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Elder Scrolls Online

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Written by Echelon

The long awaited, long expected, long speculated about, long rumored...you get the point. Was anyone surprised by this announcement? I know I wasn't. One of the most successful single player RPG series of all time, finally announces that they are taking the plung into the MMO world. In a genre that is so saturated with WoW clones and mediocre titles...ESO gives me a little hope for the future of MMO's. A little. Click past the break to find out why.

First off, Elder Scrolls is a well established, rich and well done universe. I played Morrowind into the ground, along with Oblivion, and thoroughly enjoyed both games. However, this can be a two edged sword. A gigantic following has nothing to do with the quality of the game (*COUGH* ToR *COUGH*). Time will tell.

Secondly, both of the interviews that are currently available strive to make it clear that they do not want to penalize players for playing with each other. It's nice to see a company that is trying to move forward in MMO design, rather than just do the same old things we've seen for the last 13 years.  I like to see interviews with developers who are excited about the IP they are working on, and both of the guys from ZeniMax Online Studios seem thrilled to be doing an Elder Scrolls MMO. Paul Sage, Creative Director at ZeniMax OS says

"We have to make our own game, and I can tell you that is one of the things that has been the best thing about working with this IP. Specifically, the people at Bethesda have said, 'You have to make your own game, and it has to be fun. You have to make an MMO, that is what you're doing, and we're making something different.' We want to make a good game first. Not a good MMO, not a good Elder Scrolls game, we want to make a good game first, and a great experience for the player. I think that is key to what we're doing."

Nice to hear that, but will they stick to that statement? The best intentions mean nothing on launch day. The proof is in the execution.

 Now, something that worries me:

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 I know this is a very early screenshot, but anyone else think that these graphics look a little...odd? Like claymation? The Storm Atronachs look awesome, but the player characters look...weird. Don't know how else to describe it. That being said, Elder Scrolls games have always had odd looking (or just plain ugly in some players' opinions) character options. 

What do you think? Will ESO become a major contender in the MMO genre when it launches? As always, don't take my word for it. Game Informer has compiled a list of all the known information about ESO to date, and you can find it here. Look at the info yourself, and form your own opinion.