We're at T-minus zero minutes, folks. The Elder Scrolls Online: Morrowind launched around the world today. Our resident MMO guru, Sean Cahill, gave vanilla ESO a healthy 8 out of 10. But now we're talking about Morrowind. The original Morrowind launched in 2002, 15 years ago. It's the game that changed everything for Todd Howard and Bethesda Softworks. It's the game that put The Elder Scrolls on the map. It's the game that redefined open-world role-playing games.
So, y'know, no pressure on ESO: Morrowind to be any good. But look at this video. Look at the giant, charred mushrooms. Look at the statue of Azura presiding over a double moonlit night. Look at Vvardenfell's volcanic mountain, puking smoke and fire over everything. There are dark elves rocking that sweet, chitinous armor; creepy monsters creeping through even creepier daedric places of worship; the floating city of Vivec rising above the waters like an ash-blasted ziggurat; while the blue-and-gold-skinned man-god, Vivec himself, is bummed about his diminishing power. There are even dwemer golems bigger than any I've seen before.
Oblivion had none of the imagination of Morrowind. Skyrim barely scraped at it. Hopefully The Elder Scrolls Online team loves the land of the dark elves as much as I still do.
There we have it. The Elder Scrolls Online: Morrowind simul-launched around the world today, June 6, for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.
