The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind Game of the Year Edition

 Xbox
User Score
8.6

Generally favorable reviews- based on 165 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 142 out of 165
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 165
  3. Negative: 16 out of 165
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  1. Lamar_Burton420
    Apr 28, 2020
    10
    An incredibly unique experience for every player. Enough depth to make the replay value satisfying and DLC content you can enjoy for higher level characters.
  2. humunguschungus
    May 25, 2019
    10
    Morrowind is without a doubt Bethesda's crowning achievement. Morrowind is simply a master piece of fantasy and role playing game design. Modern gamers will probably hate it after being spoiled by the lack of depth modern and hand holding of RPG's (and even latter games in the series). But for those willing to try something new, Morrowind offers something that simply can not be recreated.Morrowind is without a doubt Bethesda's crowning achievement. Morrowind is simply a master piece of fantasy and role playing game design. Modern gamers will probably hate it after being spoiled by the lack of depth modern and hand holding of RPG's (and even latter games in the series). But for those willing to try something new, Morrowind offers something that simply can not be recreated. Do yourself a favor and play this game… Expand
  3. Saman_Tepes
    Feb 11, 2017
    10
    Morrowind gives you wings. I remember playing this back in 2003 and really struggling at first to get through the first 3 hours of the game. Back then the concept of grinding was a new one to me. Once I managed to level up my character a bit I was on my way to what turned out to be one of the best RPG's I've ever played.This is a good example of what Bathesda's capable of doing when notMorrowind gives you wings. I remember playing this back in 2003 and really struggling at first to get through the first 3 hours of the game. Back then the concept of grinding was a new one to me. Once I managed to level up my character a bit I was on my way to what turned out to be one of the best RPG's I've ever played.This is a good example of what Bathesda's capable of doing when not trying pander to the casuals and those seeking a short blockbuster of a main quest full of cash-in cliff hangers that most real gamers will burn through in 8-12 hours. The main quest alone will take an average of 45-50 hours to complete 80+ if you play through the Guilds side quest's and grind a bit in between sections. I played this thinking every Elder Scrolls after it would be an improvement but the newer games seem more rushed, their simpler,shorter and a lot less fun.For me Replay Value isn't just about how many fetch quest's you can cram into a game cause we all know Bathesda can do About 200+hours like they did in Skyrim. I'm not sure where they think player's priorities are.
    Spoilers Below

    Pros
    -A long but interesting story that kept me hooked the entire play through. As you progress along the main quest you start to gain an understanding and knowledge of the lore and mythology in the world of Tamriel through your meaningful interactions with NPC's and through all the Books you'll find in the game.
    -Great Map, small compared to newer open world RPG's of today but big for it's time.
    The story takes you through to different regions on the map, all with their own unique style of architecture. It really feels like a world that's been hand crafted and not a cut and past job like Bathesda's later games.I know ES:Oblivion and ES:Skyrim have better Graphics but I preferred the visuals in Morrowind a lot more. As a first time player there are a lot of wow moments when you come across an area that you hadn't discovered yet, later regions look nothing like what you encounter at the beginning of the game keeping things fresh throughout.
    -Exploration. This is a game without way-points or quest markers, your given directions by NPC's and they expect to find your own way. This seems frustrating at first but after awhile you learn to pay attention to your surroundings,open the map once in a while and to check your compass. It's very rewarding to find your destination using only your brain power and not your eyes glued to an arrow. Something I wish more open world RPG's did.
    -Great Soundtrack/Main Theme.
    -Lot's of Variety. loads of armor,weapons,loot,potions,magic spells,enemy types, and interesting characters. The level of customization is beyond what ES:Oblivion and ES:Skyrim offer you.
    -Character Builds and the way you level up is also a lot better in ES:Morrowind. you have so many option as far as what skills you want your character to learn. and this gives the game some replay value and comes in handy later on if you want to learn new skills for a different character build without starting a new game cause it's easy to gain the first few levels quickly and Attribute and Skill points never seem like they're wasted.
