Oh man, this game is something. I can remember the first time I heard about it. Toonami, on the Cartoon Network, ran a review for Morrowind when it came out. I just remember the open world, do anything you want, mechanic appealing so much to me. I was twelve then, and had not really ever played an RPG, other than Pokemon. I had no idea what to expect. When my cousin rented the game for his original Xbox, we played it all night long. I knew this was a game that would stick with me. And it has. I have come back to this game over and over again about once ever two to three years. When Skyrim came out and I finished it, most of my friends started it over so they could play a different character. But I went back to Morrowind.

Where to start Hm, well first of all, let me preface my praise for this game with a warning. A lot of modern gamers seem to have difficulty getting into these older classics. The RPG system is fairly old school. Your skill determines your chance to hit and not your damage dealt like in Oblivion and Skyrim. Some modern gamers don't like this restriction, but being a fan of the traditional RPG systems of games like FO1 and FO2, Baldur's Gate, Planescape, etc. I enjoy this system. Sure, it's hard as Hell when you first start out. You feel so incredibly weak. You're in this strange, alien world where nothing is really familiar. Instead of horses or carriages, people ride around in the hollowed out carapace of giant bugs. The abundance of plant life is generally nothing you'll recognize except for a few flowers in the more westernized cities. You really get the sense that you're alone in this wild place. You're so weak that you struggle to battle against rats and mudcrabs. Just make sure you check the "Always Use Best Attack" option in the settings menu. It helps a good deal.

You also have to really play into the RPG system. This isn't Skyrim where you, a mage, can use any weapon and still be a bad ass. If you're a mage, then you won't be able to kill ♥♥♥♥ with a sword. Likewise, if you're a warrior, you're more likely to turn your genitals into a basket of fruit than you are to fry your enemies with magic. Try to choose a race that complements a certain class. Plan out what type of character you're going to play and then try to make your gameplay efficient in that regard.

One last thing is that this game was created before voice acting was considered necessary in video games. I still argue that voice acting isn't necessary and that I'd rather see more content than less content with voice acting included. Regardless, some people find it difficult to deal without it. Really, it's not that hard to read and it just gets you into the story even more. I find myself paying more attention to the details when I'm reading as opposed to listening.

Another warning is that the graphics are outdated. When Morrowind was released, it was the pinnacle of video game graphics. Screenshots of the game were advertised on the back of high end graphics cards you'd find in electronic shops. However, thanks to the game's wonderful compatibility with mods, this can totally overhauled with some excellent mods. It's possible to transform the game into something truly more beautiful than it was ever imagined to be.

Controls are going to be a problem for you if you only like using a controller. I guess it would be possible to map the controls to an Xbox controller, but it wouldn't really be efficient. I imagine you'd have a lot of difficulty aiming at anything in the midst of battle. It's just as well, though, as this game is better played with a macro keyboard and mouse.

Okay, now that the warning are out of the way, time for the good stuff.

The writing for this game's story is phenomenal. The backstory and lore for this game is top notch. The atmosphere of the entire game is spot on. You get SO immersed into this world, so quickly. Some crazy things happen to your character in the main story that really just draws you in to the history of this world. The culture of the people in Morrowind is one of the most dynamic and interesting that I've ever seen in video game. The Dunmer culture was solidified in this game and it has obviously left an indelible mark on the series, even on into the future games like Skyrim.

Speaking of which, the second expansion pack for this game (being including in this GotY bundle) is the first appearance of Solstheim. That's right, the frozen island featured in the Dragonborn DLC for Skyrim is a revisit to the beautiful little island featured in The Elder Scrolls III: Bloodmoon. Bloodmoon allows you to become a werewolf, truly one of the greatest mechanics of the series and something that was sorely missed in Oblivion.

The other expansion, Tribunal doesn't add any new landmasses, but the capital city of Morrowind, Mournhold. While the city proper isn't huge, the underground sewers, and old ruins are quite expansive. The quests and story for Tribunal is just as compelling as the main quest for Morrowind and gives you the opportunity to meet yet another living god (the first being introduced to you in Morrowind's main quest).

The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind is just one of those games that everybody should have in their library. It's just a beautiful game in it's entirety. It does have it's flaws and bugs, but when you take an abstract look at the entire game, it is not hard at all to see why so many people consider it to be a true masterpiece. The story, setting, detail, art, and dialogue is just all so wonderful that outweighs any of it's more "dated" aspects. This game has been with me for around twelve years now and I will probably never stop playing it. There will always be times when I revisit Morrowind, as the little island of Vvardenfell was practically my backyard for my early to mid teenage years. Buy it. It is so worth it. And even if you can't get past the graphics or the lack of voice acting, then buy it anyway and get Oblivion. If you own both of these games, you can run the Morroblivion mod and play all of Morrowind's story in the Oblivion engine. The same will be true for Skywind when that mod is finished. Neither of them have voice acting yet, but the fans are trying to record it. One day, all of Morrowind will be available, fully voiced and retouched in the Oblivion and Skyrim engines.

But you should experience the game in it's original engine at least once. The feel of it just adds to the magic that is Morrowind.

