Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind

Yes I am sure everyone was wondering how long it would take for ZTGD to have a review of what could possibly be the biggest console game of all time. The world of Morrowind is so much more than polygons blasted onto a screen to give the feeling of being immersed into a fantasy realm, you actually feel like you are in another world. If you wanna travel to the next town and you cannot afford to take a Silk Strider than you have to pick your lazy ass up and walk there. This could take you five minutes or as much as an hour depending on how much you explore, how much you decide to fight, and which way you decide to go. The best part is, the choice is up to you!

The first time you step off of the prison ship and take your first steps in the town of Seyda Need you will understand why many people have lost theirselves in this massive world. You can literally go anywhere and do anything your heart desires whether it is to take a swim in the beautiful waters or stab a local in the back of the head with your dagger. Now don’t get to excited as any act has it’s consequences, being a sloppy murderer will get your ass thrown in jail and taking a swim could cause you to get something bit off..OUCH! The best way to play Morrowind is to familiarize yourself with your surroundings and be wary of what you decide to do.

The world of Morrowind is very highly detailed, the water is gorgeous, the landscapes are massive and very detailed, and the characters each have a wonderful personality all their own. The NPC’s in the game each have a distinct personality and will react differently to what you say and do to them. Stealing one mans items could get you killed while another man will only threaten you. The inhabitants of each town vary as well in race, every town has it’s dominant race yet there are always many different types in each town. You can ask any one person anything you want just don’t always expect them to have the answer you are looking for, also make sure you familiarize yourself with who and where they are located as you may need to contact them later, luckily the map tells you whose house is whos as not to confuse you too much.

Now for those Final Fantasy nuts that are asking…”man is that combat there turn based like my beloved FF games?” In a word…no. This game is strictly old school D&D style, you can choose either a first person or third person perspective to venture around in and the combat is in real time so if you do not want to fight someone…just run away…..you chicken!! The major gripe about the combat is that you have no way of telling how powerful an enemy is. You can only learn this by trial and error so be careful and I highly recommend getting the Morrowind strat guide as it is referred to as the “bible”. The next gripe I have is that when you hit an enemy it does not tell you how much you have damaged it, so you are left clueless as to how much energy the enemy has left therefore you can never really tell how much it takes to kill an enemy or how powerful your current weapon is.

Fans of Lord of the Rings and it’s endless sequels will be pleased with the sounds of Morrowind. The music is very reminiscent of the classic Tolkien series and makes you feel like Bilbo Baggins on a journey to see the great Smaug, classic classic music. The NPC’s are also spoken dialogue which is amazing as there are so many characters in the game and each one sounds unique, the catch?? Each one only has a few choice phrases to say to you so get used to hearing some of the same comments over and over. The atmosphere and ambient sounds are to die for, the first time you are outside during a thunderstorm you will spooge, the surround sound is intense. You can hear the rain falling from every direction it is amazing!

Yes with so many good things the bad still shine, sometimes your map goes black because the Xbox needs to clean out it’s cache. Sometimes the game will freeze (which has happened to me twice after countless hours of play) but it does not happen often. The interface can be sloppy at times and you will sell things on accident because you didn’t realize what it was. Some of the shopkeepers don’t carry enough money to pay for the really good shit that you have. Yes there are complaints…does it ruin the experience? Hell no! Does it keep you from playing the game for hours on end? I don’t think so! The best thing I can say is that this game is defintiely not for everyone, if you are accustomed to the traditional Japanese style RPG’s then stay far away. If you are one of the nerds from high school who is still a DM at his local D&D meetings then dive right in. This game is sure to keep you occupied for months and perhaps longer, with 100-200+ hours of game play Morrowind could possibly be one of the biggest games of all time so enjoy it!

Written by
Ken is the Editor-in-Chief of this hole in the wall and he loves to troll for the fun of it. He also enjoys long walks through Arkham Asylum and the cool air of Shadow Moses Island. His turn-ons include Mortal Kombat, Metal Gear Solid and StarCraft.