    -Did I mention you can fly? Cause you can. Either by use of potions,enchantments,or spell casting. It comes in very handy when you spot loot that's out of the way but is also used to progress through a few story sections.I don't know why they took out this feature from the ES:O and ES:S. Flying around,complex character builds and a long and engaging main story were some of the features that I really missed from the sequels.
    -Loads of fun and interesting Side quests.You run into some interesting characters along the way and solve their problems for them or you can join one of three Guilds and work your way to the top.

    Cons
    -Glitches/Bugs like any other Bathesda game but since this is a console port from a time before Update Patches they actually did a good job of polishing this one before release. My game only crashed a few times. I only wish the load times weren't so bad cause getting back in usually meant a good minute or two of loading from the main menu.
    -No voice acting but that was most games back then so I can't really complain.
    -Combat was the least imaginative part of this game with 3 basic slashes and automatic blocking but it's not terrible.
    -Lack of cut scenes throughout the game were annoying,There's only one before you start the game. Having played 60+ hours to finish the game I was a bit disappointed. This is something Bathesda has to change in future Elder Scrolls Titles. The ES games have little to no cut scenes which is a bit frustrating when you consider the fact that most RPG's today will include at least an hour or two of cut-scenes to fill in the gaps between Chapters/Missions.I'm not sure why Bathesda can't be bothered(maybe their staff is too busy making Horse Armor DLC and other useless things for $5-20 bucks a pop)

    -Even with all it's flaws it still a 10/10 game.    … Expand
  4. TheSquirrel
    Oct 31, 2014
    10
    The greatest Xbox game, period. Beautiful for it's time and vastly ahead of the open-world concept craze, Morrowind was the first truly immersive game I played. All RPG's that dare to go full 3D open world are measured Morrowind's complexity, it's diversity, and it's massive environments.
    Add to this a Fighter guild, Mages guild, Thieves Guild, Morag Tong assassins Guild, Tribunal    The greatest Xbox game, period. Beautiful for it's time and vastly ahead of the open-world concept craze, Morrowind was the first truly immersive game I played. All RPG's that dare to go full 3D open world are measured Morrowind's complexity, it's diversity, and it's massive environments.
    Add to this a Fighter guild, Mages guild, Thieves Guild, Morag Tong assassins Guild, Tribunal Temple, Imperial Cult, Imperial Legion, Blades main Guild, chance to join one of three ruling houses, East Empire Company, Ashlanders, and even a rare chance to join one of three Vampire clans. Add to this many non-faction miscellaneous quests and you have a near endless amount of missions to complete.
    What separates this game from current versions is that there is little to no enemy leveling system. There is also little to no item leveling occurring. This allows for a far more dangerous and potentially far more rewarding exploration experience. Vampire den at level 4? Your dead and it's your fault. Find a massive enchanted sword at level 6? Hope you built your character to use it, enjoy! Find something impressive at level 10 and sell it only to discover it was mission essential later at level 30? Your fault, start over.
    Another thing worth mentioning is a brilliant music score.
    It is not perfect, however. This game also taught me what it was to have a game you could not rely on to be stable, which has become Bethesda's calling card. The combat is quite weak, you just flail at your opponent while they flail back and you see who had the better odds at flailing. The graphics may have been great when this game was made, but they have not aged particularly well. Also Cliff Racers are the most annoying enemy in gaming history.
    Not a game for people looking to have hands held through a game, but unrivaled in it's time and still a great play today. Top 5 game on my all time list.    … Expand
  5. DarkJEM
    Dec 18, 2013
    10
    Quite simply the best and most immersive RPG to grace any console. If you own an original Xbox or 360 its worth your time seeking out this game. I have been playing this game for years. I get some time per week to indulge in my gaming and always go back to this one. Its amazing, OK the graphics might be a little dated compared to its sequels, Oblivion and Skyrim, but the shear size ofQuite simply the best and most immersive RPG to grace any console. If you own an original Xbox or 360 its worth your time seeking out this game. I have been playing this game for years. I get some time per week to indulge in my gaming and always go back to this one. Its amazing, OK the graphics might be a little dated compared to its sequels, Oblivion and Skyrim, but the shear size of the game is astounding and puts the other two to shame. Get out there and find a copy, you will not be sorry. GOTY copies are a little pricey though. If you own a half decent PC then seek out the main game and copies of the expansions as this is a cheaper option. Brilliant game, just brilliant.… Expand
  6. FloodSlayer
    Nov 11, 2013
    10
    One of my most favorite game of all time. I've played this game for over 8 years now & there are a lot of missions I haven't done & locations I haven't been to yet. This is one of those that I would be ok with if this was the only game I am allowed to play for the rest of my life. The only problem I have with this game is the horrible combat mechanics & hit box.
