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A Fantastic Beginning, But Leaves You Wanting More...

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 21 / 26
Date: June 27, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Please keep in mind this review was written when the game was first released, before any patches or even mods were released. The game is obviously quite a bit different now and would get a higher score from me certainly.

Morrowind, the 3rd installment of the Daggerfall series from Bethesda Software promised to be the first open-ended single player RPG game in a fully immersive 3D environment with cutting edge graphics, length and depth.

Well, they got the cutting edge graphics part right apparently.

The character development system is excellent, plenty of options to choose from in the areas of magic, melee and ranged combat, and classes/races. This promising, involved character creation system is intuitive, deep and fun to play around with by itself.

Once you've landed in the first town and are introduced to the reason you've been chosen by the Emperor and are allowed to enter the outside world, it can be a bit over-whelming and confusing - the game is very open-ended.

You can pretty much do anything you want, buy some stuff, kill someone or something, sneak, steal, barter, join a guild, accept a quest from an NPC who gives you one etc.., or you can just run around the world at your leisure.

The frustrating and ultimately disappointing aspect of the game is how incredibly tedious and boring the game becomes after you've gotten more than halfway through the main quest, where the game reveals just how shallow it really is.

The vendors never carry much money, so finding expensive items means absolutely nothing at all.

There are only 3-5 suits of armor or types of clothing any character in the game can wear, along with one or two special suits you can only find in certain areas and after completing certain quests. This simply adds to the tedium, wearing the same stuff for over 4-5 levels or more at a time.

It can take up to 15 minutes or more to travel from one area to another. And the landscape is barren, boring, and repetitive, despite the hand-placed items. Everything looks the same.

On top of that there are only 3-4 monsters you will do battle with 90% of the time in the game, and you get really, really tired of combating the same monsters over and over and over for 100 hours (which is what it takes to finish the game and really complete most of the quests). If I see or hear another Cliff Racer I'm going to puke, seriously. The difficulty level of these enemies never changes, they are always the same. And certain areas don't offer harder challenges than others unless you "want" to wander into a ruin, and those are of all the same difficulty level as well, no matter where you are in the game.

Around level 22, as a Nord Warrior specializing in long blades, I could kill everything and everyone in the game with little problem at all, and I hadn't even finished the main quest yet - still had at least 10 or more hours to go, at least, to finish. This was horribly designed, there were no challenges left, just errand running and talking to the same people over and over.

Magic and Thief characters add some depth and much-needed complexity to the game, but they get old fast and their lack of combat ability can be frustrating, ecspecially early on. You can collect and steal tons of different little odds and ends, but it gets so boring and useless that it's easy to give up after doing it for hours on end.

Despite these major problems (similar to my complaints of MMORPG's) the game is very entertaining and fun because of it's explorative nature at first, at least the first 40-50 hours, making it worthwhile at least.

But once you've tried and done everything for the most part, there's simply nothing more there, it gets old quick and I really can't see myself playing it again any time soon.

Finally the system requirements are incredibly high and it didn't run all that well even on my 1GHZ/Geforce3 rig, but at high detail it ran more than adequately. The load times are annoying and constant also.

Simply another hyped RPG that is just a single player version of Asheron's Call, EverQuest or Anarchy Online. And like most RPG's of late, boring and tedious despite the intrictate story line and world politics that push you along.

If you are a hardcore PC game lover, I'd recommend it, but if you are not, take a pass, ecspecially if your PC is less than ideal for these high end games.

Finally, a good CRPG

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 13 / 13
Date: May 18, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Many CRPGs seem to substitute combat on rails for an actual experience. That's fine for plot-thin games such as Dungeon Seige or Diablo: there's nothing wrong with hack-n-slash-fests. However, Morrowind doesn't railroad you onto a particular course, and the freedom is refreshing.

This game does require some work on your part to get it up to speed. Upgrading my motherboard and video drivers easily doubled the framerates of the game, and greatly increased its stability. Morrowind apparently taxes your computer drivers in weird ways.

The game itself is refreshingly open, with many quests, many of which you seem to stumble into. The world is very detailed, and seems very real.

With the plug-in world architecture and the construction kit, people are already producing plugin modifications to the game. Wish you could move unrealistically fast (ala FPS games): there's a plugin for it. Want combat to be more difficult? Yep, there's several plugins out there. Want to create a new land filled with dungeons, intricate of quests, new NPCs, races, and monsters? Well, some plugins already out there do some of this, but you're welcome to create your own.

