ESO Beta
Had the opportunity to run around in Tamriel this weekend. A beta test for The Elder Scrolls Online.
Let me start by saying that I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my offline adventures in Skyrim. So I went into this MMO with eyes wide open and hopes elevated that I might find a new niche to plumb for a time.
This evolution was comparable to its origins, though I felt that many of the Skyrim nuances were lost in the scope. I’m not going to touch on the horrific logistical concerns the game faces with only a month until launch. (There are many. It was not pretty.)
The stories were adequate. The voice acting entertaining, though I found myself reading the text and moving on long before the vocal efforts finished. Certainly beta pressure was a factor, but overall the dialogue was a bit bloated and overlong. Advancement was grindier and the environment more linear than my tastes allow. Beautiful setting with mediocre animations.
I could go on and on and on, but I think brevity serves better here.
ESO is simply OK. Logistical hot mess. Adequate game play. Uninspired adventures. Three months of play not worth the $90 investment. I’m sure fans of the setting will love every inch of Tamriel, but there just isn’t enough of a draw for me. I’m going to hunt for my niche elsewhere.