  7. Kuszh
    Oct 24, 2013
    9
    Morrowind changed the RPG game. It provides an immersive and gigantic world to get lost into. One of the few games where the content actually surpasses the cost.
  8. Rcj8993
    Sep 18, 2013
    9
    Not bad at all, great compared to the PC version, has minor bugs when playing it on the original Xbox, but on the xbox 360 I have yet to see any bugs
    a pure RPG game, the combat is a little unbalanced, but its because the game adds into effect your attributes and your luck, and your skill with your current weapon.
  9. Frowney
    Aug 10, 2013
    10
    This game is absolutely amazing. The storytelling is amazing, the depth is just astonishing, the NPC interactions make the NPCs feel alive, and you can do whatever you want to do. Your choices actually matter, the people recognise your good or bad deeds, the DLC is great. I could go on and on about this game, but play it for yourself and experience the full beauty of a real RPG.
  10. Paarthurnax
    May 27, 2013
    10
    Great game, large world, beautiful landscape. While quests get boring and some of the monsters you encounter may be dull, the game provides a thrilling time for all ages.
  11. MisterNoodles
    Mar 31, 2013
    10
    This is by far one my favorite games. The game will keep hooked for many hours at a time with it vast amount of quests and stories. Some of the guilds my lack a little bit in story, but overall the game is worth buying on the PC since load times on the Xbox are insane. The best Elder Scrolls game yet.
  12. Ben69xd
    May 21, 2012
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This is the crown jewel of all The Elder Scrolls games. No fast travel, a better armor and weapon innovatory, and no memes. you can only level up via your Major and minor skills, which is a good thing. if you don't feel like running for an hour then you can take a stride sture. a smaller map is better than what you think. means more things can happen while traveling. combat is straight forward. and the text dialog makes it so they call you by your characters' name which is better then people just calling you "Dragonborn" or in this game "Nerevarine".… Expand
  13. Pahn
    Jan 21, 2012
    10
    One of my top 10 favorite games of all time. Sure, it's a little buggy at times and you have to swing your first weapon about fifty times at a cliff racer to hit it, but this game isn't for the average gamer. It's for explorers--people who enjoy going wherever they want and doing whatever they want. It's for those who enjoy putting hours and hours into their character & leveling upOne of my top 10 favorite games of all time. Sure, it's a little buggy at times and you have to swing your first weapon about fifty times at a cliff racer to hit it, but this game isn't for the average gamer. It's for explorers--people who enjoy going wherever they want and doing whatever they want. It's for those who enjoy putting hours and hours into their character & leveling up skills so you can become the most powerful force in the game. It also allows you to progress with the main quest whenever you darn well feel like it while providing ample opportunities to advance with other organizations. This game is more "real" than any other I've played, including Oblivion & Skyrim. You can go into a house in the middle of nowhere, murder the occupants, steal them blind, and sell all their wares at a nearby village. The guards won't know a thing, as they shouldn't..they weren't there and you left no survivors. This is NOT the case in Oblivion or Skyrim, where every guard nearby seems to know the moment you stole that little silver cup. That's not real to me, but BS.… Expand
  14. bowflexman
    Jan 20, 2012
    10
    Morrowind is the first Elder Scrolls game I played. Simply put, it is incredible. In fact, I would venture to say that it is vastly superior to its predecessor, Oblivion. Morrowind is the first in the series to introduce a truly open and vast world that not only takes hours to see and explore, but manages also feel very much alive. It is filled to the brim with interesting scenery,Morrowind is the first Elder Scrolls game I played. Simply put, it is incredible. In fact, I would venture to say that it is vastly superior to its predecessor, Oblivion. Morrowind is the first in the series to introduce a truly open and vast world that not only takes hours to see and explore, but manages also feel very much alive. It is filled to the brim with interesting scenery, characters, quests, monsters, lore, and so on. I honestly cannot place exactly why this game was more fun than Oblivion besides to say perhaps the overall all "mood" and design of the continent. Skyrim managed to return to the series' roots while still taking several steps forward, and it is superior to Morrowind, no doubt, but if you get the change to try out this amazing, epic game that paved the way for Skyrim, do not hesitate. I give this game an easy 10 out of 10.… Expand
