The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind Game of the Year Edition

"Welcome to Morrowind! Don't feed the werewolfs and watch out for vampires."

The Elder Scrolls series has been around for a while now, and it’s been a while since Morrowind came out for both the PC and XBOX. PC gamers have many advantages over the XBOX gamers because they have the expansions to Morrowind, Tribunal and Bloodmoon, to add to the already huge game. But not anymore. Now XBOX gamers have the exact same game that the PC gamers have had for a while now. Morrowind was already an awesome game without the two expansions, but with the expansions the game became unreal. An RPG gamer’s heaven.

Gameplay: (10/10)
This game has so much to do, it’s impossible to say that it is not fun. You can choose to follow the main quest of Morrowind, or you can set off on your own adventure or follow the stories of Tribunal and Bloodmoon. It’s a totally open game where if you want to do nothing but go around collecting gold, then you can do that. If you want to battle the forces of evil in the game and become the hero, you can do that. Or if you want to become the evil in the game, you can do that also. The game has no restrictions and allows you to take complete control of every aspect and event that happens.

Story: (10/10)
The main stories, or quests as they are called in the game, are very interesting and fun to follow. They also offer many hours of gameplay. But unlike most RPGs, Morrowind has literally hundreds of different stories to follow. You can follow the main quest and become the hero of Morrowind then continue the main quest in the two expansions, or you can go off and follow other stories. The best thing is that you can do as many of the quest as you like. There is no limit. Before you start playing through the game you get to create a custom character.

Since there are so many quests, I’ll write the plot of the main quest. First the main plot for Morrowind. Basically, you are a slave that has, for some reason unknown to you and everyone else, been set free by the Empire. The king himself has granted you your freedom. But why? That’s your job to figure out why you were released and sent to Morrowind.

In the next expansion Tribunal, you are attacked by a band of assassins known as the Dark Brotherhood. So then you find yourself in the ancient capital of Morrowind, Mournhold. While you’re there, you will not only follow your assassins, but you will also be pulled into a deep controversy.

In the third expansion Bloodmoon, you are swept to the uncharted island of Solstheim where strange things are going on. You can choose to help stop the evils there, or you can choose to become one of the monsters. The choice is yours.

Graphics: (10/10)
The graphics in this game are absolutely breathtaking. The entire world is 3D, and the people walk like they are real and act as though they were alive. The buildings look real, and so does every other aspect. The graphics are so good, that at times they can cause the XBOX to bog down a little, but this doesn’t really effect the game that much. This game may be almost two years old, but the graphics look 10x better than most games that have came out recently.

Sound: (10/10)
The sound effects really add a lot to the game. You can actually hear the armor on your character move as they walk, or hear the sound of a sword bouncing off of you shield. You can hear the sounds of the water as you get near the ocean and you can hear the sounds of spirits as you go through a tomb. The sounds at times can actually be somewhat scary. The music that plays through most of the game is also very pretty, but doesn’t get old as it does change with the events that are happening around you.

Playtime/Replayability: (10/10)
The game really never ends so there is no exact amount of time it will take you to beat the game. If you wanted to do everything in the game, it would take you well over 1000 hours to do that, that’s how big the game is. In reality, you probably could never finish all the quests. It’s fun to play through the game a certain way, then create a new character and play through the game a different way. The game changes each time, so there is a huge replayability value.

This is a huge game and is worth every penny you spend on it. You really get three games in one, which is well worth the price. You’ll get addicted to this game the first time you play, so there really is no point in just renting it. It’s a definite must have to add to your XBOX game collection.

Final Score- 10/10 (It actually deserves about a 12)

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 01/01/04