For those of you unfamiliar with Elder Scroll games, they are fantasy based role playing games that have acquired a reputation for high quality. Morrowind certainly deserved such a reputation with its vast scale and attention to detail. Oblivion certainly looked promising with the same mammoth scale and extremely high quality graphics, but the story driven requirement to keep entering portals ended up feeling very repetitive, to the point that despite nearing the end, I felt bored and ceased playing.
Skyrim is far superior. You can venture as far as the eye can see in a landscape that will have you pausing simply to take in the view. The superior graphics extend to your inventory items, allowing you to zoom in on them and view them from any angle, making them feel much more solid and real, improving game immersion vastly as a result.
Your character can be taken in any direction you wish, with skills improving as you use them. I've been having fun with a stealthy character that favours two swords and dabbles with fire spells. They're also a dab hand at creating potions, poisons, and even their own magic items. It's been great fun, but I'm seriously considering starting again with a pure mage, which is testament to how good the game is.
There are bugs, but the beauty of it as a whole far outweigh the trivual annoyances that can crop up, and let's face it, in a game this big, it's no surprise that the odd quirky little thing will slip the net.
The storyline is great... no.... fantastic if you're into Dragons like me. A real epic story that delves deep into the lore of the Elder Scrolls. What's nice is that even the side quests have great attention to detail, often resulting in you wandering far from your intended path where something else gets the better of your curiosity.
Quite simply, it's awesome.
2 comments:
Come back from the dark side! ;)
Seriously, though, Skyrim does look exceedly good. Its graphics and detail in the items looks second to none, and I have no doubt it will be a game I would play in the future, God willing.
BUT ... I am still disappointed that the experience is limited to single player. And while I am a D&D die hard, I can even work with a different gaming system *if* the game could be played alongside somebody else.
I am currently dropping into playing Oblvion from time to time, and while I know it's not Skyrim, I am finding some of the play a little tedious at times. I think there is a need to ensure a balance between open world style play and keeping a story focused. E.g. There are many shops in the city and it has managed to capture the same level of boredom I have when I go to a large shopping mall. :) Hopefully, Skyrim has improved here too.
On a personal note, I hope things work out for you this year, and Jen and I wish you and Max a happy new year! Hopefully, we will meet this year, some time. ;)
Lance.
Hi Lance,
Yep, we must meet up some time. Don't let single player put you off Skyrim. It's awesome!
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