I've tried to get into Morrowind so many times over the years, and it just never sticks. One time I found myself falling in love with it mechanically, gleefully playing with spell construction, but eventually fell away from it when I got tired of being sent across the barren fucking map to deliver a message over and over. I think at this point I should give up and accept that what I'm looking for does not exist in TES before Oblivion. No matter how much I try to wander through Morrowind hoping to find charming little stories like you get in later Bethesda games, I won't find them. In game books are a really nice supplement which I enjoy, but they don't make up for the utter lack of character anywhere in the game world.

Morrowind is loved by TES lore purists and hardcore RPG players alike and while I share many of their preferences, this just doesn't come together into a cohesive whole at all. There's no flavor to the world. Each area feels the same, NPCs are not individuals you can speak to and learn about, etc.

It's a pity, because mechanically I really enjoy what's here. It has this unique way of making the game really difficult to play straight-up, but teasing you with all these different skills and methods of progression that are just asking you to abuse them. It's such a fun sandbox to play around in, I just wish there was any life in it.