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How well does Morrowind hold up in 2021?

I collect VHS tapes

I collect VHS tapes

Member
I haven't been playing video games much at all lately due to getting into magic the gathering recently, but just decided to boot up my XSX and noticed they added a ton of Betheseda titles to gamepass.

I played Morrowind briefly back maybe 15 or so years ago but didn't get far. Was thinking of jumping back in but I'm not sure how well it aged.

Basically I'm torn between playing the below games rn:

Fallout 4 - put a few hours into it but my PC at the time was way too weak for me to enjoy the experience so I dropped it
Oblivion - beat it once when it first came out but hardly remember it. I put in close to 300 hours in Skyrim so I'm sure replaying Oblivion would be enjoyable.
Dishonored - never played it

or Morrowind

I don't have tons of free time so I'm really only looking to start one game. any feedback is appreciated.
 
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I collect VHS tapes

I collect VHS tapes

Member
Stuart360 said:
A lot of people will say its better than Oblivion and Skyrim, but imo it isnt.
Also there are no quest markers so if you are short of free play time, i'd probably go with Oblivion.
Click to expand...
that's sorta where I'm leaning. if I want more ES after I might give Morrowind a go. I've heard so many mixed things about FO4 I'm fine putting it off a bit longer.
 
CatLady

CatLady

Selfishly plays on Xbox Purr-ies X
Morrowind is awesome but has way too archaic systems, no quest markers as Stuart360 Stuart360 pointed out, a shitty excuse for fast travel in a huge open world and horrible inventory management. I have no interest in remasters or remakes but it's the one game I really want a remake.

Oblivion OTOH is spectacular. Still gorgeous, still great fast travel, great quests, awesome side quests and now with steady framerate without stuttering and 1 or 2 seconds load times. It was great when I played it last year on the OneX and it can only get better n the XSX.
 
bender

bender

What time is it?
No quest markers and no map is a plus as is the limited fast travel system (one that actually make sense in terms of the game world and lore). The games quests are written with this in mind and the roads have signage. Getting lost adds to the sense of adventures that most open world games fail to provide. Where Oblivion and Skyrim felt a little one note, in terms of world and location variety, Morrowind isvery diverse. The game was also designed with the PC is mind so it doesn't suffer from the stripped down mechanics found in every TES game since. Combat, especially early on, is going to be rough to get into as it was frustrating at the time. Even still, it's the last great TES game as it wasn't dumbed down for the mass appeal.
 
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itshutton

itshutton

Member
Oblivion is fantastic, but it is still a massive time sink.

Dishonored on the other hand is also a really top notch game and more modern with some excellent mechanics. It’s also a 15-20 hour game if I remember correctly.
 
intbal

intbal

Member
CatLady said:
Morrowind is awesome but has way too archaic systems, no quest markers as Stuart360 Stuart360 pointed out, a shitty excuse for fast travel in a huge open world and horrible inventory management. I have no interest in remasters or remakes but it's the one game I really want a remake.

Oblivion OTOH is spectacular. Still gorgeous, still great fast travel, great quests, awesome side quests and now with steady framerate without stuttering and 1 or 2 seconds load times. It was great when I played it last year on the OneX and it can only get better n the XSX.
Click to expand...
Git Gud No0B!

Seriously, though, Morrowind has numerous ways to fast travel. But they all make sense as part of the game world (as opposed to opening up a map in a game and saying "I want to go here!"). You can use Mark/Recall, Spells of Divine Intervention and Almsivi Intervention (through multiple means), boats along various waterways, Silt Striders, the Propylon Chambers, or just boost your speed and acrobatics to insane levels and jump to where you want to go (can also fly, but that's for common folk).

OP, Morrowind IS the best Elder Scrolls game, but perhaps only if you were in on it the first time around. If you're trying to get into it now for the first time, you probably won't stick with it. I watched a lot of youtubers give it a go when MS added it to the backwards compatibility program. Almost none of them lasted more than a couple of hours.
 
bender

bender

What time is it?
bentanchorbolt said:
I’m okay with this tbh. I’m not going to play old Morrowind again, that game is just too old at this point. As long as the world and the story was left intact, both things Bethesda excels at, I’d be okay with the ruined version lmao.
Click to expand...
DazzlingPeriodicGnatcatcher-size_restricted.gif
 
SCB3

SCB3

Member
Hmm it's a tough one, I'm a bigger Fallout fan than I am Elder Scrolls but I've gone back and played them, not finished Skyrim still after 9 years.

