 minutes. Plus the fact that there is SO much detail in the game that you can quite easily miss 90% of it just by rushing through certain areas. I have revisited some areas 10 times and found something completely new (to me) each time.


Not for everyone.   June 22, 2004
4 out of 4 found this review helpful

I love RPGs, both PC and console. I've played the big names, and whichever of the little ones I could find. So, of course, I tried Morrowind. To be honest, most people either love or hate this game. I can see where the love comes from - Morrowind is a party of aesthetic goodness. It boasts a gigantic world where freedom reigns. It also has a great community backing it up with fantastic unofficial add-ons. However, I can also see where the hate comes from. I do lean to that side after all. The combat and magic systems are terrible. The NPCs are lifeless and their dialogue equally drab. With freedom comes a feeling of aimlessness.

Don't get too caught up in the "Game of the Year" title, or rave reviews - bad reviews neither. If you get the chance, try the game first. That's the only way you'll know where you stand. Keep an open mind, but don't think that you have to like it.


Morriwind wins my five stars   June 18, 2004
Cameron Phillips (Moab, UT)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful

This game is the greatest masterpeice of technology and hard work I have ever seen. I wil not go into detail, as that has already been done in the other reveiws. But the sheer infinity of items, skills, weapons, armor, enemys, and the fact that the main story doesnt even have to apply to you have gotten this game five stars and a G.O.T.Y. award. My favorite activity is to trap wild creatures with soultrap, a spell that lets you capture a soul, put it in a soulgem, then enchant any items you have with a spell effect like fire damage. Here are my statistics of all aspects of the game. (on a scale of 1-10)
Graphics-9[]
The models for the characters and monsters are slightly what you would call blocky, like the arm slides up off the shoulder when the person moves. But the textures and effects are perfected.

Music, S.E.(Sound effects), Etc.-8[]
They are perfect, the best music you could have on an RPG. But, they start to repeat after a few hours, like when you have alot of health and your fighting and you make the same noise over and over when you get hit.

Creativity-20[]
The absolute best imagination that can be displayed in a game. Thousands of items, NPCs(Characters), towns, creatures, all with different names!!

Gameplay-6[](with mods, 7)
The gameplay is...unperfected. It can become extremley boring if you are trying to make it to a faraway town or person. If you are using mods, it can be entertaining to just oblitherate everything in your path, then set your crime level to 0 when you reach the person. And fighting is completley retarded. You just click the mouse and hope you kill the dude. You cant use any kind of stratagy.
Well, there you go. Overall, it gets an 8. I strongly reccomend this game to any RPG fan.


Best RPG you'll ever play!   June 14, 2004
1 out of 1 found this review helpful

In Morrowind PC you can do just about anything you want!Play it and complete the main quest, then join ALL the factions/guilds and Master them. And just when you thought you've beat it, there are still HIDDEN quests and (...)mods everywhere to keep you playing forever!(...)