Rating: Summary: Expect limits. They exist. Review: I'll be the first to admit it; Morrowind has a few problems, albeit minor ones, that can hamper gameplay. Primarily, it chugs on virtually any computer that you can find, primarily due to a problem in the game's animation; hopefully, they will patch this, and it should dramatically increase the speed of gameplay. However, the biggest problem is that people simply expected way too much from the game. If they wanted to make a fully-interactive game featuring interacting guild politics, a completely changable world, etc.; then it would take five times as long to make and be spread out on 4 CDs. As it is, they've made a sickeningly addictive game that only took 1 CD. The world is enormous, yes; but travel is not impossible, and the landscapes are dull only because the land is supposed to be dull. One reviewer mentioned the lack of beautiful landscapes and bustling marketplaces and such...personally, I've never seen a game that could do all of that convincingly, and if they decided to do a game of that caliber on this level of detail, we'd be septuagenerians by the time they're finished, and it'd be decades behind in game technology. As it is, they had to compromise somewhere, and they opted for a large but not infinite world, a 'lite' political system, a moderately customizable and enjoyable combat system, jaw-dropping graphics, an enormous level of character customization, and basically, in all honesty, the best they could make in any reasonable amount of time. If you want a game that encompasses everything that an RPG should ever have, that has far-reaching effects that are felt by all relevant NPCs and actually change the real world, then all you've got are pencil-and-paper RPGs. No computer game right now could conceivably offer those options, because a system like that is far too open-ended to efficiently produce. However, given that there are limits as to how a game can portray a world, this is just about as good as it gets (although, to be honest, its predecessor had a little more interaction, albeit lacking in originality and graphics and substance). While it may not be perfection, it is quite simply the closest *any* all-encompassing CRPG has ever come to it. 'Nuff said.
Rating: Summary: Beautifully involving, but only for a certain kind of player Review: Morrowind has its faults; almost no system is powerful enough to run it flawlessly, and you may find yourself running with your head staring at the ground to increase the frame rate. What it does offer is the chance to involve yourself in the intrigues of guilds and individuals. Let me rephrase: if you are looking for huge, epic quests, this is not the game to play. If you can suspend your disbelief and get into the politics of Morrowind though, you can immerse yourself for hours in guild warfare, metropolitan politics and power struggles galore. What brings the real richness to the game is its infinite expandability. Morrowind comes with a complete editor; the one that was used to make the entire game. What this means is, anything the developers could do or add, you can as well. It is easy to use and learn, and there is a growing support network online for those who can't quite get the hang of it. You can make your own races, build a house, dungeon or city for yourself, and add as many quests as you like. So, if the original game does not meet your epic-level standards, which some reviewers seem to have, you can modify the game to include anything you like. Therein lies the true power and beauty of Morrowind.
Rating: Summary: Well......... Review: I have to admit that this is an awsome game. The gameplay options are endless. However, morrowind just wasn't that well done. The quests in the game are endless, but perhaps the game was not tested enough because during the first several quests there are things which would take days to figure out without a walkthrough. The landscape graphics were probably some of the best i have seen, but everything else wasn't very good. Also your combat methods are very limited. When using a sword for example you can only attack two ways: slash or stab. Both of these moves cannot even be accomplished from a standing position. you have to be moving a certain direction in order to complete attacks. Overall i would say that this game needs some work. If you are willing to spend hours searching for some tiny object necessary to complete some quest this game might be ok. If you are looking for a better game i would reccomend Gothic by Xicat Interactive. This game was so well done I completed the whole game 3 times without using a walkthrough.
