The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

 PC
User Score
8.4

Generally favorable reviews- based on 12985 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 10,547 out of 12985
  2. Mixed: 1,375 out of 12985
  3. Negative: 1,063 out of 12985
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  1. Clai
    Nov 15, 2011
    6
    Although Oblivion has amazing atmosphere, an engaging storyline and awesome world design, it fell short of basic industry standards in terms of pure gameplay. The combat, physics and animations were dated on release, and the proudly touted "Radiant AI" did not extend well beyond basic townsfolk interaction. Oblivion's successor, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim has reportedly set out to improveAlthough Oblivion has amazing atmosphere, an engaging storyline and awesome world design, it fell short of basic industry standards in terms of pure gameplay. The combat, physics and animations were dated on release, and the proudly touted "Radiant AI" did not extend well beyond basic townsfolk interaction. Oblivion's successor, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim has reportedly set out to improve on it's predecessors flaws.

    Who knew improvement was such a marginal process? Skyrim suffers from the same incredibly lacking combat system that Oblivion is well known for; there is little and often no indication of damage (outside of an HP drop) when attacking an enemy and there is no complex timing or visceral response during fights. Instead, players choose whatever weapon/spell combination most suited to the enemy in question and flail about until one of the combatants falls. The improvements made to the combat system that allow for easy dual wielding and equipment management are completely wasted on a system that maybe would've been accepted in a 2.5d game in the 90s. Is Daggerfall the cause of this?

    This archaic system is even further compounded by poor animations and very simple world physics, both of which work hard to pull you from the immersion presented by the amazing world. Skyrim introduces "death blow" animations that are nothing more than randomly occurring cosmetic distractions that are so poorly made and prone to glitching that it's a mystery as to why they were ever included. Third-person gameplay has been improved marginally, but the canned walking animations and glitchy keyframed attacking/rolling/jumping actions that often do not correctly flow into one another will have you switching back to first-person in no time, a shame considering the extensive character design system and excellently crafted armor sets.
    If that was not enough, a constant bevy of glitches and bugs will assault you at every turn. The game presents amazing scenes and story, only to promptly snatch the awe away with another glitching background model or a man butting into to a conversation about the safety of the city with a mention of his fruit prices.

    But it's an RPG, right? Combat and presentation should come second fiddle to the freedom and variety of open-world gameplay, right? There sure are a lot of stats missing in this "Apple-inspired" UI, no quick way to check on equipped items and their individual stats, no indication of the worn location of an item until selected, whereby a simple armor rating comparison is made and nothing else. No equipment degradation, simplified stats, and the quick-switch/hot-key wheel has been replaced with a time-stopping favourites menu. Whilst a fight in Oblivion could be played out in real-time, Skyrim has the player pausing the game with each swap of equipment. Outside the Magic and Items menu (both of which draw from the same inspiration), the Skills and Map menus are both functional and simple.

    What Skyrim does best is present an amazing world full of life and motion, something Bethesda shows mastery in time and time again. Wind blows trees and bushes; Water flows down streams, crashing against rocks as salmon jump upstream; Rain and snow falls, sometimes softly, sometimes ferociously. This game has a ridiculous amount of atmosphere and style, and Bethesda's attention to detail shines in every nook and cranny. The opportunity to get lost in one of the in game books or listen in on the conversations of bandits rewards the player with a rich fantasy story with uncountable facets. The new quest system allows some quest items and objectives to be approached in different locations depending on where the player has already been, meaning dull excursions are rare in an already breathtaking world.

    It's a shame then, that the world alone is not enough to remedy Skyrim's flaws. It appears that Bethesda has learned nothing from their previous projects on the Gamebryo engine; Skyrim suffers from many of the flaws present in it's predecessors. At the core of the issue, it seems both Bethesda and their fans are unaware of the ageing gameplay, numerous bugs and lacking presentation aspects that plague the otherwise amazing world of The Elder Scrolls. It remains to be seen if many of these problems are patched or modded away (either by Bethesda or it's enthusiastic modding community), but in it's current state, Skyrim is an old game wearing new clothes.    … Expand
  2. starsh3ro
    Nov 12, 2011
    7
    i wanted to call it game of the year,
    what i like is that the game difficulty is not set too low and that the enivorment is very detailed, the sounds and the music are nice as well all together a impressive atmosphere. its very small, the download only has a size of 5,8GB.
    on the other hand, the graphics engine itself is looks very old, when you get closer to anything, all you see is    i wanted to call it game of the year,
    what i like is that the game difficulty is not set too low and that the enivorment is very detailed, the sounds and the music are nice as well all together a impressive atmosphere. its very small, the download only has a size of 5,8GB.

    on the other hand, the graphics engine itself is looks very old, when you get closer to anything, all you see is edges, little texture bugs... reminds me on RAGE; same problem.
    the controls of the game are a disaster. SERIOUSLY.

    the npc/ai players block your way , the enemy ai gets stuck at random objects.

    the mainquest is done very fast, (lvl 11 was enough to finish it) i think i took double the time for oblivion, at the end its just, travel - fight dragon - travel - fight dragon again. AND again... uuuh so creative.
    the secondary quests are fun, also its fun to just ride arround with the horse and let it fall down from high mountains.

    its not worth the 49â    … Expand
  3. jonbravo2
    Nov 23, 2011
    5
    This game was fun. Graphics, interaction, and just the way you could do things is amazing, but I got bored of it really fast. This would be one of those games that I love for the awesome game play. I think the only thing I absolutely hated about this game was the unbearably dull main story. I played through it once and thought, "I'm not wasting my time on that again." I also did not likeThis game was fun. Graphics, interaction, and just the way you could do things is amazing, but I got bored of it really fast. This would be one of those games that I love for the awesome game play. I think the only thing I absolutely hated about this game was the unbearably dull main story. I played through it once and thought, "I'm not wasting my time on that again." I also did not like the fact of random quest being added by just walking around the streets. I would be walking through a town, and have 10 new quests activated right before my eyes. It was a pain in the butt to get a house too, in order to buy a house, you have to beat half of the main storyline. I think it is a game worth getting, but don't be suprised if you find yourself bored of it within 3 days of beating it.… Expand
  4. Chimpwn
    Nov 12, 2011
    7
    First off, I want to say I'm having tons of fun with this game. But I'm only giving it a seven because the developers promised so much more and came short on everything. They promised that the combat would be skill based and not a button mashing combat system. That was a lie. You click till they're dead. I've been using 2 handed weapons that supposedly do 3 times the damage of theFirst off, I want to say I'm having tons of fun with this game. But I'm only giving it a seven because the developers promised so much more and came short on everything. They promised that the combat would be skill based and not a button mashing combat system. That was a lie. You click till they're dead. I've been using 2 handed weapons that supposedly do 3 times the damage of the single handed weapons I have. And the 1 handed weapons seem to do about 1-2 damage less. It's so stupid. Also, they said the animations would be better, they are and they aren't. The animations by themselves are fine. But none of them interact with each other. Also, there's STILL no diagonal run animation. It's 2011 Bethesda, please move forward at a normal pace. And don't try to get by doing the same stuff you did last time. Update the engine with every release, and by that I mean make big changes that make a difference and not adding "slo-mo" and making the same washed out textures for all the games they make. And by that I mean the game kind of looks like ass. But that's to be expected out of a game they explicitly said would have the 360 as the lead platform. Oh and, the UI is total ass. The worst from any game I've ever played.… Expand
  5. Fortune
    Nov 15, 2011
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Pretty good game, if you like hack 'n slash or dungeon crawlers but don't like in-depth character customization or RPG elements. The storyline is good, the combat is great, and everything is simple.

    Unfortunately, the game is really easy (even on master, I hit a wall around level 20-25, but once I got past that I haven't found anything really challenging and can solo named dragons without trouble).

    *spoiler*The guild quests are way too simple and streamlined. One "entry" quest that takes 5 minutes to do and requires little to no effort, then you're in and everyone trusts you.The mage college quest was literally two quest lines, then you're the arch-mage.*/spoiler*

    If you're looking for a fun action-RPG with a decent storyline, this is the game for you. If you want an in-depth RPG with a lot of customization and great side-quests, hundreds of hours of play, etc., you may want to look elsewhere.

    All in all, Skyrim is to Oblivion what Oblivion was to Morrowind. Streamlined, features taken out, nothing really added except a new storyline, and turned easy. Still very fun for what it is, but don't buy it thinking that it's something else.    … Expand
  6. evilhippo
    Nov 16, 2011
    7
    This is a good game and in some ways, a great game: sweeping vistas, epic music and sound-scape, coherent storyline and the scope of the game, the sheer immersion and *size* of it all, is truly staggering. Items that are eye candy clutter in other games... cooking pots, whetstones, mills, smelters, furnaces, are actually functional in Skyrim! This represents a significant advance overThis is a good game and in some ways, a great game: sweeping vistas, epic music and sound-scape, coherent storyline and the scope of the game, the sheer immersion and *size* of it all, is truly staggering. Items that are eye candy clutter in other games... cooking pots, whetstones, mills, smelters, furnaces, are actually functional in Skyrim! This represents a significant advance over other Bethesda games like the earlier Eldar Scrolls series or ever the sprawling Fallout 3 and Fallout New Vegas. Kudos for that.......

    ...The gameplay is very good. Not great, but I can live with very good. Combat in The Witcher 2, for example, is far more sophisticated and visceral whereas Skyrim's combat mechanics are a bit ordinary. Not bad, just ordinary......

    ...However there is one aspect which is a major step back: companions in Skyrim are characterless cyphers. little more that cannon fodder for carrying your stuff around, whose names you will have difficulty remembering. Unlike Fallout 3 or New Vegas, there are no real character quests, nothing more that generic personality and, most inexplicable, more clunky controls than the character wheel used by Bethesda in Fallout New Vegas. Oh the the AI is *horrible*... they run in front of you when you take a bow shot, they are hard to push out of the way when they trap you in a corner or block a doorway and the accursed dog 'companion' pushes against you constantly and nudged me off a cliff once. I am sure mod makes will make *vastly* better companions than the vanilla ones but in such a detailed, immersion intensive game, this trivialisation of NPC companions is a strange design decision.......

    ...So I like this game and, yes, it *is* buggy, but with anything this big that is inevitable. Bethesda will fix it eventually and compared to Fallout 3/NV, it seems a bit less bug riddled. That said, I suddenly CTD with no error message at least once an hour. Oh well.......

    ...7/10... would be 8/10 is companions were not so completely uninteresting.    … Expand
  7. gravothermal
    Nov 23, 2011
    7
    My main gripe, just like in every other Bethesda game I've played, is the low quality of NPC facial expressions and character development. All the NPCs just stare at you as if they're zombies as they talk.

    The NPC personalities are wooden, one-dimensional, and there isn't any personal satisfaction to be gained from interacting with them. It's as if Bethesda hates writing, personal    My main gripe, just like in every other Bethesda game I've played, is the low quality of NPC facial expressions and character development. All the NPCs just stare at you as if they're zombies as they talk.

    The NPC personalities are wooden, one-dimensional, and there isn't any personal satisfaction to be gained from interacting with them. It's as if Bethesda hates writing, personal relationships, and drama---as if it was their C programmer that had to write the dialogue instead of an actual writer.

    Nevertheless, compared to the other Elder Scroll games, Skyrim has added features that make it possible to live with this fundamental Bethesda flaw. Chiefly: zoom out! I can finally play in true 3rd person mode almost the entire game. If I zoom out enough, the facial expressions are blurred out enough that if the voice acting is OK, my imagination can fill in the rest. So, for the first time for me, playing a Bethesda game is actually not revolting!

    At least on high settings, the world itself is beautiful (butterflies and beetles receive more loving graphics treatment than human faces), so I'm not sure what the others are complaining about as far as the environmental graphics. Technically, the engine is impressive in how fast it renders given the number of polygons here. Exploring the world genuinely is fun (otherwise the game would have gotten a 3/10 from me).

    It is true that melee combat feels like a 1990s Gold Box D&D game. But magic and archery are really well done. If you restrict yourself to magic and archery, you will have fun in combat.    … Expand
  8. kabbi
    Dec 2, 2011
    5
    When I first started this game I was like **** 10/10... as I progressed through further, I started noticing lots of bugs, a sincere lack of momentum in plot (lots of forgettable gopher quests). About half way through the game I realized that none of the stats matter. The game is so damn easy anyone can beat any mission pretty much with any character set up. I found the AI challenge to beWhen I first started this game I was like **** 10/10... as I progressed through further, I started noticing lots of bugs, a sincere lack of momentum in plot (lots of forgettable gopher quests). About half way through the game I realized that none of the stats matter. The game is so damn easy anyone can beat any mission pretty much with any character set up. I found the AI challenge to be as rewarding as shooting fish in a barrel. If you turn up the difficulty your health drops so fast that you have to pause every 5 seconds and drink 8 health potions. Very little room for role-playing beyond deciding what cool armor you want to wear. Dialogue especially of wandering NPC's gets so annoyingly repetative the only thing they're missing is a pullstring when u walk by. Did I mention there's no story nor do your choices have any effect on the outcome? You're pretty much just killing mindless ragdolls and calling yourself the Dragonborn somehow imagining that quests you did/didn't do are going to make a difference. When you complete a quest NPC's go on talking about it over and over again til you want to **** kill everyone. This game sucks. Some of the reviews I've read on it are extremely questionable. But then again I was totally hot for it the first week so I'll shut up.… Expand
  9. Loco
    Jan 9, 2012
    5
    I love my PC version of Oblivion. It's modded to hell and back and still gets a lot of my time. However, there are niggling issues with that game that I hoped would be resolved in Skyrim. Alas, they haven't. ....... Combat is still clunky and unbalanced, dialogue is awful, the UI is appalling, quests are linear and forgetful, the game engine (Gamebryo not 'Creation'!) is as buggy and weakI love my PC version of Oblivion. It's modded to hell and back and still gets a lot of my time. However, there are niggling issues with that game that I hoped would be resolved in Skyrim. Alas, they haven't. ....... Combat is still clunky and unbalanced, dialogue is awful, the UI is appalling, quests are linear and forgetful, the game engine (Gamebryo not 'Creation'!) is as buggy and weak as ever, and the animations in the game are 2004-spec. What's more, this is a very weak port from X360, with very little effort made to optimise it for PC users (DX9? Really?)........ The music and sound, however, are VERY strong, the world is well realised (Bethesda actually had art direction this time!), and the allure of the big open gamespace is as strong as ever. Dragons are fun, if easy to kill and repetitive. Dragon-shouts differentiate the PC from the NPCs, which is important. These are the plus points, but there should really have been more........... Besthesda are not pushing themselves. Oblivion 1.5 is nice, but where's the innovation, guys? Deep inside i'll always know that this is not yet the RPG I know this dev can make.......... Next time- get a new engine (a REAL, new engine), redesign combat entirely, come up with decent stealth mechanics, hire new writers and build a better connection between the game world and the people that inhabit it (better AI, animations etc.). Because as much as I love the Elder Scrolls, I can't pretend forever that this isn't a bit of a mess. -Loco… Expand
  10. sterlingwriter
    Jul 21, 2012
    7
    I have played Skyrim for 182 hours, and I'm probably finished with it for awhile. I never actually beat the main plot, because there's so much to do, I ended up being distracted by all the side quests and exploration, which seemed a lot more interesting to me than the main plot, and now I think I'm burned out on the game. Like all recent Bethesda games (like the Fallout series) the NPCsI have played Skyrim for 182 hours, and I'm probably finished with it for awhile. I never actually beat the main plot, because there's so much to do, I ended up being distracted by all the side quests and exploration, which seemed a lot more interesting to me than the main plot, and now I think I'm burned out on the game. Like all recent Bethesda games (like the Fallout series) the NPCs are horrible in this game -- they talk too much, get in the way too much, get killed too much, and are all the same unless you use mods. There are other annoying bugs in the game, but none were so terrible that my experience was ruined, I just wish they'd QA these things out before the game actually goes retail. The UI was a bit clunky, too, since things didn't always sort properly. What I enjoyed about Skyrim, was finally, the opportunity to play a ranged character without always having to kite or tank monsters. A stealth-archer can often crit one shot and/or kill things before they get into melee range, which is awesome. All the side quests, and the sheer amount of cool stuff you can find when exploring was my favorite part of the game. I was having tons of fun finding new towns, treasure in remote locations, and pursuing the artifact quests (without using any wikis, I got most of them). The graphics are amazing, and with the high-res texture pack, one of the best looking western RPGs I've ever played. The soundtrack is also amazing, but unfortunately the voice acting is terrible most of the time, due to overuse of certain voices, and the bards... well, let's just say I tended to interrupt them when they'd start singing, it was that bad. As far as crafting goes, Blacksmithing and Enchanting were fun, but Alchemy was a chore because of the way the vanilla game sorts potions, and the sheer number of different potions you can make (most of them being useless, so what's the point of having them). Overall, a fun game with room to improve. If you still don't have it, I recommend that you wait for a 50% off (or more) sale on Steam.… Expand
  11. Bobbo
    Jun 21, 2012
    7
    I never knew black and white video games existed until I played Skyrim. My eyes hunger for color. I was more interested in improving the AI from Oblivion, but that didn't happen.
  12. trublmaker
    Dec 22, 2011
    5
    Pros: Large open world, Strong modding community, An abundance of quest/game information available online. Cons: UI leaves much to be desired, Females are butt-ugly without mods, Washed out textures, Fails to hold interest.
  13. Godsteel
    Feb 14, 2012
    7
    Alright, time for a review based on what I observed through one long playthrough.

