Official Site: http://www.elderscrolls.com/skyrim/
Source: Youtube Channel BethesdaSoftworksUK
Developer: Bethesda Game Studios
Publisher: Bethesda Softworks
Platforms: Playstation 3, Xbox 360, PC
Release Date: November 11, 2011
Genre: Action-RPG
Pros:
-The simplification of equipment and leveling up makes much more sense and gives the game a better flow
-Changes from its predecessors has been done so to contribute to the gameplay as well as immersion
-The game is so relaxing but also has its surprises and challenges pop out to keep the player interested
-Open world gameplay is still a prominent factor and provides an infinite amount of gameplay (unlimit. quests)
-Character customization is still versatile enough to please all sorts of playstyles
Cons:
-Textures and models don't look that great upon taking a closer look
-Bugs and glitches exist and causes problems during gameplay
-Fans of the last two Elder Scrolls game might be disappointed at how much customization has been stripped
-It's one of those games that make you go "is it already that late? Maybe one more area..."
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is like a traditional painting: pointing out all the little aspects and their problems will only make you see the flaws and inconsistency; however, if you step back and take it all in, you realize what a masterpiece it is. That's the best analogy I can give this amazing open world Action-RPG that I had no interest in buying from the beginning until it released and felt the urge to get a more relaxing sort of game among all my other action-intensive orientated games. Do not be fooled when hearing the word "Action" in front of "RPG" as the game's genre as it is very much an RPG than anything else (much like Fallout 3 when a lot of people described it as a First-Person Shooter). So if you're one who's worried that the RPG aspect might be dumbed down to favor the Action game players, rest assured that the experience is still very much there with the Action. Whenever I play the game, I'm not worried about finishing the game or looking for a definitive purpose. When I play, I let myself take part in the world laid out for me and journey around and take on the challenges I find along the way. Skyrim is one of those games that will keep you up late nights and back the next night and coming back even after finishing the game just to try out a different play-style or to mess around in the world by doing things you wouldn't have before. If you're looking for a relaxing game to play, then Skyrim would be your best bet.
Graphics
If you've already played the game and wondered why plants look flat, items' models look blocky, and textures sort of pixelated, it's probably for the sake of optimization. The analogy I used to describe the game can be applied to the graphics of the game too. If you look at every individual object, they probably look pretty ugly. But if you pull back and look at everything around you, it's a pretty convincing open world environment. The models for NPCs is...different (I don't want to say an improvement since I kinda like the quirky looks on people's faces in Oblivion) from the last Elder Scrolls. NPC interactions and AI is somewhat more reasonable, but they still perform some odd animations sometimes. One huge improvement in graphics would be the animations and effects for spells. They're a lot more dynamic as spells can be streamed now (meaning that instead of each spell being cast between intervals, it is continuously flowed out like a flamethrower). I think what design did with the graphics is that objects and models that mattered has more details while smaller things that didn't matter as much has a lower polygon count with lower-resolution textures. This ensures that the game can still run smoothly despite having all those movable objects around with effects, shadows, textures, polygons and animations running all at the same time. Still, frame skipping and the very rare case of freezing for a while does still happen. It's quite a spectacle looking at mountains from far range, flashy spells that explode in a flurry of fury, and humongous dragons circling over you. Even though it was evident to the developers that many players liked to play in 3rd-person, combat is still best played in first-person. The animations for the player's character is somewhat better in walking and running but still very awkward in jumping. The models and textures for the character itself isn't that pretty either with the hair all clumpy and faces that barely gives enough versatility in customizing the look. But I guess it's not entirely important as the game was meant to be played in first-person and so the player wouldn't be looking at their character as often. There's a lot to be said in both the good and bad, but it narrows down to that the graphics in the game were created in its most efficient state for aesthetics and performance and works really well. Graphics: 9/10
Audio
It was a very smart move to bring back Jeremy Soule (who composed the music for Morrowind and Oblivion) to do the music and re-work the main theme for the Elder Scrolls series with the crew to create an inspiring and appropriate rendition of Soule's original composition from Morrowind. Much like the other Elder Scroll games, the musical scores are of the greatest quality though not necessarily memorable other than the main theme itself. This doesn't seem to bother a lot of music critics as the most highly regarded musical scores are usually ones I don't remember what they sound like. The same is with Skyrim. I remember that they were good while I was playing, but I have no idea what they sound like if you ask me to hum it out. The sound effects has quite a bit of improvement, but it still feels and sounds like I'm hitting a rock when using a melee weapon against an enemy like in the last two games. The voice acting is also an improvement as veterans in acting contribute to some of the voices in the game. There are some inconsistency with recordings and the tone that NPCs speak in. This is most likely due to having many recording sessions as settings on the audio panel or a large break between lines are recorded in are changed. I still notice accents fading in and out of dialogue for certain NPCs, but at least it was still the same voice actor (I still find it hilarious in Oblivion when one of the NPCs I spoke to had three different accents and voices within one conversation). One of the highlights for me was having Christopher Plummer (among many other celebrities) be the voice of Arngeir. Audio: 8/10