Rating: Summary: Morrowind is quite simply breathtaking... Review: It surprises me that I'm seeing all these bad reviews. I don't understand how you cannot be impressed by this game. Anyhow, just a reminder... Morrowind has some fairly steep system requirments. If you have a low-end PC, then theres no way your gonna get any enjoyment out of this game. Graphics 10/10: I've played it on two systems... one with a Geforce 2 Ultra, another with a Geforce 3. And I've seen plenty of shots of this game on a Geforce 4. Believe me when I say that this game is beautiful. Everything is so detailed... the side of a brick house, the ground, everything. But my god, just look at the water. No game has ever showed such realisitc water effects like Morrowind has. The character models are also very nice. Gameplay 7/10: A lot of people have been complaining about Morrowind's combat system... and I definently can see why, however, it's still enjoyable enough for me. You can fight with a variety of weopons, ranging from swords to daggers to bow an arrows, etc. It can be a bit dull, however, as far as I'm concerned... it's good enough for me. Then, theres the other aspects of the gameplay such as traveling, joining guilds, talking to people, doing quests, buying items, and trying to become better at different things . Morrowind is a game where you choose what you want to become by doing what you want to do. For example, if you wanna steal items from a store without being noticed, then you need to become better at sneaking around and being quiet. If you wanna be better in combat, then you must get stronger, more agile and faster. You get the point. It's a great system that offers freedom to the player. Then theres the guilds. This, I admit, is a bit flawed. The idea is cool, but basically it just consists of doing quests for your guild and gaining money in the process. But hey, it's a easy way to gain quests. What really amazes me about Morrowind is how I can travel and just be amazed by the beautful landscapes and long, neverending land. I know you heard this before but you should here it one more time... Morrowind is HUGE. VERY huge. If you ever wanted to live in another world, then this is probably the closest your gonna get for a while. It's THAT amazing. Sound 9/10: Fine and dandy. The voice-acting is pretty good and definently isn't anything to complain about. The sound effects from weopons, running, everything... it's all there and it's good. Music 9/10: I simply love the music in this game. It's very well done, however, the only problem is that there isn't enough songs. Considering that this game has hundreds of hours worth of gameplay, I would of hoped for a little more songs. But still, the quality is great, so can't really complain there. Control 8/10: The controls are completely configurable. As far moving around and fighting. It CAN be a *little* sluggish. If only the battle system was improved upon. Story 3/10: You see, there really is no story... and that's where Morrowind fails. Because while the world is insanely huge, theres just no story to keep some people interested. Basically your a guy that gets dropped off at a town and you control his life from there. That's why a lot of people find Morrowind to be "bad". However, for me, I could really care less. The sheer freedom I have in this game is amazing, and it is still keeping me totally hooked. Replayability 10/10: You want replability? How about hundreds and hundreds of hours of gameplay. Yeah, if you can like Morrowind like a lot of people do (including me), you'll get totally hooked and keep coming back for more every chance you get. Overall 10/10: I love this game, period. No matter what you say about it, theres no denying how impressive it is. Morrowind is definently not for everyone... and I really mean that. But theres just so much to like here. So if you think you'll be able to enjoy Morrowind, then PLEASE, buy it! Don't wait, buy it now.
Rating: Summary: looks good on paper, on pc it is unimpressive Review: I have played this game a grand total of 20 hours. While my computer is above the suggested requirements, the gameplay tends to be slow and stodgy, with frequent pauses for the game to catch up. It has also crashed 4 different times. I have set it aside for now, because I would rather spend time more effectively in other games.
Rating: Summary: ~~READ THIS~~ Review: Do you own an Xbox, read this... As opposed to many cross-platform games, the Xbox version of Morrowind is almost identical to the PC version (laughing at Mac owners). Here are the pros and cons of each version... -PC --PROS ---Game performance is dependent on your system ---Patches and mods already available ---You can always cheat a PC game ---Ability to pirate for friends (tisk tisk...) ---Many control devices available now, along with key binding ability --CONS ---Game performance is dependent on your system ---Game is affected by computer problems ---PCs are much more unstable than the Xbox, unless you only use software made by your computer manufacturer ---Loading time (not a big deal for anything over 1Ghz) -Xbox --PROS ---Full realtime raytracing and shadow mapping (oooh) ---Loading time very fast ---Simple Halo-style controls ---Very reliable and stable system --CONS ---Patches and mods not available until Xbox internet becomes available ---Different input devices not available until Xbox internet available for device driver download
Rating: Summary: CCGR.ORG's review Review: There is rivalry between the great houses, cults and necromancy is on the rise. Will you bring peace to the world? Are you the prophesied one? Come and explore the land of Morrowind and get set for quite the adventure! How do I start? You begin the game being rescued from a prisoner ship. Why were you released? You'll find out later if you choose to follow the storyline. (yes it's optional) From the ship you will get to choose your race, sign you were born and character type. There are various ways of determining your character type. You can answer questions that will decide for you, pick from a list, or fill out the forum yourself. There are many races to choose from including Dark Elf, High Elf, Wood Elf, Imperial, Red Guard, Orc, Nord, Breton, Argonian (lizard), and Khajiit (feline). All having their own strengths and weaknesses. I got my character, now what? Talk to people. You will see how much they like you by their persuasion towards you. Some species are better off than others in this regard. You can raise your speechcraft skill but other ways to gain peoples trust is to help or bribe them. You have a reputation meter, the more people you help the more famous you will become. The best way to get people to like you is to join guilds and climb up the rank ladder by performing tasks for the guild. Guilds: Blades (spies) Fighter's