“Elder Scrolls Online” has a fun character customization system, a dense story over a massive field of play, but it’s missing a soul. As an MMORPG, it needs to create an experience that is best played with a group. That’s just something it never does. Everything just feels like a chore.
At the same time, while ESO is enjoyable to play and a game that fans of the series can jump right into, it’s not necessarily an upgrade. Essentially every element of the game is solid, but it’s not a step in a bold new direction. If anything, it almost feels as if the “Elder Scrolls” formula, specifically “Skyrim” (thanks to a similar camera) has been dumbed down a bit for more people to enjoy.
The only problem is even though it’s put together in a way where more people can enjoy it, most will choose to play it by themselves. What could have been “Elder Scrolls” meets the “Diablo” series, ends up feeling far less passionate and much more by the numbers than any MMORPG should.
These issues don’t take anything away from the story. Taking place 1,000 years before “Skyrim,” the story is perhaps the coolest part of the game. It’s intriguing to see characters that were a mere footnote in previous versions of the game. At the same time, the “wake up somewhere and not know who are” story beginning is played out and done before, especially in this series. This was a problem that the original version of the game had and it obviously hasn’t been changed in the port.
But regardless of the things that couldn’t have been changed, it’s easy to see that the game controls well on the PS4 controller, feeling as if it was made specifically for it. While many will complain that the menu is disorganized, making things like the mail service, a bit more difficult to find, everything, for the most part, is right where it needs to be. For the most part, the game has been ported over successfully and it feels like a console game.
Visually, the game is on the same level as the games released on the PlayStation 3- some may even say that away from the camera view, EOS looks more like “Oblivion” than “Skyrim.” That’s not to say that you won’t enjoy walking by a beach town or through a sunny desert, but you’ll never be wowed. For a game so large in terrain, seeing all of the sights is supposed to be one of the best things going for it. Even during character customization, you’ll find yourself, even on an HD television, having a hard time seeing your changes in your characters eyes, jaw and cheekbones. Things like this kill ESO, taking a small enough part out of the fun and make the game feel far more generic than it actually is.
Instead, the prize feature in the game ends up being the leveling up system, which like PC version allows you to develop a cool character and easily assign abilities, making combat, which already controls beautifully, extra gratifying. After a few levels, adding a few abilities to your character and unleashing some brutality is the best part of the game. As you begin to progress through the game, you get this level of attachment to your character, but that process may take too long for the average gamer to wait for..
In terms of sheer weaknesses, the ESO map is easily the worst feature in the game. With so many icons on the map, sometimes finding where you need to be is too difficult. It gets to the point where you know you’re right where you need to be, but not exactly where you need to be. At some points, you’ll just want to cut your losses and sign off.
But then here’s the caveat. Through the first few days of gameplay signing on wasn’t exactly easy. On day one, signing on was a hassle and even now, you can be placed in a queue where you can wait up to a half-hour to get into the game. Even now that the server is running smoothly, the question remains as to exactly why ESO has to be an online game.
While playing with your friends and using the headsets to chat is a blast and works well, hearing other people talk in area chat and seeing random players walking through your screen isn’t a fun experience. Simply put, this game didn’t need to be online to work. With a lengthy story and plenty to see and do, it would have been fun enough as a scaled down “Elder Scrolls” adventure.
In the end, “The Elder Scrolls Online” is the game that fails to make the MMORPG viable on the PlayStation 4. Although it’s obvious that the game is solid, as the character customization and story are on par with previous versions of the series on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, it doesn’t necessarily capture the essence of a multi-player online experience, which is the entire reason why the game was released in the first place.
The Good:
Fun: If you’re a fan of the series, you can jump right in and get started.
Tons of Gameplay: Character customization is a blast and the story eventually grabs a hold of you. Simply put, there’s over 80 hours of gameplay here and even twice as much if you decide to take your time and check out all of the sights and beat all of the side missions.
The Bad:
Mixed Online Gameplay: Playing With Your Friends is a Blast, but you’ll never feel compelled to jump into an adventure with someone else. For some, this is the nail in coffin for the game, which ultimately feels like a slightly beefier version of “Skyrim.”
Visually Dated: Overall, the game doesn’t look much better than “Morrowind.” From the bland looks on characters faces to the same camera view as “Skyrim,” it feels and looks too similar to games we’ve played before.
Online Isn’t Necessary: You can play through dozens of hours of ESO and never link up with anyone. Seeing players right next to you completing quests, you’re never compelled to join up and vanquish foes together.
Map: Bothersome and hard to use to navigate, finding objectives is more a chore than anything else.
Final Thoughts:
“The Elder Scrolls Online” is more a side quest for the series than something new and fresh.
