| In this ongoing look at significant moments in the | | | | game's freedom that will be focused on. It is |
| history of video game design, we have already | | | | difficult to overestimate the shock that console |
| taken a look at Bungie's Halo, Bioware's MDK2, the | | | | gamers felt when they realized they could literally |
| original Half-Life on PC and several others. The | | | | go anywhere, do anything, kill anyone (except |
| goal of this series is to go beyond gaming | | | | characters crucial to the storyline), steal anything, |
| magazines and iPhone app reviews, and take a | | | | break into any building and simply play the game |
| closer look at what defines memorability and | | | | on their terms, rather than merely journeying |
| quality in game design. In this sixth part of the | | | | along a pre-determined path. The game begins in |
| series we will examine some more of those | | | | an underground sewer setting, but after a bit of |
| classic moments where video game designers | | | | exploration the gamer emerges into the daylight |
| undoubtedly got it right and delivered a | | | | and is greeted with a massive world with little |
| memorable, enduring and progressive gaming | | | | guidance as to what their next move should be. |
| experience. | | | | Some felt overwhelmed by this freedom, but |
| The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind (Multi-Platform) - | | | | those who stuck with the adventure quickly saw |
| Released in 2002 and developed by Bethesda | | | | that there was a method to this seeming |
| Software, the role-playing-game (RPG) Morrowind | | | | madness. Unlike most games before it, exploration |
| was certainly not without its faults. The games | | | | in Morrowind was rewarded with exotic treasures |
| incredibly large world and open ended gameplay | | | | and hidden adventures, rather than invisible |
| sometimes demonstrated the concept of a | | | | boundaries or impassable obstacles. The games |
| game's reach exceeding its grasp. Quests could be | | | | incredibly large selection of characters all had a |
| broken, save files could be corrupted and | | | | story to tell and gamers who took the time to |
| frustration was as much a part of the game as | | | | read these lengthy passages were rewarded with |
| exploration. Why then, is this game worthy of | | | | one of the richest gameplay experiences video |
| inclusion in this series? Because of its incredible and | | | | games have to offer. Every single facet of |
| unflinching ambition. | | | | Morrowind is absolutely epic in scope and truly |
| Although PC players had seen game worlds bigger | | | | must be played to be understood. |
| than Morrowind in the past - Bethesda's own | | | | Ultimately, it was Bethesda's refusal to dumb |
| previous entry in the Elder Scrolls series, | | | | down their game for the console market coupled |
| Daggerfall boasted a larger map - when it | | | | with their unflinching courage in delivering a game |
| launched on the Xbox, console players were | | | | that had a legitimate chance of intimidating the |
| astounded at the game's scope. One could literally | | | | gamers who had quite literally never seen a game |
| spend an entire day wandering the game's | | | | like Morrowind, that cemented it as a game of |
| overworld, meeting characters, getting into | | | | the year candidate and a mainstay example of |
| real-time battles, treasure hunting and adventuring, | | | | high-quality game design. While not a perfect |
| without ever completing a quest or making any | | | | game by any means, Morrowind still wonderfully |
| actual progress in the game's storyline. This type | | | | demonstrates impressively progressive design |
| of flexibility to quest and explore as one wished | | | | elements and fearless ambition. It raised our |
| was particularly jolting to fans of Japanese RPGs, | | | | expectations of RPG gaming on consoles, showed |
| as they had become accustomed to RPGs being | | | | that incredibly large game worlds were not only |
| played more rigidly, with enemy encounters being | | | | possible, but feasible, and set the tone for what |
| random and turn based. | | | | would become a record of ongoing consistency |
| In singling out a particular component of | | | | and quality from Bethesda Software. |
| Morrowind for its game design quality, it is the | | | | |