Review By:  Jared Black
Developer:	Bethesda Softworks
Publisher:	Bethesda Softworks
# of Players:	1
Genre:	RPG
ESRB:	Mature
Online:	No
Accessories:	In-game Dolby Digital
Date Posted:	12-17-03

This isn’t just a problem with using saves from the original game, as I have experienced a bit of glitching with the new game I did start from scratch and I’m not even that far into it.  Regardless, I bet at least as many existing Morrowind players will buy this for the expansion packs as new gamers will buy it to experience Morrowind for the first time.  For returning players the big selling point of this game is the ability to continue a save from the original game, and it would’ve been nice to have these technical issues finally squashed.

Graphically, the new areas add some welcome variety to Vvardenfell’s grey wastelands and dark green marshes.  As I mentioned before Solstheim is a vast winter wonderland with excellent mythological overtones, and Mournhold has it’s own unique architecture and other nice touches here and there (although it gets repetitive eventually).  The snowing effect in Solstheim is absolutely fantastic, and it’s vast forests and rolling hills make for some engaging exploration. Everything else is largely the same; the same general amount of character detail and quality of texture work found in the original game is in both expansions.  Although the beauty of Morrowind no longer stands out on the Xbox platform, it’s still a fantastic looking game with a unique artistic style and some truly jaw dropping environments.  Disappointing though is the framerate, which drops frequently when outdoors or in large indoor areas, and the liberal use of fogging to keep that framerate from dropping even lower.

Sound effects are virtually unchanged, although there is more variety to the phrases NPCs utter in both expansion packs and more quality voice acting to go with it.  We’re still stuck with that same looping music for adventuring, which may seem worse than it is since by itself the tune’s fantastic.  Even the greatest of music gets old eventually though.  The sound effects in both expansions become repetitive after a while too, because they’re both smaller worlds with lesser variety in character types, creatures, etc.

Highs:

• The deepest RPG available for any console system, with 100s of hours of engaging gameplay.
• The world of Morrowind is one of the most unique in any RPG, with a startling attention to detail (you can spend hours just reading the books!) and a complex society with a rich history.
• The ability to turn into a werewolf in Bloodmoon adds a whole new dynamic to the game.
• The enemy health bar is a very welcome addition, as is the difficulty slider.
• Merchants in Mournhold carry more money and the museum purchases expensive artifacts, making it easier to sell off expensive equipment no longer needed.
• Bloodmoon is one of the best expansion packs for any game period, and Tribunal is a decent addition to the Morrowind experience.
• The graphics suffer in comparison to the Xbox exclusives of 2003, but are still beautiful, unique, and definitely above average.

Lows:

• As bad as the load times in the original game were, they’re even worse in the GOTY version.  Mostly frustrating in combat, but the constant loading delays can wear down even the most patient gamer eventually.
• The dirty disk errors, freezes, glitches, etc. found in the first game are still here, although they’re less frequent now (especially if you use Bethesda’s fix).  The mantra from the original game still applies though: save early and often.
• The framerate stutters in open areas.
• A theme song for each new area would’ve been nice.

Final Verdict: 

It’s a testament to just how good this game is that, despite it’s technical problems, I still absolutely recommend The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind - Game of the Year Edition to any RPG fan.  It’s easily the deepest RPG available on Xbox, and should be played by any fan of the genre.

If you got hooked on it the first time around now is your chance to experience both expansion packs for the original price of one on the PC, and if you’ve never experienced it now is the perfect time to do so as you’re getting a tremendous amount of gameplay for a mere $30.  It’s definitely worth a purchase in either situation.  Just make sure to free up your gaming calendar for the next few months (be willing to lose your girl/boyfriend if need be), and be sure to save often because inevitably the game will crash just after you’ve done something important.

Overall Score: 9.0

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