Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind: Game of the Year Edition, The Review

Developer	Bethesda Softworks
Publisher	Bethesda Softworks
Genre	Role-Playing

Morrowind is an epic adventure, with literally hundreds of hours of gameplay. There were so many guilds to join, a lengthy main quest, and a whole bunch of miscellaneous tasks to complete. For more on the original game, check out our review right here. The Game of the Year Edition, for a mere thirty bucks, combines the whole original quest, plus the content of two expansion packs: Tribunal and Bloodmoon. It’s a bargain, to be sure, but is the new content worthwhile?

First things first: this is still Morrowind. If the original game didn’t thrill you, this will do nothing to change your mind. While the expansions do add a large amount of new content, the gameplay itself is identical. The combat system, little more than a hack and slash affair, is still the game’s weakest point. Also, while there are dozens of towns to explore and hundreds of people to talk to, the game world feels lifeless. Most people in the towns literally stand in one place 24 hours a day, as if they exist only to occassionally speak to you, and when they do, they tend to share the same bits of dialogue. That said, the game still does what no other console game to date has effectively done: provide the player with a complete fantasy playground in which they can do whatever they wish.

Tribunal: By the Numbers

6 New Monsters 1 New Weapon Material 4 New Armor Materials 11 New Alchemy Ingredients 37 New Quests

Tribunal begins when the player character attempts to sleep, but is awoken by an assassin. Following a trail of clues will lead you to the city of Mournhold, in search of the Dark Brotherhood. There is no open countryside in Mournhold; the entire expansion takes place in the city, and beneath it. The quests here should be familiar to those that have spent a good deal of time in the original game, as they do feel a little similar.. It’s a good mix of information gathering and combat, with a couple fetch quests. Tribunal’s main storyline has enough twists and turns to keep things entertaining, even if the quests aren’t radically different than what was done in the original game’s quests.

Exclusive to Tribunal is the ability to hire a mercenary. For a small amount of gold, this warrior will follow you around, fighting at your side and carrying your stuff, but he can’t leave the city of Mournhold. It’s the closest thing you’ll get to an adventuring party in Morrowind, but the fact that he can’t level up or improve his skills leaves the concept feeling unfinished. Also availible for purchase are trained pack rats, who dutifully follow you and can carry 100 pounds worth of equipment.

Bloodmoon: By the Numbers

14 New Monsters 5 New Weapon Materials 7 New Armor Materials 16 New Alchemy Ingredients Over 50 New Quests 1 New Faction

Bloodmoon contains the best of the new content, all of which takes place on the new continent of Solthsteim. Located in the far Northwest corner of the Morrowind world, this icy world contains a few towns and a wide-open wilderness. There is an Imperial fort on the island, and that’s where the main quest begins. Seems there’s a morale problem at the fort, but that’s just the beginning. Over the course of the main quest, players will go head to head with powerful werewolves, or even become one. Besides the main quest, there are dozens of miscellaneous quests to complete and quite a few caves and dungeons to explore.

Becoming a werewolf is the highlight of Bloodmoon. Werewolves are incredibly powerful, but cannot use spells or equipment in their wolf forms. Also, if anyone witnesses you changing forms, the entire game is suddenly out to kill you. Werewolves also need to kill one person each night, or they will suffer severe health drain. Unfortunately, there are only four actual werewolf-specific quests for the player to complete, but the whole game can be completed as a werewolf character. That’s not an easy or practical task, though, so rest assured- there is a way to cure the disease.

Bottom Line - Morrowind: Game of the Year Edition is everything we liked about Morrowind with dozens of new quests and areas to explore. At a budget price of $30, anyone who enjoyed the original Morrowind should give this one a look. The new content of Tribunal and Bloodmoon are well worth the price of admission, even if the core gameplay hasn’t changed in any way.

Review by Joe Mackie