Overall, I've been very impressed by this game. I can approach the world of Morrowind at the speed I want to, and I am not attacked by hordes of monsters everywhere. I appreciate the use-to-improve skill and level system. Morrowind isn't for everybody. But for people who enjoy experimenting and playing in a realistic world without being an omniscient or mostly-powerful diety will enjoy this game.

Morrowind is everything Ultima IX failed to be: Fun.

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 13 / 13
Date: September 11, 2002
Author: Amazon User

I really want to rate this at 5 stars, but there are just enough small complaints to keep me from doing so. Morrowind is simply the best RPG I've played since Ultima VII. I compared it to Ultima IX, since that attempted (and failed miserably) to create a fully realized, huge 3D world. Bethesda has done everything right. I've played for at least 50 hours now and am moving along at my own pace, without feeling pressured to go faster. I'm sure if I kept solely to the main storyline and drove to the finish I could be done in a few days, but that would completely ruin the best aspect of the game: to immerse yourself in its immensity and complexity. What other game has ever tried to integrate so much into making it a unique experience for everyone who plays? Want to be a studly fighter and whack everything who comes around? Go ahead! Just be ready to pay the price if you're caught slashing the wrong guy. Don't like buying potions from the stuffy mages and shops? Brew your own! Off the shelf magic weapons too dull? Enchant and create your own! Want to utterly ignore the game's primary quest? Go right ahead. You can just about spend a game playing eternity just wandering and exploring. Bethesda wisely put something of interest almost everywhere you go, so there aren't many dull stretches.

There are a few bugs, though fortunately I haven't run across any that crash me to the desktop. Once (and only once) did it die utterly. The patch is absolutely essential however.A few I've run into are quest bugs that resulted in discussion topics not showing up or items not being there when they should have been. Even so, they don't detract from my desire to keep playing and that's how I define a bug as minor. I don't have a bleeding edge machine (P4-1.4, 256 MB Ram, GeForce 2), but I have no framerate problems (10-15 FPS at 1024x768, distance slider around half-way). I think the folks with uberhigh-end machines should learn how to do a little tweaking, or else lower their expectations a tad. I certainly wouldn't trash the game over a couple hesitations here and there.

I really thought I'd be tired of it after playing so long, I'm not. For that alone I happily give it both a value for money rating and a fun rating of 10.

PROS: The little things...mushrooms on trees, different architectural styles, readable (and occasionally interesting!) books. The graphics are wonderful

CONS: Land movement can be annoyingly slow given the long distances it's sometimes necessary to cross.

Oh, and those Cliff Racer things should be grounded. I can't think of a single more irritating facet of the game than constantly (and I mean CONSTANTLY) having to whack those aerial menaces away while moving around in the hills.

Amazing-with the right computer

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 13 / 13
Date: January 09, 2003
Author: Amazon User

This game is incredible. It's not "bug-ridden" as some claim, just an absolute resource hog. Make sure to have a fast P4 processor and PLENTY (over 512meg, I recommend a gig) of RAM with a good video card. I originally had a P4 1.4 with 256 meg and this game was so slow and crashing to desktop constantly. I hated it. Now I have a P4 2.4 with 1 gig RAM and an nvidia GeForce 4...THIS GAME ROCKS. But only if your machine is up to the challenge.

a game of infinite depth

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 14 / 15
Date: August 09, 2002
Author: Amazon User

i am an rpg gamer by heart, i have played many rpgs, and this is the best one i played. i also avidly awaited NWN and it didnt work( teleportation problem, which bioware has not fixed), and so i bought morrowind, and i must say, it is stunning, in me ways than just visually. i run a low end system(p3 500 mz, gf2 mx, 320 mb ram) and the game runs fine. i do not know what the people who are saying it is running bad on anythig low end are talking about. the graphics are the best i have seen in a game, you make it unto a hill and look down and see trees rising out of fog, and animals and cities all around you, its breathtaking.the true beatuy of the game is with its gameplay.my friend recently asked me what do u do in this game, i said, i dont know, what ever you want, and i am serious about that. i have been playing for many many hours(lost track) and still havnt even touched the main plot line, i havnt been bored once. the leveling system and character creation screen are very creative, and i enjoyed how they put them into the game the way they did. books are everywhere and a lot of the time raise a skill. people are everywhere, and there is always something to do. for a true Rpg'r i reccommend this game, for people who enjoy ames like diablo 2( i certainly didnt) then this isnt a game for you, anybody looking for a real gaming excperience, buy this game.

