Morrowind or Oblivion?

[Captain Jack]

What are the pros and cons of both games and which is the altogether better game to you?

[Gurrarn]

Morrowind is the better game imo, aside from the horrible combat and magic systems (being able to "miss" when it appears you hit somebody and when spells "fail" to cast), the lockpicking system in Morrowind is meh but its not horrible.

Gameplay-wise Oblivion is much better but in terms of story, Morrowind is better and imo has a lot more stuff to do in it. Combining all of my time in Oblivion from PS3, 360, and PC version (transferred my save files from one to one) and probably coming around somewhere 50-60 hours, I found myself bored and like I had done everything, with Morrowind though I feel like there's a lot I can still do but I'm going to make a new character after I finish up Tribunal just because I feel like I can do better on a second playthrough.

[Bishop]

If u can get over graphic and combat (botch can be modded if u so desire) morrowind is just flat out better game. The main quest line takes u over a whole map, it is interesting (and forces u to think sometimes (or check wiki)), there is plenty of nice turns in story and so on. In oblivion... it just feels like it lacks spirit, main quest is boring as ... i dont even wanna say it, combat is dull, only side quests save that game. I would definitly play morrowind, there is allways just so much to do...

[Mehukannu]

Morrowind was very fun to explore as it was very alien place (Those Telvanni buildings man...) to be, unlike in Oblivion all the places looked pretty much the same, which made the game feel pretty bland. (Until the Shivering Isles which was interesting, but there wasn't that many interesting things to do there, sadly)

[Malstrøm]

http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Differences_Between_Morrowind,_Oblivion,_and_Skyrim

From that, I'd say that Oblivion is better, with Morrowind coming in second. (Skyrim third, but that's not a part of this.)
If you're deciding on a game, I'd choose Morrowind first. A lot of people coming from Oblivion don't like Morrowind. If you start with Morrowind, you'll find Oblivion a lot better than if you just went to it right away! :P

[Clover]

Morrowind. No contest.

[BrigadierBill]

Morrowind is a much better game, but also bears more flaws and dubious game elements. Things like limited fast travel that is technically a positive of the game, has very obvious negative effects, especially when combined with how slow normal traveling can be (if you're trying to keep your fatigue up, which drops when you run). Also the combat, though with a ton more options, is basically no more advanced than any old turn-based RPG like Neverwinter Nights; you just point and click, and the game decides if you hit by rolling a dice block based on your appropriate skills and attributes.

Morrowind's greatest aspects are its alien and interesting world, along with the inherent depth of everything. Oblivion is most interesting if you stay in the cities, as the surrounding world is very dull (lots and lots of trees and grass and rocks) while the quest lines in the cities are pretty good. Combat looks a lot better despite still being simplistic, and Oblivion takes away a lot of the weapon variety from Morrowind, but when you swing an axe it feels like swinging an axe rather than an Age of Empires II attack animation.

Usually people who like Oblivion more either don't like Morrowind, or just happened to play Oblivion first. I never liked Oblivion as much as Skyrim for its combat elements, and since I felt Morrowind was a deeper game it really left Oblivion feeling somewhat dry for me.

Regardless, each is a great game in the long run.

[luckdex]

I'm only recently playing Morrowind for the first time, but Oblivion is what got me into the series and open world RPGs as a whole. I consider it one of my favorite games of all time, but now that I go backwards I think there is a lot of things done better in Morrowind. It seems like Bethesda is trying to appeal more to casuals as they release newer games, which is great for them because look how successful Skyrim was, but it's a bummer if you're the hardcore type looking to sink hundreds of hours into a game to truly dissect everything you can. I honestly feel like this appeal to a wider audience hurts the quality of these games in the long run, and makes them a flash in the pan over what could stand the test of time as a classic.

[Bit Man]

I was really surprised at how little memory Morrowind takes on the hard drive, considering how much content is in it. I play PC games using boot camp on a 40GB partition, so I need all the space I can get--hence, the ~1GB hard drive space factored slightly into my decision.

Really though, there are a couple things I like to consider in these games.

