Title : Morrowind with 2012 Overhaul Pack

Rating : 7/10

Platform Reviewed on : PC

Platforms Available : PC, PS3, XBOX 360

Release Date : July 22^nd 2002 (Original release date not accounting for Overhaul Pack)

For some Skyrim is the first introduction into the Elder Scrolls Saga. I originally was introduced to the Elder Scrolls Series with Oblivion (The game that came before Skyrim in the Elder scrolls series) and instantly fell in love. The open world concept allowed the player to play the game as you see fit, which held an instant appeal. Whether you decide to play as the murderous thieving assassin. Or the virtuous Holy knight who abides by the law. It was all up to you in how you wanted to shape your character and the approach you wanted to take. I had never experienced such freedom in a game. (Exception was an older RPG known as Ultima 6 back in the 1990s)

When I played Oblivion, I started to read about the fact that some fans of the Elder Scrolls preferred Morrowind. Which was the game that came before Oblivion. I couldn’t fathom it at first. Because in my mind Oblivion was such a perfect game. And became my all time favourite video game.

So after completing Oblivion after many hours of gameplay, I decided to give Morrowind a try. And I just couldn’t stomach it. The graphics looked extremely outdated when comparing it Oblivion. And the gameplay and interface seemed so much less intuitive.

I pressed on for some time, mainly because a friend of mine who was a big Morrowind fan spoke highly of its quality. But eventually gave up as I found it hard to ‘immerse’ myself in the game. Feeling that the graphics, gameplay and sound not living up to today’s standard really made it difficult to get engrossed. And Elder scrolls games are all about being engrossed. With that feeling that you are entering a virtual world that almost seems like it will carry on by itself when you turn it off. As much as I hate to say it, I judged a book by its cover.

Now having played Skyrim, I can relate a little bit to how Morrowind players feel. In that progression is not always straight and upward with each Elder Scroll Game. As there some areas in a matter of preference which I actually preferred Oblivion versus Skyrim. Don’t get me wrong, Skyrim was a fantastic game. And improved upon many of Oblivions flaws. However, it took away some areas which I really enjoyed about Oblivion. Such as getting away from the classical Medieval fantasy theme for more of the Viking / Nordic theme that the people of Skyrim represent. Or taking away the different layers of armour you can wear. Ie. Mixing different pants with shirts etc. All in all, it just pointed out that some people have preferences.

So I decided to give Morrowind another go. This time applying one of the Overhaul / MOD packs. As Elder Scroll games are famous for having a strong user community which has created thousands of modifications to the Elder Scroll games (Skyrim, Oblivion, Morrowind). Now that’s dedication for you! The Elder Scroll games are so involving people take the time and investment to modify it.

I utilized the Morrowind 2012 Overhaul pack at the given link below :

http://morrowindoverhaul.rpgitalia.net/

Also make sure to download the “Improved Combat Mod” which removes those annoying hit / miss ratios in the early stages of the game :

http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=30791

The website was a little difficult to navigate, but after downloading all the files and reading the PDF I discovered they had an Installer. And after re-installing a fresh installation of Morrowind (This is key and a mistake I made before – needs to be a completely new install of Morrowind) I then used the installer. Which took over my mouse control and configured Morrowind as it should.

After installation, I fired up Morrowind. And I was completely blown away. The game looked so different. The game Models look so much more 3 dimensional. Faces didn’t look as gaunt and stretched. And there was no longer that constant fog that appears in the game, that made things seem so gloomy in the original game.

The game was still a little awkward in places. Such as when a character is blocking your way you can’t push them out of the way like in Skyrim or Oblivion. And I wasn’t used to reading so much text, since there wasn’t any voice acting. But after time, I started to get into the game like Oblivion and Skyrim.

I started to see the theme itself can be an attraction, offering a land which is more mysterious and eerie than that Cyrodil or Skyrim. Inviting you to explore more.

There still were some times I wish the combat was more like Skyrim. But aside from that, the actual storyline and desire to explore the land were pretty much on par.

I’m still playing Morrowind and from what I hear there is actually more content than both Oblivion and Skyrim. So it looks like it maybe awhile until I finish it. However, I am in no rush.

If you are looking to continue your exploration of the Morrowind world. It might be worthwhile checking an Overhaul pack with Morrowind. I know I have been quiet pleased with the results. You will however need a PC as the Xbox version is not modifiable. You can take a look at my video at the top of this blog. Which I first show how Morrowind looks like when its installed with maximum graphics. And the other video is a discussion of what Morrowind offers compared to Skyrim and Oblivion. Mind you I hadn’t installed the Overhaul pack completely correctly, so its not showing in its maximum state in the second video.

But its all worth checking out! Happy gaming!