A Truly Great game with very few flaws

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 12 / 12
Date: September 07, 2002
Author: Amazon User

A while back I played one of the first old Elder Scrolls games and while the graphics were terrible (by today's standards) I was impressed with the open-ended RPG system and storyline. Morrowind has caught up to the age of graphics (and then some) and keeps the same freedom of "go wherever, do whatever." You can create any kind of character, customize her look and abilities and do anything you want as long as you're prepared for the consequences.

The graphics were beautiful and the detail impressive. The weather changes, clouds move, the sky has constellation, the sun rises and sets, flags blow in the wind--several times my wife and I have jumped at the crash of lightening from a surprise thunderstorm in the game.

The NPC's are interesting, I just wish they could join you in a more of a "party" system. I have had allied characters follow me around, however. The only bad part to the NPC's is that strangers and shopkeepers have a tendency to insult you in town if you have a low personality score and simply walk near them, even if you aren't really pausing in front of them. But it IS interesting how you can befriend, beguile, bribe or irritate the other characters. Doing favors increases how much they like and aid you.

As far as performance, I don't understand how one of the earlier reviewers had any problems with his "2.4 ghz" machine. I ran mine on an AMD XP1600 (a 1.4ghz machine) and a 64MB Nvidia Geforce 2 card. The performance was almost flawless with the default settings. Very rarely does the frame rate pause or the game ever skip or crash. The few times it has crashed have been when I was trying to load another saved game so it wasn't detrimental. I did install the patch shortly after I started playing the game so I may have gotten to skip some of the earlier ugliness some gamers experienced. Installation was quick and painless.

Combat, while not perfect is exciting. You can swing your weapon in different ways, and the armor and weapons are realistic. There is no guarantee of survival. There is some strategy to it and in melee you find you and your opponent circling each other like boxers. Archers and mages back away from you so they have room to pummel you with arrows or spells and you find yourself doing the same. Baddies will chase you up stairs, thru rivers and around obstacles fairly intelligently. Only occasionally was I able to "cheat" the artificial intelligence.

I would like to see a multiplayer version of the game, not in the Massively Multiplayer sense such as Ultima Online or Everquest, but more of 2 to 8 players roaming a map or completing quests cooperatively. Also it would be interesting if a DM type person could change things and interact with the characters during play like Vampire: Redemption.

My only other complaint is the game lacks a cohesive value system, but that is my own personal prejudice. The world of Morrowind is kind of "dark-gray" and I don't feel there is much "heroism" to it, but some players might like not being tight cast. I like games like the Ultima series that had a moral and ethical sense to them and the drama that went with it. Maybe as I get farther into the storyline, the game will have a more "good vs. evil" theme that I'm not getting so far. Again, this is just my preference. But part of this is because of the freedom you enjoy in playing your character-you can be completely evil if you want.

Overall, Morrowind is a great game and I look forward to playing more of it this weekend. My wife is getting into it even though she isn't as into Computer and table-top RPG's the way I am. I'm glad someone got with the program and made a game that let's you be whatever and whoever you want instead of tying you to a specific character and storyline. Thanks Bethseda.

Finally!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 15 / 17
Date: May 06, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Well, I brought this tiny box home, opened it up, pulled the discs out and installed the game. I then ran the game and my eyes and ears were then treated to some of the best computer-generated imagery and sound I've ever heard.

This game is sterling. I can't think of a better obscure word to use to describe this game. For a more common word, fantastic is my choice.

Back in 1994 I played a game by Bethesda called "Daggerfall", a game in the Elder Scrolls series. It was awesome. You could create any sort of character you wished using various methods of creation. Upon escaping a dungeon you were free to do whatever you wanted. Want to be a thief? Be a thief. Want to be a noble knight, out to do-good? Do it! Want to sling spells around at evil creatures? DO IT!

Bethesda has topped Daggerfall with Morrowind. The controls are better, the sound is better, the graphics are phenomenal, and the combat has been improved as well. They've expanded upon the idea of doing whatever you want by letting you equip any weapons and armor you want, regardless of class. You can ignore people, run around aimlessly, catch a ride on a silt strider, take a swim, pick a lock, pick a fight, jump around, climb things, go to sea, save people from harm; all without following the story line. There is, of course, a story line, but if you'd rather hunt down scoundrels and turn them in for bounties, you can do that instead for as long as you wish. You can join a guild and learn ancient magical secrets or you can be a loner. It's your choice.

Leveling up is flawless. Bettering your skills is balanced perfectly so that the more and intelligently you use them, the more they increase. Weapons and armor need to be fixed occasionally from all of the wear and tear they take.

