Skyrim Rocks!

[Shibiryo]

Every game has a single over-riding requirement for its players. Some demand lightning-fast reflexes and the commitment it takes to master the depth of their controls. Others ask for a willingness to think outside the box or some degree of intelligence for puzzle solving. These are all attributes players will need if they hope to succeed in Skyrim. But the one asset players will need above all else is time.

The reason for this is that Skyrim is one of the most gargantuan undertakings that gamers will undoubtedly have to experience for last gen. The sheer size of the adventure, both in terms of its environment and in the amount of activities available to the player, is mind-blowing. I am loving this game.

This shouldn't come as too much of a surprise. The game's developer, Bethesda, has banked a rather lucrative existence on creating open-world RPGs that are filled to bursting with content. As with Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion and Fallout 3 before it, Skyrim is a game that's easy to completely lose yourself in. The reason for this is two-fold. First, the game's production values work hard to immerse the player in Bethesda's sword and sorcery world. For a game of this size the quality of the graphics and the attention to detail is awe-inspiring.

As the player travels through Skyrim, they'll encounter dense woodlands, snow-capped mountains, majestic cities and crystal clear rivers that run throughout the map. They'll run into an assortment of interesting characters and battle myriad monsters along with a huge amount of side quests, play-how-you-want and unique NPC interaction

I have started to wiz through the deep, gritty world of Skyrim and you should too, but it is highly likely you already have done so. Tell us your experience, initial likes/dislikes or how long this open-world RPG could proceed into being one of the greatest of all time. I believe it will be along time until something will top this. Don't even get started about Witcher 3, meh..

[Calshot]

I had a lot of fun with Skyrim and I have something like 250 hours in it.

However, I think Skyrim has taken a few backwards leaps compared to earlier entries. While Skyrim is definitely bigger and better on a technical scale (gameplay mechanics, graphics, etc.), it is sorely lacking in comparison in customization and story.

Here's an example.

Morrowind Weapons Skills:
Spear
Axe
Blunt Weapon
Short Blade
Long Blade
Hand-to-Hand
Marksman

Skyrim Weapon Skills:
One-handed
Two-handed
Archery


Skyrim's "single player MMO" stylings are a blessing and curse. While it does add a ton of quests and activities, there's not much heart in it. There are a lot of cookie cutter quests of "go find this/kill this person at x dungeon" and activities like "cut all this wood or pick these crops" that really seem to artificially add time.

This more of a subjective complaint, but I would also say there's less freedom overall. Sure, there's a bigger world and more dungeons, which is what most people think when they think freedom. In the olden days, you could kill anyone, unlock any door, explore a dungeon any way you wanted, etc. Sometimes it would break the main quest line, sometimes it lead to alternative story paths. In Oblivion and Skyrim, NPCs are essential, there are unpickable doors, dungeons can only be completed one way, etc.

There's also Bethesda's lackluster patching that happens with every single one of their games. The large number of bugs is to be expected in a huge game, but that excuse only takes you so far when it takes unofficial community patches to eliminate all the bugs the devs didn't bother getting around to.

While it deserves a lot of praise, I think it's a tad overrated in that regard.

[Shibiryo]

That is certainly true about what you mentioned regarding side quests. Oblivion seemed to have a variety of different quests which seemed quite unique in comparison to the ones in Skyrim however I have never played Morrowind so as for the weapon choice, I do not know. You say Skyrim is a little overrated however it is all up to player's choice. I prefer gritty, dark settings with the snow and mountains which is why I am more fond of Skyrim in comparison to the former Elder Scroll games. It overall is amazing, a blast although the setting and small things like quests, NPCs and weapons are up to the player so whatever games suits you, is what suits you. Preference is what it really is.

[mrslig100]

Felt like doom n gloom.
New Vegas FTW!

[St. Elmo's Fire]

Another Skyrim fan here.

I think the one thing that helps it be enjoyable are the pretty solid controls. Your character runs, sprints and uses weapons with a very simple but satisfying style. It doesn't try to be too fancy, all the controls just work how you want them to, most of the time. For me anyway.