The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind

The Good
...and nothing more to it, really. Granted, a walk like that can be fairly interesting for a while, much like being in an enigmatic dream that may or may not just turn into a nightmare. Thus your walk may be intriguing up to the point that you visited all the highlights, set pieces like 'The Quiet Fishing Village', the 'Dark Foreboding Tomb', 'The City With The Weird Architecture' and so forth. But then you realize that this is a 'hands off' kind of theme park, there are no interactive elements; sure, you can enter the caves and houses but their residents are the dullest androids ever, each repeating the same lines. Sometimes radio-controlled creatures seem to attack you but they feel fake and out of place. You soon feel that you had enough; it's one lifeless, soulless park.

The Bad
Morrowind just doesn't work as a game. Without repeating all the agreeable criticism of the previous reviews I'll just emphasize what is possibly the ultimate cause of the title's failure: stock dialogues. NPC conversations are normally the life and soul of an RPG and these were removed due to a highly regrettable design choice. Either that or Bethesda's complete lack of writing skills and NPC-related imagination. Was Ultima7 the last game that got it all right?..

The Bottom Line
Here's hoping that Bethesda learns the error of their ways and Oblivion will actually be an enjoyable role-playing game with unique, believable NPCs.