In my opinion the Morrowind Game of the Year Edition on the XBox is even better than the much-loved PC original, because the controls are more intuitive.

You may scoff, but having played all the Elder Scrolls games to death over the past two decades, and having written about them a lot in many different magazines, I think that qualifies me to override the opinion of someone who hasn’t done any of those things! 😀

I was lucky enough to play this on an original XBox devkit, which allowed me to take uncompressed screenshots over a LAN. Thus: the unparalleled quality of my shots.

There is no doubting that Morrowind is one of the best RPGs ever made. Better than Oblivion; better than Skyrim. Why? Because it is much more open and detailed than either of those games, and because the magic system is so much more expansive and fun. Not to mention the brilliant volcanic setting and scary diseases that you can catch.

Sure: the graphics are a little basic, compared to most modern big team games, but the gameplay is second to none.

When I last played this game I think I spent close to six months milking it of everything it had to offer, and took around ten thousand screenshots. These are just a few of the best!

Click: The Elder Scrolls series on The King of Grabs

Steam: Morrowind on Steam
More: The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind on Wikipedia

Title screen from Morrowind on the XBox.

Buying spells is a fundamental part of the game. Without magic you’re a bit fecked.

Shoot first, make apologies later.

Cliff Racers – flying reptile type things that are the scourge of Morrowind.

Getting bitten by a Guar is not a good thing as they often carry diseases.

Imbuing weapons with magical powers will enhance their damage on monsters.

Scary-looking Bonelords. Two of them attacking in a narrow tunnel.

Morrowind’s iconic volcanic landscapes.

Yes, this is the XBox version. The best version out there, in my opinion.

The wonderful city of Vivec at dusk.

Activating a shrine updates my journal.

The graphics in Morrowind are fairly basic, but there are some nice magical lighting effects.

Not sure where this is, but it could be the entrance to Tel Mora.

I find that using a gamepad makes navigating the conversation menus easier than using a mouse.

Fighting it out in the Arena. Always fun!

My character, Gothmog, reaches level 39.

Ascending levels allows you to spend the usual experience points raising skills.

Stabbed with a glass dagger by a woman!

In Vivec (and, indeed, in many other places around Vvardenfell) you can pay a boatman to take you places quickly.

I’ve uncovered most of the map at this point in the game.

Well, that’s what happens when you use fire magic on a Flame Atronach.

Using levitation magic to fly over the iconic Ghostfence.

Hand-to-hand combat with an Ash Slave.

There are so many different items in the game – just like in all the Elder Scrolls games.

Battling with skellingtons.

The big bad guy, Dagoth Ur, himself. I think he needs to get his fingernails trimmed.