- Guilds are often a big thing for me, because side quests are what I tend to enjoy most in elder scrolls games. A fundamental part of the series is being able to deviate from the main quest and tackle sidequests at your leisure, and I basically view guilds as very advanced sidequests. I find Morrowind's guilds to be more believable than Oblivion's--in Morrowind, you actually have to have skills in the guild's focus to advance in it. Morrowind's guilds don't have an overarching plot, but that just makes it even more realistic for me. In Oblivion, I feel like you become guildmaster way too easily in whatever faction you join and in the end you just become the leader out of circumstance despite the fact that there are plenty of other people more qualified to take that position.

However, if I were really to praise a faction, it'd be in Skyrim--and not just any guild in Skyrim, but the Thieves Guild in Skyrim. Skyrim's Thieves Guild is pretty much what I think an ideal faction questline should be--it has an interesting story to go with it, but you also need to work to actually become the guildmaster so much that it really feels like you earned it. You have to go out and finish jobs on the side and do contracts unrelated to the main quest--and it works, because running a guild is also about the actual business aspect, not just being a "hero". If you're giong to lead the thieves guild, you have to know how to run it, and you have to be a good thief. My only problem is that the questline is kind of glitchy, but that's a problem with all ES games.

Note that the other guilds in Skyrim are less impressive, though. Neither Morrowind's nor Oblivion's factions are really as well done as Skyrim's Thieves Guild, but I think Morrowind's do a slightly better job of making you feel like you actually earned your place as the guild's head.

- To an extent, I think Morrowind is a bit more forgiving with the level up mechanics (though it's extremely hostile to casual players with the character creation mechanics). Oblivion's level scaling is rather broken, especially in regards to how weak your mandatory allies become. In Morrowind, you can level up at whatever pace you want, and leveling won't harm your gameplay experience, ironically because Morrowind's scant level scaling is done lazier than in Oblivion, and NPCs in Morrowind have set levels. I hate efficient leveling, and sometimes I feel like Oblivion's game mechanics almost encourage it.

- As far as culture goes, there's not much to say. Morrowind has a fleshed out socio-political system, and you can really feel the motivations of all the factions clash against each other. You have the Temple and native dunmer reluctant to accept your trust and judging you constantly, you have Imperial forces struggling to retain both a military and social foothold over a native dunmer population that is distrustful of outlanders, you have the different dunmer factions--the Great Houses all vying for power, the Telvanni who hate everyone, the Redoran who protect the dunmer's cultural sovereignty, the Hlaalu who take advantage of the situation and are currently the dunmer faction most in bed with the Imperial institutions that hold power over the land, there's the Morag Tong who attempt to retain a balance between these factions, and the Ashlanders who feel like they've been cast out to the wayside and time has passed them by. And you, the Nerevarine, are cast into this complex hotbed and must gain the unified respect of these factions to save the world.

And then we have the socio-political system in Oblivion... Looking at it as objectively as possible, it's one-dimensional. No power struggles, just good vs evil, Tamriel vs Daedra, the Blades and Ocato and the Imperial council accept Martin without batting a second thought, and you wouldn't even know the other factions exist unless you actively seek them out. They're still fun to play, but Oblivion's world don't have the same depth as Morrowind does.

I think Skyrim does improve with the political and cultural atmosphere compared to in Oblivion, so at least Bethesda stepped that aspect up in the subsequent release.

- That being said, Morrowind has a lot of fetch and escort quests, almost all of which have negligible rewards, and most of its content is quanity over quality--though there's a lot of room for exploration and role playing, which is an aspect where the series really shines. In Oblivion, taking down a random Oblivion gate is quite a bit more satisfying than fetching Object A for someone you found in the middle of the wilderness.

Overall, it depends mostly on what you want to get out of the game. I play mostly for immersion and role playing--I like to collect things in-game, customize what merchants wear and decorate the inside of my stronghold--things like that, and such a playstyle is more suited toward Morrowind. But that isn't to say Morrowind is suited for everyone, and those who prefer the more conservative storyline and setting of Oblivion might be better off with that game instead.