The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind

"The stunning and vivid world of Morrowind awaits you..."

Introduction
Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind breaks away from the traditional Japanese-RPG by giving you a living, breathing world for you to do whatever you wish in. Centered less around story and more around your character's development and actions, Morrowind is truly one of the best games to date.

Story 8/10

Let me just say this now, Morrowind does not center itself around a story. The whole concept of the game is for you to decide what character you want to be, and the choices you will make with your alter ego.

That being said, Morrowind does a nice job developing a story, even though it is thrust in the background. You are not forced to start the main quest right away, and can easily play tweny or more hours before you even may want to. However, once you do, the story is drawn out mainly by what you learn from people. The world of Morrowind is incredibly deep, and as such, so is the story. However, the story is not as blatant as in, say, Final Fantasy. Therefore, I award it an 8/10.

Graphics 10/10

The graphics in Morrowind are absolutely stunning. The world you live in is enormous, and every last inch of it is detailed to the finest degree. The water itself is one particular aspect of the great quality of the graphics, and looks incredibly realistic.

In fact, there is only one component of the graphics category that is at all lacking, and that is character movement. The movement of NPCs (None Playable Characters, or any living creature other than yourself) can be a bit blocky at times, especially from a distance. However, it is not serious in any manner, so I feel I must award this with a 10/10.

Gameplay 9/10

The gameplay of Morrowind has come under heavy fire from many reviewers before myself. However, the thing they don't seem to realize is that Morrowind is not a 'Hack-n-Slash' game. It is an RPG, and a very classic one at that. When you attack, simulation 'rolls of dice' are being done, calculations that take into account your weapon, your skill levels, the enemy's skill levels, and several other factors. This is why some people are angered because they never seem to hit with a weapon they aren't specialized in.

One of the defining aspects of Morrowind is the lack of restraints on your character. You can steal anything that isn't bolted down, and kill any NPC you see. However, there is a law system in this world, and you will get in serious trouble for breaking it. Penalties include fines, jail time, and even death.

Be prepared to spend a lot of time walking, because the methods of transportation (Mage's Guild, Slit Strider, and boats) do not go everywhere. At many points in the main quest or in guild quests you will be forced to do some exploring. However, this adds an interesting aspect to the game, because there are many people wandering the roads, and lesser known paths, of Morrowind, some of which are friendly, and others aggressive. Treasure hunting and exploration play important roles in Elder Scrolls 3. Therefore, I give this a 9/10.

Replay Value 10/10

This is possibly the best aspect of Morrowind. There are some many things to do in this troubled land, that you could easily spend a hundred hours or more without even coming close to completing every quest.

There are ten completely different races and 21 different classes to chose from. You also chose a birth-sign, which gives you special abilities or spells that help you start out. The races include:
Nord - Powerful fighters skilled in blunt and axe weapons.
Redgaurd - Skilled fighters more skilled in heavy armor and swords
Breton - Human magic casters with powerful defensive measures
Imperial - Well rounded humans skilled in the arts of speechcraft and charming
Wood Elf - Quick, small, and clever elves that make excellent thieves and archers
High Elf - A tall, powerful spellcaster
Dark Elf - The race that makes up much of Morrowind, Dark Elfs can become skilled fighters, deadly assassins, or powerful mages
Khajiit - Quick, strong, feline creatures skilled at the arts of thievery
Argonian - Amphibian creatures with a natural ability to breath under water
Orc - Powerful, slow creatures with devastating fighting skills

While the pre made classes are good for beginners, more experienced players tend to like to create their own class, which is another great feature. This provides a limitless number of possible classes to be made.

As for quests, there are numerous Guilds to join. Each Guild (Fighters, Mages, Theifs, Morag Tong Assassins, to name a few) provide many jobs for you to make money and raise your skills. On top of that, there are three main Houses, Hlaalu, Redoran, and Telvanni, that you can join. Add all of that to the long main quest, and you have one of the largest games in history. Therefore, I must give this a 10/10.

Buy or rent?

As much as I love this game, and sing its praises, I am inclined to give the advice of renting Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind first. This is not a game you can even hope to complete in one rental. The rental itself is to see if you like it, because many people prefer the Japanese-RPG, like Final Fantasy. However, for any true hard core RPG fans, you may want to consider buying this game. At least give it a rental first.

Overall
10/10

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 07/02/02, Updated 07/02/02