If you haven't been following Quakecon, you should be. Last night, Everquest Next was announced to much fanfare. Today, much in the same vein, The Elder Scrolls Online has had somewhat of a coming out party. Zenimax Online and Bethesda Softworks presented over 20 minutes of solid, uncut gameplay regarding TESO. While this didn't reveal much that wasn't already known to the public, it did serve to show us how the game's mechanics would work with one another. The response was generally positive, though there were a couple of low points.
These low points came in the form of animations, for the most part. Whether it was horseback riding or simple combat, things didn't look to be completely polished yet. While we certainly don't expect the game to be in tip-top shape yet, there was a certain expectation that the game would look better in terms of graphics. This is only compounded by the fact that this was the first official gameplay reveal for the title.
However, these are small and otherwise pathetic bumps in the road when the rest of the presentation is taken into account. The world of Tamriel looks amazing and the attention to detail is mind-blowing. The dungeon sequence near the end of the video feels pretty generic, but you can't really fault Zenimax Online for that, as instances and dungeons have become a part of the MMO genre. At least they were willing to think outside the box, finding a way to turn the dungeon's enemies in your favor. This was a pleasant surprise and it changed the enemy type halfway through the instance, so you weren't stuck fighting the same opponents.
If you're looking for nothing else besides another romp through your favorite provinces of Tamriel, then this video offers a pretty convincing argument that TESO is for you:
