Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind Preview

In the truest sense of the word RPG, Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind is actually that, a true Role-Playing-Game. From the moment you seamlessly create your character via the ingenious character creation set-up to adventuring through an Ancestral Tomb on behalf of your guild supervisor, you realise that Bethesda Studios have created such a magnificent world, full of heritage and intrigue for you to freely explore at your own will.

The game begins with an FMV dream sequence; a voice breaks through interrupting your slumber. Without any knowledge of where you are, or who you are, youâre quickly escorted off what youâll eventually learn to be a prison ship with nothing but some simple clothes and a note bearing the Emperorâs signature. From there⦠well itâs completely up to you, Morrowind is a completely open-ended affair, you could wait around the first town of Seyda Neen getting to know the locals, and checking out the scattered houses or set off to another location, completely free to explore the world as you wish.

And what a world it is, at times youâll just wander around for hours taking in the beauty and magnificence of it all. However be warned, Morrowind is a huge place to explore, youâll have to make use of the various transport facilities available in each town; Silt Striders are huge flea looking creatures that can be used to fly in between towns, Guild Guides magically transport you from each townsâ Mages Guild, at some point however youâll want to venture out and see what lies outside the town walls.

Morrowind is also the game to make you think about upgrading that GeForce 2 thatâs served you so well, if you want to see this game in all itâs glory youâre going to need a hefty PC (PIII 800) with a GeForce 3.

Progressing through the adventure youâll join different Guilds, each of which will give you different tasks and objectives, itâs here that you begin to understand that every one of your actions has a consequence; creating one of the most enthralling and immersive videogames worlds that Iâve ever played in. Eventually youâll begin to realise the sinister underlying story that runs beneath the everyday occurrences in the world of Morrowind. The story telling is fantastically thought out, as youâd expect thereâs a whole saga running underneath told through important conversations and dream sequences, yes, dream sequences, occasionally after resting youâll be told about a dream youâve had, suggesting that your presence may be far more sinister then you first thought.

A game as big and open-ended as Morrowind might become a little daunting, thankfully the wonderful Journal feature keep you up to date with your tasks, important conversations and specific information can quickly be accessed to keep you up to date at all times.

Whilst Morrowind is truly pushing the RPG genre, at heart it contains staple RPF ingredients. Conversations are carried out through a Q&A system, highlighting important areas that you can talk about in further depth. Your skills increase as you progress through the adventure, although rather then just fighting to increase your experience, they are context sensitive so swimming and running will increase your athletics skills whilst battles will enhance your armour and weapons skills.

The battles are all extremely intuitive, using just one mouse button to attack and defend. Initially it appears nothing more then a hack ânâ slash effort, however the skilled warrior will become adept at the precise timing needed to block attacks and deliver the killing blow. Similarly spells are easy to cast, yet difficult to master.

Perhaps the single greatest thing is the sheer scope in Morrowind, everyday items such as cups and plates all have attributes, allowing you to steal them to sell them off to the nearest trader or use for yourself. Plants can be picked to sell their ingredients to an alchemist, or used yourself in youâre sufficiently skilled in the areas of Alchemy, thereâs just so much to do that at times it feels dangerously like an alternative reality, start playing this game and youâll find it very hard to turn it off, thereâs always something to do.