Bethesda's long awaited sequel to Oblivion came out yesterday. The fifth game in the Elder Scrolls series takes place in Skyrim, a mountainous and snowy province in northern Tamriel. My only experience with Elder Scrolls before Skyrim was in Oblivion which I played for half an hour before stopping. Having played Oblivion four years after it was released in 2006, I just felt it was outdated especially compared to Fallout 3 and New Vegas. So when I started my chapter in Skyrim, I didn't know what to expect.
I am currently eight hours into the game. And I must admit it is fun.
The massive world and amount of shit to do is staggering. This is uncommon in all of Bethesda's games, but I definitely feel a difference in terms of scale in Skyrim than in Fallout 3 for example. First of all, they have condensed all side quests into a tab called Miscelleneous similar to Dragon Age 2, and that tab is always filled with at least five random quests. That's not including the secondary quests and the main quests which accumulates to a multitude of missions to choose from. This leads to alot of traveling which is nothing like the "wasteland wandering" I was used to from Fallout. Traveling in this game is a genuine pleasure as the world is full of life. To name a few, I've run into bandits, faction patrols, various wild animals, and giants. The landscape is also beautiful and ever-changing. Although Skyrim retains the essence of a cold and unforgiving province, it's topography is shockingly rich with detail. Despite looking similar, no two areas will ever feel the same because Bethesda has meticulously defined every feature in each region. Just to give you an idea how detailed the world is: you know those books you always found in Fallout? Well in Skyrim, you can find numerous books lying around and you can actually read them.
Combat is plain awesome. Bethesda eliminated the class system which really gives you a sense of building your character. When you use a specific type of attack (melee, magic or archery), you build up levels in the school of your attack. For example if I frequently use a healing spell, I level up my healing or if I use a two handed weapon, I gain levels in two handed wielding. Leveling up your skills in a field makes that field more potent and allows you to spend level points in its talent tree. To buy a talent in the Destruction line to increase my shock damage, I am required to have a skill level of thirty in Destruction (which I level by blasting enemies with spells) and to spend a level point which I get each time I level up. Without the limitations of a class system, you are free to approach any fight differently and also combine aspects of each school of combat. I can snipe an enemy with my bow, than switch to a fireball in one hand and a dagger in the other for medium/short range combat. Your attacks also have clear effects on the enemies. Each arrow you fire at them protrudes from their body and a charged melee attack will knock them back. My personal favourite are lightning spells, as there's nothing more satisfying than sending a monster flying ten feet in the air from a lightning bolt. Every fight feel distinct and encourages creative or strategic approaches. I think it says alot about a game when you are enjoying random brawls on the side of the road with trash mobs.
I have one problem with the game so far. And its that punching a chicken shouldn't cause an entire city to attack you. But aside from that, this game has exceeded my expectations. As a person who entered Skryim as a foreigner to the Elder Scrolls series, this game makes me want to go back to the older games and learn more about the rich world. Skyrim is absolutely brilliant and I highly recommend it.
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