  15. DeathChurch87
    Nov 15, 2011
    10
    Morrowind is easily one of the best games available on XBOX. The absolutely epic scale of the game, in and of itself, was enough to get me to shell out $50 for it many years ago, and recently repurchased a used copy ($4 on Amazon). Even after the countless hours I've already spent in this game when it was new, there are still many more unexplored avenues for adventure, untold stories of myMorrowind is easily one of the best games available on XBOX. The absolutely epic scale of the game, in and of itself, was enough to get me to shell out $50 for it many years ago, and recently repurchased a used copy ($4 on Amazon). Even after the countless hours I've already spent in this game when it was new, there are still many more unexplored avenues for adventure, untold stories of my exploits, and an unexplainable craving to leave no rock unturned, no cave unexplored. Infinite replay value aside, nearly every facet of this game made an impact on me as a gamer. The loading times are long, more bugs than I would normally tolerate, companion pathing is a pain, and the combat system is simplistic, however, for it's time, you cannot find a more involved, open ended RPG. Period. This game was developed for the PC, and runs much better on more powerful hardware than the XBOX has to offer, however, Bethesda did a wonderful job tailoring Morrowind so console gamers could enjoy this game. With everything it has to offer, any flaws in the game are completely blown away by the sheer amount of content. This game has a special place on my top 5 games of all time.… Expand
  16. HARVEYtheDAMNED
    Oct 25, 2011
    10
    From the time you step off of the boat, Morrowind will sink its claws into you and never let go. The combat and graphics have not held up well over the years, but the incredible adventure filled land of Morrowind has.
  17. Odlenator
    Oct 6, 2011
    10
    This game will forever be in my top 10 favorite games off all time. If you are a big fan of open world games with complete freedom as to what you can do and where you can go this is the game for you. You want to to kill a key NPC and effectively end the game's main story? Sure! You want to enchant a ring that can make you fly? Why not! You want to become a vampire and feed on people? GoThis game will forever be in my top 10 favorite games off all time. If you are a big fan of open world games with complete freedom as to what you can do and where you can go this is the game for you. You want to to kill a key NPC and effectively end the game's main story? Sure! You want to enchant a ring that can make you fly? Why not! You want to become a vampire and feed on people? Go right ahead! Some people complain that the travel system is slow and it takes forever to walk places. I think this is a good thing. Walking from place to place makes the game feel more authentic and mystical. There is a mass transit system that can get you between the main settlements on the map. There is so much to do and see in this game it's unbelievable. This is the first Bethesda game I ever played and I have played every single one they've produced since. This game opened my eyes to a genre of games I didn't know I liked and now I play almost exclusively. Give it a shot even if though it's old now.… Expand
  18. LycaonCaesar
    Aug 5, 2011
    9
    This is almost a perfect RPG. Morrowind is open-ended, offers hundreds of quests, plenty of story lines, and the main plot is possibly the best I have seen in any game. In true RPG fashion you start with nothing but your shirt, pants and a stolen dagger, and you might end up as a force to throttle the heavens. The world is beautiful and varied - especially for a game of its age - and thereThis is almost a perfect RPG. Morrowind is open-ended, offers hundreds of quests, plenty of story lines, and the main plot is possibly the best I have seen in any game. In true RPG fashion you start with nothing but your shirt, pants and a stolen dagger, and you might end up as a force to throttle the heavens. The world is beautiful and varied - especially for a game of its age - and there is never a shortage of places to go, dungeons to explore, items to find and people to interact with. Regardless of where you go, you will be filled with a sense of wonder, and anticipation of possible rewards.

