I love this game franchise. A good amount of you have probably figured that out by now. If you haven't.. well you're dumb. Kidding. Anyway, I can go on and on about this subject. So instead of boring someone by talking their ear off about it, I decided to start my own topics describing the games, their features and what I liked/disliked about them. To prevent this topic from being too long, I am going to have several topics: a thread about Morrowind, Oblivion and Skyrim. This topic will cover my Morrowind review and so on. (Once I have posted this, I will make the other topics and link them here so you don't have to go scavenging in the board looking for them.
Also note that if you haven't played the games.. well you shouldn't read the spoilers, then. I don't think that I will be able to put it all in a general format. I have to just spill everything. I also do not expect anyone to understand anything in the spoilers because if you have only dabbled in the franchise, you won't know what I am talking about. Yeah, I might have a slight obsession.
Anyway:
The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind takes place in the third era of the franchise. It follows The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall. It's original release date was May 1st, 2002. It takes place in the continent called Tamriel. Here is a map for you to see its placement:
Plot
The main plot of Morrowind concentrates on The Tribunal, a trio of god-like individuals who rule and protect Morrowind. The three gods, or "false gods" are Almalexia, Sotha Sil, and Vivec, who plays the most important role in the main quest. There is a prophecy in which the player has to fulfill, which is called the Nerevarine. A group of Ashlanders, a nomatic group of dark elves who live in isolation in the inhospitable wastelands of Morrowind. The wastelands are filled with disease, and ash that blows from Red Mountian (Tamriel's biggest volcano right smack in the middle of Morrowind.) They believe that Indoril Nerevar will be reincarnated to defeat the main protagonist, Dagoth Ur and his followers of the Sixth House (I explain all of these things down below). The Tribunal struggle to defeat Dagoth Ur, as he possesses highly powerful tools of Lord Kagrenac and has therefore made himself immortal to drive outlanders and the Imperials and the emperor. The player who is the Nerevarine, must prove themselves worthy of all five houses and prove that they are indeed, the Nerevar. As soon as the player has proven themselves, they are assisted by the daedric prince Azura and Vivec, to defeat Dagoth Ur and stop the cult of the Sixth house and clear all blight and disease from Morrowind.
Personal Thoughts
Plot
Morrowind was my second to first open-world RPG. Fable: The Lost Chapters coming in at first place. I have played Morrowind at least four times. The very first time I played, I was drawn immediately to the game which is why I played through it so many times. However, when I first played I didn't know nearly as much as TES as I do now. It was hard to understand when you don't have much knowledge under your belt, at least when it comes to the nitty gritty details of the characters and the lore. Although I will say that even though I did not understand fully, I adored it. I loved that you were somebody really special. You were depended on and the Dunmer (dark elves) of Morrowind looked up to you, which made up for your enemies. Once you have finished the main quest, it feels completed. I didn't feel as if there were something missing. I'm not very observant in general, but after playing four times I did not notice any plot holes. There is no cliffhanger. You have fulfilled your destiny. Even after the main quest is finished, you can still go about and do many side quests.
A lot of people may not like the protagonist. After all, they are evil and they should be eradicated to protect others, as is also the case when it comes to the Dragonborn in Skyrim. Now the first time I played, I didn't like Dagoth Ur. He was a meanie pants. He killed me several times before I could finally defeat that little sucker. I eventually came to love him because.. he wasn't evil after all. I believe he turned when he started using Lord Kagrenac's tools which made him powerful and thought to be unstoppable. Sorry, dude, not while Mr. Nerevar is around.
As far as the character bit goes, I am sure that you are sitting there scratching your head. What does Indoril Nerevar, Dagoth Ur, and The Tribunal have in common? They all found The Heart laying within Red Mountain (which would become Dagoth Ur's dwellings with his nasty diseases and creatures) in the first era. I don't know anymore than that, as the game does not explore the subject and I haven't been bothered to read lore about it yet.
Gameplay
Unfortunately, I must confess that the gameplay in this game is atrocious.
Battle System
The battle system is utter crap. When your blade skill is low and you try to attack an enemy, you miss.. like every time. I got so frustrated with this that I had to download a mod called "Accurate Attack" which gets rid of your lack of combat skill and so you hit the enemy every time. This does not affect your skill level- you can do combat a lot more faster when your blade level is higher. I think the mod is definitely a must. The casting system for Magicka isn't as bad as the combat, at least. It's not something to write home about, though. It's just practical. You can either have your spell in one hand, or you can dual wield it. The only thing I didn't like is that when you cast a spell as it is also with the combat, the spell fails if your skill is low. It is also frustrating because when you try to use a restoration spell to heal, you can't do it unless one of your major skills is in the restoration class or you are not leveled enough. The stamina system is a bit crappy, too. You can't run without using stamina and when you have to fight you have to use a Restore Stamina or Fortify Stamina potion to either replenish it or temporarily give yourself more stamina points.
