Skyrim

[OrlandoGardener]

It's fun.

I got it for Christmas (pc version), and have really enjoyed the few hours I have been able to play. It is still very much an Elder Scrolls game, but with some serious slimming down of the in depth role playing elements. It feels much more like a console game than past releases. So far, I like it MUCH more than Oblivion (I thought Bethesda was going out of business with that one), and almost as much as I liked Morrowind (one of the best rpgs ever).

Of course, you start out as a prisoner, and the opening sequence is like 20-30 minutes before you gain control (depending on how much time you spend creating your character). If you count the fight out of the initial dungeon, it's an hour of game play. Shorter than Oblivion and also just more fun. The surprise came when the game only asked me to choose a race. No class, no skills, no sign, no questions about a stolen sweetbread. Nothing except race, with customizable visuals. So they are really trying to simplify things. You are what you play. That's it. It's also worth noting that the residents of Skyrim look unrelentingly bitter and dirty. Seriously, these people have no source of fiber except cabbages, and it shows in their pinched, pained expressions. It took me a while to get my Dark Elf looking like he has regular bowel movements.

This concept of an rpg with the classes hidden in the background is interesting. Skyrim doesn't even have a traditional character sheet where you set your weapons and armor, view skill progress, etc. I honestly miss the more nuanced character system, but I think this new set up will be much more appealing to the console audience. The menus, etc, are all very controller friendly. To the point where you can almost play the whole game without a mouse.

Moving around the game world is loads of fun, with beautiful views and smooth movement that just feels free. Distances between locations are perfect: just long enough to feel like a different city, but close enough that I haven't gotten bored with travel. Combat is really the same old Bethesda point and click, but dual-wielding makes it feel much more exciting. You can still load your inventory with WAY too much crap. Unfortunately, you it takes 4 clicks to see your carry weight. That's 3 or 4 too many.

In terms of the story line, it is immediately intriguing, then sort of flattens out. I mean, there's all this build up around dragons right? Then I killed one right away, and now I wonder what the story is building toward. I'm killing dragons and absorbing their power...to fight what? It's also possible to miss major plot back story when you wander around. NPC's will have important discussions with you, but they don't necessarily lock you into conversation. It's just background chatter until you get close enough to hear that they are sending you on an important quest. So my advice is to stick close to important npc's if you care about plot development. But the dialog is well written (not terrific acting), the quests are common enough without being overwhelming, and the in game factions you can join are intriguing.

Of course, crafting is unbelievable. Not really my thing, but I think my wife might skip the dragons altogether and just craft like nobodies business.

All in all it's very fun.

[AmareIsGod]

Agreed. Great game!

[Indy]

Bought this right after I read some reviews and OG's post. Then I haven't even opened it yet... I really want to play it and just haven't found the time.

[AmareIsGod]

Find the time, dammit! Take a break from traversing the world and solving archaeological mysteries. The Arch is a myth.

[Indy]

Or so they say... I aim to prove them wrong. I just need to find the right height for this damn staff. That takes all of my time.

[DrSublime]

got the PC version, its so much for fun to play w/ mods... my character can mutat into a dragon and has iron man's helmet and thor's hammer.. and kate beckingsales face..

win