I've enjoyed the Elder Scrolls series since Morrowind came out on the original XBox back in June of 2002, so I was really excited for the newest addition to the series, Skyrim. With this latest title though, Bethesda Softworks wanted to change it up a bit. They included perks you could choose from every time you level along with making monsters not level up so harshly like they did in Oblivion and more like they did in Fallout 3.
Graphics
I played Skyrim on high settings with 4x AA and AF and the graphics in Skyrim can be downright beautiful at some points, and then ugly in others. Textures are really blurred the closer you get and shadows can look like graphics from Minecraft. When you're looking from far away though, it's a gorgeous game and is a great upgrade from the previous Elder Scrolls game, Oblivion.
Luckly since the game was largely designed around the XBox 360, system requirements are fairly low for PCs and there have been reports of people playing on 2010 Macbook Airs comfortably.
Interface
Skyrim has a new interface which I have really enjoyed. Instead of using the old quest book that you'd have to browse through for stats, quests and items you've picked up, they have made it more fluid and it doesn't take you to a brand new screen anymore. This new UI works fantastic with a XBox 360 controller, but it isn't as fun to use when playing with a mouse and keyboard. Nonetheless, it's a great improvement from the old interface.
Along with the new interface, third person view has also been greatly improved. In previous Elder Scrolls games, it wasn't a viable option to play in since it wasn't natural, characters moved awkwardly, and it was hard to target things. This time around, they've really improved not just the look and feel of your character in third person view, but also the way combat and targeting is. Melee and casting spells is a lot of fun in this view and it's great that we now have an alternative to the stand first person view.
Gameplay
From the beginning of the game, you're introduced to one of the biggest characters in Skyrim, dragons. Bethesda has been really promoting about players having a chance to fight dragons in Skyrim and it is very exciting defeating a dragon on your own for the first time. With that said, you start to get tired hearing the music change and seeing their shadows on the ground. It starts to feel rather redundant and tiresome.
The whole point of fighting dragons is to steal their souls and learn how to cast shouts of ancient words only known by dragons. When you steal their soul, you can activate new shouts after finding them in the world. You'll learn shouts that let you knockback, blow fire and freeze enemies among other things. These shouts add some fun tactics while fighting enemies and can also help you out of combat.
The perk system also adds more depth to the game than Morrowind or Oblivion had. With each level you gain, you get two points to spend. One is an attribute point that you have to spend when you level where you decide if you want to increase your magicka, health or stamina. The other point is a perk point which lets you specialize in a specific ability.
Want to learn how to pick locks easier? Specialize in lockpicking. Want to have a chance to cause your enemies to run in fear when hurt them enough with fire spells? Specialize in destruction. The system makes leveling feel more rewarding so you can get that extra ability.
Crafting has been improved in Skyrim as well and there's three skills for it now. Smithing (warrior focus), Enchanting (caster focus) and Alchemy (stealth focus). Crafting is a lot more enjoyable and is very rewarding and can create some very powerful items. Too powerful though for my taste, especially since all the materials needed to craft the most powerful weapons and armor in the game can be purchased directly from a vendor. Crafted items shouldn't be stronger than an item found by exploring and killing monsters unless the reagents for the item is found by exploring. It's a double-edged sword really since crafting enhances the game, but can make gameplay far too easy even on Skyrim's max difficulty.
The game is also extremely large with tons of areas to explore. There's marshes, mountains and green fields to explore along with wildlife to watch for while adventuring out with plenty of dungeons to find along the way. The map helps a lot with finding your way to your next objective, but it can be difficult sometimes to navigate since the map doesn't show elevation very well and there's a lot of mountains and cliffs to climb and it's easy to go in the wrong direction or be blocked by an impassable slope. Bethesda must've known this though and added a spell called Clairvoyance that can be purchased at merchants or found in dungeons that shows you the path to your next objective.
The game does have its bugs since it wouldn't be a Bethesda game without them. With how large and open the game is, it's inevitable. Flying mammoths, buckets on NPC heads and horses doing backflips along with the occasional crash when loading. None are major and don't ruin the game, but they can take you out of that immersive feeling that you're in a different world.
NPCs also repeat the same thing repeatedly. I am tired of this little bastard kid in Whiterun saying she's not afraid of me and an alchemist shop owner asking me if I've ever been to Whiterun every single time I see them. Even when becoming the leader of the Companions (Figther's guild equivalent in Skyrim), there's a fellow Companion NPC that says there's nothing she can learn from me and scoffs when passing by her, but when I talk to her, she tells me I'm such a great guy. These little things add up overtime, but nothing is perfect and I hope Bethesda can put a little more time in giving NPCs more dialogue.
Story
Skyrim has a great main questline that isn't very long, but keeps your interest and has you going till the end to find out how things end up. The main story takes you all over the continent and also has you meet some great characters that you really start caring for.
The story does have some cheesy moments in it that have been seen in other games, but it's a lot more engaging and exciting than closing oblivion gate after oblivion gate for a king you never really got to care about no matter how much you tried.
Along with dragons threatening the world, there is also a civil war going on in Skyrim and you get to choose which side you want to join. It's a great addition to the already great main quest and evidence of the tension between the Imperial forces and the rebel Stormcloaks is evident throughout the land without ever choosing a side.
The Thieves Guild is back along with the Dark Brotherhood and new to the party is the College of Winterhold (Mage Guild equivalent) and The Companions in Whiterun. Each guild has a story line that is interesting enough, but the Thieves Guild story had the most depth out of the four.
There is so much to do in this game though with all of these factions and the quests they have, it can easily provide over 50 hours worth of gameplay.
Audio
The music in Skyrim is fantastic. Hearing the music when you encounter a dragon can get your adrenaline pumping. I haven't enjoyed music from a video game in a while. I'm so glad more developers are focusing on not just the graphics, but also the music and sounds in their game.
The voice acting can be great as well, but can go far south a second later. Accents are all over the place and some NPCs even have different voices/accents depending on what script you're on. With how great the music is in Skyrim, this was disappointing.
Wrap-up
It's been a long time in the making, but Skyrim was absolutely worth the wait. The enhancements Bethesda has made to the game makes it very difficult to revisit Oblivion again since they're that great. Even with all the bugs and quirks Skyrim has, the great story, addictive gameplay and depth the game has makes you overlook them. If you disliked or even hated Oblivion, you need to give Bethesda's newest gem a chance.