If you've played Daggerfall, definitely play this. If you're a fan of MMORPG's, give this a try even though it's not one. If you want a challenge but are used to FPS'es, I might even recommend it to you. The only thing is that you're going to need a STRONG computer for this game. I've got a P4 1.5GHz with a 32mb GEForce card, 256mb of RAM and I'm somewhere in the 40's for framerate at 800 by 600 screen resolution. If you want to run this bad boy at anything higher and keep it above 30 frames per second, you're going to have to upgrade. Adjust your mouse, too, and it'll help in combat.

This game is all around worth every penny you pay for it and then some. The discs are encoded with Macrovision SafeDisc, too, so all those software pirates are out of luck. Too bad. Support this company so that they may bring out more games like this! If you have an X-box, definitely pick this up; the PC version is better, however, since you can make your own maps and dungeons to play or send to friends who have it. The "Elder Scrolls Construction Set" program is a bit difficult to learn, but you'll be making your own maps in no time.

I'd give this game 10 stars if I could. If you can get your hands on a copy of Daggerfall, do so. Be warned, though, it isn't very good in XP. =\

The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 15 / 18
Date: October 02, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Welcome to my review of the third installment in the Elder Scorlls series, Morrowind. Morrowind is my first ES game, and all I can say is, "Are they all this good?" If someone asked me what my favorite game was two weeks ago, I would say, "Ocarina of Time." Now, however, I would flatly state, "Morrowind. Hands-down." Now, on to the actual review.

Graphics: 9/10
The graphics are absolutely awe-inspiringly gorgeous. I have not seen this realism in a video game since... ever. The only problem is that the graphics require a near-supercomputer. Mine is kind of super, and the graphics look fine, but the framerate is slightly choppy at times. Otherwise, great. As close to perfection as I have ever seen.

Sound: 10/10
Swords cling and clash. Magic blasts roar with power. Daggers swiftly slice through the air. Water sounds like water. Perfection. Absolute realistic perfection.

Voice Acting: 8/10
The voice acting in this game is excellent. Sadly, the voice acting is limited to two sets per species: a male set and a female set. You hear everything, from the male Wood Elves speaking of your freeness when you prance around in your underwear ("How free you are to venture in the nude!") to High Elves speaking of teleportation accidents ("I didn't remember using teleportation, yet there I was. Alone. Naked."). Even a celebrity voices all of one set. Who is it? Lynda Carter (aka Wonder Woman) voices all of the female Nords in the game.

Music: 9/10
The music is great. From the first time you boot up the game and hear the roar of drums, to when you're adventuring across the Morrowind countryside and hear beautiful, beautiful music, the game's music is spectacular.

Story: 10/10
You are a prisoner in the Imperial City's prison. You have just been released and are being taken to Seyda Neen for an unknown purpose (although you will find out why later). You create a character, are pointed in the direction of the main quest, and cut loose. From there, it's your story. You can choose to involve yourself with the Temple, a House, and a Guild. If you continue the main story, you can also be a member of a heroic organization known as the Blades.

Gameplay

Gameplay 1: Character Creation: 10/10

When you first start off, you'll get to make a character. This character can be anything from humans (Imperials [Cyrodil], Bretons, Nords, and Redguards) to elves (Wood Elves [Tree-Sap], Dark Elves [Dunmer], and High Elves [Altmer]) to beasts (Argonians [lizard people] and Khajits [tiger people]). This allows for rich enough gameplay, but you can also pick classes, such as Crusaders or Witchhunters. Not only that, but you can create your own classes with different skills to excel at, such as Alchemy, Destruction, Long Blade, Heavy Armor, Short Blade, Acrobatics, and more.

Gameplay 2: Controls: 10/10
This is one of the few PC games with great keyboard-and-mouse gameplay. The mouse looks around. W moves forward. A and D strafe (or turn, depending on your options). S goes backwards. R and F ready weapons and magic, both of which can be used with the left mouse button. Right-clicking brings up an equipment screen. 1 through 9 are assignable quick-equips. 0 puts up your weapon and readies you for hand-to-hand. Tab switches between first- (through your character's eyes) and third-person (seeing your character) view. Caps lock and shift determine your walking speed. Control (Ctrl) makes you crouch and sneak. -, =, [, and ] are quick weapon and magic cycles.

Gameplay 3: Combat/Items: 10/10
The game's controls are perfect for combat. Very fun. There are a wide range of weapons and items ranging from longswords to books and scrolls. There are many different varieties of enemies as well. Perfection.