    Overall, I like the game and I give credit to Bethesda. Many people seem to discredit them for keeping it similar in feel to Fallout 3. While it is nice to have totally unique games, using a winning formula for a game is also a good idea. The graphics are perhaps not cutting edge, but they are certainly    Alright, time for a review based on what I observed through one long playthrough.

    Overall, I like the game and I give credit to Bethesda. Many people seem to discredit them for keeping it similar in feel to Fallout 3. While it is nice to have totally unique games, using a winning formula for a game is also a good idea. The graphics are perhaps not cutting edge, but they are certainly good. The combat system is similar to practically any Bethesda game that has come out since at least Fallout 3. The storyline is creative and fairly good at continuing the continuity of previous Elder Scroll games. Exploration is the biggest part of the game, be it exploring caves, buildings or just the world of Skyrim in general.

    Of course, with the good comes the bad. The game tends to have issues with fitting the size of the television screen on Xbox systems, especially those of older model televisions. There are still "bugs" that need to be worked out, as any game of this size is likely to have. However, all bugs I have encountered are easily fixed by restarting the system. Combat is similar to Fallout, but tends to get dull and repetitive. At higher levels, the game becomes too easy. DLCs can remedy this in the future, but it seems to be a way to bait people to spend money on DLCs. The biggest flaw however imo is the characters and their seemingly lackluster responses to everything. They feel programmed to repeat the same things over and over again, and many of the same voice actors can be heard throughout multiple characters.

    Overall opinion: A good game with a good story that came out too early with too many familiarities to previous games. Worth a playthrough.    … Expand
  14. Indrigis
    Oct 12, 2013
    5
    I was initially hesitant to pick this up. Reported bugs and all.

    Well, after two years, three expansions and a number of patches... It still sucks, despite the rave reviews (note how like 80% of those are from 11.11.11-13.11.11 fanboys are so fan). The idea is kind of good an open world RPG with a lot of freedom to do and be done to. The implementation, however, is atrocious.    I was initially hesitant to pick this up. Reported bugs and all.

    Well, after two years, three expansions and a number of patches... It still sucks, despite the rave reviews (note how like 80% of those are from 11.11.11-13.11.11 fanboys are so fan).

    The idea is kind of good an open world RPG with a lot of freedom to do and be done to. The implementation, however, is atrocious.

    The PC version's interface is STILL limited to the capabilities of a console and the keyboard/mouse is STILL pretty much being shoved aside. I can't even use any keyboard/mouse controls unless I unplug the x360 gamepad. But entering the character name no, can't do THAT with a gamepad. Not allowed! Bad gamer! Get up from your chair and TYPE!

    The in-game UI is bad. I mean, seriously bad. The compass shows a number of weird symbols with no indication of what they are or how far they are. So, there's this... barbed spear ahead. Okay, let's go see. Oh, joy, I've discovered the Dreaded Asswind Glade. What do I do with this discovery? Is it somehow useful? Now, my character is weakened by the sunrise. Yeah, I know, I've been bitten by a vampire fledgling, I reckon. But... No character status page. Where do I verify my suspicions and find a cure? Right, under "Magic Active effects" oh, ok. And a cure? Google that, Prisoner.

    The melee combat is so uninspired it hurts. I mean, the whole idea of having first-person view combat without auto-aim using a gamepad is a perversion but whatever. I can swing a sword, it might hit someone, they will grunt maybe and then they'll swing back. The level of combat interactivity is sooooooo amazing. Battletoads on SMD had a similar one. And if you want to be able to block with a one-handed weapon, you'd better forget about using an off-hand weapon or magic spell. No point in having an empty hand there grab a shield for blocking (and blocking doesn't even do anything a lot of the time. Backpedaling while slinging arrows or spells is a LOT more effective). I know this is not Devil May Cry, but god forbid melee combat was actually fun to do or watch.

    But wait, there's magic. It's also pretty meh. You have a right spell, a left spell and a shout (with a huge cooldown). If your spells are identical, you have a special perk AND you manage to press both triggers at once you get a stronger version of the spell. Combining different spells for a variety of effects? NO! THIS IS NOT SOME ANIME CRAP! GET BACK INTO YOUR SEAT, PRISO... GAMER! Summon familiar costs 89 magicka. But I can't get it to work. It drains my magicka bar and does nothing. I know, I must have less magicka than is necessary to cast that. Hi, I'm Tellah, anime crap reporting for duty! Nope, my max magicka is 100, so?..

    Speaking of combat in general no numbers. So have fun guessing if your weapon/magic is ineffective against the target or they just have a boatload of health.

    I'm not touching the story because it's more or less an industry standard open-world games must only have an excuse plot so that the player is not inhibited in their actions by some stupid story advancement or anything. And Skyrim is no exception meet people, kill people, go on randomly generated quests... Much like a single player MMORPG. Just without the MMO part that could give the player some really big and challenging fights.

    In conclusion: Skyrim is not a bad game. It's just not worth the money or the time.    … Expand
  15. treedude
    Jun 1, 2013
    6
    Perfect games do not exist, idiots only give out 10s.

    This game is good, but it is ruined by a couple of things, vampires are really weak in this game. There aren't alot of quests only about 100, a small amount of random events. They did a bad job balancing level enemies ratio. I do like the Daedric artifacts however it was a nice touch. The fact that Dragonbone weapons was    Perfect games do not exist, idiots only give out 10s.

    This game is good, but it is ruined by a couple of things, vampires are really weak in this game. There aren't alot of quests only about 100, a small amount of random events.

    They did a bad job balancing level enemies ratio.

    I do like the Daedric artifacts however it was a nice touch.

    The fact that Dragonbone weapons was dlc is just bad, since shields were already in the base game.

    I think it's kind of idiotic that dragon is the highest lvl armor but daedric is 2nd highest but way more effective.

    This game needed some PC love, it's a sloppy console port to spell it out for ya. 1 core low resolution textures. The characters look a bit inhuman at times, some of the women's faces look entirely geometrical at times.

    Dragons scale horribly in this game, once you reach lvl 40 it becomes too hard to fight normal monsters even if you upgrade your weapons.

    You must rely entirely on exploits if you want to kill anything at high levels, like using the Fus Ro Dah shout because single enemies deal too much dmg.

    Voice actors are recycled.

    Only a couple of quests are good like the thief's guild quest and the vampire bloodlines dlc.

    Smithing is unpractical in this game since theres no mining woodcutting skills, things weigh too much and you usually find yourself finding equipment off of dead bodies anyway.

    This game is mediocre at best, nothing close to a masterpiece.

    All guards sound the same, many nice looking areas of the game have no quests at all, like the abandoned mill with 1 lady tending to the mill. A room full of cobwebs nothing.

    You can't decapitate anyone unless it's scripted with a skill, These scripted finishing moves don't even touch the enemy, it seems like experimental finishing moves. You can jump while you are knocked down, clearly not tested that well before release.

    I like archery in this game, except not on horses because they messed up there....

    Shield Bashing looks ridiculous they just sped up the animation it is lazy.

    No polearms spears.

    Lack of Amulets

    Only a limited number of magic spells, making melee weapons the strongest in the game.

    The dual magic spells stun ruin the game.

    Story was bland dungeons are entirely recycled with the exception of 10% of them.

    Animations are very stiff for mages enemy taunts.

    I am bugged that you can only be a werewolf vampire only once.

    This game lacks so many features that Oblivion had, fast travel ruins the game.

    Too easy for a RPG. Lack of weapons. Speechcraft is a joke, intimidation is a joke, game is just too easy. You can push dragon priests off cliffs and instant kill them with gravity FFS. Jumping 8 feet in the air will instant kill you. ADD MINING AND WOODCUTTING FLETCHING SKILLS TO MAKE A REAL GAME. AND NO MORE CONSOLE PORTS. 6.8/10    … Expand
  16. YazzleDazzle
    Dec 9, 2012
    6
    While many people hail this game as one of the best games released for PC, i simply cannot agree. The world is huge and the number of choices in how to spend your time is staggering. The land is beautifully carved and the enemies are incredibly varied and fun. However, the dungeons all feel the same, the story is poorly delivered and game play is incredibly flat and dull. The game boastsWhile many people hail this game as one of the best games released for PC, i simply cannot agree. The world is huge and the number of choices in how to spend your time is staggering. The land is beautifully carved and the enemies are incredibly varied and fun. However, the dungeons all feel the same, the story is poorly delivered and game play is incredibly flat and dull. The game boasts hundreds of hand crafted dungeons. What they don't mention is that they all look the same, have similar enemies and will be where you spend most of your time. The open world is beautiful but its hard to appreciate that when you've just defeated your thousandth skeleton and can't see more than a few meters away from you in a cave. When you do get to spend some time outside, the game is incredibly fun. Running around the countryside is enjoyable and often my favorite parts are traveling between quests. Outside is where you'll find all the fun enemies and where the open area makes combat much more enjoyable (Although still note fantastic). The beautifully crafted world can't count for much when you spend so much of your time under it. As far as quests go, Skyrim has a huge amount to do. Most of them are well designed and do a fairly good job at engrossing you in the world. However, there are a few that will frustrate you to the point where you resort to walkthroughs or a few where you're forced to save and reload so many times that you just can't get into the game anymore. The different guilds provide neat stories with pretty nice rewards. A few of the missions are, as mentioned before, frustrating, but overall fun and a good thing to check out. The story is... pretty lame. There are no plot twists, almost no character development and pretty little to do as far as the main story line is concerned. That being said, I won't gripe on it too much since im fairly certain the main focus of the game is the open world, do what you want, thing and a lengthy, twist ridden plot would interfere with that. Just don't expect much from the storyline. Now for my biggest issue with Skyrim and the biggest reason I gave it as low a rating as I did. The gameplay... sucks. The combat feels incredibly clunky and while it may have worked for previous Elder Scrolls games, it needed to be revamped. This becomes especially apparent if you choose a pure melee character. This is nothing compared to how poorly balanced the game is. I'd go as far as to say that it is broken like no other. Leveling up is trivial once you find a few tricks. Crafting daggers makes getting the highest level armor a breeze. You can spend hours playing the game properly and gain maybe a level or two. If you have enough of the most common crafting materials, make a few hundred daggers and boom, you're a Skyrim god. The crafting isn't the only unbalanced thing in the game. The combat needs some balancing as well. As a pure mage, any other non-melee unit would slay me in seconds while melee units would drop like flies. This makes the mages guild incredibly difficult and the legion incredibly easy. Additionally, the enemies don't scale well either. The game scales almost all the enemies to make sure you never get bored flicking enemies away, however, this gives you no sense of progression. You can go back to the very first dungeon you went to and you'll have only a slightly easier time with the enemies. Sure a few more new types of stronger ones will probably appear but still, the sense of overwhelming strength you expect isn't there. On the flip-side, there were cases where i'd run into a new enemy that made me fear my chances of defeating it, only to kill it in seconds. Here is a perfect example of this:

    I was skipping along through a dungeon i had stumbled upon and was delving deeper and deeper to discover its treasures. The floors were littered with skeleton corpses (redundant?) and i was looking forward to finally finishing it up. I approached a gate and opened it and strolled through carelessly. I was ambushed by a skeleton that appeared behind me as i walked through the door and after quickly dispatching it, i turned to face the center of the room. There was a bone dragon. The first i'd seen. It was a towering skeletal beast that made me turn around, book it through the gate and shut the door. I was paniced and had no idea how to take on this dragon. I spent minutes searching through my arsenal of spells and weapons while checking regularely to make sure the dragon hadn't somehow figured out how to get at me. I finally decided to take the cowards way out and test the waters safely. I summoned an elemental, opened the door, let the elemental walk through.... and shut the gate behind it. Then the dragon died. Wait... WHAT?! Just like that, all this build up, all this suspense, the sense of panic and the the dragon i was looking forward to defeating was dead. Very anticlimactic

    Overall, I wouldn't recommend this to anyone but a devout Elder Scrolls fan.    … Expand
  17. Sneetches
    Dec 19, 2012
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. TL;DR I would say that Skyrim IS better than Oblivion, but as soon as you begin, you realize its simply Oblivion with a cool looking cover on it.

    The good things are the fact that the graphics have been improved, the engine is improved, and... that's about it. The gameplay does not feel improved, but rather, it feels "cooler" to do things than it did in Oblivion. First off, the game has been simplified to the point of being dumbed down, which is very apparent. Combat has been molested by kill cams, which will force you to watch almost every and any enemy get executed. Its "cool" at first, but the problem arises that combat has also been reduced to "swing/shoot arrows/spam mage spells until you get the kill cam at half health". Your inventory interface was designed by Apple it would seem. The map would be great with its current design if it felt like I wasn't looking at an inaccurate 800x600 looking texture.

    The new "talent trees" have also been simplified, and honestly, some of them do not belong. Smithing, for example, seems so out of place as a talent tree. The choices for combat are basic "10% more damage", "10% chance to bleed (utterly useless because enemies die quickly enough before the bleeds even work) or the good old "Your power attacks do 25% more damage and have a chance to decapitate", which should read "keep power attacking until someone dies or gets decapitated, 50/50 chance. Mages have it worse in a sense that every new tier of spells requires the corresponding talent. Overall, the trees were a good idea that failed in execution.

    The story, oh god what a travesty. Alduin is arguably one of the worst "world ending ancient evils" i've seen in a while. This ancient dragon, with knowledge to destroy the world and the power to easily wipe out Skyrim, Cyrodil, and beyond, LETS YOU PROGRESS ALONG UNTIL YOU CAN KILL HIM. The story is one of these things that feels like it was the last minute addition, like "Well we got this RPG, and we have 7 days for release, now we just need a story". Hell, at least you could have some attachment to the fight between Martin and Mehrunes Dagon, it felt great at least. At no point in Skyrim's story will you go "wow, I feel so immersed in this!" Dragons were also hyped up and failed because there will be multiple times where you'll have more than 1 "random dragon" attacking, resulting in them being some "supposedly special but actually very common monsters" that end up being more of an annoyance.

