The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind GOTY Edition

Why 'the odd one out'? Because it's a great game in otherwise mediocre series. I'll keep this short, so let's start with negatives; Cons: - Balance; some items are clearly better than other, some skills are clearly more useful than other... expansions in particular suffer heavily from this. - There are some bugs and questionable obscure mechanics (I'm thinking of you, stealth) that require use of community made tools like Morrowind Code Patch, but then again every single piece of software has bugs. Pros: - Everything else. tldr: Best. Game. Ever.

It's a fantastic game, lots to do and see, couple of things to note get the "Morrowind Overhaul 3.0" mod, it brings the graphics closer to newer titles such as Skyrim, also uesp.net is your friend..there are no quest markers just directions given via speech which are then logged in a journal. Research merchants ;)

OK, 'Gothic' saga may be closer to my heart, 'The Witcher' trilogy has a lot better story, and later TES games are more polished in terms of gameplay... But if you're looking for a world to totally immerse in, look no further. 'Morrowind' may seem quite static, but that's the point. Those who played isometric RPGs like 'Baldur's Gate' or 'Fallout' surely know why - because this world comes to life in your own imagination. To be honest, 'Morrowind' is not the greatest adventure I've ever had, it was never meant to be. But as you embellish the home you've earned with decorations of your choice, as you mix different armour pieces to create a new epic set (I'll never forget the awesome outfit I traversed the land of Vvanderfell in), as you invade a tower of an ancient archmage, to make it your new dwelling (in later instalments the enemies respawn and possessions you leave in, say, chests, disappear, but not in 'Morrowind'! Once taken, a location may become your new home - a palace I've captured after a tough battle with a semi-god may be a good example), as you create your own spells or scheme to infect citizens of Vvanderfell with vampirism, prepare to rob a museum of artifacts or join a barbarian tribe of Nords from Solstheim (because, hey, why not?) - you know, that you've found a game you'll spend your next months or years in. If you don't forget that it is a game, that is to say.

I can not forget the moment I first arrived at Seyda Neen. In 2006, I was in elementary grade 6 and Morrowind was a very difficult game for children in countries that do not speak English as their first language. The biggest problem was not that English was difficult, but my Redguard hero was killed three times in rats. Does it make any sense for a man not to win a rat? I deleted the game in half an hour and was upset with my sister who was next to me for no reason. My sister kept laughing at me to say that I was lacking in spirit, and I was angry and I set up the game again in a few days later. I barely got on the Silt Strider and arrived at Balmora, and from then on, it was literally a beginning of fantastic adventure. I dedicated a year to this game. It's been over 10 years now and Fallout 4 has been released, but none of Bethesda's later games have been as strong as Morrowind. No more unkind travel experiences, and all the important NPCs are immortal. The nearest piece of work will be New Vegas, but even this Obsidian masterpiece doesn't say, "You killed an important person. Load save files or go on living in this fucked-up world that you ruined. " Even though these 'important' NPCs are beaten up, they just rise like zombies. Game graphics continue to evolve, but immersion is not at all better. Even now, remembering almost everything in Tamriel, I continue to feel the dread of this game when restarting Morrowind again. It might not be one of the toughest games in history, but at this point in time, with easy games or just visual novels, this game is pretty hard to get started without knowing anything. But this one, which came out 15 years ago, still contains everything you want to experience in the unknown fantasy world. To me, Nerevarine is still a much more attractive protagonist than Munchkin Sheogorath or Dragonborn who let out a horrible shriek.

15 years after its initial release Morrowind continues to captivate every time I play it, restoring in me a sense of exploration, mystery and wonder that no game has reached again. The intricate and compelling story, in depth lore, engaging world, beautiful music and art style combined with the best sense of progression and power makes Morrowind my favourite RPG of all-time.