The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind Ranking: A
For most people, this was their introduction to the Elder Scrolls series and I was no exception. The Elder Scrolls series generally blows people away with its massive scope and advanced graphics, and for its time, Morrowind definitely fits the bill. I played the game way after launch, so I actually had a computer that could handle it.
As is standard for the series, you play as some nobody on a prison ship. The Emperor for some reason thinks you can fulfill an ancient prophecy regarding the return of the ancient Dark Elf hero Nerevar to Morrowind, and, since this is an RPG, you end up fulfilling the prophecy and that’s the game. But, as is standard for the series, you can say “screw it” to the prophecy and go traipsing around Morrowind doing whatever you please. At one point I personally started a character with the intent of murdering everyone and I actually got pretty far before I got bored.
Bethesda really goes out of its way to make the world of the Elder Scrolls come to life with incredibly detailed backstory and lore. You really feel like you got dumped into a completely foreign land and left to your own devices, making these games perfect for immersion. My main gripe with this game, besides its fairly major bugs (e.g. if you load a game where you saved in an outdoor area, the game crashes immediately), comes from the stupidly implemented combat and skill system. Morrowind uses an RNG to determine whether your attacks actually hit, like most old-school RPGs, except Morrowind also has a first-person interface, meaning if you hit an enemy visually you might still “miss.” Combine that with the fact that early-game skills are usually so low everything fails all the time and early-game Morrowind becomes one of the most frustrating experiences in RPGs, ever. It’s kind of a shame.
For most people, this was their introduction to the Elder Scrolls series and I was no exception. The Elder Scrolls series generally blows people away with its massive scope and advanced graphics, and for its time, Morrowind definitely fits the bill. I played the game way after launch, so I actually had a computer that could handle it.
As is standard for the series, you play as some nobody on a prison ship. The Emperor for some reason thinks you can fulfill an ancient prophecy regarding the return of the ancient Dark Elf hero Nerevar to Morrowind, and, since this is an RPG, you end up fulfilling the prophecy and that’s the game. But, as is standard for the series, you can say “screw it” to the prophecy and go traipsing around Morrowind doing whatever you please. At one point I personally started a character with the intent of murdering everyone and I actually got pretty far before I got bored.
Bethesda really goes out of its way to make the world of the Elder Scrolls come to life with incredibly detailed backstory and lore. You really feel like you got dumped into a completely foreign land and left to your own devices, making these games perfect for immersion. My main gripe with this game, besides its fairly major bugs (e.g. if you load a game where you saved in an outdoor area, the game crashes immediately), comes from the stupidly implemented combat and skill system. Morrowind uses an RNG to determine whether your attacks actually hit, like most old-school RPGs, except Morrowind also has a first-person interface, meaning if you hit an enemy visually you might still “miss.” Combine that with the fact that early-game skills are usually so low everything fails all the time and early-game Morrowind becomes one of the most frustrating experiences in RPGs, ever. It’s kind of a shame.