    I would like to give Morrowind a perfect 10/10, but there are a few elements that needs to be improved upon for that (and fan-made mods have indeed been made). The most deterring aspect is combat, which severely lacks excitement, as you will find yourself chopping away with your sword or axe, smashing the same mouse button repeatedly until whatever is in your way is dead. There is no strategy to melee. Spell-casting would be fun as the spell book is far more varied than in the game's successor, Oblivion, but unfortunately you will find yourself lacking the mana pool to do prolonged combat with destructive spells and there is no mana regeneration.

    However the problems with the combat system barely deters from the overall enjoyment of the game, as the story will leave you hungering for more. Whenever you complete a quest you will want to continue unto the next one, and whenever you travel the world - which you will be doing a lot - you explore every canyon crevice hoping to find something new, which you often will.
    The expansions have equally impressive story-lines. Bloodmoon offers a new, enormous landmass to explore, but sacrifices story quality (although it is still fantastic and engaging), whereas Tribunal is confided to one large city and its sewers, but with a story rivaling that of the original. Further the difficulty of the expansions is high, making them great for characters that have already completed the main quest. Unlike Oblivion there is no scaling, and the game does not hold your hand. You can fail quests, and you can kill ANYONE, meaning a particularly malicious player can mess up his own progress, by slaughtering important NPC's. This is not a critique, but an applause, as the game lets you experience the consequences of your own actions in a believable way. The game is fantastic and once you start, you might never stop playing. Eight years after its release and I still enjoy it as much as any game I've tried since.    … Expand
  19. TechnologoDoom
    Aug 2, 2011
    10
    After all these years, TES III Morrowind is still my all-time favorite game. Far better than Oblivion, it's world is more arcane with many more Houses and Guilds to explore, not to mention a far more alien world with 2 stellar expansions (Bloodmoon and Tribunal). Most other open-world games pale in comparison. I still manage to play an 80-hour character about once a year. Oh, and don'tAfter all these years, TES III Morrowind is still my all-time favorite game. Far better than Oblivion, it's world is more arcane with many more Houses and Guilds to explore, not to mention a far more alien world with 2 stellar expansions (Bloodmoon and Tribunal). Most other open-world games pale in comparison. I still manage to play an 80-hour character about once a year. Oh, and don't forget the new mods! :)… Expand
  20. Nostalgium
    Jul 13, 2011
    9
    This game is bloody amazing. This game is huge, and anyone not playing it is REALLY missing out. This is not even a game anymore, it lives on it's own.
  21. perroel
    Jun 10, 2011
    10
    this is the best game I've ever played. I guess the modern gamers who complain about it don't want to spend so much time making their first character good.
  22. Tubie
    Jan 24, 2011
    10
    This game made me buy the Xbox twice. I thought I had no use of the machine then I tried this game and just had to get another Xbox because I did not have a PC that could handle this game. I was introduce to this great franchise, a game that introduced me to what a real open world game looks like.
  23. Gammacee
    May 22, 2007
    10
    Never before has a single player game kept me playing for so long. Still not bored...
  24. KrzysztofK.
    Feb 21, 2007
    9
    Top notch. The nearly open-ended story and huge world makes for a wonderfully long play time without being too massive (as the previous installments were).
  25. MikeK.
    Oct 3, 2006
    10
    Truly a gaming masterpiece, in my opinion the greatest game ever made. Open ended gameplay, a positively immense world, multitudinous quests, great replayability, and a fascinating story line all add up to true perfection. This game will have you playing well into the night months after purchase.
  26. SamM.
    Apr 11, 2006
    0
    Worst game I have ever played this game is for losers.
  27. ScottH.
    Mar 13, 2006
    10
    This game is awsome its amazing I love the way that you can just do anything you want to its awsome.
