Bethesda
blew the world away when they released Oblivion in
2006. It changed action RPG’s forever, becoming the template for
other games including their very own Fallout series.
After five years, the wait is finally over. Skyrim is
here, and it’s ready to ruin every relationship you have.
Please note that
everything in the game can not be featured in this review. The game
is just too big to put into words. As of now, here are my stats:
Days Passed:
Quests completed:
7 main quests, two guilds fully completed, and
10 miscellaneous quests completed.
People killed: 141
Gold: 13,243
Total time played:
24 hours
Story
Like
almost every other Bethesda game, Skyrim starts
the player off with a character of a unknown past. While given the
chance to change almost everything about the physical appearance of
your character, players know nothing about him (or her). The
character begins tied up and heading to execution, despite
apparently doing nothing wrong. As his (or her) head is about
pop off, a dragon appears, and it looks pissed. The character
narrowly escapes, and the player chooses what side he (or she) will
be on for the main story. When the player walks out of the
tunnel, the view is gorgeous. Mountains stretch out across the
horizon, water falls are everywhere, and an abundance of rabbits
seems to be taking over Skyrim for some reason. The character walks
down the path, not knowing that he (or she) has
become one of the most important people to ever step foot in Skyrim.
Gameplay
The
world has the Elder
Scrolls feel
to it, but take note that it shouldn’t even be compared
to Oblivion,
seeing as nearly everything has been improved in a big way. Gameplay
is still somewhat the same as Oblivion. Experience points and
classes, however, are pretty much gone. The new system that replaces
it is a thing of glory. Leveling up skills, such as Sneaking,
Restoration, and One-Handed weapons, increases overall level. With
each new level, the player is given a perk to put into one of
those skills. It’s a way of rewarding players for literally
everything they do. It’s a lot more satisfying. Getting experience
points for turning in a quest always felt a little weird to me, so
this system is made exactly for people like myself.
Dragons.
Dragons are a key component of Skyrim,
also making it one of the best. By learning new words in the language
of Dragons, players gain Dragon Shouts. A Dragon Shout is a a spell,
basically, that is on a recharge. By taking down dragons, characters
gather their soul and use them to unlock the Shout that the dragon
was protecting. These Shouts range from changing the weather,
increasing speed, or solving puzzles in dungeons. They are completely
separate from magic and offer a way to fight when Magicka is low.
The
game offers companions, just like in the Fallout series.
The companions range from war dogs, horses, to guild members with
ass-kicking swords. As nice as it is to have some company on the
treck across Skyrim, they are pretty much useless. The AI is probably
the weakest part of the game. They get stuck in corners, stand there
when a giant is smacking them, not allowing me to move, etc. They
just aren’t that smart. They do, however, rock when given the right
moment. Thanks, Lydia.
The other AI in
the game suffer from some of the same issues. They have some weird
animations at times, seeming really choppy. The main character,
however, has amazing animations. The newly fixed third-person view is
a thing of beauty. The only problem I found with that is that it
still looks weird when climbing a mountain, but nothing serious.
A new menu system
has also be set in place. It’s a lot easier to scroll to things. It
even offers a new favorite category, making it easy to select a
favorite spell in the heat of battle. While some players are voicing
concerns with the menu system on the PC, the console version works
wonders. However, it would be nice to see what the character looks
like from the menu when you change your outfit.
Graphics
The
graphics blow my mind away. One of the biggest complants I had
about Oblivion is
how ugly it was. Skyrim is
just incredible. It really pulls you in, making it feel so real. With
towering mammoths walking through the fields to the waterfalls high
in the mountains, it’s a place of beauty. I think I found my
heaven.
Sound
The
audio in Skyrim is
also outstanding. From the weather effects, voice acting, and more,
the soundtrack to Skyrim is
just amazing. Considering the amount of dialogue that goes into a
game of this magnatude, it’s just amazing how well it all sounds.
The music in the game is also top notch. Never before has meeting a
troll so terrifiying. Usually we are buddies.
Lasting
Appeal
This game will
literally take you forever to beat. Random side-quests, having
nothing to do with the guilds or main storyline, can literally last
up to two hours. That's going through countless enemies, searching
dozens of objects, and finding interesting pieces of lore about
Skyrim. With the main game taking up to 300 hours on one character,
multiple races and endings, add in the DLC that has been promised to
come, then Skyrim is a game that will always offer something new for
the rest of a gamer's life.
Bethseda has made
one of the greatest games this generation. Companies everywhere
should accomplish what they did, to take risks, and to give it their
all. I have never been truly amazed at a game until Skyrim came
around. From the dragons to the sword fights, it’s just incredible
how real it feels and how much Skyrim has to offer.
Despite its very
few issues, the work that was put in this game is just wow. Everyone
needs to play this game.
Story: 9.5
Gameplay: 9
Graphics: 9
Sound: 10
Lasting Appeal: 10
Overall:
9.5
Reviewed on the
Xbox 360 version.