But Morrrowind is a weird entry, it's QoL is not as good as Oblivion gets, the lack of Map and Markers can be very off-putting if you don't like adventuring too much or wanna get to the next story beat (I like to main quest most things and then go back to the side stuff in RPGs, MW makes that a bit cloudy) but for what's there, it's very much worth at least a few hours of time to see what it's like, I liked it enough to finish it a few years ago and I played it well after Oblivion, which was my first ES game
 
GHG

GHG

Member
Use mods to make it look better, unofficial patch to iron out the bugs and you're good to go.

I cannot believe people are complaining about there not being quest markers... I guess this is why we get the poorly written games and poorly thought out world maps that we get in modern games.

TLZ said:
Why you laughing ArtemisClydeFrog ArtemisClydeFrog 😛

It's an honest question :)
Click to expand...

Because anyone considering playing this should really be doing so on PC.
 
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GHG

GHG

Member
Andodalf said:
The combat is borderline unplayable, even if you played it when it came out.
Click to expand...

Absolute nonsense.

The combat is stat based, not player skill based. You have a hit chance ratio and this changes dependant on your characters skill level on various stats and the enemy you're facing. If you approach an enemy and your hits aren't landing GTFO and come back another time, you're not supposed to be there yet. It's not that difficult to understand.
 
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Deanington

Deanington

Member
bender said:
No quest markers and no map is a plus as is the limited fast travel system (one that actually make sense in terms of the game world and lore). The games quests are written with this in mind and the roads have signage. Getting lost adds to the sense of adventures that most open world games fail to provide. Where Oblivion and Skyrim felt a little one note, in terms of world and location variety, Morrowind isvery diverse. The game was also designed with the PC is mind so it doesn't suffer from the stripped down mechanics found in every TES game since. Combat, especially early on, is going to be rough to get into as it was frustrating at the time. Even still, it's the last great TES game as it wasn't dumbed down for the mass appeal.
Click to expand...

Nailed it here.

OP, I would say try it. I think the first few hours will give you an idea if you would want to continue or not. If you dont like it just switch to something else?

On the subject of a remaster, I would welcome it. As long as they keep most of everything the way it is. If there is changes, I would like to see current gen visuals, better animations, npc's not as static, have a toggle for different combat preferences (if that could be a thing), and a visual toggle like Halo collection ( for nostalgic old school players ). Oh and of course all the bug fixes. Not sure if that boarders the line of a remake but I would be fine with it regardless, as long as they stick with those minimum changes. EDIT: I also do not have an issue with the current combat and never really did. It adds to the adventure when you dont know if you can survive.
 
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eot

eot

Banned
For me the problem with Morrowind was that I figured out how to do an endless cycle of 'crafting' / trading / buffing to make myself essentially infinitely powerful just using the game systems, which breaks the whole thing. It's like godmode and takes the fun out of the game, even moreso than the extremely shitty combat when you're weak. When you know how to abuse the game you then have to pick your own difficulty by abusing the game mechanics just the right amount, and that's no fun to me. That's a very role play thing though I admit, and I think that's what Morriwnd requires, you have to give a bit yourself to truly enjoy it.
 
TLZ

TLZ

Banned
GHG said:
Use mods to make it look better, unofficial patch to iron out the bugs and you're good to go.

I cannot believe people are complaining about there not being quest markers... I guess this is why we get the poorly written games and poorly thought out world maps that we get in modern games.



Because anyone considering playing this should really be doing so on PC.
Click to expand...
I don't game on PC mate. And th se games are available on X now. So was just wondering if these games are 60fps. I've never played any TES game before.
 
EverythingsOverrated

EverythingsOverrated

Member
Morrowind was one of the last times that I was truly blown away by a videogame.

I had a friend that got a hold of a press review copy for the PC pretty close to release and he kept telling me all the crazy shit in the game. I figured he was exaggerating since the things he was talking about were pretty much non existent in gaming at the time. I started playing the game a few months later over the summer of 2002 and wow. So many nights playing that game until 3 or 4 in the morning all through the summer.

Having said that, with mods the game is still pretty enjoyable if you've never played it before, but don't expect the game to hold your hand.
 
Neil Young

Neil Young

Member
I remember enjoying it for its vagueness and lack of hand holding. Cliff racers sucked all the ass. I THINK I remember killing a very strong guard early on and he had some incredible loot that made me almost invincible for half the game. For the time, it had that awesome sense of awe and discovery that you don't get much these days. Still worth it to play.
 