  28. RavenX301
    Mar 6, 2006
    9
    I'm not sure what to say. It IS so massive and amazing that you have to give the game aleast an 8. I can't even wrap my mind around how the developers created such a huge, huge land and still keep realative good pacing. Still, the hugness of the game is also a downfall. The game is so large that its take up to a includeing 2 hours for some missions just in traveling and finding I'm not sure what to say. It IS so massive and amazing that you have to give the game aleast an 8. I can't even wrap my mind around how the developers created such a huge, huge land and still keep realative good pacing. Still, the hugness of the game is also a downfall. The game is so large that its take up to a includeing 2 hours for some missions just in traveling and finding your way around. I have to constantly look at the map over and over again. This now being 2006 in March I have yet to see another game of this scope come out. The combat system is...well....better once you get higer levels sense you acual HIT the target more than once every ten throws. Grahpics are a bit wierd in some places, mainly just the charater anamtions and how they move. However, This is still the only game sense Bluader's Gate II came out that you can really lose your self in all the extra stuff. It's like you can just simply come across a door in the hills on your travels and suddenly your on a quest for a hidden Gem or somthing. I love that. There has been no other sense BG II That i could ever entirly loss myself in and forget totally about the story. Again, however the traveling is so harsh. Most of the missions, no matter where you get them, leave you to go from one side of the map to another or inbetween. When you think about it, it is pretty real to have to travel for what seems like forever and the feeling that you get when you finally return to a life town instead of volcanos and rubel is priceless but in a game it seems just tooooo long for simple travel. There are ways like the mages guild and this large bug and boats that you can travel but its sometimes hard to always rely on them becasue they only take you to some places. traveling in this game does have it's good points. You see tons of cool places and new and wierd locations and going from place to place leaves you always looking at you map they give you with the manual and i find that rather cool sense it feels so much realer to me.… Expand
  29. JaceN.
    Feb 23, 2006
    6
    To be considered the definitive version seeing as just about everyone traded in their copy of Morrowind for Morrowind GOTY. And adventure of incredible scope and depth with so much to see and do. Occasionally the luck based roll of the dice that determines success gets truly annoying and the distance required to travel for some quests leads to "driver fatigue", plus the ever present To be considered the definitive version seeing as just about everyone traded in their copy of Morrowind for Morrowind GOTY. And adventure of incredible scope and depth with so much to see and do. Occasionally the luck based roll of the dice that determines success gets truly annoying and the distance required to travel for some quests leads to "driver fatigue", plus the ever present elitist element that believes the game is too easy and you get too rich & powerful too quick...despite how long it took. The real downfall of Morrowind has to be its crippling software bugs. Often while the system performs a marathon juggling act with massive amounts of data between the game disc, RAM and the XBOXs hard disc...something gets dropped and the game will freeze up, the screen stops dead, the loud buzzing errupts from the speakers and you have to eject & insert the game to begin again. Its truly an inexcusable flaw in an otherwise awesome game. Its a miracle that the XBOX was able to do a version of Morrowind in the first place but the phenomenal system strain and terrifying crash bugs rob it of a higher score. For a game that is so long you dont want your system locking up all the time as youre just starting to get into things.… Expand
  30. VictorA.
    Dec 31, 2005
    10
    This game is far the best RPG Game ever,i recommend this game to everyone.But the bad news is there is to much walking around and sometimes the quests dont give you much info on it.But still this is a good game.
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Awards & Rankings

16
#16 Best Xbox Game of 2003
2
#2 Most Discussed Xbox Game of 2003
50
#50 Most Shared Xbox Game of 2003

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
88

Generally favorable reviews - based on 25 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 25 out of 25
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 25
  3. Negative: 0 out of 25
  1. Xbox Nation Magazine
    80
    These new options are perfect for the hardened "Morrowind" veteran, adding just the right amount of innovation to an already solid RPG, and fortunately, this edition is compatible with old save files. [Mar 2004, p.91]
  2. Armchair Empire
    100
    The depth of Morrowind's gameplay and overall design is matched by the audio-visual presentation. Hands down, Morrowind's soundtrack should be released on CD – once you've heard the opening chords you'll be humming it for hours after first booting it up.
    Read full review
  3. Digital Entertainment News
    98
    I love you, Bethesda. I eagerly await Elder Scrolls 4 and Call of Cthulu. Marry me.
    Read full review
See all critic reviews »