When it comes to enemies, I don't really have anything to say other than ONE is VERY VERY ANNOYING. Cliff Racers are the bane of my existence. They are usually found in the wastelands and marsh areas of Morrowind. I absolutely despise them because they come at you in groups of three or sometimes four (I am not sure if this was intentional or if it's a bug, courteously un-fixed by Bethesda). While they are not hard to kill (they die within a few whacks of your sword) they are extremely infuriating. Instead of coming down and immediately attacking you, they will hover above you and make the most annoying noise you have ever heard in your entire life. So if your Acrobatics skill isn't leveled, you can't jump high enough to reach them. Using magic is your best bet with these abominations.
Lastly: This game has so many bugs it's not even funny. There must have been not a lot of knowledge on how to fix them or Bethesda was just lazy. It would take an eternity to explain. So I will say that I ALWAYS install the Morrowind Code Patch after I install the game.
Graphics
Eugh. The graphics in this game are so crappy they make a potato look beautiful. I know that they have aged badly..this game came out in 2002 for crying out loud. All there really is to say is that it's not very pretty to look at. I'm sure it was good for it's time, though. I believe that Bethesda was concentrating more on the story and not the looks of things. But who knows. This is Bethesda we are talking about. Anyway, I'm not a fan so I have installed a graphics overhaul which covers all of the textures. It's not great, but I mean it's a lot better than what it looked like before when installed.
Quests/Locations
When it comes to quests/locations? This game will impress you. At least it did for me. I admired how many damn ruins, caves, and areas there are to explore. I have played four times and I haven't even discovered half of them! It's one of those games where you have to ask around. Money will uncover secrets if you persuade people to tell you things, or you can also go out on your own and just do whatever you want. Kill some bandits in the caves. Explore the surplus amount of Daedric ruins! I loved the content.
Conclusion
Overall, I enjoyed this game a lot. It's one of my favorite games. Four times isn't enough for me. I will probably be playing this for years to come. Aside from the cons of this game, I would highly recommend it. A lot of people don't even know what this game is, let alone its existence. I know some people are after graphics rather than the story line. I have told others that you won't regret playing it if you just give it a chance. Never judge a book by its cover. Always open it and see what is inside. You never know, you might come to cherish what it has to offer!
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Review
Also note that if you haven't played the games.. well you shouldn't read the spoilers, then. I don't think that I will be able to put it all in a general format. I have to just spill everything. I also do not expect anyone to understand anything in the spoilers because if you have only dabbled in the franchise, you won't know what I am talking about. Yeah, I might have a slight obsession.
Anyway:
The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind takes place in the third era of the franchise. It follows The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall. It's original release date was May 1st, 2002. It takes place in the continent called Tamriel. Here is a map for you to see its placement:
Plot
The main plot of Morrowind concentrates on The Tribunal, a trio of god-like individuals who rule and protect Morrowind. The three gods, or "false gods" are Almalexia, Sotha Sil, and Vivec, who plays the most important role in the main quest. There is a prophecy in which the player has to fulfill, which is called the Nerevarine. A group of Ashlanders, a nomatic group of dark elves who live in isolation in the inhospitable wastelands of Morrowind. The wastelands are filled with disease, and ash that blows from Red Mountian (Tamriel's biggest volcano right smack in the middle of Morrowind.) They believe that Indoril Nerevar will be reincarnated to defeat the main protagonist, Dagoth Ur and his followers of the Sixth House (I explain all of these things down below). The Tribunal struggle to defeat Dagoth Ur, as he possesses highly powerful tools of Lord Kagrenac and has therefore made himself immortal to drive outlanders and the Imperials and the emperor. The player who is the Nerevarine, must prove themselves worthy of all five houses and prove that they are indeed, the Nerevar. As soon as the player has proven themselves, they are assisted by the daedric prince Azura and Vivec, to defeat Dagoth Ur and stop the cult of the Sixth house and clear all blight and disease from Morrowind.
Personal Thoughts
Plot
Morrowind was my second to first open-world RPG. Fable: The Lost Chapters coming in at first place. I have played Morrowind at least four times. The very first time I played, I was drawn immediately to the game which is why I played through it so many times. However, when I first played I didn't know nearly as much as TES as I do now. It was hard to understand when you don't have much knowledge under your belt, at least when it comes to the nitty gritty details of the characters and the lore. Although I will say that even though I did not understand fully, I adored it. I loved that you were somebody really special. You were depended on and the Dunmer (dark elves) of Morrowind looked up to you, which made up for your enemies. Once you have finished the main quest, it feels completed. I didn't feel as if there were something missing. I'm not very observant in general, but after playing four times I did not notice any plot holes. There is no cliffhanger. You have fulfilled your destiny. Even after the main quest is finished, you can still go about and do many side quests.
