"You want sandbox? Well, this is the whole beach."

Morrowind is the third installment of the Elder Scrolls series. I picked this up on a recommendation from a friend and I was honored on playing such a game. I'm not sure if playing the other two first really helps but I was easily able to understand everything this game threw at me. At first I thought this game would be complicated, and it turned out it was very complicated; however, the more I played the more I understood about the complicated world around me. I loved the freedom of being able to kill a god or being able to kill one of the main characters and ruining the storyline. Morrowind let you get in the story line and…break the flow of the actual game. You didn't even have to beat the first mission to enjoy the freedom.

Graphics: 9.5/10
The graphics of this game are truly amazing. The water ripples and reflects better than any other game I have seen…EVER. There are many different weapons and armor, each with its on distinct look and style. You will know what your enemies are wearing and if you should save before a fight. This game is famous for being expansive, and it doesn't disappoint. The isle is huge and it's very easy to feel overwhelmed while playing this game and the various monsters in each dungeon or simply around the isle provide interesting battles. All the dungeons are unique in their design and are filled with various enemies. The flowers, which are an essential apart of alchemy, grow in certain regions and are easily distinguished from each other. The graphics are some of the best I have ever seen. One of my favorite things about the graphics is the weather. It's incredible how you can be running from town to town and suddenly a thunderstorm breaks out overhead.

Sound: 8/10
The music in Morrowind is always the same. It's very atmospheric and calm, peaceful…too peaceful. While slaying your foes it doesn't help that the music is trying to lower your blood pressure and get you in your happy place. I usually don't have the music turned on anyway. The reason this score is an eight is because of the voice acting. Incredible. I was amazed how they could have hundreds of characters and still be able to give each one a distinct voice and several lines to say. Each race also has its own accent, such as the Khajiit have a rasp and purr often while they talk them being cat-like creatures. The battle cries really help you know if that person is a friend or foe. As your sword makes contact with a shield you can hear the clash of metal to metal as the fight wears on you can listen to your enemies' ragged breath and insults whilst you gain the upper hand.

Story: 10/10
Simply wow. Morrowind has the deepest story in all the games I have played. You are the destined Nerevar who is supposed to kill an ancient evil in the land. The Nerevar was born to uncertain parents with a certain sign low and behold you happen to match all these. You are shipped off to the isle of Morrowind as a slave because the king commanded it so. Once on the isle, and doing a few quests, you eventually learn of your fate and now your battle on this isle not only decides the fate of Morrowind, but of the whole world. This game is so amazing because the developers added so much political drama. Each of the three houses control different towns and despise each other. The temple is always killing of those who claim to be the supposed Nerevar wishing to keep hold on their three false gods. The story is long, very long. Several twists and turn in the story compels you to continue just to discover some dirty little secret one of the great houses has. The story really pulls you in until the end and gets quite complicated.

Gameplay: 10/10
Even if this game had a bad story the gameplay would easily make-up for it, even though it doesn't have to. You can choose to be one of ten different races, each with their own bonuses that help them be a mage, thief, monk, or any of they other classes. Speaking of classes, there are 21 different classes to choose from. You can even make your own class and choose your favorite skills if you don't like how the others are set up. The game doesn't hold your hand at all. From the beginning you on your own and you can do almost anything you want. Think that guy is looking at you funny, mess him up. Would you like that nice ebony armor hidden on the back shelf of the shop, I suggest you steal it. But you should be ready to deal with your consequences if caught; pay your fine and get your stolen good taken, resist arrest fighting the guards or running, or got to jail and have some of your stats reduced. Many different guilds help craft you into the ultimate caster, summoner, warrior, or anything else you want to be. You also have the choice of joining the temple, the ones who kills those who claim to be Nerevar, or you could join one of the three houses and wage war against the other houses.

Killing anyone affects the game. You may be in a random house on a slave plantation about to grab some nice gear, but end up killing the owner. Guess what? You have severed the prophecy and you can either live in the doomed world you created or boot up a saved game. You want a realistic society in your gaming experience then this is the perfect one for you. Battle is a little bland, as it only has to do with three different kinds of melee attacks; however, you are able to rename your items after you enchant them. The most exciting things I believe the ability to make your own spells and have them do multiple things at once. Can't find anything to do? I find that hard to believe. Since this game is stuffed with over 500 different quests ranging from curing a drug addict to killing a deadly lich in the sewers.

Re-playability: 10/10
You can go through this game so many different ways it's impossible to experience all the different paths. One route you could be a mage and slaughter the slave plantation, or you could be a thief and jack the key from the guard to free all the slaves from the masters. Should you slaughter the town with an all out war or snipe them from afar with your bow. Take out the gang leader or side with him to rule the masses. With the ability to one minute rain fire down on your foes or join the mages guild just to learn their spells and kill them when they think they are on your side. Once you get as good as you can get you will want to get back at the beginning to redo it all over again. And one way you may want to just see if you can make an honest living or steal the key to the vaults and plunder to your hearts content. Be anything you want then have the fun of going back and doing it a completely different way as a completely different person. Morrowind is one of the few games where I actually loved to start a new character.

Overall: 10/10
I am glad I found this game and picked it up. I have never had a better gaming experience. Full immersion is this games aim and it doesn't fail at it. I recommend this game for anyone who loves a game where you can get in there and muck the works. This is the ultimate sandbox game. If you enjoy adventure games at all and don't own this game then you haven't experienced a true adventure. This game is definitely a buy and you should go out and get it right now.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 03/14/06