I’m not much of a gamer, usually, but I have spent countless hours with “Morrowind,” because it’s so free-flowing. I’ve played several different characters, evil and good, and explored the whole world. What I liked about it, as opposed to “Fable” was that I could go anywhere I pleased-- climb a mountain, or swim the length of a river.
I loved that I didn’t have to follow the story line, but could do whatever I wished. Combat was not too difficult, which I appreciate, because I didn’t grow up with a controller in my hands and am certainly not as adept as Kids These Days.
So, what other games would I enjoy? I have both a PlayStation 2 and an XBox (not the new one.)
If you plan on getting the new XBox, the next game in the Morrowwind line will be coming out in spring.
If not, there isn’t a lot I can do to help you. Part of the reason Morrowwind was so successful is because nothing out there was like it. The best you’re going to be able to do is replicate parts of what you’ve experienced.
The only game that allows that comes close to the “whole world” freedom you’re looking for might be the Grand Theft Auto titles, though those tend to be more twitch-gamer heavy than you’d like. Most other RPGs out there are going to be fixed-world games like Fable was.
What about PC games? If those are an option, check out Thief 3. It’s similiar to Morrowind in that there’s a plot, but you have a lot of leeway as to what you can do. Fighting is fairly easy, and you can almost always sneak around people instead of fight if you want.
Just realized something. Gothic and Gothic 2 might fit your needs. Be warned that both are pretty tough games; you need to work smart until you get up in level. Also, Gothic 1’s graphics are pretty bad now. Still, both games can be had quite cheaply from online sites.
I’d echo the Grand Theft Auto suggestion. Those are the only things close to Morrowind in terms of freedom to do what you want in the world and continue or ignore the main story.
Aside from that, there isn’t all that much (well aside from other “The Elder Scrolls” games, but they are dated at this point).
There’s a new PS2 game that’s been getting a lot of good press for things to do, freedom to roam, etc. I think it’s called DragonQuest VIII. It was profiled in the last issue of Official Playstation Magazine. Lots of side quests, gambling, and other things to take up your time and interest.
I’m gonna go a bit out on a limb and recommend Fallout 1 and 2. F1 unfortunately has a time limit on the main quest - it’s a long limit, but if you screw around too much you can lose the game. That said, it’s a lot of fun exploring the wastelands of post-apocalyptic California and influencing the various communities in different directions. F2 has no time limit, so you can really do anything you want. Want to get married? Watch out for your father-in-law, he has a shotgun. Want to pimp your spouse? Go to New Reno for that. Want a robotic dog companion? Find the parts and build one. I thought the ending was weaker than F1, but both games are awesome. And you may be interested to know that Bethesda, makers of The Elder Scrolls series, have acquired the rights to make further Fallout games.
About Dragon Quest 8. It’s not a bad game, but it’s not nearly as free as Morrowind. There’s a lot of exploration to do, but not much depth to the proceedings. This isn’t to say it’s not fun, but it’s certainly not in the same lague as Morrowind.
The upcoming Elder Scrtolls 4: Oblivion, The Witcher, and Gothic 3 titles should hopefully help your craving, however.
Daggerfall, the previous game in the Elder Scrolls series, is basically a nowhere-near-as-polished Morrowind. The Fallouts are great. Planescape: Torment is pretty open-ended, if you can live with the weird rule engine.
I can’t wait for Oblivion. thanks for the reminder. I will make sure that’s one of the games i get on my gamefly subscription. I hope it doesnt get delayed again.
I don’t get to use the PC all that much, because my husband is the dedicated PC gamer in this house. (He loves stragegy games and has been playing Civilization 3 steadily since Christmas.)
So, I’d rather stick to PS2 and XBox suggestions.
Fallout sounds really cool. I’ll have to get those.
Civ III came out a couple years ago. Perhaps you mean Civ IV?
Yeah, sometimes you can find a double pack with both for $10. They are definitely two of my favorite games of all time - I say this as someone who has been playing games for 24 years, or 4/5ths of my life (first person to get my age gets a super special bonus of, uh, xtreme electrons).
Well, once upon a time before you were born, your mom and dad fell in love and did a special thing that adults do together - or at least, they got drunk and fell into bed. Possibly a seedy hotel somewhere. Whatever, it’s not for me to judge. In any case, nine months later, there you were!
Oh wait, you weren’t asking about that. Hellgate is a game in development by some former Blizzard employees. It looks like a first person shooter (Halo, Doom, Half-Life, etc.) but has an RPG engine behind it, so it’s less dependent on twitchy fingers and more on how you build your character.
I’m still confused about the Lucy thing. Who’s Lucy?