    The NPC's and their "radiant AI" have not been improved, but character models are at least much much better. I could go on and on, but i'll keep these last complaints short...Skills can be abused for unlimited gold, armor design goes from normal -> dark, spikes -> spikier grimdark. Skills are still grinded in the same way as Oblivion. Combat difficulty has 2 settings, murder everyone, and then come across a mage that one shots you. The world is nice but seemingly empty, save for certain quest dungeons. Quests are no more than they were in Oblivion. There are many others, but i'll stop there.

    Overall, Skyrim seems to appear as though it would be Oblivion's big brother. Under close inspection, it is simply a prettier looking Oblivion, plagued with its own problems, built on hype, and marketed to the "casual" gamer. I guess you can say that some things can easily be fixed with a couple mods though, right?    … Expand
  18. Clementines
    May 28, 2013
    6
    How to play Skyrim: Accept a quest, fast travel to an area, do one of three things (kill someone, talk to someone, get an item), return to the quest-giver, and get a leveled item and another quest. Repeat.

    A nice followup to Oblivion. Fun, but nothing innovative or special.
  19. Mats2468
    Dec 4, 2017
    6
    Remember! I have never been a RPG lover.

    I want to be honest now, the game is highly overrated. Why? People do not see what's going to be in a game, simply, and when I say this, I think it's important things that are missing here. Cutscenes in some part, at least, got to be in a game, I don't se anything of that, very rarely. And one of the most important thing, the combat system, is so    Remember! I have never been a RPG lover.

    I want to be honest now, the game is highly overrated. Why? People do not see what's going to be in a game, simply, and when I say this, I think it's important things that are missing here. Cutscenes in some part, at least, got to be in a game, I don't se anything of that, very rarely. And one of the most important thing, the combat system, is so bad that you just want to quit, seriously and the story itself is not interesting enough. Skyrim is a good game otherwise, don't let me wrong about that.    … Expand
  20. Rottencore
    Jan 7, 2012
    6
    I have to change my intial score of this game. I orginally made my previous score of 10 after playing this game for just over 40 hours. After I had put 80 hours into the game I find myself disappointed. I can say that the effect they were going for in Skyrim has been achieved, but the fact Skyrim is so utter repetitous and cliche in its design makes the game disappointing. On a gameplayI have to change my intial score of this game. I orginally made my previous score of 10 after playing this game for just over 40 hours. After I had put 80 hours into the game I find myself disappointed. I can say that the effect they were going for in Skyrim has been achieved, but the fact Skyrim is so utter repetitous and cliche in its design makes the game disappointing. On a gameplay level its ok, not too hard to grasp and easy to find some interesting place to explore. The storyline and characters are a little bland, a lot of the time I found myself lacking the initiative to continue into that dungeon or cave because I found the enemies tedious. The engine seems to struggle quite a bit on my computer, (my computer can play The Witcher 2 on close to high). I think it plays like the engine has been pushed to its graphical limit TBH. It is hard to find a comfortable framerate in this game, it jerks between 10-45 frames constantly. I encountered some bugs (notably a bug where I was unable to proceed through a gate), but nothing to cry about. Please Bethesda, concentrate on trying to find that little place in your minds that wants to take people to another world. So what if the fans want dragons.… Expand
  21. KsidE
    Nov 16, 2011
    6
    Hurray! The next Elder's Scrolls is here. Too bad is a shameless port, using a dated graphic engine, sold to gullible PC users as the holy-grail of single-player RPGs. * Game is better than Oblivion but has plenty of CTDs (crashes to desktop) quest bugs, audio-bugs, and numerous graphic-glitches. * This 2012 title is DX9 only, renders horrible shadows (not GPU-accelerated), has noHurray! The next Elder's Scrolls is here. Too bad is a shameless port, using a dated graphic engine, sold to gullible PC users as the holy-grail of single-player RPGs. * Game is better than Oblivion but has plenty of CTDs (crashes to desktop) quest bugs, audio-bugs, and numerous graphic-glitches. * This 2012 title is DX9 only, renders horrible shadows (not GPU-accelerated), has no Occlusion Mapping, and LOW-Textures up-close. (The Withcer 2 is ages ahead !!!) * The UI (interface) is simplified in detriment to functionality and what should take 2 clicks takes 11.
    * Gameplay-wise is nice to have so much to do (smithing, mining etc). It was expected that all MetaCritic indexed sites to give it 100%, 5/5, all the praise. Most of them never even played the PC version, basing the review on XBox360 review copies. Go see the offcial forums in the PC section to read up on all the "praise" - There isn't one HAPPY review - NOT ONE !!!. It is sad to see how the big-boys get a free pass on a 50 EUR (yes, here in Europe is ~70 $ USD) for a PC (Steam-only) game that is far from perfect. It's still a great RPG just not so far from Fallout 3, and for a me a let-down. Please DON'T BUY this NOW, wait for it to get a GOTY edition, some patches and then maybe 30 EUR would be fair.    … Expand
  22. Angriest
    Nov 11, 2011
    7
    The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim offers the user new story content in a familiar world. Understanding of development: This is where the user is a fault, the urge for a new game in the series are insane. And development of a game, engine, story, characters takes years and years. So to expect a massive upgrade in every aspect of a game, in the short amount of time developers have is just absurd.The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim offers the user new story content in a familiar world. Understanding of development: This is where the user is a fault, the urge for a new game in the series are insane. And development of a game, engine, story, characters takes years and years. So to expect a massive upgrade in every aspect of a game, in the short amount of time developers have is just absurd. They provide us with new material/story, new characters, new enemies, slight graphic upgrades to quell our thirst for a new game, but we want more. How are they to survive while developing this uber game, that even the most common of users will enjoy ? e.i. Dad who started playing with the Xbox generation, not to mention his kids. Bugs are annoying agree, but they will be fixed.
    User interface friendliness, specially for PC users is bad I agree.
    Graphics are great, not mind-blowing but hey they were already so good to begin with.

    I think story needs to be the key instrument ALL gaming companies needs to be working on and F what corporate are saying. In game characters/monsters/neutrals/music should be well tweaked to fit the story and enhance authenticity. User interface should be optimized and game should be close to bug free. After these things, if graphics are great too hurray!    … Expand
  23. sh4dow
    Jan 20, 2012
    6
    With Oblivion, I preordered the limited edition. This time, because of my experiences with Oblivion, I was not going to make the same mistake again. And boy am I happy I didn't. One might think they would learn from their last game. Instead, they made it even worse! Full of bugs, underwhelming graphics (especially if you've played Witcher 2 just a bit before - sure, you don't have an openWith Oblivion, I preordered the limited edition. This time, because of my experiences with Oblivion, I was not going to make the same mistake again. And boy am I happy I didn't. One might think they would learn from their last game. Instead, they made it even worse! Full of bugs, underwhelming graphics (especially if you've played Witcher 2 just a bit before - sure, you don't have an open world there but still... the difference is GIGANTIC! and because of texture mods and ini mods and whatnot, people know that bethesda could have done more... instead they let their fans do the work) and the leveling system which is supposed to accommodate any play style (although... didn't they say that about Oblivion already?) is about as screwed up as in Oblivion.
    When Skyrim was first announced, I told my friends I would wait for about a year after release before I will play it. But because of all the mods that are already released and very popular, I figured it might be time already. No it isn't. And with things as screwed up as they are in Skyrim, I wonder whether it ever will be.    … Expand
  24. jediwolf
    Nov 11, 2011
    7
    Yo Bethesda idiots!! Why I cant block using dual wield??? Morons!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  25. karmasleeper
    Dec 3, 2011
    5
    Skyrim follows in the vein of its predecessor Oblivion in providing an even more streamlined open world RPG experience. Attribute points are no more with racial traits the only factor defining a starting role for your character. Character progression is so streamlined that soon even these racial bonuses will mean little as the way you choose to play defines your character. This approachSkyrim follows in the vein of its predecessor Oblivion in providing an even more streamlined open world RPG experience. Attribute points are no more with racial traits the only factor defining a starting role for your character. Character progression is so streamlined that soon even these racial bonuses will mean little as the way you choose to play defines your character. This approach truly gives players the greatest freedom in how to approach the game but perhaps unintentionally lessens the replay value of the game. There is no reason to replay the game as a different character since you can grow your skills however you want. I can be a mage with a two handed battle axe or sneak effortlessly in full plate armor while picking pockets in broad daylight. There are fewer spells, fewer skills, fewer weapon types, and fewer armor slots than ever before. Like Fallout 3, players receive one point to invest in perks each time they level up. These perks are very bland compared to Fallout 3, however, and usually provide passive bonuses in the way of reducing the madicka required for spell casting or increasing weapon damage by a certain percentage. The UI is atrocious and designed around a console controller. It requires way too much scrolling and unnecessarily interrupts the flow of combat. "Favoriting" an item in your inventory reduces the amount of screens you have to mull through, but as your character progresses, results in another length list you have to scroll through to access what you want. The main quest is reasonably interesting but anyone who has played an Elder Scrolls game will find it recycled and painfully short. Fighters, thieves, and mages guild exist in various forms as does the Dark Brotherhood. Daedric quests are back and most towns have one or two side quests to explore. There's a lot to do in Skyrim, and the world is fairly big, but like previous games in the franchise suffers from repetition. The landscape varies only in token ways and dungeons feel bland and samey after a short while. From a performance strandpoint, the game runs well but things could be so much better. The game doesn't use more than 2gigs of RAM (though there is a mod to address this), it uses DX9, and it's the same engine as Oblivion contrary to Bethesda's claims. Once again, a developer has chosen to allow ancient console hardware to dictate what they can and cannot do with their game rather than innovate and explore new ways of doing things in the franchise. If you are a hardcore Elder Scrolls fan, wait for a price drop. This is not work $60.… Expand
  26. Bingo74
    Nov 21, 2011
    5
    Sadly... i'm not trolling and the 5 i give this game is pretty lenient. I was super pumped up for this game one of their die hard fans but i'm sad to say that the quests in this game feels pretty weak. Finishing the Main, College of Winterhold, and Dark Brotherhood quests i feel that the quests in Skyrim doesn't have the same spark they did in Oblivion. Which really depresses meSadly... i'm not trolling and the 5 i give this game is pretty lenient. I was super pumped up for this game one of their die hard fans but i'm sad to say that the quests in this game feels pretty weak. Finishing the Main, College of Winterhold, and Dark Brotherhood quests i feel that the quests in Skyrim doesn't have the same spark they did in Oblivion. Which really depresses me considering i had such high expectations for this game but truly the quests in this game did not entertain me at all. While i do have to say Dark Brotherhood while not having that much of an entertaining questline they did have quite a great story. The main quest and College of Winterhold quests however feel very bland and after considering how much time was put into the game i would have thought that they would "wow" me sadly after i finished them i didn't feel any sense of accomplishment and while their is more to do in this game just by doing the College of Winterhold quests and Main quests has just brought down my expectations for the rest of the game. Sorry if this sounds like trolling but it is my honest opinion i hope this helps people that are about to buy Skyrim.… Expand
  27. DaftBehemoth
    Apr 7, 2014
    6
    Skyrim does a very good job of giving you a huge world to explore, unfortunately the scale might be its greatest downside as well. It feels like not enough butter spread over too much bread. There are little to no memorable characters besides dragons and there are very few genuinely interesting quests to partake in. In my 85 hours spent wandering the lands of Skyrim, no particular momentSkyrim does a very good job of giving you a huge world to explore, unfortunately the scale might be its greatest downside as well. It feels like not enough butter spread over too much bread. There are little to no memorable characters besides dragons and there are very few genuinely interesting quests to partake in. In my 85 hours spent wandering the lands of Skyrim, no particular moment truly stands out to me. I find this to be rather disappointing after playing Oblivion... I'll never forget my skooma escapades or my quests for the Madgod, but my memories of yelling at some wrinkly old men on top of a mountain are already fading.… Expand
  28. Xextreem
    Nov 21, 2011
    5
    Ok dont get mad but i have the pc version yes its a good game but for people that have problems to even run this game or crashing like every 5 min its not and no not my pc have problems i have a high end system with 3x27 inc monitor and 2xhd5970 in crossfire and 16gb 2000mhz ram and SSD3 drive. And every other game out there have never fail to run. This game however was bugged before iOk dont get mad but i have the pc version yes its a good game but for people that have problems to even run this game or crashing like every 5 min its not and no not my pc have problems i have a high end system with 3x27 inc monitor and 2xhd5970 in crossfire and 16gb 2000mhz ram and SSD3 drive. And every other game out there have never fail to run. This game however was bugged before i even play it. I need to change my sound system to even let me run in the main menu of the game !!! ok now easy fixs easy go you will say? no the first day i was hook at it no crashing nothing just some random flicking screen glitching and some purple texture failing but well the game keeps running so fine by me. Next day and 4 days later the game crash every time when you fast traveling.!!! so i get piss and i get mad i stop playing this now i found the bug but i not going to tell you fixs it because people need to understand that a bugged game is not a game. But a crap. If the game was stable in the begin i give it a 10 for sure. But with all the bugs and crashing and anoying texture bugs i gave it a 5. Till the fixs it and repost this post with a 8 for fixsing this game.… Expand
  29. OliverGrau
    Dec 12, 2011
    7
    This is my 3rd rewiev, and I started at the score 0. I've been playing for about 25 hours now.

    Positive: graphics is great, even on my HP laptop. Gameplay is fun and addictive. Big world, with a lot of quests. Great cities, compared to Oblivion, Fallout 3, etc. Almost unending gameplay. The world feels a live with all these critters running around. Negative: Dialogues is weak, you can    This is my 3rd rewiev, and I started at the score 0. I've been playing for about 25 hours now.

    Positive: graphics is great, even on my HP laptop. Gameplay is fun and addictive. Big world, with a lot of quests. Great cities, compared to Oblivion, Fallout 3, etc. Almost unending gameplay. The world feels a live with all these critters running around. Negative: Dialogues is weak, you can ALMOST say everything to some guy, and it still has same effect. Bugs is really bad, I am reinstalling Skyrim right now, because I can't fast travel, dragons is flying the wrong way which causes big laggs, a lot of quests is just really boring(there is some good ones too, don't get it the wrong way) and dragons are sometimes invincble.

