A number of questions come up when The Elder Scrolls Online strolls around the block. The biggest of which comes in the form of, "Will this just be another dime-a-dozen MMO?" While many critics have hailed the game as just that, a few Elder Scrolls loyalists have come up through the cracks, saying that the game will be totally unexpected – in a good way.
Chris Thursten at PC Gamer is one of the many involved with the game's beta testing period. He says that, "Those who feared that The Elder Scrolls Online would amount to another cash-in MMO with a big name behind it have it wrong." He also notes that though the game accomplishes what other MMOs have not, the experience still feels stretched between "the traditional MMO and the singleplayer game, ambition and technology, the demands of the community and the views of its designers."
Thursten then moved on to talk about the inclusion of a first-person mode for the title. He notes, "There’ll be a first-person option, too. While it wasn’t present in the build I tried, I was shown the game being played Skyrim-style in a later demonstration."
One area that gamers have questioned regarding The Elder Scrolls Online is its gameplay, specifically, its combat situations. Elder Scrolls titles have never been known for their amazing gameplay segments. Their amazing stories and environments generally make up for anything lost in this area. Traditionally, MMOs have struggled to cement a strong storyline into their architecture, but make up for it with amazing gameplay. This puts the game at odds with its peers, and according to Thursten, things aren't where they need to be yet.
"The Elder Scrolls Online’s animations and sound effects don’t sell the impact of your blows strongly enough."
"Remember whittling down an unresponsive dragon with an iron sword in Skyrim? This is one area where the game could do with breaking from the past."
It will be interesting to see how this game turns out. Will it be another failure or reach glorious MMO perfection?
