The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind Game of the Year Edition

"I don't want my time back. No regret at all."

Ok, this is my favorite game. I got it in January of last year and never played it. I started playing it back in March and became obsessed. It owned my soul for a whole summer. All day I would play Morrowind and discover new and interesting things and people. This was my introduction into the Elder Scrolls series. It gets the job done in getting me hooked.

Controls: 10/10
This games controls are decent. It is really simple. Only about 6 buttons are actually used. Anyone could figure it out as soon as they played the game. Many functions are actually put on to more than one button.

Graphics: 10/10
When I first got this game I found the graphics to be amazing. I was surprised they would be that good in such an epic game. The water is amazing when you see the suns reflection in it. Once you get into the frozen island of Solsteim you will see the graphics get even better too. That's about where the graphics end though. The rest of it is kind of block like and average. Since I have this game on Xbox and not computer, I don't really know how good the graphics can be. The draw distance on Morrowind was not the best. You usually see a foggy world and a building or object seems to appear right in front of you.

Gameplay: 10/10
I don't know how I love this game so much. The gameplay is somewhat repetitive in how you fight. You swing your weapon with the right shoulder button and you can have 3 different attacks. The size of this game makes up for all of the flaws. The world is massive. I don't know exactly how big it is, but you will play the game and see something new every single time you play it. I didn't even do the main quest until I was playing the game for 3 months. The world is too interesting and needs to be explored.

Sound: 10/10
This game instantly gets 10/10 for its main title theme. That song is addicting. I find myself whistling the song often when I go out. The rest of the games music is decent. The battle music is somewhat bland and uninteresting.

Story: 10/10
This games story is really good. What makes it so good is how hidden it is from the rest of the world. You will hear about the events of the main quest sometimes when you talk to Non Player Characters. I didn't even know the game had a main quest until I had played it for 3 months. That is what makes this game so astounding. In real life you don't have everything given to you. You have to go out and find out information. This game does a real good job in being life like sometimes.

The world: 10/10
This game has the most interesting world I have ever seen. One major flaw with the world is how dark and depressing it is most of the time. It is meant to be, but I usually like a more bright and cheerful world. It does make it more life like. At least where I live it is somewhat like Vvardenfell. The world is massive though. You could spend a whole year playing this game and you would still find new items and dungeons. As much as I have played the game. I don't think I have seen everything there is to see in Morrowind.

Bloodmoon: 10/10
Wow, I thought Vvardenfell was neat. I didn't even go to Solsteim when I first got the game. Many new features, weapons, quests, and enemies are added in this expansion. All of the events on this island lead up to a perfect ending. The expansions enemies can be very difficult to fight too. Remember to level up a lot if you plan on going to do the Bloodmoon expansion and actually finish it. It is not easy, even if you have the game set on easy.

Tribunal: 10/10
It's ok. It's not as good as the Bloodmoon expansion, but it does give you a new area to explore with new quests. The Tribunal expansion actually has the best story out of all of the expansions. Every event leads up to the end of the main quest in a strange surprise ending. You will not regret playing it.

Replay Value: Very High
I have never played a game more than I have played Morrowind GOTY. I spent a whole summer playing it and I beat the main quest on both expansions many times. The game will probably never get old. If you want a game that will be fun until the end of time, I would recommend getting Morrowind.

Overall
I don't want my time back, it was well worth it. The game was fun and it kept me busy. I can see myself playing the game years from now. I highly recommend it to anyone that likes freeform games. It's not worth a rental. You have to buy it to enjoy it. This game isn't for the people who like fast paced dumbed down games where everything is in a straight line for you to follow. You choose your own path.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 01/13/06