A lot of people may not like the protagonist. After all, they are evil and they should be eradicated to protect others, as is also the case when it comes to the Dragonborn in Skyrim. Now the first time I played, I didn't like Dagoth Ur. He was a meanie pants. He killed me several times before I could finally defeat that little sucker. I eventually came to love him because.. he wasn't evil after all. I believe he turned when he started using Lord Kagrenac's tools which made him powerful and thought to be unstoppable. Sorry, dude, not while Mr. Nerevar is around.
Spoiler
As far as the character bit goes, I am sure that you are sitting there scratching your head. What does Indoril Nerevar, Dagoth Ur, and The Tribunal have in common? They all found The Heart laying within Red Mountain (which would become Dagoth Ur's dwellings with his nasty diseases and creatures) in the first era. I don't know anymore than that, as the game does not explore the subject and I haven't been bothered to read lore about it yet.
Gameplay
Unfortunately, I must confess that the gameplay in this game is atrocious.
Battle System
The battle system is utter crap. When your blade skill is low and you try to attack an enemy, you miss.. like every time. I got so frustrated with this that I had to download a mod called "Accurate Attack" which gets rid of your lack of combat skill and so you hit the enemy every time. This does not affect your skill level- you can do combat a lot more faster when your blade level is higher. I think the mod is definitely a must. The casting system for Magicka isn't as bad as the combat, at least. It's not something to write home about, though. It's just practical. You can either have your spell in one hand, or you can dual wield it. The only thing I didn't like is that when you cast a spell as it is also with the combat, the spell fails if your skill is low. It is also frustrating because when you try to use a restoration spell to heal, you can't do it unless one of your major skills is in the restoration class or you are not leveled enough. The stamina system is a bit crappy, too. You can't run without using stamina and when you have to fight you have to use a Restore Stamina or Fortify Stamina potion to either replenish it or temporarily give yourself more stamina points.
When it comes to enemies, I don't really have anything to say other than ONE is VERY VERY ANNOYING. Cliff Racers are the bane of my existence. They are usually found in the wastelands and marsh areas of Morrowind. I absolutely despise them because they come at you in groups of three or sometimes four (I am not sure if this was intentional or if it's a bug, courteously un-fixed by Bethesda). While they are not hard to kill (they die within a few whacks of your sword) they are extremely infuriating. Instead of coming down and immediately attacking you, they will hover above you and make the most annoying noise you have ever heard in your entire life. So if your Acrobatics skill isn't leveled, you can't jump high enough to reach them. Using magic is your best bet with these abominations.
Lastly: This game has so many bugs it's not even funny. There must have been not a lot of knowledge on how to fix them or Bethesda was just lazy. It would take an eternity to explain. So I will say that I ALWAYS install the Morrowind Code Patch after I install the game.
Graphics
Eugh. The graphics in this game are so crappy they make a potato look beautiful. I know that they have aged badly..this game came out in 2002 for crying out loud. All there really is to say is that it's not very pretty to look at. I'm sure it was good for it's time, though. I believe that Bethesda was concentrating more on the story and not the looks of things. But who knows. This is Bethesda we are talking about. Anyway, I'm not a fan so I have installed a graphics overhaul which covers all of the textures. It's not great, but I mean it's a lot better than what it looked like before when installed.
Quests/Locations
When it comes to quests/locations? This game will impress you. At least it did for me. I admired how many damn ruins, caves, and areas there are to explore. I have played four times and I haven't even discovered half of them! It's one of those games where you have to ask around. Money will uncover secrets if you persuade people to tell you things, or you can also go out on your own and just do whatever you want. Kill some bandits in the caves. Explore the surplus amount of Daedric ruins! I loved the content.
Conclusion
Overall, I enjoyed this game a lot. It's one of my favorite games. Four times isn't enough for me. I will probably be playing this for years to come. Aside from the cons of this game, I would highly recommend it. A lot of people don't even know what this game is, let alone its existence. I know some people are after graphics rather than the story line. I have told others that you won't regret playing it if you just give it a chance. Never judge a book by its cover. Always open it and see what is inside. You never know, you might come to cherish what it has to offer!
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Review
Jarkko smells
Elton John lion by Pyrite. Thanks!
Elton John lion by Pyrite. Thanks!