Gameplay
Skyrim is what I had hoped for (and possibly more) when I decided to buy the game since I didn't in the beginning. The thing was that I'm still playing Oblivion at the moment and was willing to wait until I finished before I decided to purchase Skyrim. But the game looked so tempting and so different that I couldn't help it and got it anyways. At first, I was shocked at how much of the customization was cut out from the last two games; however, all the selections for customization made so much more sense. Even with all the customization in the past games, the main categories was being Aggressive (Warrior-like), being stealthy (Thief-like), or being spell driven (Caster-like). With that in mind, the player starts off from those three points and improves their abilities along the way through means of training and usage of skills. The game starts out similar to Oblivion and perhaps even Morrowind in that you're a nameless prisoner and eventually finds out that there's something special about yourself later which drives the story forward. Navigating seems a bit easier than Oblivion and much more easier than Morrowind, so getting around wasn't too big of a problem. For me, controls took some time to getting used to (about 2-3 hours) as I fumbled around trying bring out my weapon and attacking the first enemy since I was playing the PS3 version when I'm so used to play The Elder Scrolls series on a computer. The controls are different for the PC for Skyrim from Oblivion from what I heard, but I'm not sure for certain. In any case, the controls are mapped pretty well as I had a pretty easy time bringing out my weapon and interacting with things. It is bothersome when I get into a fight and accidentally press down on L3 which goes into sneak mode making me move slower or having to leave the right analog stick when jumping. The inventory system is still atrocious and makes going through it a pain. Thankfully, the developers implemented a favorites menu system which lets the player tag their favorite items, spells, and equipment so that they can bring it up in the midst of battle without having to fumble through their inventory and spells. Still, going through the favorites menu can still be a drag when the favorites are disorganized and made into a large list. Talking to NPCs isn't quite as enjoyable or humorous as Bioware games, but it's the relaxing part of the game that I like doing. To travel around a town or stroll past a wandering farmer and be able to interact with them is one of the RPG aspects that I like about Skyrim. Combat has some changes to them from past Elder Scrolls games. For melee combat, it seems like you can perform finishing moves. I've seen it, but I have yet to do it myself (playing as a Caster focusing on destruction and restoration magic). I'm not sure if there's any difference to ranged combat, but impact on enemies sound a bit different. Magic has surely changed as spells are used in a continuous stream rather than small short bursts. It was because of this that I decided to play a spell casting character (that and I always opt for a warrior or thief like build every time). Some enemies are very simplistic and will give chase until you're out of range or can't be reached. Others will use ranged attacks or spells before drawing out their melee weapons to attack you. I still don't like how melee weapons feel like your hitting cardboard or rocks instead of flesh and blood. I think part of this has to do with the sound effects used. To give an example, Medieval Action-RPG Mount & Blade has some of the cheesiest and fake resounding sound effects yet the sound you hear when cutting through an enemy with metal, flesh and blood with such prominence gives such a satisfying feeling. I don't get that satisfaction when using a melee weapon and perhaps that's why finishing moves were added. I think I'll like it a lot more when I finish playing with my caster and make a spell sword build character and stick my blade into an enemy with a finishing move. I like the exploration and finding pockets of bandits who are so sure of themselves get burned in a fury of ice and fire by my caster as well as speaking to NPCs and reading books to become even more familiar with the world of Tamriel. The game is said to have an infinite amount of quests, though I find some of the quests still confusing like its predecessors. I do like the fact that there will always be dragons to slay (or so I hear) though as "I've come to slay dragons!" The complaints I have and flaws I've pointed out is easily overshadowed by the amount of pure "fun" I've had with the game thus far and plan to have for "hopefully" years to come. One of the best parts of Skyrim is that it's so different from Oblivion that I wouldn't mind continue playing Oblivion even now. I can enjoy both! Gameplay: 9/10
Overall
I feel the need to just finish a game or pushing the story along for a lot of games. But with Skyrim, I feel at ease and am able to play at a much slower pace and enjoy the game. Skyrim delivers a good balance of relaxing gameplay with challenging action that sucks me right into the world and lets me enjoy the game without worrying about getting stuck from the game being too difficult or being lost and finding out where I need go next (though that can be frustrating if I really am trying to fulfill a quest). The game should be quite a treat for RPG players and a welcome start for anyone new to the series. This is one of the very fews games where I felt paying full price for was well worth it as the game will probably last me quite a while. Overall: 8.7/10
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