Gameplay 4: The World: 10/10
Morrowind provides a huge landmass to explore, full of items, characters, and enemies. The game includes an easy-to use construction set, as well, which infinitely expands Morrowind's world. The expansion packs also add to the world, adding the Imperial City of Cyrodil (by teleportation) and a freezing-cold island that can be reached by swimming (good luck; there are Slaughterfish in there) or taking a boat. I don't have the expansion packs, though, and the game is near perfect now.

Gameplay 5: Character Interaction: 7/10
This is the game's only weakness. Interaction with other characters is limited to choosing items on a menu. It is okay, though, and still immersive.

Overall Gameplay: 9/10

Final Verdict: BUY THIS GAME. If you have an XBox and a PC, get the PC version. It has a construction set. Also, don't get this, get the Game of the Year edition, which includes the expansion packs and costs about $40 less than buying the main game and the packs seperately.

ESRB Rating: T for Teen (13+) for violence, blood, and gore

My Rating: 10+ for violence, blood, and mild language
Buy or Rent: If you like RPGs, buy now. If you're not sure, rent it first.
[...]

*snore* Wake me when it's over.

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 13 / 15
Date: July 11, 2003
Author: Amazon User

People are raving about this game because the graphics are fantastic, the world is huge, and the gameplay is open-ended.

Okay, but it's still not working for me.

1. "The graphics are lovely!" Right. Well, I don't buy computer games for the cool graphics. I really kind of want to play an interesting GAME. :p

2. "The world is huge!" Huge and boooorrrringggg. Look, it's all well and good to say the world is massive, but it's populated with the same annoying monsters, the same dungeons (only their tongue-twister names set them apart), the same boring tombs, and many many towns and villages populated with drone-like NPCs.

3. "The gameplay is so open-ended! There are a bizillion quests!" Yeah, and most of them are errands that have you trudging back and forth across the massive, grey/tan world fetching this or delivering that. *yawn* I actually found myself stopping to put in a load of laundry or vacuum the carpet, and not going back to the game at all. When housework is more interesting and challenging than the game, it's not a good sign.

4. So... I guess what I'm saying is, it just didn't capture my imagination or hold my attention. I've been dawdling around with this thing for weeks trying to finish it, but I always seem to have something better to do. I give up. If this is the future of RPGs, I guess I'm going to have to start reading more. Ohh, no cool graphics though! ;)

A step in the right direction for RPG's

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 10 / 10
Date: July 10, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Morrowind is an engaging game. Right from the getgo, the detail will amaze you. You pick your character from a dozen or so races and choose from 21 classes. You can even customize your class and make say a sniper or ninja.

I have heard some people say the story is shallow; I disagree. There are numerous plot lines. You will find individual characters in the game have different motivations. A tax collector has gone missing. You find him crying out his last dieing breath as he collapses to the ground later in the game. His journal reveals that he felt alienated by the townsfolk while he researched a flying spell. Why is he dead? The townsfolk hated him for collecting taxes. Could someone have murdered him or was he killed by a monster? I found him in the dark of night with a torch in hand. I must admit I was quickly turning in all directions half expecting something to jump out at me! These events are a very small details in the major story line. You will find little stories like this everywhere.

The combat interface is both simple and complex. You have a choice between 3 different attack modes each with different speed of attack and damage. I have heard people complain about this fact although I can't understand why. The vast majority of games out there, you click and monster dies. In Morrowind there IS HUGE STRATEGY involved in combat. I enter a cave to save some captured slaves and a rougue dark elf feels my arrows as I snipe from behind some stalagtites. It is very difficult to hit him as he darts towards me to engage in hand to hand. The sound effects of his taunts and war cries add to the suspense. When he approaches me I switch to my halberd. I find that the most effective attack, the stab, is often interrupted if the dark elf's quicker dagger gets me. I back up and switch to a chop or slash attack to interrupt his own attacks. At times the dark elf will retreat himself, or dart past me to get at me from behind. I am constantly moving around to try to get the combat advantage. Each of your opponents will have different attack methods and you have to adjust accordingly.

The experience points for this encounter is realistic. I will become more skilled in the armor I am wearing or the weapon I am using, plus the regular magic point and hit point increase.

Morrowind's speach template is better than most games. You pick up keywords from those you talk to and ask others about them. Exactly the same as Shadowrun for the Super Nintendo system.

The only drawback is that it is too much. I have spent hours just in the first town! The huge amount of polygons from toadstools, trees, ferns, bushes, hanging moss, and characters/monsters led me to game pauses, long load times, and choppiness. This was with a 32meg graphic card and only 128megs of Ram. Playability increased as expected when I put in a second 128 ram chip and a 128meg graphic card.

If you want fast gameplay, look elsewhere. If you want depth and replayability look here

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