The most time consumingly massive XBOX game ever created, has changed the way we now look at RPGs.
User Rating: 9.3 | The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind XBOX
I don't think anybody can honestly say that they have ever played a game as big as Morrowind. The overwhelming amounts of things to do, the insanly fun and unique character customisation. All these aspects make Elder Srolls 3: Morrowind a game that shouldn't be missed by RPG fans anywhere. All though this game can't be reccomended to all gamers, those with lots of time on thier hands and a completely open mind will find this game incredibly enjoyable. GAMEPLAY: When most people think of RPG’s on a gaming station they picture Final Fantasy. A traditional turn-based Role Playing Game that focuses on power building characters and sticking to a fairly linear script. I had a similar outlook on console RPG’s, but from all of the Morrowind hype and information I knew that it would be more extensive than that. When I first opened Morrowind's case I was surprised to find a massive map of Morrowind. When a game provides you a survival kit you know your in for something big and out of the ordinary. It only took me a few minutes to realize this isn't the classic turn based RPG like final fantasy, this was a game that put you in control of everything you do. The most intersting and probably the most fun aspect of Morrowind is the character creation portion of the game, and since this is an RPG it is based largley around character creation. You can choose from a list of 10 different races. You can also choose their appearance and gender aswell. Each race has it's own special weakness' and strength's for example the Wood Elf is extremeley proficient in the Marksman(archery, trowing knives, crossbows ect.) skill trait, where as the Redgaurd is very powerful with a long sword or a Nord is good with axes. After you select your race you are asked to chose your class. Class creation is the most important aspect of the game so the offer you a lorge list of 22 classes within combat, stealth and magicka specialisations. If that's not enough for you you can create a custom class using over 25 attributes that are placed in either major and minor skill columns. Well now we are done with class creation, but wait I forgot about birth sign. They're are 13 different birth sign's to choose from each granting special powers and bonuses such as invisibility or speed. Now we are truly done with class creation, but as you can see there is a massive amount of possibilities giving this game tremendous amounts of replay value. Honestly thought this game isn't for everyone. I have had mixed reactions from my friends who have witnessed this game. One friend in particular couldn't stand the game at first but now he loves it so much he went and purchased it. This game grows on you almost to much. I find myself sitting in school thinking about new characters or what I need to do in the thieves guild to advance. Oh I think I forgot to mention they're are about 10 different class sensitive factions that are joinable in Morrowind each with they're own different advantages. Factions are probably the most fun aspect of Morrowind because if you advance in certain ascpects of the guild you will be granted with gold strongholds and respect! The game offers 200+ hours of gameplay so this game possibly has the most replay value of any game ever created. The downfall of Morrowind's gameplay is probably the combat. The reason why is because you have no indication of your enemy's health. The combat can also be very boring at times and very intense at times. The aspect of where Morrowind's gameplay stands out is the armor and weapon collection. There are over 30 different types of weapons and 15 different grades (chintin, steel, ebony, glass ect.) Same goes for armor. There are three armor classes; light, medium and heavy. There are about 30 cities in the game each with their own respective NPCs and shops. Some NPCs offer special services such as bartering and selling, and some NPCs are just there to populate the masive world of Morrowind. Interacting with characters is one of the ways that you advance through the game. It cannot be avoided. When NPC’s (Non Player Characters) respond to your topic, you might have to read a few pages of lengthy text. Alternatively, you might also be blown off by a NPC who doesn’t like you. In the dialogue screen, there is a meter from 0 to 100 based on the character’s disposition to you. If the number is low the character will give you little to no information. If the number is high the character regards you as a friend and will be more open to listen to you. Most NPC’s start out with an objective disposition of about 45 or 50. However, for those characters who need a little convincing to do what you want, there are ways to make them like you through persuasion. You can bribe, taunt, intimidate, or admire them. Based on your speechcraft skill level, you will be able to persuade them successfully or not. I am completely blown away by the gameplay in Morrowind. The fact that the game is just so massive brings warm feelings to my heart. The character interaction in the game, joined with an amazing guild system and easy to menus and controls will allow you to get deeply involved. Morrowind is a game that you can play again and again and still find something new each time you play. A word of wisdom: be prepared to dedicate numerous hours into this game. If you can’t fork over the time, then I wouldn’t fork over the cash. Sometimes it takes crossing a small Nebraska to complete the most minuscule of tasks. Roleplaying in Morrowind takes patience over everything. If you are looking for a game that has ceaseless action and a quick moving plot then Morrowind is not the game for you. Even if you decide not to get this game, I still think it would be a good idea to rent it. If you don’t actually witness Morrowind you will be missing out on everything Microsoft boasted the Xbox would be. Morrowind, along with the future next generation titles sport the most amazing graphical surroundings and ambience I have ever seen in a console game to date. GRAPHICS: As you run through Vvanderfall(a massive provinial situated in the counrty of morrowind) the world will unfold infront of you. As you walk past a lake you will see incredible ripple and lighting effects. If you choose to gaze into the sky you will see spectacular sunsets cloud arrangements and more. The world adapts beautiful during day and night not to mention the incredible weather effects. Morrowind probably has the best environement created to date. Sometimes you will find yourself standing on a hill just watching the clouds move and the sun set and rise. If anything you should play this game just to see the beautiful environement design in Morrowind. I wish I could say the same about all the graphics areas in Morrowind. Alas, it isn’t so. Despite what anyone may say, the character models within the game are very detailed. Most of them contain many layers of textures whether they are clothes, armor, weapons or underpants. Although Bethesda made a strong effort to enunciate the characters in the game using the Xbox’s hardware, there are still flaws. The character animations are stiff—as you watch characters walk or jump around in the game they take awkward and jagged movements. The 3D models themselves look nice whether you are looking at yourself in the 3rd person view or at other NPC’s. Unfortunately, the un-graceful motor skills of our fellow citizens of Morrowind do not compliment the pretty graphics. SOUND: The sound truly isn't that great at all from jagged sqwauks to a very repetitive soundtrack this game could use some work on the audio portion. OVERALL: I don't think there has ever been a game with so much sheer volume of things to do. Bethseda did a tremendosly great job on this game!