Well, without further ado I present to you all the first official game of the month for 2012, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim!!
Now this game has been out since November, and truth be told, before now I wasn't able to give an accurate review of the game because I hadn't played enough of it. That's not saying I haven't played this game, its just HUGE! So far I think I am only about four quests into the main story, maybe six. Suffice to say the other 50+ hours I have spent playing this game in just the past WEEK have been spent exploring and doing side quests. This game isn't about doing the main story, its about doing whatever the hell you want in a vast and immense world.
Now what exactly is Skyrim? For those of you who don't know it is a Single Player Fantasy RPG by Bethesda Software. You make a character, and can almost quite literally do whatever the hell you want. When I first started the game I spent upwards of around 12 hours doing nothing but chopping wood. And no, I am not kidding. There are 18 different skills for you to eventually upgrade in Skyrim, and each one has different perks you get get as you level up your character and your skills. For those who have played Skyrim, and even for those who haven't...take my advice when I say don't try to grind Blacksmithing to 100. Sure it can pay off when you can make yourself Dragon Armor....but....it takes soooooo long! I never want to see another Iron Dagger ever again.....
The Character creation for Skyrim has a lot of options to it; so many in fact that I am sure you could spent 3+ hours at least on just the character creation screen if you go through most of the options available to you. I mean I think there are about 6 different ways you can modify your nose...YOUR NOSE! There are a variety of different races for you to choose from (specifically I believe there are about 3+ different human-like races, each unique in their own way) and so many ways to customize your character, unless you specifically note exactly what pieces you pick for your character, chances are you will never make the same character twice.
As for the game's story...well to be brutally honest, Skyrim's story isn't important. You know what is important though? The environment. And HOLY HELL is it beautiful! With the new computer I have I'm able to play Skyrim on High Settings (don't want to try Ultra...the drop in FPS might make me cry) and everything is just gorgeous. From the mossy forests, to the snow-capped mountains everything has such detail to it I feel like I am walking (and killing) in a painting. I will admit to spending countless hours just wandering around and admiring the scenery. The only problem is when a dragon appears out of nowhere and ruins my view...eventually resulting in one rather dead dragon.
Oh yeah....I don't think I mention the fact that DRAGONS ARE EVERYWHERE. And I am not even kidding. I started counting after the third time it happened, but six times in a row, when I have traveled to one of the main cities, a dragon is waiting there for me. Sure I may be the Dovahkiin but is there a giant neon sign above my head I am unaware of? I don't mind though, with all the dragons I've killed I've managed to make a full set of both Heavy and Light Dragon Armor (for those unaware....that's a lot of dragons). And not every dragon is the same. Some dragons shoot fire, and others shoot frost, and it is incredibly annoying when you are expecting one and you get the other!
All in all, Skyrim is an amazing game that I am more than happy to have spent countless hours playing. This is a game that I think will be amazing for years to come with few if any other games being able to challenge it.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is available for PC, Playstation 3, and Xbox 360.
And remember my fellow Dovahkiins, when in a tight situation never forget the power of your Thu'um.
FUS - RO - DAH!
-Adam Gadal
Now this game has been out since November, and truth be told, before now I wasn't able to give an accurate review of the game because I hadn't played enough of it. That's not saying I haven't played this game, its just HUGE! So far I think I am only about four quests into the main story, maybe six. Suffice to say the other 50+ hours I have spent playing this game in just the past WEEK have been spent exploring and doing side quests. This game isn't about doing the main story, its about doing whatever the hell you want in a vast and immense world.Now what exactly is Skyrim? For those of you who don't know it is a Single Player Fantasy RPG by Bethesda Software. You make a character, and can almost quite literally do whatever the hell you want. When I first started the game I spent upwards of around 12 hours doing nothing but chopping wood. And no, I am not kidding. There are 18 different skills for you to eventually upgrade in Skyrim, and each one has different perks you get get as you level up your character and your skills. For those who have played Skyrim, and even for those who haven't...take my advice when I say don't try to grind Blacksmithing to 100. Sure it can pay off when you can make yourself Dragon Armor....but....it takes soooooo long! I never want to see another Iron Dagger ever again.....
The Character creation for Skyrim has a lot of options to it; so many in fact that I am sure you could spent 3+ hours at least on just the character creation screen if you go through most of the options available to you. I mean I think there are about 6 different ways you can modify your nose...YOUR NOSE! There are a variety of different races for you to choose from (specifically I believe there are about 3+ different human-like races, each unique in their own way) and so many ways to customize your character, unless you specifically note exactly what pieces you pick for your character, chances are you will never make the same character twice.
As for the game's story...well to be brutally honest, Skyrim's story isn't important. You know what is important though? The environment. And HOLY HELL is it beautiful! With the new computer I have I'm able to play Skyrim on High Settings (don't want to try Ultra...the drop in FPS might make me cry) and everything is just gorgeous. From the mossy forests, to the snow-capped mountains everything has such detail to it I feel like I am walking (and killing) in a painting. I will admit to spending countless hours just wandering around and admiring the scenery. The only problem is when a dragon appears out of nowhere and ruins my view...eventually resulting in one rather dead dragon.
Oh yeah....I don't think I mention the fact that DRAGONS ARE EVERYWHERE. And I am not even kidding. I started counting after the third time it happened, but six times in a row, when I have traveled to one of the main cities, a dragon is waiting there for me. Sure I may be the Dovahkiin but is there a giant neon sign above my head I am unaware of? I don't mind though, with all the dragons I've killed I've managed to make a full set of both Heavy and Light Dragon Armor (for those unaware....that's a lot of dragons). And not every dragon is the same. Some dragons shoot fire, and others shoot frost, and it is incredibly annoying when you are expecting one and you get the other!
All in all, Skyrim is an amazing game that I am more than happy to have spent countless hours playing. This is a game that I think will be amazing for years to come with few if any other games being able to challenge it.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is available for PC, Playstation 3, and Xbox 360.
And remember my fellow Dovahkiins, when in a tight situation never forget the power of your Thu'um.
FUS - RO - DAH!
-Adam Gadal