Here we go. This will be the first time reviewing a game that I've not actually completed. I want to mention first of all that I'm playing Skyrim on the Xbox 360 without it installed. If the PC version if better then great but this is based off the console version as I'm not willing to spend a ton of money upgrading. I touched upon the story a little bit and get the general idea of the plot. With that said, lets get down to it.
This is a given but Skyrim is no game to take lightly. There is tons to do and you'll probably never do half of it, much less all of it. My level is in the late 20's and I feel like I've not really even started. Normally this would be a negative to me as I hate games which pad out the plot with random fetch quests and encyclopedia based back stories. Skyrim improves these areas greatly in that the quests feel far more fleshed out and have exciting sub plots of their own. Nice change from beating up rats in someone's basement. Also the delivery of the main plot seems much better this time with well written dialogue and less emotionless and pointless feeling characters from it's roots. Outside of Fargoth I have trouble remembering any faces from the older games.
At first glance the game does not feel that visually superior to Oblivion. The character models have had a slight improvement but I must admit that the backgrounds at distance are utterly stunning. Facial features feel less abnormal than before and attack animations are improved somewhat again.
Gameplay is another place where it's difficult to say if it's changed much. I'd say it's all improved upon but by how much is somewhat difficult to judge. All the little things are what make the combat far more fun to deal with. They found a happy medium between Morrowind and Oblivion. Having the ability to charge up your sword swings is nice to see again and the shield is no longer your magical block against all and including the apocalypse. Blocking will now chip a little off your health and you can shield bash to create an opening with your weapon.
One thing I will say is that the game still feels too easy for the most part. My Nordic warrior was quite easily dispatching everything including dragons for the length I played. Dragon shouts are another point where the game shines. Really adds a point to this massive world. I cannot seem to grow tired of searching for words and dragon souls to strengthen my character. Jobs are also a great new system which almost feels fable like but unlike fable they do more than just add to your cash flow. Smithing is really the way to go for any warrior. Abuse can easily net you some powerful armour and weapons early on.
I played for a good amount of time and I never encountered one game breaking glitch...A massive change from Bethesta's track record of having to pray to make it to the end. I've bumped into the off cosmetic glitch of enemies floating a few feet into the air and being killed from a long distance away but nothing that stops you from being able to progress. Skyrim does not really reinvent the elder scrolls series but rather greatly streamlines it to be more practical. Away are with all of your stats besides Health, Magicka and Stamina. Away with the silly major,minor and misc skill system.
If you had asked me before Skyrim was release if it needed to reinvent itself I would of said yes. I loathed Oblivion and all it stood for and Morrowind, though better, was not really much fun for me either. Skyrim is still not totally my kind of game as I still prefer a strong story and character development. I don't see why the Skyrim can't have the same system as Mass Effect and Dragon Age in which you pick out of multiple backgrounds to begin from but even so, I'm nitpicking. Skyrim is fun for even someone like me who'd fond of JRPGs and generally non PC gaming.
In a generation with such lack of quality in the industry, this is a much needed change.
My Score: Elder Scrolls finally reaches the point that I can enjoy the experience. 8/10
The People: I think most people are gonna to find this game nigh on perfect if not perfect. 10/10
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