The Elder Scrolls: Arena

"If you enjoyed Morrowind or Daggerfall then you need to try this"

This is a review for The Elder Scrolls: Arena. Needless to say this game is over ten years old, but time has done nothing but sharpened this already delicious cheese.

Graphics 7/10...Even though this game is ten years old, the graphics are better then you would expect. The 3D sprites are about as detailed as they come, well for games this old. The game does suffer from some very similar backgrounds, but I wouldn't fault the game, but rather technology.

Sound 6/10...Well the sound has aged a bit. Even with an extremely powerful pc the sound is slightly better then many of the original nintendo games. The music is very mood setting though, the dungeons actually feel creepy. There are actually some quick voice overs, even though it's difficult to understand what they are saying. But the sound is good enough to live through.

Gameplay 9/10...Here is where the bread and butter of this game are. The unique setup allows for different attacks with different mouse movement, genius if you ask me. The controls are also simple enough where you can actually start the game and not feel like a total newbie. But the game has excellent controls and interaction that even some games of today can't quite match. Not to mention this games great create-a-spell feature, no longer will you be like 'I wish I had a spell that did this and that,' that problem has been answered. The game has such variety in every aspect that it never gets old.

Story 8/10...A good story that will keep you playing. The game does a perfect job of mixing the main quest with side quest. With this unique play style, you'll never be bored. Also if you do or have played the two sequels, then this is a definite must-play. It's story is not so much directly related, but you'll notice some unique similarities.

Overall 9/10...This is not an average, this is what I think this game deserves. The perfect balance of story driven open-ended gameplay gives this game an edge over most of it's competition.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 07/26/04