While Scott was walking aimlessly around E3 with big, dilated eyes and a cheesy little grin, I was left behind in a state of relative gaming boredom. Luckily, there was a game called Morrowind on my hard drive that I was saving for a slow week or two that I could really get into. After all, roleplaying games generally offer the biggest worlds to explore, so I knew it wouldn't be something I could run through in a few days. Little did I know that the game's vast scope would last well beyond my E3 blues, and become a title I'm bound to be playing weeks or months into the future.
Morrowind is a roleplaying game that's garnered quite a bit of attention. We've heard all about the vast landscapes, the incredible storyline, the freedom of choice to do what you want and the game's ability to let you play it at your own pace. We've heard many of these claims before. Finally, however, the game actually lives up to all the hype. This is one monster of a game.
To start with, the character creation process is seamless and woven directly into the story of the game. You awake aboard a ship as a prisoner, unsure of what exactly is going on. As you answer questions and talk to guards, you find out not only who you are as a character, but what you're main quest starts out to be.
The trick is that you might want to go back and answer those questions a bit differently to see what you might come up with as a character. My first time around I became a barbarian: good with blunt weapons and axes… not so good with other weapons and skills, not to mention limited ability with magic.
I went back three or four different times and came out with different characters each time. Even something as simple as character creation in Morrowind is seemingly epic. Choosing who you are defines how you might play the game: a noble warrior who fights for good, a machine of hatred and death, or a sneaky thief. You can play this game so many different ways, it's truly awe-inspiring.
As you travel the world, you'll learn as much or as little about the world around you as you want. The writing in the game is superb, and the little tidbits you pick up here and there as well as the massive tomes of writing you'll come across, all add up to a pretty convincing and evocative world. The creators did a gutsy thing when they thought up Morrowind. Basically they were creating from scratch an entire world's history, and a land to match.
There are hundreds of side quests to compliment the main quest. You can join different guilds. The choices you make in the game create echoes wherever you go. Sure, go ahead and kill that innocent merchant… but beware the guards coming to take you away to punish you for the crime. Worse yet, you might get thrown out of your guild for attacking a fellow member. The game forces players to make moral choices and deal with them.
When you first play the game, the sheer size and scope of the world will probably awe you. The graphics are sheer brilliance for this type of game. The architecture of the cities for different races is unique. Day and night cycles help make the game believable, as well as absolutely amazing weather effects (the first time I witnessed a dust storm, I stood there and watched the brilliance).
NPCs are abundant, and many give you side quests and valuable information. However, they are one of the few aspects of the game that don't seem very well developed. They sometimes stand in the same place, day or night, forever. Stores don't count time, and you're allowed to shop there at any time of the day or night. While I appreciate the way these decisions make the game easier to deal with, they break the suspension of belief that the world is somehow real.
Also, some of the quests themselves get rather boring. There's an awful lot of travel in the game, and the world can be downright boring at times. For all the graphical splendor and realistic locations, the world sometimes seems almost ghostly. There aren't too many creatures out there to fight, making travel a lonely adventure.
The incredible dungeons are very fun, however. The treasure you'll pick up is worth the effort, and you'll pick up some nifty magic items pretty early on into the game. Not to mention the cool armor and items that are all added to your character's appearance as soon as you put stuff on.
Combat consists of a few different strokes or attack combinations. Your character is probably skilled in one or two weapons, so making sure you stick with those weapons is one of the keys to the game. Keep this in mind early on when you can basically be beaten down by everything in the game. Stick to what your character is good with, and you'll be OK.
I've already said that the game's scope is astounding… but it comes with some problems. There are errors in the game that don't make sense. Sometimes you'll do everything you need to accomplish a quest, and nothing you can do will complete the quest. Other times you'll be hunted down and jailed for something you didn't even remember doing (because you didn't do it). Or, worse yet, the game has issues where characters just seem to disappear. Not only all this, but you'll need a monster of a system to run it without a hitch on the PC. It has also crashed to desktop at least a half dozen times.
Morrowind just might be one of the largest games ever created. I'm not even exaggerating a bit. It's huge. Epic. Sprawling. It's definitely worth the time investment, but just know that this isn't a game you can put in a few minutes at a time. Morrowind is the kind of game that takes dedication to fully reap its rewards. If you're not prepared for it, then it just might put you off. However, if you have the time and willpower to give this game everything you can, then it just might be one of the greatest roleplaying games you've ever played.
-Jerred
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