The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind Retrospective

The editors at RPGWatch have slapped up a very enthusiastic retrospective for The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, during which they highlight the game’s many strengths before pointing to the lively mod scene as the main reason for the game’s success. Their conclusion:

Replaying Morrowind the past couple weeks has been a ball. It is one of those great games that stands the test of time. If you still have the CDs — reinstall them, patch them and start sifting through the mods again. If not, head to the major online game distributors and download a copy. I just purchased a replacement download GotY version (Morrowind, Tribunal and Bloodmoon all included) for $US 20.

Morrowind still sets the bar for free-form RPGs. There are few limits on what and how you can play, and the designers clearly had no concept of what “linear game play” or “dumb it down for the masses” meant.

With the extensive mod libraries available, you can tailor Morrowind to just about anything that you enjoy in gaming. Ignore what I like, or even what the designers had in mind for you. Make it easier – or far more difficult. Solo it or go with a small army. Solve the original quests, or ignore them and try the dozens of new adventures that have been created.

And don’t forget to hug a modder today! If you like their mods — provided free to you and the result of weeks of hard work, at the least post a comment in their forums. After all — they just did something Bethesda, Bioware, Sirtech or Origin never can and never will do — they helped deliver to you the “perfect” RPG.