The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind - Game of the Year Edition

The updated controls and interfaces enable easy, intuitive access to the game's magic and combat systems. Bethesda has created not just a game but also a benchmark by which future RPGs will be measured.

Literally hundreds of hours of gameplay. It is virtually impossible to complete everything in the game.

Adds a generous heaping of additional content to an already vast game.

A little spit shine here and there could never hurt, but GOTY has really won me over... all over again.

The deep storyline and character development system, seemingly endless quests, and miles of detailed, highly interactive locations to explore all amount to more than 200 hours of gameplay for those attempting to see it all. [Jan 2004, p.76]

The new content of Tribunal and Bloodmoon are well worth the price of admission, even if the core gameplay hasn't changed in any way.

It's got an insanely high level of immersion, story depth, and character customization available. The big problem with this game has always been downtime - far too much walking around and wading through conversations. [Jan 2004, p.151]

An incredibly unique experience for every player. Enough depth to make the replay value satisfying and DLC content you can enjoy for higher level characters.

Morrowind is without a doubt Bethesda's crowning achievement. Morrowind is simply a master piece of fantasy and role playing game design. Modern gamers will probably hate it after being spoiled by the lack of depth modern and hand holding of RPG's (and even latter games in the series). But for those willing to try something new, Morrowind offers something that simply can not be recreated. Do yourself a favor and play this game

Morrowind gives you wings. I remember playing this back in 2003 and really struggling at first to get through the first 3 hours of the game. Back then the concept of grinding was a new one to me. Once I managed to level up my character a bit I was on my way to what turned out to be one of the best RPG's I've ever played.This is a good example of what Bathesda's capable of doing when not trying pander to the casuals and those seeking a short blockbuster of a main quest full of cash-in cliff hangers that most real gamers will burn through in 8-12 hours. The main quest alone will take an average of 45-50 hours to complete 80+ if you play through the Guilds side quest's and grind a bit in between sections. I played this thinking every Elder Scrolls after it would be an improvement but the newer games seem more rushed, their simpler,shorter and a lot less **** me Replay Value isn't just about how many fetch quest's you can cram into a game cause we all know Bathesda can do About 200+hours like they did in Skyrim. I'm not sure where they think player's priorities are. Spoilers Below Pros -A long but interesting story that kept me hooked the entire play through. As you progress along the main quest you start to gain an understanding and knowledge of the lore and mythology in the world of Tamriel through your meaningful interactions with NPC's and through all the Books you'll find in the game. -Great Map, small compared to newer open world RPG's of today but big for it's time. The story takes you through to different regions on the map, all with their own unique style of architecture. It really feels like a world that's been hand crafted and not a cut and past job like Bathesda's later games.I know ES:Oblivion and ES:Skyrim have better Graphics but I preferred the visuals in Morrowind a lot more. As a first time player there are a lot of wow moments when you come across an area that you hadn't discovered yet, later regions look nothing like what you encounter at the beginning of the game keeping things fresh throughout. -Exploration. This is a game without way-points or quest markers, your given directions by NPC's and they expect to find your own way. This seems frustrating at first but after awhile you learn to pay attention to your surroundings,open the map once in a while and to check your compass. It's very rewarding to find your destination using only your brain power and not your eyes glued to an arrow. Something I wish more open world RPG's did. -Great Soundtrack/Main Theme. -Lot's of Variety. loads of armor,weapons,loot,potions,magic spells,enemy types, and interesting characters. The level of customization is beyond what ES:Oblivion and ES:Skyrim offer you. -Character Builds and the way you level up is also a lot better in ES:Morrowind. you have so many option as far as what skills you want your character to learn. and this gives the game some replay value and comes in handy later on if you want to learn new skills for a different character build without starting a new game cause it's easy to gain the first few levels quickly and Attribute and Skill points never seem like they're wasted. -Did I mention you can fly? Cause you can. Either by use of potions,enchantments,or spell casting. It comes in very handy when you spot loot that's out of the way but is also used to progress through a few story sections.I don't know why they took out this feature from the ES:O and ES:S. Flying around,complex character builds and a long and engaging main story were some of the features that I really missed from the sequels. -Loads of fun and interesting Side **** run into some interesting characters along the way and solve their problems for them or you can join one of three Guilds and work your way to the top. Cons -Glitches/Bugs like any other Bathesda game but since this is a console port from a time before Update Patches they actually did a good job of polishing this one before release. My game only crashed a few times. I only wish the load times weren't so bad cause getting back in usually meant a good minute or two of loading from the main menu. -No voice acting but that was most games back then so I can't really complain. -Combat was the least imaginative part of this game with 3 basic slashes and automatic blocking but it's not terrible. -Lack of cut scenes throughout the game were annoying,There's only one before you start the game. Having played 60+ hours to finish the game I was a bit disappointed. This is something Bathesda has to change in future Elder Scrolls Titles. The ES games have little to no cut scenes which is a bit frustrating when you consider the fact that most RPG's today will include at least an hour or two of cut-scenes to fill in the gaps between Chapters/Missions.I'm not sure why Bathesda can't be bothered(maybe their staff is too busy making Horse Armor DLC and other useless things for $5-20 bucks a pop) -Even with all it's flaws it still a 10/10 game.

The greatest Xbox game, period. Beautiful for it's time and vastly ahead of the open-world concept craze, Morrowind was the first truly immersive game I played. All RPG's that dare to go full 3D open world are measured Morrowind's complexity, it's diversity, and it's massive environments. Add to this a Fighter guild, Mages guild, Thieves Guild, Morag Tong assassins Guild, Tribunal Temple, Imperial Cult, Imperial Legion, Blades main Guild, chance to join one of three ruling houses, East Empire Company, Ashlanders, and even a rare chance to join one of three Vampire clans. Add to this many non-faction miscellaneous quests and you have a near endless amount of missions to complete. What separates this game from current versions is that there is little to no enemy leveling system. There is also little to no item leveling occurring. This allows for a far more dangerous and potentially far more rewarding exploration experience. Vampire den at level 4? Your dead and it's your fault. Find a massive enchanted sword at level 6? Hope you built your character to use it, enjoy! Find something impressive at level 10 and sell it only to discover it was mission essential later at level 30? Your fault, start over. Another thing worth mentioning is a brilliant music score. It is not perfect, however. This game also taught me what it was to have a game you could not rely on to be stable, which has become Bethesda's calling card. The combat is quite weak, you just flail at your opponent while they flail back and you see who had the better odds at flailing. The graphics may have been great when this game was made, but they have not aged particularly well. Also Cliff Racers are the most annoying enemy in gaming history. Not a game for people looking to have hands held through a game, but unrivaled in it's time and still a great play today. Top 5 game on my all time list.

Quite simply the best and most immersive RPG to grace any console. If you own an original Xbox or 360 its worth your time seeking out this game. I have been playing this game for years. I get some time per week to indulge in my gaming and always go back to this one. Its amazing, OK the graphics might be a little dated compared to its sequels, Oblivion and Skyrim, but the shear size of the game is astounding and puts the other two to shame. Get out there and find a copy, you will not be sorry. GOTY copies are a little pricey though. If you own a half decent PC then seek out the main game and copies of the expansions as this is a cheaper option. Brilliant game, just brilliant.