Elder Scrolls Anthology Tells the Whole Tale of Tamriel

[Andy Chalk]

Elder Scrolls Anthology Tells the Whole Tale of Tamriel

The Elder Scrolls Anthology brings together all five games from Bethesda's epic RPG series, plus the official add-ons and five printed maps.

If you've never before enjoyed the pleasures of Bethesda's Elder Scrolls RPG series (and you have a taste, or at least a tolerance, for older games) then The Elder Scrolls Anthology may well be the perfect place to jump in. It's all five games in the sprawling RPG franchise - Arena, Daggerfall, Morrowind, Oblivion and Skyrim - plus the Tribunal and Bloodmoon add-ons for Morrowind, the Knights of the Nine and Shivering Isles expansions for Oblivion, and Dawnguard, Hearthfire and Dragonborn for Skyrim.

And that's not all! The package also comes with five printed maps of Tamriel, the Iliac Bay, Morrowind, Cyrodiil and Skyrim, and a super-sexy box that will class up any room.

"But wait!" I hear you say. "What about Battlespire and Redguard?" To which I reply, "Tone it down, pal, nobody wants to play those anyway." More to the point, one is an "adventure" and one is a "legend," which I guess means that they're technically not part of the Elder Scrolls continuity. It seems to me like a mighty fine hair to split but the bottom line is that they're not part of the package. Sorry.

[gallery=1664]

Arena and Daggerfall, being the old boys that they are, will run within DOS emulators, while the rest are new enough to run straight-up. The Elder Scrolls Construction Set for Morrowind is crammed in there, too, for those who feel like cooking up their own adventures in the land of the Dunmer (and what I maintain is the best Elder Scrolls game of all). The Elder Scrolls Anthology launches on September 10 and will set you back $79.99. Oh, and it's PC only. You may commence gawping at elderscrolls.com [http://www.elderscrolls.com/anthology].



Permalink

 

[Fappy]

I honestly think I am going to buy this just to have it. I already own Morrowind, Oblivion and Skyrim (plus all major DLCs/expansions) on PC AND Xbox, but this is just too cool to pass up. I've also been meaning to try Daggerfall for the longest time.

 

[Ickabod]

$80 is a steal. Still not getting it. But wow that is a great deal.

 

[Kungfu_Teddybear]

I already own most of it, but I'm getting it anyway. Just because I want it.

 

[Sabrestar]

Nobody wants to play Arena either, honestly. Great for its time but it has aged even worse than Daggerfall. (Not criticising you, Andy, just playing off your words, which are probably mostly accurate.)

I'm glad they're doing this but to be frank, the lack of Redguard and Battlespire decides for me that I don't want it. Even if they were bad, I didn't get to play them back in the day and I would like to. But they're effectively impossible to find by any legal means so I'm out of luck. Seriously, Bethesda (Zenimax), why not include those if Arena's there too?

 

[Irridium]

Hope they don't use Steam. Well, Skyrim probably will, hope Arena through Oblivion will be non-steam and DRM-free. That'd be boss. Mainly because modding the Steam version of Morrowind is a bit of a pain.

 

[Mumorpuger]

As someone trying to play through the entire series, and doesn't own Oblivion or Skyrim, I want to buy this.

As someone who is tight on money though, I am sad.

 

[fix-the-spade]

OOOooohh...

I want this, but then I wan to have a life as well, why are the big decisions always so hard?

Then again, I think I've still got Arena somewhere, on 3.5 floppy no less, not I still have an actual working 3.5in drive anymore. Morrowind, got that on disc right next to my desk... still want this.

 

[Grimh]

Are you ready to welcome "Eldar'Sckrall Anth'Logia, Devourer of Time" into your life?
For only 79.99 you too can cast yourself before Him and sacrifice your pitiful existence to feel his cold bug ridden embrace!
Call now!

Those maps are enticing but I already own 3 of the games, so I probably wont get it.

 

[AdmiralCheez]

I've been wanting to play Morrowind for the longest time, and I never got the Oblivion expansions, so really, only Skyrim is a redundant purchase for me. Might as well get it, since it also comes with those neat maps and the first two games. Though, it would have been nice if they went through the game code and converted them to a format that wouldn't require a DOS emulator.

 

[Alcaste]

As awesome as this is, I'd like to point out to anyone interested that you can still get Daggerfall from their website for free. The whole thing.

http://www.elderscrolls.com/daggerfall/


That said, a big ol' box of Elder Scrolls sure is tempting, especially for someone like me - I love having hard copies of games, and I kinda miss those days. I've still got my big box of Baldur's Gate lying around, and it just feels good to look at.

 

[Andy Chalk]

Nobody wants to play Arena either, honestly. Great for its time but it has aged even worse than Daggerfall. (Not criticising you, Andy, just playing off your words, which are probably mostly accurate.)

You're probably right - I think the idea of playing Arena again is probably sweeter than the reality, and will thus leave it that way. Daggerfall, though... I think I'll have to give it another go. So much greatness there.

(Yes, I'll be buying this thing, probably on launch day.)

And directly from The Man Himself:

[tweet t=https://twitter.com/DCDeacon/status/363352880742281216]

I still think it's a hell of a hazy line to draw, but most gamers probably won't even notice.

 

[Ticklefist]

So I would need my own DOS emulator like DOSBox or do they come with one?

From the Amazon listing:

Arena: The Anthology features the original version of Arena and will launch within a DOS emulator.
Daggerfall: The ancient golem Numidium, a powerful weapon once used to unify Tamriel has once again been unearthed. The Anthology features the original version of Daggerfall and will launch within a DOS emulator.

Source [http://www.amazon.com/The-Elder-Scrolls-Anthology-Pc/dp/B00E9I1FPI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8]

 

[Lightknight]

Are the pre-morrowind titles still playable? I mean, are they able to be enjoyed or has the wretch maker that is time rendered them impossible to enjoy thanks to our getting spoiled by the modern era of graphics and UI?

 

[llafnwod]

Are the pre-morrowind titles still playable? I mean, are they able to be enjoyed or has the wretch maker that is time rendered them impossible to enjoy thanks to our getting spoiled by the modern era of graphics and UI?

It's pretty bad. Think "Doom"-style 3D. Still, it's worth playing games like that every now and then so exactly what you said doesn't happen and you can still enjoy them.

 

[Easton Dark]

$80 is a steal. Still not getting it. But wow that is a great deal.

Not even. Unless the maps are worth 30$ to you.

And now I'm disappointed. I thought it would be a book about the lore, like the Zelda timeline or the Resident Evil Archives. Boo, I already own the games.

 

[Spiritofpower]

For people wanting to play Daggerfall: http://theelderscrolls.wiwiland.net/?title=Daggerfall_:_DaggerfallSetup_EN

Just download, install, and run. No need to install emulators, no need to apply bugfixes, no nothing.

Protip: Once you start a character, hit esc, go to controls, then mouse, and select view. Then rebind keys as necessary to get controls similar to the more modern TES games. Makes for a much easier transition.