THE ELDER SCROLLS ONLINE - Impressions
World of Warcraft should be a little scared. Somebody needs to knock them off their pedestal, and The Elder Scrolls Online just might do it. Elder Scrolls is a franchise with a massive fanbase, so it is easy to say that Bethesda has an instant hit on their hands. I was treated to a short 60 second teaser that showcased what you could do. Of course, they didn't show everything... it was only a minute.
But Matt Firor of Bethesda had this to say,
The Elder Scrolls Online will be available for Next Gen Consoles, PC , and Mac Spring 2014. The reason we decided to bring it to next gen consoles was because these new consoles are powerful enough to be able to run The Elder Scrolls Online. These new consoles are MUCH more powerful than the previous generation. In terms of size this game is SO large. It is many times the size of any previous Elder Scrolls game. The quest system is more than... kiling animals, it is very involved, usually involving multiple steps. There is a full crafting system and a new lockpicking system.
The recently revealed first person mode was shown in the video, although the demo did not have it yet. The PVP in action was absolutely incredible... 220 players onscreen! It was unreal, and I can't wait to be in the middle of that kind of chaos. Player customization was incredibly in depth from hair color to forehead structure and many more options, but I used a random creation since I didn't have 3 hours to spare.
What I got to play to play today took place in Daggerfall, which Elder Scrolls fans will remember from 2. The world is beautiful. The graphics are very different from other Elder Scrolls games, not as rugged or gritty. The world is smoother, but somehow combines a cartoon style with a realistic one. Usually in MMO's you have tanks, healers, and a damage dealer, and they have unique armor weapons etc, but with Elder Scrolls Online that is all about to change. I played as a Dragonknight (a heavy), but I was told if you want you can wear light armor and use daggers or arrows. The game is malleable, which is fantastic.
From what I saw, the voice acting was far better than Skyrim's, but let's face it, Skyrim's voice acting isn't hard to beat. I talked to a lot of townspeople and made my way to a mine where Redguard bandits were holding out. This is where the combat came into play, and it was awesome. It was probably one of the best combat experiences I've had in an MMO. The ability to block in real time was great and with that ability a sense of strategy is introduced with a parry and stun system.
When I asked a developer about subscription service seeing as the game is now coming to consoles, he said that they are still trying to figure that out.
Overall, The Elder Scrolls Online was amazing, and I only touched the surface... I cannot wait to go back to Tamriel.