I used to write reviews, but then I took an arrow to the knee.
So yeah, I'm still alive and stuff. I'd like to say that I've been busy with work/family/holidays, but... Well... I'm just really lazy. But I have returned, so prepare yourself for a review that will shake the very foundations of reality.
I've decided to review Skyrim for two reasons; Because it came out before my blog started and because everything else that's out right now is utter horseshit.
Skyrim is the latest installment of the Elder Scrolls game series, a series that has quite a reputation to live up to in a lot of different categories, particularity in the looks department. Although most modern gen gamers wouldn't know it to look at them now, Skyrim's predecessors were considered the peak of graphical perfection when they were released. Quite the achievement considering the scope of the games, with Morrowind still having one of the largest playable worlds of any game. Skyrim takes a very unique approach to this, having beautifully detailed character models and a very smart texture design for the environments that seems half-hearted close up, but looks gorgeous from just a bit of a distance.
Another Elder Scroll's family tradition Skyrim holds to is the sheer size of it's world. While it doesn't quite measure up to Morrowind, it's certainly bigger than Oblivion, in both quality and quantity. It stands among the true greats of the gaming world in what it means to be a "Sandbox" style game. After the obligatorily opening tutorial session, you are literally in charge of your destiny and can go and do anything you'd like. *sigh* I wish that were true... Without spoiling the story too much, I made the nihilistic decision that I wanted to be on the Dragon's side, but nothing was programed in for my particular whims. While the game does give you a pretty staggering amount of freedom, it's still a game, constrained by the people who coded it.
The old class system for characters is gone, making pretty much every character a jack-of-all-trades from the start, with just a small boost based on the character race you pick. leveling has changed too. You still gain levels by using your skills over and over, but now when you gain a level you gain a point you can spend in any skill tree, for example; You leveled your sneak enough to get a character level, but you can spend the point in heavy armor. This grants a higher degree of specialization many players have been waiting for.
As part of it's overhaul, combat, while still very similar and accessible, has been tuned and reworked in a few places. Blocking not only has a point, but is quite useful, and you can now block using a two handed weapon.(though with less effectiveness.) Also new is the ability to dual wield weapons at the expense of blocking. Magic acts like an equipped weapon taking up one of your hands, letting you dual wield magics or blend melee combat with spells quickly and easily. Newest of all is the ability to "shout", speaking dragon languge, this acts like a spell with different shouts having different effects. Shouts do not use mp, but rather, must cooldown before being used again.
My only real complaint in the new overhaul is that Magic has been verily and heavily Nerfed. Magic got a pretty hard Nerf in Oblivion already, but not to the point where it was almost unplayable. In Skyrim you can't even create your own spells, which wouldn't be so bad if the ones available to learn weren't so underpowered. You also can't place certain enchantments on certain pieces of armor, which makes no sense at all.
In a game so heavily sandboxed it's hard to rate the story, since everyone's is a little different. I will say that the "main" quest-line holds it's own as "good, if not quite epic," and the various faction quests have their own charm. It is of course, unavoidable that some quests that consist of little more than busy work to fill out the game, but you never seem to be drowning it. Bethesda has been doing surprisingly well in keeping the game supplied with above par dlc, and many people expect a major expansion pack in the future.
All said and done, Skyrim does a good job of living up to it's family legacy and is a good game for fans and newcomers alike, but can be a little daunting to some gamers. I give Skyrim 4 out of 5 stars.
