Around the time of its release, few people ever heard of the Elder Scrolls. When most people think of RPGs, they're first thought is usually the Final Fantasy genre, which is respectively (yet arguably) role playing perfection. But, being Final Fantasy are story driven linear experiences where the player is confined to simply taking on the role of a predetermined character. This is where the Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind makes a drastic change for RPGs. The Elder Scrolls III is a completely immersive role playing game. Each player begins their adventure by creating their own unique character from a decent list of races with their own unique abilities, choose skills that cater to the player's liking, and then players are free to do whatever they please in a truly beautifully crafted open world environment. Quite a big change from the constricting design of most RPG's, no?

     The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind is a very story driven, yet free roaming game. Upon completing the character creation process, the player is given the start of the main chain of quests that will advance the story. One could complete this main story from start to finish, but it would be a difficult task being your character wouldn't have gotten the chance to level up. This is where the unique quality of the game truly shines. Instead of simply playing the game's main story, the Elder Scrolls III encourages players to explore the world they've been literally thrown into. Players can join guilds such as a Fighter's Guild geared towards melee combatants, Mage's guild that favors magic users, Thieves Guild for stealthy rogues, and even Assassin's Guilds for those with a true blood lust. Each of these guilds has their own story line, and numerous quests to complete. These quests bring you around the world, help you earn gold, and season your skills so you can advance your level. These guilds aren't a requirement, players can freely roam the world and still progress their character, and there are plenty of other side quests to tinker around with. The concept of choice is really the main focus of the Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind's play style. The game is yours, and its progression is completely up to you. If a quest is too hard, or you don't care for the guild you've associated yourself with, the player can simply move on to something else.

     Another interesting twist to the Elder Scrolls III is the game mechanics. The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind successfully combines two gaming perspectives, a third person view and a first person view. By pushing in the right thumb stick, players can switch between the two. While roaming the world someone might prefer staying in third person but quickly switch into first person perspective for combat. Both third person and first person views have their own pros and cons. Combat is much easier in first person, but the player misses out on some character animations. The opposite can be said for third person, combat is tougher, but you have the character animations. Although admittedly, the character animations are a bit on the blocky side. Character movements are stiff while walking and running, and combat animations basically just stick to hacking and slashing. It is a stark contrast to how detailed and truly beautifully rendered the environment of Morrowind is. In terms of setting, and background graphics the Elder Scrolls III is easily one of the best looking games offered for the Xbox. The attention to detail and variety of landscape are impressive. The land of Morrowind itself is also very large. The Elder Scrolls III is by no means a short game. Players could easily spend hours exploring their new world. Getting lost in Morrowind isn't uncommon, although it can be frustrating at times, is part of what makes the game so fun. The Elder Scrolls III has an in game map to help players find their way, but the game is also packaged with a hard copy of the map that shows Morrowind in complete detail. It actually comes in handy when trying to find locations that you haven't uncovered yet, and is a time saver when trying to complete quest.

     The game's voice work is dare I say, hit or miss. Although there is voice acting in the Elder Scrolls III, it is incredibly limited. Only a few main characters have fully vocalized lines, while the majority of the NPCs players will encounter will only have a few lines at their disposal. Only one male and female voice is available for each race, so when a character does speak there isn't much in the way of variety. Overall, players will be reading their quest objectives and character conversations. This is by no means a bad thing, in fact I feel it gives The Elder Scrolls III a more novelistic quality, but undoubtedly some gamers may be turned off by the lack of voice acting in an Xbox game.

     I could continue on for hours about the Elder Scrolls III being there is so much to cover about this outstanding example of what an RPG can be, but in the end each player must do as the game intended and explore it themselves. The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind received over 50 awards, including a game of the year title. It is by no means a game that should be forgotten. The Elder Scrolls III is nothing short of epic, and is easily one of my favorite games offered on the Xbox.

Written By RB

Over and Out

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