Reviewing a massively multiplayer online game is a bit like trying to hit a moving target. By the time you read the words
on this page, it’s possible that dramatic
changes will have hit the subject of our critique, The Elder Scrolls Onlineby ZeniMax
Online Studios.
Perhaps the game will finally have some
of the features we’d otherwise expect in a
title based around the Elder Scrolls universe—namely, the inclusion of the fanfavorite Thieves Guild and Dark Brotherhood. Perhaps the siege-themed PvP will
actually work. Perhaps people will actually
be playing the game. Perhaps ZeniMax will
have dropped the $15 monthly subscription
fee in favor of a free-to-play, microtransaction model. Perhaps it will have even fixed
the issue whereby players are forced to sign
up for a subscription (and enjoy a $15 preauthorization on their payment method) in
order to use the 30 days of free game time
that came with their retail purchase.
Our initial experiences stomping
around the gorgeous, massively multiplayer world of Tamriel were a little disappointing. We’ve sunk countless hours into
everything from Skyrimto Oblivion(much
as it pained us) to Daggerfall(old-school).
While we appreciate ZeniMax’s attempt
at transforming the typically epic Elder
Scrollsgames into a massively multiplayer melee, we can’t help but think that we’d
probably have more fun hitting up the mod
community and extending our existing
Skyrimexperience for many hours’ (if not
years) worth of gameplay. It’s free, there’s
a ton more to do, and we could simulate
the effects of an MMO by chatting with our
friends on Steam while adventuring.
That’s not to say that Elder Scrolls Online
isn’t enjoyable in a few areas. The game
does an excellent job with the main story
line. You’ve been enslaved by Daedric prince
Molag Bal (not a good thing) and have to
break out of prison in an extradimensional
realm (with some help from a nameless
Prophet). You do that (spoilers), and proceed to go through the rest of the game
learning why Molag Bal is attempting to
merge the alternate dimension of Oblivion
and the mortal realm and, naturally, trying
to stop him and his followers from doing so.
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