10/10

Oh man, this game is something. I can remember the first time I heard about it. Toonami, on the Cartoon Network, ran a review for Morrowind when it came out. I just remember the open world, do anything you want, mechanic appealing so much to me. I was twelve then, and had not really ever played an RPG, other than Pokemon. I had no idea what to expect. When my cousin rented the game for his original Xbox, we played it all night long. I knew this was a game that would stick with me. And it has. I have come back to this game over and over again about once ever two to three years. When Skyrim came out and I finished it, most of my friends started it over so they could play a different character. But I went back to Morrowind. Where to start Hm, well first of all, let me preface my praise for this game with a warning. A lot of modern gamers seem to have difficulty getting into these older classics. The RPG system is fairly old school. Your skill determines your chance to hit and not your damage dealt like in Oblivion and Skyrim. Some modern gamers don't like this restriction, but being a fan of the traditional RPG systems of games like FO1 and FO2, Baldur's Gate, Planescape, etc. I enjoy this system. Sure, it's hard as Hell when you first start out. You feel so incredibly weak. You're in this strange, alien world where nothing is really familiar. Instead of horses or carriages, people ride around in the hollowed out carapace of giant bugs. The abundance of plant life is generally nothing you'll recognize except for a few flowers in the more westernized cities. You really get the sense that you're alone in this wild place. You're so weak that you struggle to battle against rats and mudcrabs. Just make sure you check the "Always Use Best Attack" option in the settings menu. It helps a good deal. You also have to really play into the RPG system. This isn't Skyrim where you, a mage, can use any weapon and still be a bad ass. If you're a mage, then you won't be able to kill shit with a sword. Likewise, if you're a warrior, you're more likely to turn your genitals into a basket of fruit than you are to fry your enemies with magic. Try to choose a race that complements a certain class. Plan out what type of character you're going to play and then try to make your gameplay efficient in that regard. One last thing is that this game was created before voice acting was considered necessary in video games. I still argue that voice acting isn't necessary and that I'd rather see more content than less content with voice acting included. Regardless, some people find it difficult to deal without it. Really, it's not that hard to read and it just gets you into the story even more. I find myself paying more attention to the details when I'm reading as opposed to listening. Another warning is that the graphics are outdated. When Morrowind was released, it was the pinnacle of video game graphics. Screenshots of the game were advertised on the back of high end graphics cards you'd find in electronic shops. However, thanks to the game's wonderful compatibility with mods, this can totally overhauled with some excellent mods. It's possible to transform the game into something truly more beautiful than it was ever imagined to be. Controls are going to be a problem for you if you only like using a controller. I guess it would be possible to map the controls to an Xbox controller, but it wouldn't really be efficient. I imagine you'd have a lot of difficulty aiming at anything in the midst of battle. It's just as well, though, as this game is better played with a macro keyboard and mouse. Okay, now that the warning are out of the way, time for the good stuff. The writing for this game's story is phenomenal. The backstory and lore for this game is top notch. The atmosphere of the entire game is spot on. You get SO immersed into this world, so quickly. Some crazy things happen to your character in the main story that really just draws you in to the history of this world. The culture of the people in Morrowind is one of the most dynamic and interesting that I've ever seen in video game. The Dunmer culture was solidified in this game and it has obviously left an indelible mark on the series, even on into the future games like Skyrim. Speaking of which, the second expansion pack for this game (being including in this GotY bundle) is the first appearance of Solstheim. That's right, the frozen island featured in the Dragonborn DLC for Skyrim is a revisit to the beautiful little island featured in The Elder Scrolls III: Bloodmoon. Bloodmoon allows you to become a werewolf, truly one of the greatest mechanics of the series and something that was sorely missed in Oblivion. The other expansion, Tribunal doesn't add any new landmasses, but the capital city of Morrowind, Mournhold. While the city proper isn't huge, the underground sewers, and old ruins are quite expansive. The quests and story for Tribunal is just as compelling as the main quest for Morrowind and gives you the opportunity to meet yet another living god (the first being introduced to you in Morrowind's main quest). The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind is just one of those games that everybody should have in their library. It's just a beautiful game in it's entirety. It does have it's flaws and bugs, but when you take an abstract look at the entire game, it is not hard at all to see why so many people consider it to be a true masterpiece. The story, setting, detail, art, and dialogue is just all so wonderful that outweighs any of it's more "dated" aspects. This game has been with me for around twelve years now and I will probably never stop playing it. There will always be times when I revisit Morrowind, as the little island of Vvardenfell was practically my backyard for my early to mid teenage years. Buy it. It is so worth it. And even if you can't get past the graphics or the lack of voice acting, then buy it anyway and get Oblivion. If you own both of these games, you can run the Morroblivion mod and play all of Morrowind's story in the Oblivion engine. The same will be true for Skywind when that mod is finished. Neither of them have voice acting yet, but the fans are trying to record it. One day, all of Morrowind will be available, fully voiced and retouched in the Oblivion and Skyrim engines. But you should experience the game in it's original engine at least once. The feel of it just adds to the magic that is Morrowind. 10/10