Why I'll always say Morrowind is the best TES game
As you may guess from my screen name here, I happen to be a big TES fan. I admit, I came to the scene rather late, I didn't get Morrowind until about 2006. I bought it second hand at a local store known as Bookmans (a poor video game addicts dream, by the way. Return a game in 7 days if you dont like it, no questions asked.) I had heard about it, vaguely, but didn't really know the actual content of the game.
So I took it home, threw it on the hard drive and, about twelve hours later, realized I had to pee really badly.
Morrowind has many flaws, I admit. Its graphics are not top-notch, although with some texture packs things look pretty decent even by todays standards. It's got a terribly primitive dialogue display. I mean, really, HYPERTEXT? And the interface really could be better.
But, at the same time, its strengths, and they are many...oh so many...make it one of my favorite games of all time.
First off, the dialogue. Yeah, it's primitive, but you know, I like it more than Oblivion's system. It's particularly jarring when you speak to some old beggar woman who just recently addressed you in tones suitable for an eighty year old, only to have her suddenly change vocal chords and speech patterns with a young woman from England.
The text nicely circumvents that, and allows far more OPTIONS. I like asking people about rumors and not getting the same three lines of text over and over. Morrowind had at least five :P
That brings me to the voices...oh, the voices.
Morrowind got things RIGHT. Wood Elves were annoying little buggers, but they're supposed to be. Dark Elves and Khajit were BRILLIANT, completely and utterly perfect.
By comparison, Oblivion's voice actors are rather dull. Dark Elves do have a trace of that husky accent, but it's not nearly as pronounced. The Khajit were toned down as well. And, in my opinion, the High Elves sound just a touch less arrogant and condescending.
And, of course, the insults. I loved it when I got called a 'swit' or an 'n'wah'. Those words engraved themselves in the same part of my brain as Thief's 'taffer'.
Oblivion lacks these lovely creative insults. Instead we get "STOP RIGHT THERE, CRIMINAL SCUM."
What is this, a 70's cop drama?
Closely related to that is the culture. Morrowind featured a vibrant island setting, with a massive amount of history, which WORKED. It was quite clear, to me at least, that all of the old forts were designed to be lived in. All the tombs had the appropriate decor you'd expect. The cities were a bit sparse, yes, but I can forgive that in the face of all the interesting things in them.
The religion, and the conflict between the colonial Imperials and their own religion, was clear and well played out. The Dark Elves are not happy about all these dirty foreigners and most of them aren't bothering to hide it, even if they tolerate you.
And the architecture...oh my, the architecture. Morrowind was ORIGINAL there, at least, fairly original. Each clan had its own unique style, from the adobe buildings of the Hlaalu to the Redoran crabshells to the Telvanni giant-plant-things. Even better was the jarringly out of place Imperial architecture, all hard edges and greyness.
Oblivion seems to take place in Generic Fantasy Land #425. I mean, the Imperials are supposed to be (sort of) based on Rome, right? But, of course, somebody decided to cut that out and turn them into something else. I, for one, would have far more liked to see a Roman-based Cyrodill than the silly mishmash that we got.
Worse, NONE of the dungeons in Oblivion seem to be practical. The deserted towers only feature beds or any sort of indication that they were designed for human inhabitants when they're home to raiders or Goblins. Apparently, in fact, they were mostly built to put dead people in, to judge by the number of tombs in them.
The same goes for the Aylied ruins. Big rooms, almost always empty or full of traps. People talk about the 'mystery of the Aylieds', but is it really a wonder that an empire vanishes when its architecture features pitfalls and deadly gas vents in every room?
Pacing is a big factor as well. Oblivion is just too fast.
I'd use a metaphor here, but I might get banned, so I wont.
Anyway, Oblivion hurls you right into the main quest with the imminent threat that THE WORLD IS GOING TO DIE IF YOU DONT ACT NOW. Of course, it doesn't, but that's not the point. The premise is that the city is going to get EATEN BY MEHRUNES DAGON RIGHT NOW, even if it isn't, and I feel like kind of a jerk for not getting on it right away.
Morrowind, by contrast, hands you a note and tells you to go talk to some jerk in some city. The jerk in question turns out to be the resident crazy old man (on first appearance) and sets you to running some basic chores for him. No need to rush, it's not likeSpoiler Alert, click show to read:
Long story short, Oblivion hurls you directly into a mess. Morrowind is content to let you wander about without making you feel like a jerk.
Now, here's the sticky bit. Many people derided Oblivion for its compass and arrows...and I kind of agree. Yeah, the directions in Morrowind were terrible, usually, but they were often exactly the kind of directions people really give. A map with directions of some kind would have been nice...especially considering all the paper lying around, but hey, what'cha gonna do?
Lastly, a personal issue, thievery. My main complaint, besides the whole 'Medieval LOJACK' with which every owned item in Cyrodil is equipped, was the worthlessness of items in Oblivion. You could break into somebodies house and steal all the silverware and come out with about 30 septims for it. Which is, approximately, enough to buy a bent spork from your local shop in the same game. In Morrowind, being a thief was wonderfully, but not overly, profitable venture. Especially fun once you got the skills to start breaking into stores, which had stock and didn't keep it suspended below the floor in an unpickably locked chest. A fact somewhat countered by many stores actually employing GUARDS and not relying on their owners ability to manipulate spacetime.
Anyway, let the TES fanboy battle begin! Engarde!
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Originally Posted by Leon Blum - For All Mankind
. And I have noticed that nagging sense of urgency that makes completing the sidequests a test of one's concious. You almost feel guilty leaving the world to die while you galavant your way through incrdibly simmilar caves and worm your way to the top of every single guild when you shouldnt be able to. ... I miss morrowind...and I wil always play an argonian or a dark elf, just for the sake of nostalgia.
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