    I think the game is pretty good, but it could get A LOT better. I would reccomend it to everyone, because we all need to make an effort, to safe the lands of Skyrim!    … Expand
  30. Spartan111
    Dec 7, 2011
    6
    This was my and i am sure a whole lot of other people's most anticipated game of the year and while the game improves on some parts it gets worse in other areas compared to oblivion or simply stays the same and for people playing an elder scrolls game the first time you might give the game a 10 but otherwise it feels dumbed down in many ways. I am first going to start with what has beenThis was my and i am sure a whole lot of other people's most anticipated game of the year and while the game improves on some parts it gets worse in other areas compared to oblivion or simply stays the same and for people playing an elder scrolls game the first time you might give the game a 10 but otherwise it feels dumbed down in many ways. I am first going to start with what has been done right which is the following: The world is once again huge with lots of areas to explore, the insides of dungeons and caves are more distinctive compared to oblivion, the graphics are a decent improvement for a game of this size(although i am only placing this as a pro because there are mods that make it better), the customization has been improved (although not greatly so for a game that has come out 5 years later after it's predecessor), there is an actual variety in vegetation zones compared to oblivion, the NPC's are more realistic and believable, the sound effects and music are very good, one of the greater improvements is the greater variety of combat options(Dual sword wielding, one arm magic one arm sword etc.), the dragon shouts are cool and add more combat tactics to the game, the level scaling has been improved, there are once again many quests and the game CAN provide hours and hours of entertainment, the skill tree and perk system is a nice touch. Now for the cons which unfortunately are many: The game implements very little battle tactics and does not require much technique or skill this is disappointing especially after playing a game such as Dark/Demon's souls, The game's quests are very repetitive(Steal this item, kill this guy/creature, clear this place out, retrieve this item, help this guy out, deliver or collect this/these items... yes and that's about it) and they don't have the same charm or excitement as oblivion did, there is less of a variety in enemies, there is slightly more voices in the game although the variety is simply not good enough of an improvement for five years later especially the female voices, the game is simply not rewarding (Most of the items found at the end of caves and ruins are rubbish as one can simply enchant far better items), the game has a lot of useless skills and activities (Alchemy and Smithing are a waste of time and are only used to level up, nothing good can be made from smithing, Alteration/ Illusion magic are useless as the only good spells that fall under these categories from oblivion have been taken away e.g. Paralysis, Invisibility (Unless i have not attained them yet which is unlikely as I have played 85 hours and have nearly clocked the game)), there is a disappointing variety of spells that can be bought and there are still only three categories for destruction spells (that being fire, electricity and ice) and there are no cool spells that have been added the current spells have simply been improved from oblivion, the leveling up has been dumbed down to three attributes (being health stamina and magic) no longer allowing greater specialization as oblivion had, leveling up in certain skills has no effect and simply unlocks perks of that specific skill, the story is simplistic, unepic, short and in the beginning a bit vague, other main quests are also very short and have not been improved from oblivion and in some cases are worse, gold is the reward mostly for completing quests although gold cannot be used for much at all (if you explore a lot) and is only used in the beginning of the game, Dragons and dragon encounters are cool in the beginning but become tedious/ boring and become pests a lot of the time as they are encountered too frequently, the game offers many shout powers but few are truly useful and effective(quality over quantity), while the level scaling has been fixed there are still problems as once one has unlocked all the perks for one's chosen speciality (one-hand, destruction etc.) one can become weaker as the the game allows only an improvement over health, stamina, magic (not magic strength or melee strength etc.)although this is not that prevalent, there is fewer variety in the creatures that one can summon(Only 4 as far as I know), 90% of what this game has to offer can be experienced and seen in the first 20 hours. Overall this game does not expand and improve enough and was over-hyped and the game is a disappointment in my opinion. I also want to say that the fact that the ps3 version does not work properly is inexcusable!. Not GOTY. 6.5/10.… Expand
  31. Loque
    Nov 14, 2011
    7
    The game is "good" or "very good" depending on your expectations and system configuration. Compared to other RPG games, Skyrim offers a lot of stuff to do and many little details that can make you feel "deeply involved" in the game. Example: if you drop a piece of armor on the ground in any town, a random npc could stop and ask "you don't need this, can I grab it?". If you agree, the npcThe game is "good" or "very good" depending on your expectations and system configuration. Compared to other RPG games, Skyrim offers a lot of stuff to do and many little details that can make you feel "deeply involved" in the game. Example: if you drop a piece of armor on the ground in any town, a random npc could stop and ask "you don't need this, can I grab it?". If you agree, the npc will pick the gear piece and wear it, then walk away. In that sense, Skyrim offers lots of "wow!" situations. So why am I giving 7/10? Because reviews don't mention anything about bad graphics, bad animations, bad physics and bad npcs. Yes, they are good "overall". But the amount of inconsistencies, small bugs in pathfinding, ai, answers, dialogues, physics, ... is really too much to give a full 10/10 to the game. Jsut a small example: are you afraid of giants? No problem: just fight while above something (a rock, a small hill, a log, ...) and they wont be able to climb with you. These kind of "path-problems" is quite common and pretty easy to come across.… Expand
  32. jj808
    Nov 24, 2011
    5
    Skyrim is a decent game that will provide hours of gameplay and fun BUT this is all a moot point for now. with the release of the 1.2 patch it seems that a vast majority of the players experience the dreaded "CTD" error or Crash To Desktop. This issues pretty much renders the game unplayable and a waste of money for now.
  33. psycros
    Feb 20, 2015
    5
    Three months after 11/11/11 I tried to play Skyrim. I won't repeat the shameful memories of those early days we all know so well. Just over three years later I wanted to give it another shot. I endeavored to mod Oblivion's half-baked successor into playability, to try and achieve an experience on par with Oblivion (or better yet Fallout New Vegas). I'm sorry to report that all theThree months after 11/11/11 I tried to play Skyrim. I won't repeat the shameful memories of those early days we all know so well. Just over three years later I wanted to give it another shot. I endeavored to mod Oblivion's half-baked successor into playability, to try and achieve an experience on par with Oblivion (or better yet Fallout New Vegas). I'm sorry to report that all the modding in the world can't save this game - well, at least not when its done by a non-programmer like myself. Skyrim simply cannot escape its dumbed down, form-over-function console roots. The hopelessly poor voice acting, ugly Havok engine and tendency to crash at the drop of a hat..its all still there, waiting to disappoint you profoundly. Considering that each TES title since Daggerfall has been more about pushing the limits of console graphics rather than PC gameplay, I don't even want to think what the next installment will be like. Now we're hearing sickening rumors that the next Fallout may be an MMO. If that comes to pass then any hope for Bethesda's redemption is probably dead. Skyrim was successful for one simple reason: gamers are desperate for *anything* with some actual depth, even if its only the depth of a kiddie pool complete with all the bodily excretions you'd expect. I don't know if its even possible but I would love to see a team of master modders put together a big package of various Skyrim mods that create as much immersion and quality gameplay as possible. I would like to think that with enough talent and hard work this game could be salvaged. As I struggled for well over a hundred of hours of fighting mods and the game's shortcomings I kept seeing little hints of promise glimmering beneath the dull veneer of simplistic gameplay, buggy mechanics and utterly generic story. I wish someone could make Skyrim the game it was hyped as being.… Expand
  34. 1stBoTToX
    Feb 13, 2015
    5
    Graphiquement pas trop mal mais pas fabuleux, (sur la version pc qui est pourtant bien au dela des versions consoles ) même si on peut grandement l'amélioré en le moddant, je l'ai trouvé très vite ennuyeux et répétitif. Je n'ai pas croché à l'histoire (aux histoires) et on a énormement de mal à éprouver quoi que ce soit pour les personnages
    Bien loin d'un Oblivion qui reste à mon avis    Graphiquement pas trop mal mais pas fabuleux, (sur la version pc qui est pourtant bien au dela des versions consoles ) même si on peut grandement l'amélioré en le moddant, je l'ai trouvé très vite ennuyeux et répétitif. Je n'ai pas croché à l'histoire (aux histoires) et on a énormement de mal à éprouver quoi que ce soit pour les personnages
    Bien loin d'un Oblivion qui reste à mon avis l'un des meileurs rpg open world à se jour.

    Graphically not too bad but not fabulous (on the pc version that is yet far beyond the console versions) although it can be greatly improved with some mods, I found it boring and repetitive very quickly. I have not hooked to the story (stories) and was hugely difficult to feel anything for the characters
    Far from an Oblivion which remains in my opinion one of the best open world RPG to date.    … Expand
  35. wallofjericho42
    Nov 26, 2011
    5
    I'm stuck between a 10 or a 1 rating for this game. I really should have purchased the Xbox version, because the PC version is so prone to glitching, lagging, and crashing that it makes the game near unplayable. I can barely play the game anymore because it crashes so much and so often. The game itself is excellent no doubt. I just wish I could play it.
  36. Puzzola
    Feb 1, 2012
    7
    Well, I'll start from the worst traits of this good RPG. First of all: enemies adapt their level to your own. Well, for newcomers of RPG it sounds great, but it's really disappointing for those seeking a REAL RPG. You can finish the game at level 67 (as I did) or you can at 17. Let's go on. Perks ! These are the new way Bethesda choose to align TES new chapter to all other MMORPGS outtaWell, I'll start from the worst traits of this good RPG. First of all: enemies adapt their level to your own. Well, for newcomers of RPG it sounds great, but it's really disappointing for those seeking a REAL RPG. You can finish the game at level 67 (as I did) or you can at 17. Let's go on. Perks ! These are the new way Bethesda choose to align TES new chapter to all other MMORPGS outta there. But why they did such a bad work? Some traits are useless. Some traits at 100 points are overridden by enchanted items, irritating to discover when you can't reassign perks in any way ! Oh, there's another thing about traits. You'll need only about 20-30 of them to become nearly unstoppable. Last chapter: crafting. Crafting is good, but in TES: Skyrim it is so overpowered that you'll never need anything more than what you can craft with materials bought from merchants. So it's frustrating to put your own hands on a Daedric artifact and discovering that it's far from being even nearly comparable to your crafted and enchanted sword. Dragon Shouts: well, they give the game the right folklore. But in real game you'll use only 3-4 of them. The others are there only to feed your hungry for hoarding items/skills/Dragon shouts.
    So Skyrim is a bad game? Isn't it worth the bucks spent? Well, I say that it's a good game. But while I played it for 183 hours at first It was nearly impossible for me to hit the ESC-key and return to the desktop. At the end it was too easy to do. The story becomes so confused if you are to follow every dumb request of side-quests that NPC's give you. And in the end the main plot isn't that good you would expect from a single-player RPG.
    I give this game a 7 because it is OVER ALL a good game. You'll enjoy roaming in Skyrim, hunting beasts, backstabbing enemies, incinerate enemies and fight dragons. In the end probably you'll find a dragon attack as something boring at most or a quick-fight just to allow you to quick-travel to your destination.
    I hope the expansion will fix some of these problems. And I hope that Bethesda will CHANGE PERKS to give player a REAL interest in climbing the tree to the top perk. Near the end of the game I shifted my mage in assassin just with 6 perks...    … Expand
  37. ogysaenoem
    Jan 7, 2012
    7
    Coming from someone that hasn't played the previous Elder Scrolls, It's safe to say that Skyrim isn't really something special as a stand alone game (die hard fans would disagree). Sure you have a vast world to explore but the many interactions with AI and the environment are weak. The AI triggers during battle are broken (had a guard say "that was just a scratch" while falling dead?Coming from someone that hasn't played the previous Elder Scrolls, It's safe to say that Skyrim isn't really something special as a stand alone game (die hard fans would disagree). Sure you have a vast world to explore but the many interactions with AI and the environment are weak. The AI triggers during battle are broken (had a guard say "that was just a scratch" while falling dead? Really?). Small things such as being able to run through a dragon skeleton like its a hologram saddened me, considering the developer created such a large world only to disregard collisions, really basic stuff. Melee combat is a joke: Hold mouse to hit just a bit harder at the cost of most of your stamina and on top of that expect to take a few hits while you charge up your strike, only to have the enemy shrug it off as if they got hit by a feather. The worst aspect of his game has to be the builds. The armor and weapons you find allow for little variety so your likely to end up with a hybrid of all sorts. All in all, Skyrim seems to run on an old engine that allows for little breakthrough in terms of actual game play and more so in terms of appearance and so you will probably be bored throughout unless your exploring dungeons and caves, which imo is not really new to the gaming world but still fun as always.… Expand
  38. Tattoedsailor
    Jul 25, 2012
    7
    **Spoiler Free** Let me start with: if your into "sandbox RPG's" your going love it. This game follows the typical Bethesda design of their previous games (Elder Scrolls, Fallout). You have a lot freedom in this game. The graphics are top notch especially with high rez pack. Game play and animations are excellent. The sound through 7.1 is incredible. I beat the game with your**Spoiler Free** Let me start with: if your into "sandbox RPG's" your going love it. This game follows the typical Bethesda design of their previous games (Elder Scrolls, Fallout). You have a lot freedom in this game. The graphics are top notch especially with high rez pack. Game play and animations are excellent. The sound through 7.1 is incredible. I beat the game with your typical warrior (Board / Sword) . A lot of fun! On the PC version it allows you install mods. Which makes the game play endless. So why the 7.0 and not a 10 you ask? Where the game fell short was the horrible amount glitches and bugs. Some of which were very easy to fix through the console command. Others required a ton of research and trial and error. The companion quest line had a lot glitchs in particular The problem with glitchs is you get them in middle quest line which doesn't allow you progress in the game. Bethesda really needs to come out with a patch update to address this issue. My advice to someone playing through the game for first time is make sure you have multiple save files @ different times. This game would have gotten a 9.0, but because of tech probs I can only give it 7.0.… Expand
  39. almox21
    Sep 26, 2013
    6
    I spent about 500 playing this game so why give it 6/10? Well I discovered something called mods, where practically it breaks all layers of gaming that we know till today and coverts it into a masterpiece scoring 9001/10. I give it a 6/10 because the game by ITSELF is a mess, a beautiful role playing mess. The game that Bethesda gave us doesn't catch my taste at all. The game by itself isI spent about 500 playing this game so why give it 6/10? Well I discovered something called mods, where practically it breaks all layers of gaming that we know till today and coverts it into a masterpiece scoring 9001/10. I give it a 6/10 because the game by ITSELF is a mess, a beautiful role playing mess. The game that Bethesda gave us doesn't catch my taste at all. The game by itself is simply boring and doesn't do justice to other rpgs that are definitely shorter but more memorable. But with mods......mmmmmmmmm this game is so sweet loverslab XD.… Expand
  40. verbal_666
    Aug 8, 2015
    6
    Boring...............!!! All amazing, gfx, scenaries, effects... but.. after 8 hours.. all become terribly boring!!! Side missions are ridicolous, main mission is uninteresting.. 6, maximum!!
  41. TruthIsOutThere
    Jan 5, 2012
    5
    5/10 it's all i can give. Old graphic engine, art styl is good, you can feel nordic climate but from technical point of view it sux, less complicated RPG gameplay compared to Morrowind. And no spears, my favourite weapons, again like in Oblivion everything seems to be simplified for idiots, who have trouble counting to 10.
  42. ThinkSamich
    Feb 1, 2015
    7
    .mis ming pileesnot ai ofs ming pileesnot as ming pileesnot as ming pileesnot as ming pileesnot as ming pileesnot as ming pileesnot as ming pileesnot as ming pileesnot as ming pileesnot a
  43. PurpleJuiceman
    Jan 13, 2015
    5
    This game has a good story, character development, and some fun quests. The game as a whole is not that great, as a lot of the game is repetitive "Fetch" quests, where you go through a cave/dungeon that looks exactly the same(or very similar) as the last one.
    The world feels horribly dead, and lacks any sort of atmosphere whatsoever, I feel as if I am in a world without emotion when I    This game has a good story, character development, and some fun quests. The game as a whole is not that great, as a lot of the game is repetitive "Fetch" quests, where you go through a cave/dungeon that looks exactly the same(or very similar) as the last one.
    The world feels horribly dead, and lacks any sort of atmosphere whatsoever, I feel as if I am in a world without emotion when I play this game.
    I enjoyed the first 12 hours of playing this game, but it does lose it's novelty quickly, as a lot of the content is just recycled quests,textures,etc, this makes the game feel very monotonous and repetitive, as well as kills my urge to explore anything in this game.
    I would recommend this game still, but I would not say it is that great.    … Expand
  44. Philderbeast
    Nov 12, 2011
    7
    Upon loading the game up I was quite impressed, visually its quite easy on the eyes even on medium settings with a distinctly elder scrolls feel to it, and this is achievable on most common PC hardware. Now my PC is no gaming beast but its still above the average hardware that post people are using (again according to the steam statistics) so Iâ
  45. krammerlock
    Jan 26, 2012
    7
    I have played the game all the way through, meaning the main story and all of the listed quests. My character is a 52 level Rogue, with maximum skills in stealth, lockpick, pickpocket, enchanting, blacksmithing and one handed combat. I have also replayed the game as a mage. The mage is much less satisfying. The spells are pretty lame. I do far more damage as a rogue with back stab.I have played the game all the way through, meaning the main story and all of the listed quests. My character is a 52 level Rogue, with maximum skills in stealth, lockpick, pickpocket, enchanting, blacksmithing and one handed combat. I have also replayed the game as a mage. The mage is much less satisfying. The spells are pretty lame. I do far more damage as a rogue with back stab. The game the first time was a lot of fun and it is worth getting. Replay-ability is not very high. While there is a lot to do there is not much variability in how it gets done. My favorite game from a replay-ability point of view has to be Dragon Age Origins. Must have replayed 20 times. Played all the races, genders and combat styles. Plus managing the group added an extra dimension. So, while Skyrim is a very good game the first time through don't expect to get much out if the second time around.… Expand
  46. GRANIT_Salvo
    Jun 30, 2012
    7
    "It was a dark and stormy night; I had taken a creative writing course...." OK, if you can ignore the shallow dialogue, you can enjoy this game. Even with all the bugs and holes in the game, it's still pretty fun to play. I myself am surprised by how many hours I have given it. BUY THIS GAME IF: -You love sandbox RPGs. -You have a NEXUS account -You can spend hours digging through mods"It was a dark and stormy night; I had taken a creative writing course...." OK, if you can ignore the shallow dialogue, you can enjoy this game. Even with all the bugs and holes in the game, it's still pretty fun to play. I myself am surprised by how many hours I have given it. BUY THIS GAME IF: -You love sandbox RPGs. -You have a NEXUS account -You can spend hours digging through mods and testing your personal brew to get the game right. AVOID THIS GAME IF: -You are diagnosed with ADD (I dare you to stick with one character past 30) -You are a perfectionist or completionist -You have a family dependent upon you. OVERALL: I don't agree with relying upon the modding community to polish a game, but you SHOULD mod it, and if you can put in the time you can make this a great escape.… Expand
  47. Icaryon
    Dec 11, 2012
    6
    Sureley one of the best graphicaly... except skin and human part... The game is empty and if you take someone with you, it only use will be to carry your stuff. A big walking simulator.
  48. Warbird
    Nov 13, 2011
    6
    Running on a i7-2600k with 460GTX SLI and 3 monitors. It crashed at the startup screen every time. I found the fix on a site listing 42 bugs & fixes. After I dropped the sound quality down to 44KHz the game ran fine. But there is no 3 monitor resolution so I'm stuck with just playing on one monitor. Also theres no tessellation or DX11 or even DX10 support and the menus are such a pain inRunning on a i7-2600k with 460GTX SLI and 3 monitors. It crashed at the startup screen every time. I found the fix on a site listing 42 bugs & fixes. After I dropped the sound quality down to 44KHz the game ran fine. But there is no 3 monitor resolution so I'm stuck with just playing on one monitor. Also theres no tessellation or DX11 or even DX10 support and the menus are such a pain in the butt. The quick change between spells keeps going to the wrong hand so 1-0 is useless. Hopefully the mod comunity will do Bethesda's job for them. You would think 13 million from PC sales would pay for more effort than just a basic console port. Give the game 90 days and it'll probably get an 8 but any 10 is just plain lying BS. It is NOT close to a perfect 10. I could see an 8 or maybe even a 9 if you are reviewing on what you guess the end product will be like after the modders fix it.… Expand
  49. OverdueReview
    Aug 14, 2012
    7
    Bethesda are known for their
  50. Sirik_Matak
    Feb 6, 2015
    6
    It's hard to not recommend Skyrim. It's a massive step forward from Oblivion, but sadly it doesn't match to Morrowind.
    First off, Skyrim has an actually written world where everything has its place.
    It's a good time waster. It has a terrible UI and a broken character development, but simultaneously it has one of the best game rebuilding mods I've ever seen. I give it a lower score    It's hard to not recommend Skyrim. It's a massive step forward from Oblivion, but sadly it doesn't match to Morrowind.
    First off, Skyrim has an actually written world where everything has its place.
    It's a good time waster.
    It has a terrible UI and a broken character development, but simultaneously it has one of the best game rebuilding mods I've ever seen.

