[Review] Elder Scrolls Online: Very Fun, But Not Perfect

SBFord

Elder Scrolls Online is one of the most anticipated MMOs in recent memory. With a series that’s revered by millions across the globe, the stakes have been high for developer Zenimax Online since the game’s announcement.  How do you even begin to take an epic single-player game and turn it into an MMO without upsetting at least a few thousand people?  Its missteps and hardships have been well publicized, but is there a solid game underneath all the forum-based ire? Read on to see what we think in our official review.

Read more of Bill Murphy's Elder Scrolls Online: Very Fun, But Not Perfect.

Here Dreughy, Dreughy, Dreughy...

AlonKatz

How did it ever get more than a 7? This review is just based on fear from the fan base of this game.. 

Zzad

Good & fair review. Kudos

Crusades

Longevity and Value ? Those scores are way out of touch with reality. Longevity ? Yeah if that was the only game available to play then yes, but the truth is the competition crushes this game. Value? Look i hate f2p and microtransactions, I am a full supporter of sub games and no cash shops, but the game has to be good enough for a sub. ESO just is not. ESO would merit that value score as a buy to play no cash shops game. Longevity and value have skewed this review score by about 1.5 to 2 points.

rodingo

I was expecting a higher score from Bill based on how he talked up ESO in the MMOFTW segments.  However, as usual he stays classy and so I tip my hat.  I think it's a fair review with some minor things I disagree with but if I was to write up a review I'm sure I would have plenty of people disagree with some of my points as well.  For instance, I don't think the game deserves nowhere near a 9 for longevity or aesthetics.  Those seem more like a 6 or 7.

Good job Bill.  I'm looking forward to later on down the line if you do a re-review.

As always, I'll be sure to not let a bad pug get me down.

Shaigh

Fair review. Takes the good with the bad.

Colt47

After seeing the kind of ire the game likes to draw from people, it seems like a lot of folks have never played a truly bad game before.  Generally, personal taste tends to push ratings up or down about one or two points on a ten point scale, but the majority of points come from things that are easily quantifiable such as the quality and variety of animation, game length, game breaking bugs or lack there of, music score, and over all presentation.  I personally do not like ESO because the design of the game makes too many compromises to give a good Elder Scrolls experience, but the game is far from being as bad as the likes of Two Worlds or Sonic 06.  

crysent

It's a review. .it's his review, things like value and fun are subjective. If you don't like his review then go write your own. God the mmo community is the biggest bunch of babies.

Nanfoodle

Never had a game that I enjoyed a lot and felt so very frustrated with at the same time lol very conflicting game time =-) I thought the score was going to be lower. 7.9 is more then fair.

Golelorn

Just a very expensive, depthless solo game.

Too much time is spent running around doing pointless quest. No community whatsoever. 

This game will be f2p very shortly. Too much is lacking from this game. No viable way to level except the boring quest. No grouping. No socializing. 

Very fun?? Not even close. Its fun for about 40 hours. 

Vapors

fair review so far, and thats true the pvp should have more rewards "for example warhammer had alot of pvp sets" so far I only see 2 sets here and their only cap is the veteran cap. It should be pvp rank instead.

Vapors

Originally posted by Golelorn

Just a very expensive, depthless solo game.

Too much time is spent running around doing pointless quest. No community whatsoever. 

This game will be f2p very shortly. Too much is lacking from this game. No viable way to level except the boring quest. No grouping. No socializing. 

Very fun?? Not even close. Its fun for about 40 hours. 

 

So 49 $ for a new released game (solo game) is expensive? There are games you play 9 hours story mode and they are over, where you pay 69$, thats expensive. Even though even 40 hours for 49$ is even over the average gametime of games in that price region.

 

Bigboo

Its a decent rewiew, but  I would give it a lower score, mostly because this frustrating group issue and the focus on single play. All you do is questing and crafting.

subxaero

This review is bad.ESO is a mediocre game and considering the previous article about hating on ESO. I am  afraid a very possible connection between u and bethesda,

SOCIAL 8? SERIOUSLY??.When u cant group up   with a friend and the dungeons are full of bots

Value??? seriously now?....

U consider all those point of interests as public dungeons social, When the reality is that u can complete them without even being in a group, which.How can something be social when u complete it by yourself, and EVEN if u need the help of others u dont have to invite them to your group, u just complete them. Whereas if u need help on a quest, u cant get actuall help from a friend and u call this ''Social.. erm ok

eddieg50

its not a bad game, a 7 is about what it is worth, for some reason it was touted as having a great story line and to me it is just average and does not hold a candle to TOR or TSW. Still not a bad game and should improve as time goes by

Golelorn

Originally posted by Vapors

Originally posted by Golelorn

Just a very expensive, depthless solo game.

Too much time is spent running around doing pointless quest. No community whatsoever. 

This game will be f2p very shortly. Too much is lacking from this game. No viable way to level except the boring quest. No grouping. No socializing. 

Very fun?? Not even close. Its fun for about 40 hours. 

 

So 49 $ for a new released game (solo game) is expensive? There are games you play 9 hours story mode and they are over, where you pay 69$, thats expensive. Even though even 40 hours for 49$ is even over the average gametime of games in that price region.

