by Daniel Morey
I don’t care how nerdy it seems, I absolutely love Skyrim. The fifth release in the Elder Scrolls series by developer Bethesda Softworks, the same people responsible for the extremely popular Fallout series, just goes to show that good things are worth the wait. I even went to the midnight release, subsequently slept over at my friends house, and played until 3 AM side by side with him in complete silence. I can honestly say I have never been so excited for a game in my whole life, considering it’s been five years since Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion and that is one of the best games of the 2000s and one of my personal favorites.
Skyrim opens up with you as a prisoner (which comes to no surprise of any fan of the series, its kind of a signature) being carted through the province of Skyrim in the realm of Tamriel (think of province as state and realm as continent). Immediately, players will note the dramatic improvement in graphics since Oblivion and other Bethesda releases. Light filters through trees, shadows jump across intensely detailed textures. The game has a considerably darker and more gritty look in the cities compared to Oblivion, but in the wilderness the new weather engine and dynamic lighting makes for an awe-inspiring landscape.
Towns are now more varied and interesting than in Oblivion, which were very cookie cutter in how they were laid out. Rolling hills, crowds of people and visually complex buildings make the cities look like legitimately inhabited places. People look like they actually have somewhere to go or something to do instead of aimlessly wandering like in most other games I’ve played. Trades men are tanning leather, working forges or farming their crops. All of this translates into a game that is incredibly immersive.
The combat system is similar to that in Oblivion and in the more recent Fallout games, where you can equip weapons and items, choose either first or third person, block, attack and do power attacks. The standard Elder Scrolls weapons show up: daggers, swords, hammers, axes, coming in iron, steel, Orcish, Elvish spells and weapons. Spells (most notably destruction spells) see a face lift in improved animations and a wider verity than in previous titles. Now added into the game are so called “finishing moves” which are somewhat reminiscent of those seen in V.A.T.S. in Fallout (people who have played Fallout 3 or New Vegas will instantly be reminded) These moves are (at least to my understanding) random, and differ depending on what weapons you use, so they add a new level of surprise to combat.
Since the first day that I played Skyrim, I realized that is is not only the shining jewel in the Elderscrolls series or Bethesda, but the best RPG in existence perhaps. If I wanted to show someone who wasn’t familiar with video games the full potential of the medium, I would surely exhibit Skyrim.
10/10
