I remember way back in the day playing a game by the name of "The Elder Scrolls: Arena." And I remember when "The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall" came out, and I wanted to play it, but I couldn't afford it, and now it's just too outdated. And I remember when "The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind" came out in 2002, and I wanted to get it, but I knew my computer wouldn't run it. Back in those days I was running a PII-266 with an Intel AGP graphics card that had some NVidia chipset with 8mb of video ram. It wasn't compliant with any graphics acceleration specs, AFAIK. Even when I upgraded to a PIII-600 later that same year, and got a 32mb GeForce 2 card, I couldn't afford the game. Come to think of it, that's the same computer (with minor modificiations) that's sitting unused in a corner of the family office right now. I haven't used it any since I got my new laptop, but I have plans to turn it into a file server. Unfortunately, it'll have to run Windows, as our router here at the house doesn't like Linux much. Or maybe I could put in a virtual network inside our home network (which is itself a virtual network), and the NAT done by the internal router might make it work with our older Netopia router... Hmmm... But I digress.

Last Tuesday (that'd be December 20th, for those who like to keep up with that sort of thing), I ran across Morrowind on the $10 rack at Walmart. And I just had to get it, even though I knew it probably wouldn't quite live up to the graphics I'm accustomed to, since I've been playing F.E.A.R. lately (which is a totally badass game, though my computer doesn't come close to running the full-quality graphics). I didn't install it until Saturday, but when I did... Damn. The guys at Bethesda Softworks have totally rewritten the book on RPGs. Immersive, very interactive environment, fantastic skills system (including the ability to mix and match close to a hundred different materials you can collect during the course of the game to make potions out of them), the ability to create your own spells, and an incredibly detailed history and storyline to pull from. I may have to bite the bullet and pay full price for "The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion," which was released earlier this year. Except that I'm sure my computer won't run it very well... I may have to buy a gaming desktop just to run that game.

My only two complaints about the game are that it's a little unstable (I guess I could install the latest patch and it would probably help that. Meh.), and the skills system could be better. It forces you to pay way too much attention to what weapons you use and when in order to maximize the attribute bonuses you get when you level up, which is a pain in the ass. For instance, if I go around throwing fireballs at every creature in the game, I'll level up by increasing my Destruction skill, by I won't get any sort of bonus for my intelligence, which is what governs the maximum amount of mana you can have. On the other hand, if you go around picking locks, you'll level up your security score, and get a bonus for your intelligence, thereby increasing your maximum MP, even if you never cast a single spell.

On the other hand, the skill system in place is a big step in the right direction. There's been more of a trend toward ignoring levels in the classic RPG sense and concentrating strictly on individual abilities, thankfully. The idea of being a "level 20 wizard" just seems kinda outdated. I don't want to be pigeonholed into a particular category, even if it is in a game like Morrowind where there are about thirty such categories. I shouldn't be able to assign points to ability attributes that govern skills I haven't used (e.g., increasing my intelligence, even though I leveled up by hitting monsters in the head with an axe over and over again). I would prefer a system wherein the amount of mana I can have is determined by the highest skill level I've attained in any of the magical disciplines available (or maybe the RMS level of all of them, etc.). The API Bethesda released for writing mods to Morrowind supports enforcing that sort of behavior, so maybe we can expect to see more of it later. I'm especially interested in seeing what Obvlivion has in store.

In summary, this has definitely been the best $10 I've ever spent on a game. I've been glued to my computer 12 or more hours a day since Saturday (except for Christmas day), and I'm not done with the game yet. Granted, I could have been, but it's more fun this way. I recommend it to anyone who's into the RPG scene. Go. Buy. Enjoy.