Sunday, August 08, 2004
So, for a couple of years now, I've been wanting to try Morrowind. I've heard nothing but praise, from friends and from reviews. Last night, I finally rented the game from Blockbuster, and I have to admit I was entirely underwhelmed. On the one hand, the enviroments are gorgeous, and the freedom of movement is nice, but the characters themselves are stiff beyond belief. The first time I pressed "jump," I actually laughed out loud. As Spooky remarked, it's like moving paper dolls about through very pretty places. I fear I have become entirely too accustomed to playing characters with fluid, lifelike movement to find these jerky people fun to play with. How do I adapt to the uninteresting, uninvolving waxworks of Morrowind when I've played Tenchu 3: Wrath of Heaven and Beyond Good and Evil? Also, it would be nice if the game wasn't so bound to a D&D template. I love dark elves more than most people, but a little more originality in devising races and clases and such would have been nice. I love the idea of this game, and I'll certainly give it more of a chance, if only because I have to get my $6.73 worth from it. But these are my initial impressions, and, initially, I'm glad I rented before I bought.
Things happened, and no work was done of The Dry Salvages yesterday, or on anything else, for that matter. Hopefully, we'll finish the read-through today.
I did find a new and positive, though very brief, review of Murder of Angels, written by Don D'Ammassa, in the August 2004 Chronicle, :
Caitlín Kiernan's latest is a markedly strange novel. Two women were seriously affected by a strange experience in a deserted house, leaving one dependent upon drugs and driven to extremes to avoid facing her past, the other battling to retain her sanity despite the ministrations of various psychologists. Inevitably they are unable to escape the after effects forever, which involve communication with the dead, a strange alternate reality with some analogies to our world, and a mystical threat that could effect more than just the two of them. As usual, Kiernan's intricate prose and vividly described insights into human psychology are the centerpiece in this, her most effective novel to date.
I actually bought the magazine, though, as I've said, I've tried to stop doing that. There's also an announcement of Daughter of Hounds of page 19, which is a little unnerving, as I've not even begun the book yet.
12:59 PM
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