Sailing the Blue Skies since 2001.
Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind (PC)
The first time I played Daggerfall, the predecessor to Morrowind, I knew that there was something special in its gameplay. Thanks to our newer computer, I have been able to fully enjoy Morrowind well beyond the limits that the Daggerfall demo provided, and have discovered an amazing game rich with exploration, one that is among the highest I've yet experienced. Morrowind is huge, with more hidden nooks and crannies than any other game I've played. It's phenomenal how much the developers managed to stuff into the isle of Morrowind. With tons of sidequests, multitudes of people to interact with, heaps of items and weapons to use, more gameplay options than most games fathom to obtain, and that wonderful sense of uncovering a world unknown, Morrowind has become one of my most treasured games. Its open-ended world allows me to create characters that have specific goals, and then fulfill them in their own unique way. My two major characters, Chadwick and Karah, have both lived a fairly full life in Morrowind, but have had very different courses of action. Chadwick freed slaves, killed drug traders and defeated Dagoth Ur, while Karah swore revenge on House Rotheran and also became the Archmagister of House Telvanni. Both gather loot, but for different purposes. Chadwick slaughtered Orvas Dren to put an end to his slave/moon sugar market, and took over the property for his own, while Karah earned her own Telvanni tree for her home. The gameplay possibilities are practically endless. I do have some nitpicks with the game - cliff racers are incredibly annoying (and expect a feature on them soon!), combat is a bit sluggish at first (after 20 stabs, why can't I kill this damn rat?!?), and the game's way too coated in the drab Ashlands - I wanted more regions like the Grazelands or Azura's Coast, which are quite gorgeous. That being said, Morrowind is a remarkable achievement in game design, and it's a blast to play, no matter how you decide to tackle it.