    I give it a lower score because of the tendency to treat people like idiots. "Puzzles" are just insulting. The game still wants to take you on a disney jolly ride, shoveling everything down your throat even if you dont' want to. You will end having ALL daedra quests in your journal or done just by randomly walking around after a quest compass' arrow.
    Also the opening scenes are just terrible. They need to fire people responsible for such crap.    … Expand
  51. Zzgashi
    Nov 16, 2011
    7
    Skyrim is a huge step forward from Oblivion. A great soundtrack, beautiful landscapes, improved animation (most of the time, still a few weird spots), better faces, and more choices. Unfortunately this beauty is only skin deep, as Bethesda continues to move away from RPG mechanics where you really live in a world trying find different solutions to problems by applying your character'sSkyrim is a huge step forward from Oblivion. A great soundtrack, beautiful landscapes, improved animation (most of the time, still a few weird spots), better faces, and more choices. Unfortunately this beauty is only skin deep, as Bethesda continues to move away from RPG mechanics where you really live in a world trying find different solutions to problems by applying your character's skills, but instead focuses on hack-n-slash loot-fest mechanics. Worse still is that the game uses a script to generate what items you find based on your character's level, ensuring that you never find anything remarkable. The fact that every dungeon ends with a large box full of more of the same, and a shortcut back to the entrance doesn't help the immersion either. In the end all I felt like I accomplished was improving my DPS.… Expand
  52. JLF
    Nov 13, 2011
    7
    The game has exceeded my expectations. However, my expectations were extremely low after the steaming pile of feces that was oblivion, so this doesn't say much by itself. The game is good, big, has a lot of content and NPCs finally don't look like frogs. I was pleasantly surprised that dungeons aren't rehashed one after another and are indeed hand crafted. Nevertheless, here's a list ofThe game has exceeded my expectations. However, my expectations were extremely low after the steaming pile of feces that was oblivion, so this doesn't say much by itself. The game is good, big, has a lot of content and NPCs finally don't look like frogs. I was pleasantly surprised that dungeons aren't rehashed one after another and are indeed hand crafted. Nevertheless, here's a list of things that need to be worked on :
    - Horrible UI
    - Some quests are bugged
    - Occasional CTD
    - Completely stupid AI
    - Obvious emphasis on consoles
    - Lack of RPG elements
    But I guess mods will fix everything, like always    … Expand
  53. TooCritic
    Dec 3, 2011
    6
    This game has not passed anything seen before. The graphics are marginally better, although most of the hits from 2007. better graphics. Gameplaj is the same as in Oblivion. Parts of the game, such as enchantmnet and alchemy, are useless. This is a sad story about PC titles in recent years, with few exceptions. We get a bad console ports, although I have when playing Crysis nearly 5 yearsThis game has not passed anything seen before. The graphics are marginally better, although most of the hits from 2007. better graphics. Gameplaj is the same as in Oblivion. Parts of the game, such as enchantmnet and alchemy, are useless. This is a sad story about PC titles in recent years, with few exceptions. We get a bad console ports, although I have when playing Crysis nearly 5 years I thought that today's game will be something special. Ð… Expand
  54. clavain
    Dec 8, 2011
    6
    While Skyrim may have resurrected some of the spirit of Morrowwind, and in terms of graphics can be outstanding (if your system can handle them), the more time you spend with it the more bugs and repetitive content you notice. Combined with the dumbing-down that has occurred as TES continues to cater to console gamers over PC gamers (incredibly bad UI, oversimplified attribute system,While Skyrim may have resurrected some of the spirit of Morrowwind, and in terms of graphics can be outstanding (if your system can handle them), the more time you spend with it the more bugs and repetitive content you notice. Combined with the dumbing-down that has occurred as TES continues to cater to console gamers over PC gamers (incredibly bad UI, oversimplified attribute system, potions galore everywhere you go in the world) and weak attempts to bring in MMO players (crafting, cooking and houses etc.) while still retaining a form of the flawed leveling system from Oblivion, and shortened/simplified faction and other quest lines which make it irrelevant what type of character you are playing, makes it very difficult to give it a higher score. Combined with an endless series of patches (or third party mods) needed to make the game more playable (no 64-bit exe support for example) and it is clear that Bethesda really doesn't care about the PC market, or making a true RPG anymore. Style over substance sadly.… Expand
  55. krushak
    Dec 30, 2012
    6
    definitely a good game but with many weak parts
    i love the whole world (nice design - winter-landscapes) and the mod-friendly part of this game. now the negative parts: story=0, music to fall asleep, combat system to easy at master (the ki is really bad and the same at very easy) very unbalanced skilltrees and overpowered professions (blacksmith, enchanting and alchemy)
  56. orctown-troll
    Oct 20, 2013
    6
    Skyrim is clearly overated. The biggest fantasy of all is that Bethesda is a studio that 'knows' and 'loves' RPGs. Oblivion was A LOT MORE FUN. If you disagree go back and try it. Skyrim is a hollow shell of a game with only a single great feature: The WORLD. The rock structures the plants and the weather of Skyrim are all brilliant. The fish in the streams, the butterlies in the air.Skyrim is clearly overated. The biggest fantasy of all is that Bethesda is a studio that 'knows' and 'loves' RPGs. Oblivion was A LOT MORE FUN. If you disagree go back and try it. Skyrim is a hollow shell of a game with only a single great feature: The WORLD. The rock structures the plants and the weather of Skyrim are all brilliant. The fish in the streams, the butterlies in the air. AWESOME work. well done Bethesda. Sadly its ALL DOWNHILL from there. Skyrim boasts '300' unique locations. Well its more like 4 really, all copypasted and tweaked to be 'different' but they dont feel different. You might enjoy your first draugr ruin, but running through nearly identical ruins over and over again looses its luster soon enough. And it becomes incredibly tedius before you have levelled up even your first character. Character development in this game hits NEW LOWS. For a company that is supposed to 'know and love RPGs', how can it be that with each new game levelling your character becomes more tedius and BORING. The character levelling system in this game is TERRIBLE. Choosing between 'red' 'green' or 'blue' when you level is TERRIBLE. And from the studio that 'knows and loves RPGs the magic system is also TERRIBLE. The mellee combat, hit detection, and double-wielding mellee options are all TERRIBLE! Go Bethesda! The studio may be famed as 'knowing and loving RPGs', but is an abiding mystery why they think they can create immortal games without HIRING ANY WRITERS. You got that right. Click on the credits for the game, read it and weep. When you are playing the game you might notice how dull, boring, repetive and tedious it all is. You might notice that every single quest is a pale version of something you saw before in Oblivion or Morrowind. You might awaken to the fact that the 'endless questing' is a lie, no fun at all. Check the credits to blame the writers. THERE ARE NONE. that's right. Bethesda is so hard up for money that the 3D artists who built their 4 dungeons and the 20 physical assets they dump in every single room in the land double-up as scenario writers. And if you think the side quests are bad watch out! The main quest is WORSE. it's probably the most pathetic excuse for a story dumped into a game in the last decade! It's ever worse than Fallout 3 (Which is overall a much better game than this one by the way). Not only that. This game is totally lacking in terms of the kinds of magical or legendary items we usually associate with RPGs. The only vaguely interesting items to find are tied into the Daedric Quests. These quests are an assorted grab bag of sheer nihilism and ammoral garbage which will demand you please the 'whims of the gods, doing such role playing classics as eating human flesh and murdering strangers in order to get the blessings of the god'. Nice work Bethesda! (NOT!) So if you can endure a dreadful character system, boring combat, boring 'adventures, terrible magic, non-existant plots, a game that in all areas is inferior to both Morrowind and Oblivion, I guess Skyrim is Ok. It has its moments, roaming, watching sunsets, catching butterflies, of fishing by hand in the cool clear streams. I truly wonder at user reviews that give this game 10/10 scores. presumably these are all written on the initial wonder, before 40 hours have passed. Before they have accumulated 300,000 gold with nothing you need or CAN buy, or learned how to make every potion under the sun, only to find that they NEVER EVER need to use even one potion, or while they are trying various wield options before realising that most of them suck, and settled on playing sneaky archer, which is the only really viable build (SIGH). When you play this game to maximum level it reveals itself as a soul-less, empty, hollow lonely, terminally BORING, joyless affair. There is not a single likeable NPC in the game. No kind of interesting interaction with any of the puppet-like characters in the game. There is no main plot, no compelling sidequest, nothing memorable at all. Only some sunsets, some bug-catching and then tedium as you waste dozens of hours unlocking dragon shouts that you never even need to use. All this in a crappy port with the worst UI ever put on a PC. Bethesda do NOT know and love RPGs. Bethesda are cheap skates who cut corners, build huge worlds and fill them with copy-pasted tedium and FILLER. The high scores for this game are wishful thinking, tinged with nostalgia, and appreciation for all the good things Bethesda have done over the years. Bethesda needs to know the ways this game is NOT GOOD. They have to understand the way it fails. They can and should do a LOT better than this. Giving this game a 10/10 is a really big mistake because that only encourages more of the same. Wake up people, believe me. You do NOT want more of THIS!

    Orctowngrot    … Expand
  57. mugeter
    May 19, 2015
    6
    it's only epic game that all, nothing special, but you want to see because everybody speak about this game. if you have time and nothing to do this game is for you
  58. Luizzrz
    Jul 8, 2015
    6
    I expected a 10, to be fair: Skyrim didn't live up to it's hype.

    Cities are too small, characters are dull and have the same voice actor, story has only 1 ending, combat is the biggest pile of poo I've ever seen, etc, etc.

    Even though that, I like the horses, they can't run 12 mile per hour but can walk in 90 degree mountains,
    just...

    Nice job bethesda.
  59. Muuvinki
    Mar 31, 2013
    7
    This game is for casuals who like to play game without worrying about mistakes affecting your game.
    Quests cannot be failed, quest marker automatically shows where you need to go, Important NPC's cannot be killed, ridiculously overpowered spells/shouts, dumb enemy AI. If you are even playing this game below Master difficulty you deserve to be kicked to the crotch.
  60. youlouz
    Feb 8, 2015
    6
    A little disappointing and over rated

    PROS
    -Amazing Graphics
    -Realistic gameplay

    CONS
    -Slow gameplay
    -A little boring
    -Too many options to choose from
  61. skeleton_jelly
    Feb 12, 2013
    6
    I'm removing points mostly for the interface. We're lucky to have mods like SkyUI but they don't fix everything. I wish Bethesda tried to fix this instead of producing content DLC. Hell if they created a DLC for PC users I would support that.
  62. compu4
    Dec 11, 2011
    6
    This game is quite fun, but I don't know how all of the professional reviewers gave it such high scores. They must have been using their Elder Scrolls Beer Goggles. The main problem with this game is its lack of polish: there are many flaws that are simply inexcusable in an AAA title.

    Pros: Great Story, characters, and lore. Very immersive atmosphere. Vast world with virtually unlimited    This game is quite fun, but I don't know how all of the professional reviewers gave it such high scores. They must have been using their Elder Scrolls Beer Goggles. The main problem with this game is its lack of polish: there are many flaws that are simply inexcusable in an AAA title.

    Pros: Great Story, characters, and lore. Very immersive atmosphere. Vast world with virtually unlimited freedom to explore. Great deal of character customization options. Many quests are fun and interesting. A huge variety of weapons, armor, and magic to choose from. Many minigames and extras to supplement the combat.