Tschumi

Tschumi

Member
Morrowind and it's expansions are narrative masterpieces, but the gameplay is hella dated and no amount of mods (which are really fiddly) can fix that.

I'll never forget the experience of completing it a few times in the 00s, but i can't get into it anymore.

Maybe if Bethesda follows Bioware's lead and makes the next TES a single player experience like Morrowind we'll have a chance of really enjoying it.
 
EverythingsOverrated

EverythingsOverrated

Member
Neil Young said:
I remember enjoying it for its vagueness and lack of hand holding. Cliff racers sucked all the ass.
Click to expand...
One of the biggest jump scares I've ever had was from a Cliff Racer. Late one night I think I was in Ghostgate trying to find my way the hell out of there, low health, hadn't saved for way too long and was just standing there when all of a sudden one of those bastards dropped on me. The way they would close in on you is classic bethesda jank, they would fly over at whatever altitude they found you at and once directly over you they just drop straight down and attack without warning

Almost shat myself

Good times
 
Maddux4164

Maddux4164

Member
It’s very old school in the sense, it doesn’t hold your hand. Combat is also a dice roll. But, personally, that game means a lot to me. Was my first true 3D RPG experience. Played it on Xbox. Became absolutely obsessed with it. Me and a friend spent a good month playing it 6-10 hours per day.

Bought the strategy guide for it too. We needed the help frankly. But eventually we made that game our bitch and one shot everything and levitated around lIke a God.

Fantastic Game that introduced me to “modern” RPG’s and open world games in general.
 
intbal

intbal

Member
TLZ said:
Great! What about Oblivion and Skyrim?
Click to expand...
You said you're playing on a "X". Is that One X or Series X?
On One X, Oblivion and Skyrim are both 30fps titles. Skyrim supports mods and there's a mod that will unlock the framerate. It doesn't reach 60 constantly on One X and I had some tearing, but it was a slightly better experience than vanilla.
On Series X, that Skyrim mod will allow it to hit 60 all the time (don't quote me on that). However, Microsoft's FPS Boost technology is supposed to be applied to a range of Bethesda games (Skyrim was one of those mentioned) in the future, making 60 a lock. No word yet on Oblivion. Probably will remain at 30fps, although it did get an X Enhancement patch, so it runs at native 4k.
 
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anthraticus

anthraticus

Banned
The thing about the combat is......Morrowind's or even Daggerfall's combat wasn't great by any means, but I could forgive that somewhat because being victorious in combat was mostly the result of character skill /dice rolls and there were actual RPG mechanics involved. Oblivion/Skyrim had slightly better combat (from an action standpoint) but it became tedious as fuck really fast because both the RPG mechanics and the combat mechanics were so simple and shallow. Plus it didn't even feel satisfying at all, which is what you want out of action RPG combat...really lacking in impact and feedback.

It was a really bad compromise, especially in a game so heavily focused on combat
 
Maddux4164

Maddux4164

Member
anthraticus said:
The thing about the combat is......Morrowind's or even Daggerfall's combat wasn't great by any means, but I could forgive that somewhat because being victorious in combat was mostly the result of character skill /dice rolls and there were actual RPG mechanics involved. Oblivion/Skyrim had slightly better combat (from an action standpoint) but it became tedious as fuck really fast because both the RPG mechanics and the combat mechanics were so simple and shallow. Plus it didn't even feel satisfying at all, which is what you want out of action RPG combat...really lacking in impact and feedback.

It was a really bad compromise, especially in a game so heavily focused on combat
Click to expand...
Well yeah. Was a total dice roll. Stat based combat. My friend and I was confused as hell back in the day when we knew we were “hitting” the enemy and it didn’t register hah
 
GHG

GHG

Member
Andodalf Andodalf you can laugh all you want but honestly you don't have a clue what you're talking about. You were what, 4 years old when the game came out so how on earth do you recall how the combat was received at the time? Yes the start of the game can be difficult but once the mechanics are understood it's pretty straight forward. The failing was the game not clearly explaining the mechanics (or giving appropriate feedback to players) rather than the combat itself.

The game is a proper RPG and came out at a time when RPG's were expected to be RPG's, not action/adventure games masquerading as RPG's which is what we get today.
 
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J

JeremyEtcetera

Unconfirmed Member
GHG said:
The game is a proper RPG and came out at a time when RPG's were expected to be RPG's, not action/adventure games masquerading as RPG's which is what we get today.
Click to expand...
If you still want that dice roll feeling in RPG combat I recommend checking out the game series called The Legend of Grimrock.
 
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