After a long wait players are finally given a chance to get back into the epic RPG franchise The Elder Scrolls. Bethesda the acclaim developers behind the series bring us the next instalment; “The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim” The game is available on the PlayStation 3, PC DVD and Xbox 360. The PC version is by far the best version, with talks with developers saying that they will be adapting DirectX 11 at a later date. The Xbox 360 has its loading time issues which can be annoying if you have to wait every time you want to play ;( best to install the game to the Xbox 360 hard drive to limit load times). If I was put on the spot and asked to recommend a best console version I would have to go for the PlayStation 3.
What can I say about the game, well prepare yourself for long hours, a demand for fast reflexes, puzzle solving and a control system that will frustrate you until you have it under control. Skyrim will expect all this from any gamer to succeed in the epic quest ahead of you. This is by far Bethesda biggest ever RPG release, with more attention to detail than any other game they have brought to light recently. All of this will immerse you into their world of swords, sorcery and dragons!
Skyrim’s world is so accurately detailed it could be said that you are not playing a game but are part of a directed film. The environment floods the screen with its dense forests, awe-inspiring cities, and picturesque flowing rivers that wind their way throughout the entire map.
Furthermore who can miss the beautifully snow capped peaks of the Mountains, everything seems true to life. The weather effects you will experience will be just as wonderful; from snow blizzards of epic proportions to thunderstorms shrouding the sky in darkness that will see you running for cover. When it’s a clear night you can look up into the sky and watch the auroras saturate the heavens with grand displays of colour on a canvas of shadows.
Skyrim offers a crafting system that can occupy players for hours on end, forging their weapons for battle, mixing potions through alchemy and enchanting battle weapons with powerful spells. You can really spend hours in this world, maybe you just want to explore? Then just point your character in a certain direction and go forth into the world, or maybe you wish to explore the underworld in the subterranean caverns. Fancy reading books go to the library in the Mage College and choose form a selection of books that you can pick up and read. Why not buy a house and get married to a sexy NPC, get into a guild, go round killing new monsters or just talk to the town’s folk; the choice is yours.
Skyrim’s story will, to a certain extent, guide you through the game while expecting you to think outside the box and guide yourself on some occasions. The story begins with your character, having been bound at the wrists, being carted into a small town and with you are unfamiliar people that are also bound. As the story unfolds it is realised that you and the others are prisoners and are heading towards the chopping block, with no indication as to why. As you dismount the cart in the village you are given your character creation page, before you meet your demise. Your character is the second on the chopping block and as the axe descends toward its fatal strike the proceedings are interrupted and you must in essence escape with your life. After escaping your adventure will begin as you are cut loose and set into the massive open environment of Skyrim, with the barest of essentials and little to no information about yourself.
Skyrim’s epic world is plagued by civil war and the race of the dragons, once thought to be extinct, have returned to wreak havoc. As you progress you will come to understand that this race of dragon is the last race called the Dragonborn. The Dragonborn’s are all that stands between Skyrim and its total annihilation. As you progress through the many quests you will get to understand the games control system, which will take you sometime as you will spend a little time assigning spells and mapping your keys so you are happier with the feel of the game. Whenever you get to use your weapon, a spell or a skill you will notice that your talent in the skill trees will go up. When you get to max XP you will be able to set a talent point to a skill of your choice. By doing it this way it seems the game is rewarding you for your participation within the game. Depending on what type of warrior you are going to specialize in for an example magic class, the game will ensure you become more proficient. Same goes with sword and shield and so on, the more you do the specific class the better at it you become.
Something extra in the game on top of your weapons and spells is something called Dragonborn shouts, magical powers that you gain by reading runes found carved on walls within dungeons and caves. Shouts are powerful spells which vary in recharging time and overall power output. They consist of breathing fire over enemies, super speed, or calling forth a dragon from the heaven to annihilate the enemy.
I did not find that many bugs on the PC version; however I did do some alterations to Skyrim.ini file to increase the overall gaming experience. The console version has a small number of graphical bugs floating around, but nothing that will impede your overall gaming experience. This game is huge, with hours and hours of game time available for you to get your teeth into. I would recommend you re-map your keys with the PC version to make things flow better as it’s not exactly set up well or you can go out and purchase the Xbox 360 controller for the PC. The overall freedom to do what you want when you want is great. You can choose to explore, quest, fight or just live day by day the choice is yours, this is your destiny, this is Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. ENJOY
Disclaimer:All scores given within our reviews are based on the artist’s personal opinion; this should in no way impede your decision to purchase the game.