    Cons: The game is basically Oblivion 1.5 with a new story; it fails to deviate from its predecessor in any real, innovative ways. Some of the quests are even ripped straight out of the old game. HORRIBLE, BROKEN AI: AI like this is inexcusable given the caliber of the game. Huge, unpredictable difficulty spikes. The new conversation system is horrible: the game often locks me in conversation while the NPC continues to walk away from me, so I'm stuck talking to his or her ass the whole time. Very limited dialogue options. Riddled with bugs and glitches that should have been resolved during playtesting. Bad graphics: the game barely looks better than Oblivion. Bad textures across the board, very basic lighting model. WORST SHADOWS that I have seen in any recent release. Direct X 9 ONLY; they really should include a DX 10 or 11 renderer in this day and age. The ULTRA preset doesn't even max the graphics, you must make sure to enable all of the highest quality settings manually. Even then, the game looks terrible.    … Expand
  63. numbody
    Dec 4, 2011
    6
    This is abridged. You can see the whole thing at http://resthard.blogspot.com before passing judgment here.

    Bad Things Armor/Apparel (some skill development stuff too) Morrowind was great in this department, the way players could stack various pieces of unique armor (Left Gauntlet, Right Gauntlet, Left Pauldron, Right Pauldron, Cuirass, et-cetera) on top of clothing and stuff, enchanting    This is abridged. You can see the whole thing at http://resthard.blogspot.com before passing judgment here.

    Bad Things

    Armor/Apparel (some skill development stuff too)
    Morrowind was great in this department, the way players could stack various pieces of unique armor (Left Gauntlet, Right Gauntlet, Left Pauldron, Right Pauldron, Cuirass, et-cetera) on top of clothing and stuff, enchanting each piece of apparel with enchantments to boost stats in myriad ways. Of all the things to streamline (to put it nicely), why this? I mean, Skyrim left a lot of crap in the game that really didn't need to be in it, so who's the guy who was ultimately in charge of determining where the line would be drawn in terms of content? It's okay to implement a bunch of amateurish combat finishing animations that add absolutely nothing to the game, but when it comes to apparel customization, four main pieces of armor's the limit. And one ring, players can only equip one ring at a time. Where's the sense in that? Give me the option to at least equip two rings without having to find or make a mod!
    Say what you will about balancing the gameplay mechanics and player stats, this has nothing to do with it; otherwise, Bethesda would've spent more time fleshing out how skills are developed. The player can become, for example, a master-level blacksmith by making hundreds of leather bracers over and over again. Bethesda could have at least added milestones in skill development --you know, maybe a player would have to craft some specific armor set before he/she's able to move on to a higher skill level. But no, leveling skills, if that's something you're focusing on, has the potential to feel like a simple grind. And on this note, since when can mortals craft Daedric armor and weapons? Also, the fact that the components needed to craft more complex pieces of armor and weapons is so frighteningly simplified leaves me feeling unsettled. I find it hard to believe that with three, 0.1 stone leather strips and five, 1 stone ebony ingots, one can craft an elaborate piece of 38 stone ebony armor.

    Combat
    Despite what Bethesda says, the only thing that's been remotely updated are the combat animations, and even those leave much to be desired (there's zero finesse when it comes to fighting in Skyrim, in terms of both look and feel). Every fight can be handled in the same way. As it is with the entire game, and when it comes to doing battle in particular, Skyrim's made it so that players don't have to think. Even fights against dragons aren't all they're cracked up to be, as all the player's got to do is wait for a dragon to land before running up to it and assaulting it with a barrage of low-brow flurries. And why bother adding V.A.T.S. style kill animations if they all end up looking awkward?
    The animations themselves lack a certain finesse, though this is something more of a personal feeling. Sure, the game takes place in Skyrim, but does everyone have to look like a barbarian when they fight, tactlessly swinging their weapons about like muck-raking savages? Adding variety to animations or, if nothing else, making the different attacks more cohesive with one another would work out better. Take a page from Dark Souls --that game's got some really nice attack animations -- excellent sense of weight, good timing, finesse -- and they all fit with one another; that is to say, I believe that my character in Dark Souls is capable of performing all of these varied moves with all of these varied weapons.

    A few other things
    Level scaling is back, and while it's a little more subtle than it was in Oblivion, it's still a huge drag. The field of view is claustrophobia-inducing; would've been nice to add an option to change that instead of needing to tweak .ini files. The seemingly blatant disregard to ensuring how different armor pieces stack with one another is unacceptable (for example, wearing a hooded robe with a mask makes my character's head disappear).
    Morrowind felt like an immersive experience. Skyrim feels like a game and nothing more. As much as I'd like to explore the beautifully realized world of Skyrim, I know that underneath the nice veneer is a rotten core. I don't understand how games like Risen and Two Worlds II get metacritic scores in the 70's while Skyrim gets a 95.

    The bottom line is this: For the $60 price tag and for all the hype surrounding it, I shouldn't have to settle. I should be wowed by Skyrim, and I'm not. I don't wanna have my hand held when I play a game, and I'm sick of being reminded about how lame my Skyrim experience is by its numerous quirks. Skyrim is a horrible ode to the direction in which the game industry is headed. Playing Skyrim makes me miss Morrowind.    … Expand
  64. lintmaster
    Feb 3, 2013
    6
    Finally picked up this game after waiting for a price drop (which I swore I would do after being disappointed with Oblivion). First, what brings the game down: Bethesda seems to have no problem creating a beautiful and detailed world, however, they forget about giving it a sense of believability and immersion. Look at Bleak Falls Barrow as an example: you follow a very visible path up aFinally picked up this game after waiting for a price drop (which I swore I would do after being disappointed with Oblivion). First, what brings the game down: Bethesda seems to have no problem creating a beautiful and detailed world, however, they forget about giving it a sense of believability and immersion. Look at Bleak Falls Barrow as an example: you follow a very visible path up a mountain to a MAJESTIC stone sculptured temple in perfect condition. Yes, it looks very cool and impressive, however, it feels like a tourist attraction. The door to the temple is highly visible atop a wide, pristine stair case. The whole place feels like it was recently built yet I'm supposed to believe it's an ancient ruin??? I don't get it. Inside the temple are cobwebs and crypts with treasure that has, inexplicably, not been looted yet. Why are the bandits the only people to discover this place and why didn't they bother looting it yet? I guess they didn't notice the big-ass chests sitting out in the open. Contrast this to Baldur's gate where you discover an underground crypt system under a shifted grave marker in an old dilapidated graveyard (which I was warned to be wary of). It actually felt like I was exploring and ancient dungeon that no one had entered in a hundred years. Another example of immersion breaking is Anise's cabin. The cabin literally has no roof. There is almost more sky than there is roof yet Anise lives there, in a cold climate!?! Inside the cabin she has candles burning I guess not enough sunlight is coming THROUGH the roof. I also get to "talk" to Anise. But all she does is say 3 lines over and over that describe who she is. Sorry but that's not conversation nor is it immersion. Let me actually talk to her and discover who she is myself. They made her into a prop instead of a character I can get to know. One of her lines say "it's hard getting by out here but I make do". So I raid her garden of everything green and she still says the same 3 lines. C'mon, Bethesda give me some interaction and immersion here. It would be very easy to program some new lines if I raid her garden or enter her cabin without permission. There is something to discover about her but it could have been done so much better. I could go on and on about immersion but I'll stop there. The combat still feels like 1998 (with only minor improvements), walking animations the same. When will developers make characters legs stop moving when they hit an obstacle? Or automatically step over the obstacle? Never, I'm thinking. Little disappointed in only 3 attributes to choose from as well. The dungeons and night time seem too well lit as well. It would be fun to have dungeons be pitch black and have you rely on your torch or spell for light and/or have old wall torches that you light as you go. Focus on atmosphere and creeping you out like in doom3 back in the day. Imagine hearing sounds in the dark that's beyond the light of your torch. It's hard to be afraid in a dungeon that's lit up like Walmart. That's the thing about Skyrim, there's just so many things they could have done better. But it does have a positive side: the game looks amazing on ultra high. Much more atmospheric than Oblivion the urban park. The monsters look cool and scary. Having a giant run at me and pound me into the ground was very cool (ah no level scaling with them at least). It will be fun to build up my character and take them out (isn't that right Oblivious?). The UI is trash but I found using the Xbox controller helps immensely and was very intuitive. As a whole I'm having fun and would recommend the game (for $39.99) despite the immersion/reality issues I have with it.… Expand
  65. meediocre
    Sep 30, 2013
    7
    For me, the wonder and magic starts to wear off after about 20 hours or so into the game. Truly wonderful, gorgeous open game-world, with great music and hundreds of hours worth of content to discover and explore, is unfortunately let down by rather repetitive and boring quests, characters and combat. It's a difficult one, because in terms of volume of content and ambition it certainlyFor me, the wonder and magic starts to wear off after about 20 hours or so into the game. Truly wonderful, gorgeous open game-world, with great music and hundreds of hours worth of content to discover and explore, is unfortunately let down by rather repetitive and boring quests, characters and combat. It's a difficult one, because in terms of volume of content and ambition it certainly gets top marks, but just how fun and engaging is the experience of actually playing Skyrim? I guess that completely depends on the player, and I'm totally aware that this Bethesda RPG is considered one of the all-time greats. But, starved of any real narrative meat, tense combat and addictive reward systems, it kind of left me feeling like giving up, even though I've got the Legendary Edition and have probably only completed 5% of the game, or less. Despite having some essential visual mods, I still was annoyed by bugs and glitches in the game, or having side-quests that I just couldn't seem to complete. That being said, I'm still in awe of the value for money the game provides, and if I were a bit younger and had a lot more time to go traipsing around, then I might have carried through. This is a huge, epic game but it is not a fantastic gameplay experience.… Expand
  66. Qis
    Feb 9, 2013
    5
    Despite the beautiful graphic and the heroism environment it gave us, this game have some issue. Firstly the user interface, the game never tell us anything on how to use the feature/menu, we discover them ourselves and it is not user friendly to begin with. There is some issues regarding favorite option especially for dual wielding character. The user interface is confusing and notDespite the beautiful graphic and the heroism environment it gave us, this game have some issue. Firstly the user interface, the game never tell us anything on how to use the feature/menu, we discover them ourselves and it is not user friendly to begin with. There is some issues regarding favorite option especially for dual wielding character. The user interface is confusing and not designed for PC gaming. Secondly, the game is purely designed for hybrid class of a character. No pure class will ever make it without metagamming and abuse some mechanic. It is because this game is designed for new generation players who favor the in-between class, mix-magic type of a character. So players who favor pure warrior, mage and rogue type will have a problem especially in the middle game. Thirdly, the game favor evil type of a character, pure good character have no place in Skyrim. Most of the quests are based on greed, deception and worst end up sold own soul to some deity/satan/whatever. There is lack of good options in most quests. Higher grade weapon/armor is demonic in nature and every character will need Enchantment in which the process need the character to trap any living creature soul and manipulate it. There is no moral background for such practice and it is some what encouraged. The hero (Dragonborn) him/herself is a soul stealer. Fourthly, the AI for followers is so bad, and there is a bug where the followers never level up with the character, they will end up weak as the main character and enemies become stronger. Fifthly, lack of in depth story. The world is vast and rich but the characters are boring and not interesting. The population will only repeat some few lines, the followers also, each characters are poorly constructed to make us deeply involve in the world. Sixthly, the main quests suffer the same with previous TES, that is the world don't run by it self, it is the player who move the things to come. The player will be directed to someone or place to "activate" the quest. So long as the player don't "activate" it the world is stagnant. Everybody will talk about the thing, but nothing happen until the player "activate" them to happen. Seventh, the leveling system is better than previous TES, but still it is not so interesting. Most perks are just passive upgrades, and there are little information on what and how the perk function, some are even misleading. Some perks are wasted depended on what type of a character played, have to choose them just to unlock the perk really needed, so it is a waste on certain level ups. Eighth, there are too much of fetch quests, eliminate certain NPCs quests, bring certain item to certain NPCs quests, in which are boring. There is no background story or whatever, we just being told to do it and then it's done. Some quests are not even quests, but considered a "quest". And we are the hero of the land, the Dragon Slayer, the Arch Mage and whatever title we get, the game treated us as nothing, we still have to prove our self to join some faction, we still doing some menial tasks, we still become errand boy/girl to someone. Ninth, too many bugs and glitches, no need to say more. Tenth, this game is empty, despite all the wonders and beautiful things in it, still it feels empty...… Expand
  67. Srhike
    Nov 16, 2012
    7
    I can´t believe I spend 150+ hours playing this game! Must be my new record. After such a time I can tell my honest opinion of this game. Let´s start with downsides. The game world could be better. I feel the map is way too small for this game. Larger map would greatly enhance the immersiveness and creators could have put more variation on terrain. Plot ain´t that great,I can´t believe I spend 150+ hours playing this game! Must be my new record. After such a time I can tell my honest opinion of this game. Let´s start with downsides. The game world could be better. I feel the map is way too small for this game. Larger map would greatly enhance the immersiveness and creators could have put more variation on terrain. Plot ain´t that great, some side quests have good stories( for example, Thieves guild), but mainstory is just...dull. You can finish it in few hours and generally I didn´t care about it at all. Dialog is the best I´ve seen in Scrolls game. It´s still terrible though. Bethesda probably tried to make the world feel more "alive", but they failed. Dialog sounds akward, is tedious sometimes and ain´t serving a purpose all the time. NPCs are way too eager to tell useless opinions and what the f**k they did last evening! Players choices don´t really matter. You can butcher every man and woman in a village and afterwards citizen of Skyrim and guards still think of you as a hero, you can serve every damn god without fear of divine punishment. Skill trees are either underpowered, overpowered, dull or useless. Combat is fun when you play the game for the first time, but it gets dull quickly, you don´t feel like you are hitting things, it´s unsatisfactory. And AI is outstandingly dumb. Those are the weak points of the game, but they don´t break the game completely. This game is damn immersive at times, I can spend hours walking around and won´t even notice it. And there´s a lot of background for the world. And on PC you have mods! With mods you can fix several major problems and make this game gorgeus looking. If you aren´t as fussy as I am then you´ll have even more fun than I did. I say buy this game! Do it! Now!… Expand
  68. Jaz
    Feb 23, 2013
    6
    Skyrim is a good game. Great graphics, landscapes, a nice world to explore etc..But, could have been better, should have been better. Much better. Main drawback is the lack of a moving story, of a good story At the end you wonder why you bother to fight at all. No real interest for any faction means that you have no interest in game at all. And story is the No1 criterion for any RPG inSkyrim is a good game. Great graphics, landscapes, a nice world to explore etc..But, could have been better, should have been better. Much better. Main drawback is the lack of a moving story, of a good story At the end you wonder why you bother to fight at all. No real interest for any faction means that you have no interest in game at all. And story is the No1 criterion for any RPG in my opinion. Compared to Morrowind and Oblivion is a step backwards. I hope this trend for better graphics instead of a better story to stop.(Daggerfall didnt have a great story either but had much more freedom in everything else).… Expand
  69. Duskspark
    Jul 12, 2013
    7
    The world of Skyrim is beautiful and filled with detail, yet an uninterresting story with evenly boring characters, dated physics and textures, and frustrating combat make this game a bit of a missed chance, overrated as never before, and simply a copy of everything Bethesda already did before.
  70. Saratosa75
    Mar 25, 2013
    7
    The game gets a 7, because while it's a great free roaming action rpg, the missions are basically can be summed up as "go here kill something" or "go here, kill something and bring me (insert an item)". While the world is full of monsters and dragons and bandits..it feels static. Nothing changes, no matter how many crypts and dungeons you clear, it seems like they weren't really botheringThe game gets a 7, because while it's a great free roaming action rpg, the missions are basically can be summed up as "go here kill something" or "go here, kill something and bring me (insert an item)". While the world is full of monsters and dragons and bandits..it feels static. Nothing changes, no matter how many crypts and dungeons you clear, it seems like they weren't really bothering anyone, and it won't make anything different, since you cleared many bunch of them. People say the same things, act the same way, doing the same exact things, like nothing has happened. Not even the threat of the dragons really bothered them at all, nevermind the fact, that dragons seem to be rather occupied by killing the wildlife anyway. The magic is very hampered and uninspiring, while the close combat feels like just whacking around. Graphics is great, although there are plenty of low resolution textures, that makes it look like a game from 2006. The real score the game should deserve would be around 5 or 6, but because of the thousands of mods and the time I have put into it, it gets a 7. All the so called pro-reviewers giving 9 and10 are smoking something, that they should share. There is no way this game is perfect.… Expand
  71. CaptainCupboard
    Mar 21, 2013
    7
    For me, Skyrim lasted quite a while. I put about 70 hours into it on PC and half as much on Xbox 360. At first it was all so familiar, you start off as a prisoner. While this irritated me I still carried on. The character creation I didn't like, nowhere as much freedom as its predecessor, Oblivion. I escaped the prison, got out. Just walked around a bit. Explored, I suppose I enjoyed itFor me, Skyrim lasted quite a while. I put about 70 hours into it on PC and half as much on Xbox 360. At first it was all so familiar, you start off as a prisoner. While this irritated me I still carried on. The character creation I didn't like, nowhere as much freedom as its predecessor, Oblivion. I escaped the prison, got out. Just walked around a bit. Explored, I suppose I enjoyed it moderately. I did the main quest which was...to be honest...a bit rubbish. You basically have to kill a dragon, a dragon thats slightly bigger than all the other ones. I love the combat, its so simple and easy to use and is much more enjoyable than having to constantly press buttons. Although combat was simplified it felt...so..dumbed down, the magic you use was visually impressive yet boring. While there were significant improvements from the two previous games there were also let-downs. I felt as though the quests were errands "go and deliver this to my wife." "Could you take this spiced meat for the Jarls dogs" They....bored me to death.

