Written by Jeff Buckland, 6/11/2003
Played on:
Windows
Bethesda's second expansion pack for their hit RPG, The Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind, has hit stores. Bloodmoon continues on the open-ended gameplay tradition, with a tighter storyline, more involved quests than ever, and the ability to become a werewolf. Combine this with the branching good-or-evil storyline, and we have a winning game that goes beyond what people expect expansion packs to be.
Sadly, Bloodmoon adds basically nothing on the technology side of things. The engine seems pretty much untouched, although the scripting looks a little bit more robust than previously. The controls, system requirements, and graphics features are all the same - of course, even at a year old, Morrowind still looks awesome.
Since day one I have had issues with Morrowind crashing, and one year (and several patches) later, it seems to have only slightly improved. Morrowind would still drop to the desktop about once every hour or so while playing Bloodmoon, which is usually not too big a deal since I've gotten used to saving often. Still, it would have been nice to see major improvements in the game's stability.
Again, not much has changed here. The game includes all the little enhancements that the first Morrowind expansion, Tribunal, supplied: map markers, an improved journal, and more. That way, you get all the bonuses even if you didn't buy that first expansion pack. There are also some major changes if or when one becomes a werewolf - more on that later.
The loading and saving system is the same as before, and the inventory system also works just fine for Bloodmoon. Despite the lack of changes in these areas, I doubt there really needed to be any. Bethesda already corrected the journal problems, and the rest of the interface works pretty well anyway.
Bloodmoon includes almost a full set of new graphics. Many of the older character/NPC models are still used here, and some of the original building layouts are used, but that's about it. We get brand new content for the enemies, weapons, armor, landscapes, and animations.
For those who thought Morrowind and Tribunal both were too brown: Bethesda noticed. It seems that they made a specific effort to put more colors into their palette, and it shows in both indoor and outdoor environments. The south side of the game's new island, Solstheim, includes forests and streams, while the north side has ice-covered lakes, snow-covered trees, and huge glacier chunks. It adds up to an impressive visual experience that's almost like playing a separate stand-alone game - almost.
The structure for the first expansion, Tribunal, seemed to be a result of people's complaints that maybe the original game was a little too open - that it was too loosely held together by unconnected quests. Tribunal basically locked you into a city and a few underground areas, and then held it all together with a branching storyline. It's good that they tightened up the gameplay a bit, but in my opinion, they did it the wrong way. Bloodmoon, however, strikes the right balance between structured story and the freedom to explore, and in this respect it's better than both the original game and Tribunal.
Yes, the big, open island design is back with lots of nooks and crannies. Tons of side quests are offered up, many of which are harder to find than to complete. We get a whole new storyline that doesn't mess with the Tribunal or the Nerevar elements either, and this story is tightly woven together with some interesting plot elements. On top of this, the end of the main quest actually differs depending on which side you choose.
