he Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind is the third installment in a delightful series of computer role-playing games set in the fantasy universe of The Elder Scrolls.
In this latest epic fantasy, players take on the role of a lonely prisoner granted freedom by the Emperor's decree. Arriving at the port of Seyda Neen in the Vvardenfell District, the soon-to-be-freed prisoner has nothing but the name of a contact in nearby Balmora and a faint inkling of the Prophecies of the Incarnate and the role the adventurer may soon play in the history of Morrowind.
The main plot of this game centers on the trapped demon Dagoth Ur, who was imprisoned in a volcano in an earlier era. Somehow, the demon has managed to loosen the magical wards that bind him, and now his minions are beginning to roam the land. To make matters worse, a secret cult which supports Ur has begun turning the people of Vvardenfell into mindless assassins.
However, the land has no hero around which to rally. Houses and guilds fight among themselves, and the Empire has little strength on the island. What they want, what the world needs, is someone to come to their aid, someone to lead them. Can one person, so fresh from prison, so new to this world of dangers, be the answer to their problems?
Never the same universe twice
The first two role-playing games set in the Elder Scrolls world won tons of praise, both earning RPG-of-the-year titles, and Morrowind is destined to do the same. Set in a deeply rich world of fantasy and infused with all of the hallmarks of what makes role-playing games so much fun, Morrowind is likely one of the most immersive and replayable RPGs on the market today.
Although the game comes with a very detailed and enjoyable main plot that will lead players throughout the vast lands of Morrowind, the beauty of this game is that players don't need to stick to the plot. Players can talk to anybody they meet in the streets or wilderness. They can interact with anything they see. Players can get so enthralled with the elements of life in each town that they never follow the overlying theme, and will still thoroughly enjoy this game.
Instead of a mummified world that binds players to a single stagnant path, Morrowind is a world that changes around the player. Players are not classified by who they choose to be when the game starts—they are judged by their actions.
The graphics are so truly stunning that it's well worth the time to stay in one spot just to watch the world change around, to see the morning shift to afternoon, the sun fade behind the hills as night falls, to see rain fall and the land shift.
Gameplay is easy to pick up, but again introduces enough variety to keep it interesting throughout the days players may spend battling and thinking their way through this game.
Luckily, Morrowind is not only a fun game to play, it's also a fun game to replay, with literally hundreds of hours of gameplay hidden away in all of the side quests and quirky characters buried in the game.
Gamers who long for the days of pen-and-pencil dungeons and dragons, the days when playing a role-playing game meant thinking and becoming part of an epic tale, will welcome Morrowind. Set in a stunningly rendered world of endless choices, Morrowind can't help but stupefy its players with pure gaming pleasure.
— Brian
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