Guild Imperial Cult Mages Guild Morag Tong (Assassins) Temple Thieves Guild How do I increase my attributes? There are many attributes you can assign and specialize your character in. You can increase these attributes by using them, getting trained, or by reading certain books. The best way to get experience is to hunt or fight monsters. When you join a guild, get trained by them. The more they like you the cheaper the rates will be. What kind of quests will I go on? The story line is open ended in this game. You can follow it or do your own thing. Often times you will be asked to help other people out in various ways. The guilds you join will have you do tasks to gain rank. Some of these quests include killing robbers, solving murders, stealing valuable items and artifacts. Walking down the main roads you have opportunities to help unite love birds, and escort people to rough areas. There is so much to do in this game, the list goes on! Appropriate? From a Christian perspective this game has violence. You will definitely have to kill various monsters. Killing people can usually be avoided, often times you can settle things peacefully via bribe or working things out. Some guilds like the Fighter's Guild or Morag Tong Guild require you to execute people or thieves. There is also a thieves guild which requires you to steal items. Basically, you are as good of a character you choose to be. You do not have to join any guild, but they do have their advantages. There is some swearing and alcohol/drug use in the game. There is a club call House of Earthly Delights with female dancers wearing only bra and underwear. Magic use is prevalent in this game. Again you don't have to use it, but it will be used on you. There are references to necromancy and vampires too. Finally some symbols found in the game are obelisks and the crescent moon. Overall experience\Ease of use This game is easy to install and play. When talking to characters in the game there are hot topics that you can click on and get more information from them. To move around you use the WASD keys and the mouse to look. You can play in first or third person perspective. The graphics are AMAZING! The world is very realistic, you will experience different weather conditions from fog, to sand storms, night and day etc. The character and armor detail is great too. They re-use many of the faces, so many of the guards look alike. My only complaint with the graphics engine is that it loads often and it can be slow at times. The sound and EAX effects were the best in any game I have ever played. The voice acting was great and the musical score was very well done. The collector edition has a music CD, but for everyone else you can convert the mp3's or listen to them as is. Stability wise this game could use a little tweaking. It did crash to my desktop once, but what gets me is that it does not alt-tab very well. The AI can use some help too. There are a few quests where characters want you to escort them to someplace or someone. Every time I had to backtrack only to find them running into a bush or around in circles. It's a bit annoying, but oh well. This is a single player only game. There is so much to do, I doubt you'll get bored anytime soon. There are some official MODs released for the game, and MANY unofficial ones. Some of the unofficial ones allow you to become a Jedi or a ninja and use their actual weapons. You'll definitely get your money's worth in this game! It's a good game but I recommend it only for teens and adults.
Rating: Summary: So much could have been done... Review: This game has a huge worldmap and fantastic graphics, but, unfortunately, they were ruined by very tedious gameplay and a VERY slow beginning.
Rating: Summary: Buyer Beware Review: This program is full of bugs. I am running a system with a 1.8 Ghz Pentium 4, 512MB PC800 RDRAM, 64MB NVIDA GeForce2 MX400 graphics card. This game will not run without serious stutter and hang-up problems. The system requirements box list this as supported hardware, but the readme file included on the CD-Rom list the GeForce2 chipset as a problem. I followed the documentation included with the game and contacted Bethesda. Followed their suggestions and the game still will not run without serious problems, even with everything set on lowest possible settings and latest drivers installed. Buy this game at your own risk, or hope that Bethesda works out it's problems and gets a patch available.
Rating: Summary: Make the Jump from FPS to RPG Review: This review is written from the point of view of the many first person shooter (FPS) fans who haven't gotten into RPGs due to a dislike of the traditional isometric graphics and party-driven gameplay used by most RPGs. I decided to give Morrowind a try after having enjoyed the RPG-ish FPS games System Shock 2 and Deus Ex, but having disliked the isometric and party-driven Baldur's Gate 2. In Morrowind, the first-person perspective provides a familiar control scheme to the FPS gamer yet the freedom of movement and depth of interactivity of an RPG is available as well. The combination is a powerful gaming experience in Morrowind, much more so than even Deus Ex or System Shock 2. While there are no guns to fire, your character's ability to throw flame balls and wield a mighty sword provide a satisfying offensive capability. The typical FPS gameplay of unlock door, kill, find key, unlock door, repeat is broadened significantly in this game. You can 'leave the rails' and explore the world, stop to admire the view of the twin moons in the night time sky (complete with changing moon phases), go for a swim or arrange your latest treasures for display in your own house. Your character begins the game pathetically weak, unable to kill the simplest crab or fish without a struggle. In time, though, this shortcoming becomes a strength of the game as you grow to appreciate the progress you've made as a combatant. Some of the enemies you encounter are more advanced as the game unfolds, but the number of spells your character learns and your ability to use them increases as well, keeping the game fresh and challenging. The graphics are superb, employing programmable pixel shading for the excellent water effects for example, but even on my Athlon XP 1700+ / GF4Ti4200 system the framerate can bog down at times. The sound effects are adequate, but the beautiful score could easily pass as a late 19-th century Romantic symphony. There is no party to control, so you can concentrate on your character as an individual in combat. Combined with the rather flat NPCs, however, this can make Morrowind feel a bit lonely at times. Still, for the FPS gamer who longs for more in-depth gameplay without sacrificing graphical quality, Morrowind is an excellent choice.
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