    But really...I enjoyed it while it lasted. Although I really have NO urge to go back to it I have some good memories of exciting battles, interesting places, hilarious glitches and those funny gamer poops. The graphics is ABSOLUTELY fine, it sickens me when people complain about its...texture glitches....I mean I really didn't notice it much and I didn't really care. Its truly a shame that I'm bored of it now, but hey, I liked it. I would recommend it but I wouldn't say "GET THE GAME NOW!!!!"    … Expand
  72. MisterNoodles
    Mar 31, 2013
    6
    Okay this is a little hard to understand, but let's start with the positives. Here we go. Skyrim is a great and vast world to explore with quests everywhere. They have improved a lot of things such as smithing, alchemy, and enchanting. Now we go onto the bad. The main quest is far too short and very dull and meaningless and then there are the guilds which are shorter and much worse. HereOkay this is a little hard to understand, but let's start with the positives. Here we go. Skyrim is a great and vast world to explore with quests everywhere. They have improved a lot of things such as smithing, alchemy, and enchanting. Now we go onto the bad. The main quest is far too short and very dull and meaningless and then there are the guilds which are shorter and much worse. Here is a nutshell of all the major guilds. Companions: Short and dull with little to do. College: Short and most of the quests are search and retrieve. Dark Brotherhood: The shortest of all the guilds and where are the cool kills from Oblivion that I was hoping for, oh right there not in Skyrim. Thieves' Guild or should it be called the Followers' Guild, because there is ONE thief quest and it wasn't very good in the first place. Also the storyline of each of these guilds was dull, boring, and at the end nothing special happened. Also at the end of each of these guild and all throughout Skyrim are those MMO quests that have you kill or retrieve something. Sadly most of the quest that I was talking about are kill or retrieve even some of the guild and main quests. There is also no one in the entire game who you can actually like or remember, even your spouse is forgettable. You also feel like everything was for nothing, like you actions didn't change the world at all. The only people who actually talk about your actions are the guards and those are for only joining guilds. There is also the times when an NPC's voice will change. Now we get onto weakness number 2, Combat. The game's combat system is terrible. You basically spam the the attack key with no true challenge in the entire game and that is unless you go on to a harder difficulty and than the game gets even worse. The reason why is it becomes nearly impossible to play a Wizard at the start and everything kills you in ONE hit while you need to hit them at least TEN times. Then there is the leveling system which also pretty poor and this is because it makes the game feel more like a hack and slash than a real RPG. You put perks into skill trees and that is it you can't even get all the perks. Previous Elder Scrolls games had a more RPG feeling to them and who knows why they changed it. Then there are the bugs which ruin the game and defeat any form of progression. The DLC was also terrible, but that isn't the point. Overall the game is worth ONE playthrough. Because you can play the entire game in one playthrough because Bethesda was lazy and didn't put any choices in the game that would affect endings. So this game gets a 6/10 for being so lacking. At first glance I would have given this game a 10/10 easily, but only after two playthoughs do you realize how much of a rip off this game is. My review is very late, but that is only because I sat down to play some Skyrim today, but could not last five minutes. Do not get this game at full price and if you do get it for PC or better yet get Oblivion or Morrowind both of them are cheaper and will keep hold of your attention much longer. Skyrim is by far the worst Elder Scrolls game I have ever played and I do not intend on playing it again.… Expand
  73. Meshinator
    Mar 31, 2013
    7
    After playing Oblivion, I can definitely say that Skyrim, although improved in some areas, still has major flaws. First off, it stinks of console gaming. It was designed for the consoles, with the PC gamer being held as a second class citizen. The graphics are no where near where they should be, the quests are uninteresting/ridiculous and the menu is terrible. I feel like everything wasAfter playing Oblivion, I can definitely say that Skyrim, although improved in some areas, still has major flaws. First off, it stinks of console gaming. It was designed for the consoles, with the PC gamer being held as a second class citizen. The graphics are no where near where they should be, the quests are uninteresting/ridiculous and the menu is terrible. I feel like everything was "dumbed down" for those that can't really *get* into a good, deep RPG. Instead, it was directed at the COD players out there (yes, you know who you are) that want INTENSE, ACTION PACKED AWESOME, but without the mystical backing. I'm sorry, but when I become the leader of a guild, I want to feel like I earned it. The quest lines were shallow, rewards for exploration were weak, and the world didn't really come together like it should have, Overall, it wasn't a *bad* experience, but I was definitely disappointed. I would have rated it higher, had it not been the next game in the TES series, but Bethesda I expected better.… Expand
  74. The_Bear
    Apr 3, 2013
    5
    This game pales in comparison to its predecessor, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, particularly in the writing department. Quests are typically short and bland. Each of the guild stories are only about eight quests long, and no, "go brawl with the buxom barbarian" doesn't count. The main story is similarly disappointing.
    Ultimately, Skyrim feels more like a single player MMO than the grand    This game pales in comparison to its predecessor, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, particularly in the writing department. Quests are typically short and bland. Each of the guild stories are only about eight quests long, and no, "go brawl with the buxom barbarian" doesn't count. The main story is similarly disappointing.
    Ultimately, Skyrim feels more like a single player MMO than the grand addition to the Elder Scrolls franchise that it's made out to be.    … Expand
  75. MrAmazingSocks
    Mar 1, 2014
    5
    I don't know why with all the interesting exotic places in Tamriel, Bethesda keep choosing the dullest ones to set their game in. Morrowind had a fantastic setting with many distinct biomes that added variety to the game and made it feel like it didn't take place on Earth but rather an interesting imaginary world. I don't understand all the praise for this setting, there are very fewI don't know why with all the interesting exotic places in Tamriel, Bethesda keep choosing the dullest ones to set their game in. Morrowind had a fantastic setting with many distinct biomes that added variety to the game and made it feel like it didn't take place on Earth but rather an interesting imaginary world. I don't understand all the praise for this setting, there are very few biomes that don't feel very different at all and travel is pointless due to the fact that fast travel exists and that you can't travel when over-encumbered FOR SOME REASON. Morrowind didn't have fast travel and it never should have, it had many interesting forms of travel available in most places making travel useful.

    Also one thing I loved about Morrowind was the variety of architectural styles, one settlement could be a poor dock village and another could be a magnificent mushroom town, there are much fewer settlements in Skyrim and about one or two architectural styles, more or less every fort is captured by bandits.

    Skyrim is very unimmersive as it drowns you with loading screens that all take too long and has definitely shows that it was made with consoles in mind more than PC.I don't know why with all the interesting exotic places in Tamriel, Bethesda keep choosing the dullest ones to set their game in. Morrowind had a fantastic setting with many distinct biomes that added variety to the game and made it feel like it didn't take place on Earth but rather an interesting imaginary world. I don't understand all the praise for this setting, there are very few biomes that don't feel very different at all and travel is pointless due to the fact that fast travel exists and that you can't travel when over-encumbered FOR SOME REASON. Morrowind didn't have fast travel and it never should have, it had many interesting forms of travel available in most places making travel useful.

    Also one thing I loved about Morrowind was the variety of architectural styles, one settlement could be a poor dock village and another could be a magnificent mushroom town, there are much fewer settlements in Skyrim and about one or two architectural styles, more or less every fort is captured by bandits.

    Skyrim is very unimmersive as it drowns you with loading screens that all take too long and has definitely shows that it was made with consoles in mind more than PC.

    Also if you don't want the player to kill children DON'T PUT THEM IN THE GAME. All invincible characters in this game ruin immersion and if they witness you commit a crime there's nothing you can do about it.    … Expand
  76. Itz_Rhino
    Sep 9, 2013
    5
    I played Skyrim from beginning to end, made a ridiculously OP set of armor and weapons, and finished about 80% of the side quests. I'm usually a completionist when it comes to games, but I had to give up on Skyrim. Although the game IS pretty and has a few epic set pieces involving dragons and cool powers, it gets old fast. There is SO MUCH to explore in this game, but a lot of it seemsI played Skyrim from beginning to end, made a ridiculously OP set of armor and weapons, and finished about 80% of the side quests. I'm usually a completionist when it comes to games, but I had to give up on Skyrim. Although the game IS pretty and has a few epic set pieces involving dragons and cool powers, it gets old fast. There is SO MUCH to explore in this game, but a lot of it seems pointless. I don't mean to discredit the game designers in any way, but I personally am not one to enjoy an area of a game just for its scenery. If I want to climb up a mountain and enjoy pretty creeks and nature, I'll go camping. It got to a point where I was doing quests just to start shortening the ridiculously long quest list. There was no real emotional attachment to any of them, and no real sense of accomplishment when completing them. No reward was better than the equipment I had crafted, and the enemies ceased to be a challenge. This leads into combat... I don't think there is much to say about this. The melee combat is still pretty clunky in this game (Bethesda... PLEASE take some notes from "Chivalry: Medieval Warfare" on how to create satisfying FPS melee combat), and the range combat consists of slowing down enemies or pathing them into obstacles and pew pewing them do death. There is no real challenge aside from a few encounters, and even then, it is the same concept; just against a harder hitting, longer lasting enemy. The game can become a grind (especially if you are a completionist), and the key battles like Dragon fights become a bore. A real benefit to the game would have been some form of multiplayer (the hardest opponent is always human in my opinion), but we'll just have to wait for the Elder Scroll MMO for that... As an art piece or interactive movie, I give this game a 10/10. Beautifully done... but as a game... I'm sorry, it's just not appealing to me. It's a humongous beautiful world full of repetition and empty of emotion. You got half of the formula Bethesda. Make your game a bit more challenging, clean up your combat mechanics, vary the gameplay a bit more... I'm going to go play some Dark Souls … Expand
  77. Mjoog
    Oct 14, 2013
    7
    Skyrim is great, and from someone who loved (most of) the previous games in the series, I'm absolutely in love. The environments are beautiful, the graphics are excellent even on lower settings.
    But the game has bugs. So many bugs. Animations are off, the AI can act irrational and strange... one of the most common bugs is that the top-billed voice actor (Max von Sydow) can't be heard at    Skyrim is great, and from someone who loved (most of) the previous games in the series, I'm absolutely in love. The environments are beautiful, the graphics are excellent even on lower settings.
    But the game has bugs. So many bugs. Animations are off, the AI can act irrational and strange... one of the most common bugs is that the top-billed voice actor (Max von Sydow) can't be heard at all, and thus has to be hacked for quests to progress! Minor bugs are acceptable and almost expected, especially with games this huge (you can play this game for 100 hours and still have things to discover on the map!), but something as basic as making sure the key elements work?
    I love Bethesda in general, and I will keep playing Skyrim for many more hours, but it's so bug-addled sometimes that the shining light fades slightly and annoyance takes over.    … Expand
  78. Motcritic
    Feb 11, 2014
    6
    TESV Skyrim brings almost nothing new into the RPG style games.

    Skyrim is a repetitive experience from start to end, the only thing that changes is that it gets more flashy as you progress, but when it comes to asking to player to be skilled, not that much. The graphics are awful, the characters are boring, it really failed to impress me. Then there's a whole lot of problems with    TESV Skyrim brings almost nothing new into the RPG style games.

    Skyrim is a repetitive experience from start to end, the only thing that changes is that it gets more flashy as you progress, but when it comes to asking to player to be skilled, not that much. The graphics are awful, the characters are boring, it really failed to impress me. Then there's a whole lot of problems with gameplay, dragons are more plentiful than bandits sometimes, its just ridiculous.

    But then comes modding which is the reason why I give it a 6 instead of a 4. Modding community made some very good mods that introduced very detailed characters, good graphics, and so on. However not one single mod I managed to get my hands on managed to stop the boring level grind and bring a more rewarding system where the player skill is the most important asset (as opposed to the ingame character skills).

    In the end this game can be fun but it feels really lacking, like if they made the basic map and characters of the game and dismissed everything else. Its a trend that its common now, people love the "open world" games so they advertise it and make it look like the options are endless, but this game isn't truly an open world game is it, its just a big map with a main story and random pointless quests/locations.

    Game industry is stalled, goal isn't anymore to make good creative games, it's just all about making something fancy and give false expectations to players so they buy the game, then promise more functionality in paid DLC's or the next game in the series, so people go and buy the next game in the series which added very little to the previous one, sometimes its even less detailed... this is just sad.    … Expand
  79. PolisKanin
    Mar 21, 2014
    5
    I think this game is ok. Not amazing, not bad. However here are my problems with the game: Walking is too slow, running is too fast. The PC controls for lockpicking are bad. However the overall game isn't bad. Also there are parts in the game you can exploit so you can finish the game quick.
  80. Greenvortex11
    May 10, 2015
    7
    Overall Rate: 7/10

    A great, open-world, practically endless RPG with many familiar fantasy elements and Elder Scrolls Lore. Although there are many good points about this game and I would definitely recommend it, there are quite a few flaws that take away from the overall experience and the game just feels like it could have been so much more. Story: rate 6/10. A pretty generic,    Overall Rate: 7/10

    A great, open-world, practically endless RPG with many familiar fantasy elements and Elder Scrolls Lore. Although there are many good points about this game and I would definitely recommend it, there are quite a few flaws that take away from the overall experience and the game just feels like it could have been so much more.

    Story: rate 6/10. A pretty generic, "player is the only one who can save us", "epic" story. The player can excel in everything he/she tries, even if they have no experience in that area (for example: getting into the College of Winterhold simply by casting a low-level spell and having never used magic before). I won't go into details, so not to reveal spoliers for those that haven't played, but a lot of the courses of action you take seem to have little effect on the world around you. Not to mention, the main questlines are very short and take around maybe 4-6 hours to complete in full, which is very disappointing, especially when you look at previous Elder Scrolls games when questlines could take around 10 or even 20+ hours. Most of the quests are "fetch quests" with small rewards and these never run out. They are fun at first, but after a while, they can get tedious and boring. There's no exploration or a sense of being "lost", as a map marker directly points to a quest objective's exact location. This feature can be turned off in the quest menu, but in a way, the marker is required because there are no instructions given regarding where you need to go for a quest.

