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Intro Bethesda Software is back with the third entry into their Elder Scrolls RPG series and the first one to enter the console market, this game is, of course, Morrowind. Morrowind brings the PC role-playing experience to consoles, complete with Bethesda's trademarked open-ended environment and endless hours of gameplay. Fortunately for Xbox gamers, this version is just as good, and better at times, than its PC counterpart - not only that, it's one hell of an adventure. Gameplay: 8/10 While sounding cliché is something most reviewers try to stay away from, considering that those who do are often mocked and called meanie things on forums, it's hard to not expound generic phrases for Morrowind. Sure, calling it epic would serve as a solid description of the game-world and engrossing would really give a hint as to how the atmosphere is, but today's gamer demands a bit more from a review. So with that, I give you, the most epic, mind-blowing and wholly original game to have hit the market..just kidding. While Arena was adapted early on in its digital life as a solid and wholly enjoyable RPG, it was with Daggerfall that Bethesda really made a name for themselves in said genre. Daggerfall really took gamers by surprised as it was everything enjoyable about the genre, but expanded to an unimaginable proportion. Unfortunately, there were also several bugs that came out with the released product causing it to be one of the few games to ever appear in the 'Best of' and 'Worst of' lists for the year in the same magazine. After being patched up, the true vision of what was the second chapter in the Elder Scrolls' saga was fully realized. While Morrowind was a much polished released over its predecessor, there was still some problems that needed to be ironed out, but fortunately for all the Xbox gamers out there, those were for the PC and fans of MS' 400 lb. gorilla are reaping the benefits of a slightly delayed, but more polished, product. Taking place over a massive landmass, Morrowind holds no restrictions on the gamer. This is freedom is also a bit of a curse as it can be fairly easy to lose track of what was going on, and it can also make the game drag on for those who are ready to get the story rolling. For gamers out there who prefer their RPG to have a more concise story that moves along at a steady pace, and there is nothing wrong with that, much of Morrowind's intricacies will be lost on you. However, for the gamer who doesn't mind pounding the ground and losing themselves in an entirely new world, this is exactly what you've been looking for. Considering this is the first solid port of, what I consider, a pure pc RPG to a console, this will be quite a shock to those coming from a series akin to Final Fantasy. Starting off, gamers can pick their character by either answering questions - something I always loved to do - or choosing the desired traits from a list. From there, the adventure begins as each NPC has their own backstory and each can present their own mini quests. All have persuasion meters and if you're a suave character, you can reap the rewards of extra secrets, cheaper goods, higher prices for used goods, and a friendlier atmosphere. However, if you make people mad, cold shoulders abound as you might just have to go to a whole new town just to purchase a new weapon. If you prefer a more brutal approach, one could always murder the shopkeeper and steal all of their goods. I did find a problem with this as I killed all shopkeepers and the town guards never caught me or tried to catch me, but when I stole something out of a basket, I was immediately detained. Speaking of stealing, nearly anything can be stolen and that's one of the more incredible aspects about Morrowind, nearly everything can be interacted with. If you need a flower pedal, click on the flower and take a pedal off, if you're interested in learning the story of how the people in a certain area lived during a specific time span, pick up a book and read. To be honest, I was floored with how comprehension the developers were with the various books that are sprawled about; every book can be read and some can contain only a few paragraphs while some have twenty, thirty, or even more pages worth of reference material and history, considering that reading certain books can increase abilities, it's always cool to have a defense boost from reading up on certain techniques. As varied as the books, spells, and weapons - which also feature possessed weapons - are the lands that will be traveled across. What is universal about the lands are that they are definitely not typical RPG landscapes. There are no rolling green hills or deep forests, only rustic lands of sand storms and archaic structures. This might offset even fans of the genre as they might not have any interest in such a world, as I can certainly see the appeal of the typical realm of warriors and wizards. As I've said before though, Morrowind is something different and, in many respects, something very special. While the world and pacing can have valid complaints, I can overlook those, even though I was sidetracked and forgot what I was doing quite a bit, but what I couldn't skip over was the combat system - I really couldn't get into it. While spells and ranged weapons worked as expected, I didn't enjoy melee combat as it consisted of simply bashing an enemy from different sides with no real technique to speak of. My frustration would only mountain as I swiped a huge spear at a large rat and consistently missed, or hit for little damage; stamina also seemed to have changed a bit and exaggerated for the Xbox as swings and heavy armor can take a heap load more out of your character and the end results could be what happened to me - an elderly woman beating a fully-armored Orc to death with her bare hands. When in weapon vs. weapon combat, there was no parrying or side-stepping, simply bashing until someone died. For some players who prefer the route of a mage or a rogue, this might not be a big deal, but for the warriors out there, they might be in for a bit of an upset. The Morrowind story is an interesting tale that involves countless characters and numerous side-stories in the lives of all the characters populating the world. Starting off joining a guild to spy on it is only the kick start of story that encompasses hundreds of hours and boundless gameplay. I could go on and on and only scratch the surface of Morrowind, the best way I can end it so to simply say: if you're looking for a game that actually engulfs you and one in which you actually play the role of another character and live their life throughout months of realtime game-time, this is what you've been looking for. Streamlined, improved, and polished up for its console release, Xbox fans should be very pleased at the piece of gaming history that has been dropped off at their local retailer, be weary though, this might be a new experience for some of you out there so don't expect the traditional console RPG experience, Morrowind is something new altogether. Graphics: 8.5/10 Sound:
8/10 Control:
9/10 Overall:
8.5/10 [ top ] | |||
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