The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind

"Size matters."

Here are a few things I hated about The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind.

1. Your character gets tired. Quickly. Bethesda has created this ridiculous thing called the “fatigue meter,” which is not unlike Vagrant Story's risk system, and every bit as aggravating. In the bottom corner of the screen, you've got three meters. One for health, one for magic, and one for… fatigue. Performing just about any action will cause your fatigue meter to go down, resulting in lower stats until you have the ability to rest up. Okay, adds a little realism to the game, but the thing is, everything causes you to become fatigued. I mean, not just fighting, but WALKING! Walking actually makes your fatigue meter drain impressively quickly, and since walking makes up a good portion of the game, you'll spend most of Morrowind out of breath.

2. The battle system is laughably archaic. Morrowind seems to take a hint from RPG's like Diablo in its mostly randomized battle system – you just level your character up, pit him against an enemy, and let your stats do the talking. I like Diablo, and I like mindless hack-a-thon battles in the context of a point-and-click adventure. But Morrowind is a 3D, first-person game, and I expect a little more flexibility here. When I'm looking at an enemy through my character's eyes, and I'm aiming my weapon manually, and I'm watching as my sword swings right through the damn enemy, I simply can't stand hearing that constant “swish” sound indicating a miss. And since your fatigue meter is usually empty by the time you run across a baddie, well, battles can become painful exercises in… hitting the right trigger.

3. Even for a game this size, there are way too many technical shortcomings. And I'm looking past the major stuff, like fact that the movement is jaunty, or that my Nord frequently gets stuck to environmental objects, or that the jump function is completely broken. I'm talking about subtle things. Like the horrible popup issues, the disgusting animation, the framerate hiccups, the textures that look like vomit, the pathfinding issues, etc., etc. And the skipping music, added to the fact that there's only really one constant, looping track throughout the entire game. (Custom soundtracks would have been nice. I understand Bethesda's desire to disallow players to listen to Moby while exploring Vvardenfell, but popping in a Lord of the Rings soundtrack would have been great.)

Now, here's why I gave Morrowind a 10/10 regardless of everything I've just said.

At least twenty hours into this beast of an RPG, I paused and checked my world automap to discover that I'd hit little more than 5% of Vvardenfell in my journey. To this day, countless hours of play later, I'd be surprised if I've seen close to half of what Morrowind has to offer. The game is absolutely enormous, at times overwhelmingly so. It also lacks any true sense of direction, leading to an open-ended nature surprisingly fitting for the game's size. There's no real “story,” per se. At the beginning of the game, you're dropped off in a small port town, with nothing but the name of a guy to talk to. From there, everything that happens in Morrowind in determined by the people you talk to and the places you explore. As a sandbox experience, Morrowind is the biggest and most open-ended game I've ever played.

If you ever buy Morrowind, make sure you get a look at the fold-up map that comes with the game, and realize that Vvardenfell is every bit as big as that map makes it look. Rather than being a copy-and-paste set of towns and villages separated by a lifeless overworld, Vvardenfell breathes like a real-life locale. It's got dozens of towns, each distinct in look and feel. And in between those towns are literally hundreds of square miles of land, riddled with rolling hills, jagged cliffs, winding rivers, hidden caverns, and countless enemies waiting to rip you apart. There are thousands upon thousands of items in the game, and every single one of them can be collected, used, equipped, and sold as fit. Treasure in a cave, remains of a dead enemy, flowers on a plant, valuables straight off of a villager's shelf, everything. You can steal, lie, cheat, save, loot, hunt, investigate, explore, whatever. This is the game Fable should have been. You do what you want in Morrowind.

As a game, it's immeasurably deep. Just look at how many ways you can customize your character. Aside from choosing your race, class and stats from the get-go, you'll find that your adventurer will adjust to your play methods, as your skills will level up individually the more you use them. Use a lot of heavy weaponry, and your character will become more adept with heavier swords and axes and such. On the other hand, base your fighting primarily on magic and your character will grow a fetish for attack spells. Stealth, thievery, bartering, acrobatics, personality, athletics, and individual armor ratings can all be adjusted through continued use. Every decision you make will move your character forward in new and unexpected ways.

As an experience, it's breathtaking. The world is just so huge that most of your time spent with Morrowind will be aimless wandering, as you ponder over where your adventures might take you next. The towns themselves are loaded with merchandise to be bought, clans to join, quests to be completed, people to talk to, and items to be stolen. In between towns, you're always bound to run across something unexpected. Maybe you'll discover a secret tomb filled with hidden treasure. Maybe you'll run across some old ruins inhabited by spell-casting demons. Maybe you'll bump into a friendly traveler that needs you to do him a favor. It's virtually impossible to merely see all of Vvardenfell, let alone experience everything there is to be experienced. It is a positively overwhelming sensation when you load up Morrowind and are continuously reminded of just how grand your adventure is.

With all its people, places, quests and items, Morrowind is such an astonishing game world that I was able to overlook the game's many shortcomings and enjoy it for what it was worth. Who cares if the graphics are ugly, or if the battle system sucks? I was constantly, completely and thoroughly engaged, and that's all I ask. It should be a testament to how amazing Morrowind is that I can point out so many flaws and still award the game a 10/10.

Pros

+ It is the biggest game I have ever played.
+ There is literally too much to do.
+ Very robust character-creating and -building system.
+ Hundreds of exciting quests.
+ Lots to see.
+ Visually impressive from an artistic standpoint.

Cons

- The fatigue system is pointless and nothing more than an annoyance.
- The battles are stale thanks to the dated battle system.
- Technical problems galore.
- Many will think it's too big (and in a way, they're right).

Overall: 10/10

Having said all of this, I confess that I never did beat Morrowind. It's not the kind of game you “beat,” per se. It's the kind of game you pick up, experience, inhale, and get involved with. It requires a heavy dose of investment – as in, it could take hours and hours of play time before you start to feel like you've really accomplished something. Once you're in, that's it, and it's very difficult to escape Morrowind's grasp. It's one of the most gripping and engaging games I've ever played, and it's all due to the game's overwhelming depth. That kind of thing turns off a lot of people, and I don't blame them. Morrowind isn't for everyone. But those that enjoy it will cherish it for a lifetime as one of gaming's most prolific achievements.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 11/21/06