Has Morrowind aged well?

[OneCatch]

Morrowind has not aged well. Certainly it was and is a good game but the modern newcomer will likely not be able to enjoy the game without heavily modding

Not really no. But you can download the Morrowind Overhaul mod to spruce it all up nicely

The vanilla version hasn't aged well, but due to modding, the PC version looks and sounds far better:

That doesn't count. For a game to "age well" it needs to be able to stand up on its own original mechanics and graphics. If you allow mods then you are giving an unfair advantage to more popular games.

Unfair advantage? If it's better, then it's better. I don't see what fairness has to do with it. Also, I said that the vanilla version hasn't aged well (it's even in the part you quoted).

Don't see how fairness comes into play? 2 games released in ten years ago. One has been modded to improve graphics, sound, writing, mechanics, etc. The other has had no work on it. It is unfair because one has been given more attention than the other. You cannot count mods because those are aftermarket alterations that not everyone will have access too. It's like saying the Prequels were great because some guy made a fan-edit.

But... we're not comparing it to any other game. No one's saying "Morrowind is better than x just because of the mods". This isn't a poll to choose the best game from 2002 where we're all saying Morrowind is objectively the best because of the modding community.

Hell, the people you quoted specifically said "Not really no, but", and "The vanilla version hasn't aged well".

As far as I can tell all anyone is trying to do is give the OP suggestions on how best to enjoy it. I really don't see how that's controversial.