 

What is your point? That there are more expensive games out there? There are also a ton of games where you don't spend a penny, and get a lot more enjoyment. Rift, DDO, Neverwinter, EQ2, etc. This game will not last. We all know it. It does not have the value or MMO qualities a lot of games have. Even if ESO was free I wouldn't continue to play. I find it a boring experience. I believe most people are going to agree with me.

Salute

Originally posted by DMKano

So much for MMORPG rating a few points lower than average on metacritic - it's 72 over there :P

http://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/the-elder-scrolls-online

Longevity 9 ? 

That MUST be a typo

 

Social 8 ?

You can't even group with someone to HELP them on a quest you've completed yourself ! Or a team where every member has to solve the puzzle individually??  What?

 

Here's a more realistic score:

AESTHETICS – 8

INNOVATION - 7

POLISH - 6

LONGEVITY - 7

SOCIAL - 7

VALUE - 7

 70% final score

And 70% would be in line with "a couple of points lower" than metacritic.

Just saying.

"You done scored it too high"

 

 

 

Yes, giving 8 to social is at least funny. I think 5 would be more appropriate.

An overal of 6.5-7 would be my score.

GeezerGamer

Keeping things in perspective for this site, it's actually a critical review.

 

furbans

Originally posted by Vapors

Originally posted by Golelorn

Just a very expensive, depthless solo game.

Too much time is spent running around doing pointless quest. No community whatsoever. 

This game will be f2p very shortly. Too much is lacking from this game. No viable way to level except the boring quest. No grouping. No socializing. 

Very fun?? Not even close. Its fun for about 40 hours. 

 

So 49 $ for a new released game (solo game) is expensive? There are games you play 9 hours story mode and they are over, where you pay 69$, thats expensive.

But the $69 one doesn't charge you playtime if you want to replay 2-3 months down the road....

masterdtox

Social score is way to high, all social features that encourage a proper group play are BROKE*. It is more a 5 not more then that.

Satsunoryu

The review seems slightly more positive than I think it should.  The social rating is way off.  It's the main thing people have complained about (outside the bad release problems) for the game not being able to keep them or their guilds interested.  The game promotes an almost single-player experience; the opposite of social.

Ozmodan

All the critics crack me up.  Compared to the Asian f2p games this game is golden.  Go play some of those f2p games and come back here and criticize Bill's review.  If you can then muster up more criticism then we can truly question your evaluation skills.

Lazarus71

While I am enjoying the game I have to echo others thoughts here and say that the Social aspect should definitely be more like a 5-6. The game just really just seem to promote single player gameplay.

Scot

A fair review.

Apart from the fact that it never was plagued by bugs, which for me would have to mean they were stopping you playing the game. Lots of bugs at launch yes, stopped from playing, no.

And for the first time in MMO history they got a Bug Killer spray out and dealt with them. Hardly the first of course, but the way some people were behaving you would think they had never seen a bug in a game.

My Review

Gameplay - 8

Aesthetics - 9

Innovation - 8 (Higher, not because I think there is more, but reflecting how little there is in the MMo market in general. You don't have to do much innovation wise to get a decent score in the MMO genre.

Polish - 5/7 (5 at launch, 7 now)

Longevity 8

Social - 7 (Many big pluses for a roleplaying side, but no RP phasing, no character nameplates and others make it only a 7 for now)

Value - Not sure why that's a score, because how do you judge that against a F2P game? Do all F2P MMOs automatically get a ten?

Satsunoryu

Originally posted by Ozmodan
All the critics crack me up.  Compared to the Asian f2p games this game is golden.  Go play some of those f2p games and come back here and criticize Bill's review.  If you can then muster up more criticism then we can truly question your evaluation skills.

Many Asian F2P games are hardly a basis for good comparison.  It's like comparing a turd to an orange and saying "dare you to come back and say it's better than this orange!  Mmm, tasty isn't it!"  :P

erictlewis

Well I think he scored the game 2 points 2 high. 

Personally the social score is very wrong. I can say I only been grouped 2 times and both those times were for the heroic dungions.  The public ones you can go in get done what you need to and get out without a group. The game itself unless you want blue gear you don't need to group.  Then you have guilds that are set up so you can basically trade stuff to each other.  I had joined a guild just for that and not once met another one of the folks in my guild. 

Now lets talk about longevity. You had to set up a payment plan to get your free 30 day game time, I just canceled my payment plan yesterday.  I got my moneys worth for my solo game play of almost 20 days.

I liked this game a lot, but the constant bugs, made me want to pull out my hair.  I am one of those unlucky ones who question got stuck due to the bug and without that your not going to finish the story line.  Not only that but multiple times a day having to log out to reset a quest, or a mob.  The game is just so buggy.

Maybe I will come back in a year or so to see if they got a lot of stuff fixed. Right now I just so frustrated with the game I not logged in the past 5 days, and the last 3 days of my free game time I could care less.

My score is 4/10 and that is due to the pour customer service, the unanswered tickets, and a game that the main story line is broken for me until they can fix it.