    Characters: rate 6/10. There are lots of characters in this game, but only a handful of them are worth mentioning or rememberable. The same backstories get told over and over again, and nothing else. For example, a lot of the dialouge I've heard goes like this, "I'm a fisherman / farmer / laborer of some kind and my family's been here for x generations (and I have nothing else to say)" sort of thing. It gets quite old. Even so, there are still a handfull of characters who are interesting and have more depth to their story than what meets the eye.

    Graphics / Interface: rate 7/10. For the most part, the graphics and interface are aggreeable. The menu was made for consoles, so it can be difficult to work with at first and it doesn't always cooperate. The graphics could be better, but they don't take away from the experience, and the landscape can look quite beautiful in the big picture. The map is not helpful for navigation, as it is supposed to be a "real representation in 3D" map (not sure what's so great about that. It doesn't even fit the theme of the game!).

    Glitches: This game, at first, had many glitches. Most of them have been fixed, but I wouldn't be surprised if it breaks / crashes at random, people get stuck in the floors, quests gone missing, etc. This was one of the biggest problems at release and it shows that the overall production of the game was running short on time.

    The good lies in the gameplay and mechanics. Although the combat is still "click the mouse untill the enemy dies", it can still be fun. I personally think stealth, dual-wielding, and smashing things with two-handed weapons (not necessarily combined) offer a fun combat experience. As stated earlier, this is an open-world RPG and you can pretty much do whatever you please aside from the first quest and work at your own pace - the magic of Elder Scrolls games. If you're into roleplaying, Skyrim is lacking in this area, as the leveling system is mediocre and there's little replayability value because one character could pretty much do anything and everything if you wish it to be so. Once you get up to the higher levels, the game is easy to break and the character can kill almost everything in under 10 seconds and leave unscathed, even on master or legendary (with the Legendary edition or the Dragonborn dlc) difficulty.

    Overall: Despite everything I've said, this game is still enjoyable: there are lots of places to explore, endless things to do, and pretty good character creation. Although this is not the focus of my review and not required to enjoy the game, mods can really add to the experience and some people would even consider them a necessity (which is sad: why should people have to add things that should've been in the original game?). I would try Skyrim out if it sounds like something you'd enjoy.    … Expand
  81. Kawai_overdose
    Jun 10, 2015
    7
    Skyrim is an excellent game made by Bethesda and truly rekindles the fire of RPG's.

    Story: The story of Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is short yet solid. It is the tale of a hero(you) who goes from being a traveller mistaken for being with the rebellion, the Stormcloaks to being considered Skyrim's hero and saviour from the World Devourer, Alduin. The difficulty of the storyline varies    Skyrim is an excellent game made by Bethesda and truly rekindles the fire of RPG's.

    Story: The story of Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is short yet solid. It is the tale of a hero(you) who goes from being a traveller mistaken for being with the rebellion, the Stormcloaks to being considered Skyrim's hero and saviour from the World Devourer, Alduin. The difficulty of the storyline varies greatly depending on which difficulty you play it on. On "Easy" it proves no challenge, as you can easily sweep through the whole storyline in one sitting.
    To spending months to grind enough for each quest while on "Legendary" difficulty.

    Combat: The combat of Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is only one of three main combat categories, which quite small as you can only build your character in so many ways. Mages are the glass cannons in Skyrim, dishing out large amounts of damage using magic in exchange for their health. Assassin are the easiest (in my opinion) to sweep the game with, as when you level enough you will essentially be invisible permanently on all difficulties, while dealing instant kills from sneak attacks. So OP yet so fun. Finally the warrior, just as OP as the assassin, The warrior kills his enemies with swords, axes and broadswords. But drops off in the late game (lvl. 61 onwards)

    DLC: This is what lowers my mark significantly, as most of the content in the DLC is much better than in the actual game. When M.H.C's (abbreviation for Money Hoarding Corporations) are on the loose it is sometimes upto the companies who stick true to fair pricing roots to keep them. Bethesda went down the dark route. THREE DLC'S ARE AVAILABLE, EACH 20$ EACH. THAT IS JUST GREED FROM BETHESDA. Please Bethesda, stop now.

    Overall feelings: Even though Elder Scrolls V:Skyrim is unbalanced, laggy and downright greedy from Bethesda, it is still one of the best RPG's out there, winning many GOTY prizes. I guarantee you that if you get this game you will enjoy it.    … Expand
  82. DreamEaglr
    Mar 1, 2017
    6
    Унылый слэшер, в котором от РПГ нету ничего. После этой игры вера в Бефезду пропала окончательно. Но все же скайрим лучше, чем отвратительная гриндилка под названием фоллаут 4
  83. aditya1101
    Jan 6, 2018
    7
    I firmly believe that skyrim was one of the most important video games ever made, and has provided much of the foundation for the renaissance of open-world games that has since followed. At the time that it came out, I wasn't a huge fan of it - there was a lot to love about the game, but I just couldn't get into the combat (it felt way too simplistic). But in retrospect, it's easy to seeI firmly believe that skyrim was one of the most important video games ever made, and has provided much of the foundation for the renaissance of open-world games that has since followed. At the time that it came out, I wasn't a huge fan of it - there was a lot to love about the game, but I just couldn't get into the combat (it felt way too simplistic). But in retrospect, it's easy to see how many aspects of this game were revolutionary and influential.… Expand
  84. CyberRobotnix
    Mar 31, 2018
    7
    Very generic game with a very generic story and not as fun as Morrowing or the very broken Oblivion.

    I'm not impressed.
  85. Daddais
    Apr 8, 2012
    6
    This game starts epic, but after some hours it become boring as hell.
    Really, you will be disappointed. Has some nice features, and other really horrible, such as inventory, the horse, control equipment and so on. It could be fantastic. But the reality is that: Skyrim is "acceptable", the beautiful graphics will not stop your yawning.
  86. Kwiat_W
    Apr 17, 2012
    5
    I play RPGs for good, impressive stories and memorable characters and unfortunately this are the weakest points of this game (all bethesda games actually). Most quests are simple fetch quests, there are hundreds of them, but I prefer quality over quantity. Most NPCs are walking manikins, they have no characterization and serve no other purpose than just to give you something to do.
    The    I play RPGs for good, impressive stories and memorable characters and unfortunately this are the weakest points of this game (all bethesda games actually). Most quests are simple fetch quests, there are hundreds of them, but I prefer quality over quantity. Most NPCs are walking manikins, they have no characterization and serve no other purpose than just to give you something to do.
    The graphics are very good. Character animations have been greatly improver over the Oblivion and now TPP is a viable alternative to FPP. Also the games runes for me smoother than Oblivion.

    Bugs, bugs, bugs. Bethesda games are the buggiest games I have ever played. They games sell well, what are they doing with our money? Cant they invest more into their games? Into betatesting and fixing bugs? On release Skyrim would crush for me every 1-2 hours. Rebinding hotkeys resulted in loosing ability to drop items from my inventory and making items "favorite". There were many graphical bugs.

    This game has much more in common with The Sims than with Baldur's gate or Fallout.    … Expand
  87. KuriousJorj
    Dec 10, 2018
    5
    This is a boring, hugely OVERRATED game. Other than a large world, there is nothing special, noteworthy, or new about this thing. (even the world is monotonous, as the caves/dungeons are the same thign over and over)

    The combat movement and physics is unbelievably clunky. Magic is a joke. The quests are unbelievably tedious and quickly become meaningless. The world is full of    This is a boring, hugely OVERRATED game. Other than a large world, there is nothing special, noteworthy, or new about this thing. (even the world is monotonous, as the caves/dungeons are the same thign over and over)

    The combat movement and physics is unbelievably clunky. Magic is a joke. The quests are unbelievably tedious and quickly become meaningless. The world is full of boring, depressed NPCs.

    The game quickly becomes a chore. A grind. And SO BORING.

    Apparently the only way the neckbeard fanbois can play this is modding it into an entirely different game.

    Another Bethesda fail.    … Expand
  88. ns0l
    Dec 18, 2015
    6
    A good game but buggy and stupid. There's absolutely no need to use your brain in this game, Some said that even the bugs are funny but when they spoil my game I just say: What a piece of garbage.
  89. Budget_Security
    Oct 29, 2018
    6
    Skyrim has huge amounts of content and freedom, but much of it is "quantity over quality".
    Most quests feel a bit bland, repetitive and uninspired. Many places also feel a bit lifeless, and empty (taverns with just 2 people in them etc).
    Most characters are very 2-dimensional and a lot of voice acting is not convincing. There is also the usual lack of voice actors (kill a villain, then    Skyrim has huge amounts of content and freedom, but much of it is "quantity over quality".
    Most quests feel a bit bland, repetitive and uninspired. Many places also feel a bit lifeless, and empty (taverns with just 2 people in them etc).
    Most characters are very 2-dimensional and a lot of voice acting is not convincing. There is also the usual lack of voice actors (kill a villain, then talk to quest giver who has same voice and tone). In many ways this game is not a big step up from Oblivion.
    The terrible interface is built around the limits of consoles and their controllers. Level design is linear & restricted due to console hardware limitations (Xbox360 only has 500mb RAM).

    The mod scene is very vibrant and there is a mod to improve on just about every weak aspect of the base game, but finding and installing 100 mods is very time consuming. Still, there is nothing quite like modding Skyrim - if you persevere through the initial setup you are rewarded with hundreds of additional hours of quest content, much of it to a higher standard than the base game.

    So, vanilla Skyrim is decent, but not worthy of some of the hype. But add 100 mods and then you have something special.    … Expand
  90. fluxmulder
    Apr 25, 2013
    7
    Bethesda stretched themselves too thin with this game, and the result is a game that lacks any depth and is instead is crammed with repetitive and trivial content. Unlike the excellent Fallout 3, there are no significant choices to be made in any of the quests you will undertake. Solutions to most everything will be to kill, and kill some more. There is so much exposition thrown at youBethesda stretched themselves too thin with this game, and the result is a game that lacks any depth and is instead is crammed with repetitive and trivial content. Unlike the excellent Fallout 3, there are no significant choices to be made in any of the quests you will undertake. Solutions to most everything will be to kill, and kill some more. There is so much exposition thrown at you that you will start to lose track of what's going on, and without any truly memorable set piece type quests to back them up, they remain nothing more than exposition. The world, though undeniably large, starts to blend together into an indistinguishable mish-mash of dungeons, forests, and towns. There are hundreds of NPCs, but just like the locations and quests, they are too many and too shallow. There are no branching dialogue trees; most characters will have 3 or 4 topics of conversation. Worst of all is hearing the same 10 or so voice actors spread across the hundreds of NPCs. The art is a mixed bag. The color palette is grey and drab, suitable for the Nordic environment, but it becomes an eyesore over time. There are some great looking environments, such as the dense forests and mountain vistas, however many areas look like they were hurriedly built, such as the northern coastline. The characters look as stiff as ever; both in their procedurally generated faces and their terrible animations... both Bethesda trademark. The music is uniformly excellent, though it can get repetitive hearing the same battle and town themes over and over. Don't get me wrong, there is fun to be had. Play the main quest line and a few of the faction quest lines, and you will get the best of what Skyrim has to offer. Delve any deeper and you will ultimately find a shallow experience devoid of any meaning.… Expand
  91. Tyandriel
    Mar 4, 2014
    7
    Since I´m not into the ElderScrolls games (only played Skyrim), this game is not much more than Fallout 3 in a fantasy world. It hase some nice features like the huge world, crafting and a nice set of quests. But it feels like a Fantasy-SinglePlayer-SecondLife.
    It has some flaws, foremost a missing golden thread. My motivation curve was a downward spiral, since progress became repetitive    Since I´m not into the ElderScrolls games (only played Skyrim), this game is not much more than Fallout 3 in a fantasy world. It hase some nice features like the huge world, crafting and a nice set of quests. But it feels like a Fantasy-SinglePlayer-SecondLife.
    It has some flaws, foremost a missing golden thread. My motivation curve was a downward spiral, since progress became repetitive and pointless. Skills, equipment and even leveling becomes senseless at some point (far from endgame), since it´s possible to win every fight by using brainpower.
    The world feels empty, grey and static, by the way. So many possibilities wasted...

    A big world to discover, some nice hours of gameplay, but far from being a hypeworthy, shimmering gem of video game. So: some honest 7 of 10. Clearly above average, but not outstanding.    … Expand
  92. njkk
    Feb 7, 2013
    7
    The game is amazing just like oblivion was the main issue i had was with the game crashing all the time. I eventually fixed it through updates and lowering resolution but by that time, it had kind of ruined the experience for me. Also the lack of multiplayer or pvp is kind of disappointing.
  93. DeltaBlackWater
    Aug 9, 2013
    7
    Great game, but found that I had to fix a lot of things with mods making it feel incomplete. For some reason as well, I dont find myself replaying it as much as if it was Oblivion. For one there's a war or battle going on but it doesn't feel like that in this game, where as in Oblivion, u were fighting those gates and demonic creatures. Though its still a good game, just wish there wasGreat game, but found that I had to fix a lot of things with mods making it feel incomplete. For some reason as well, I dont find myself replaying it as much as if it was Oblivion. For one there's a war or battle going on but it doesn't feel like that in this game, where as in Oblivion, u were fighting those gates and demonic creatures. Though its still a good game, just wish there was more to it story wise!… Expand
  94. Moozaam
    Apr 12, 2013
    7
    An overrated game for sure. I've played it for more than 600 hours but I still don't find this game satisfying. A lot of bugs and the main story sucked a goats scrotum, yummie. It is surely an improvement from Oblivion but this game still isn't enough to reach the crown of RPG's. Skyrim would be better of without without the boring landscape. Yeah, I know it's a part of the Elder ScrollsAn overrated game for sure. I've played it for more than 600 hours but I still don't find this game satisfying. A lot of bugs and the main story sucked a goats scrotum, yummie. It is surely an improvement from Oblivion but this game still isn't enough to reach the crown of RPG's. Skyrim would be better of without without the boring landscape. Yeah, I know it's a part of the Elder Scrolls lore but come on. Sure, it's beautiful in the beginning but the game lacks creative design. A lot of potential but if the game would have had a better story, the game would improve enough for being called a RPG. Now it is a action free roaming sorta game. Bethesda's biggest mistake was the DLC's, the biggest money stealing DLC's ever. Dawnguard and Hearthfire should have been a part of the original Skyrim and Dragonborn was unfinished. Good game but still overrated.… Expand
  95. MrSnakes
    Jul 3, 2013
    5
    Being an elder scroll fan myself, and having played Skyrim for over 250 hours. I was definitely caught by the worldwide hype of the game. However, this game is plagued by repetition, compatibility, early release bugs and not to mention the huge anchor on mods.

    I must admit, I enjoyed the game heavily first playing it, the soundtrack was amazing, the new interface with the way everything    Being an elder scroll fan myself, and having played Skyrim for over 250 hours. I was definitely caught by the worldwide hype of the game. However, this game is plagued by repetition, compatibility, early release bugs and not to mention the huge anchor on mods.

    I must admit, I enjoyed the game heavily first playing it, the soundtrack was amazing, the new interface with the way everything is handled (like dual-wielding and magic spells). But as I played it more and more, things like the disappointing texture quality, or the repetition of the quests got me down. And when I finished the main quest, I didn't feel up to playing the game much more.
    Compared to any other Elder scrolls I couldn't be anything but disappointed in this title, it's dumbed down to such an extent that it's more of a cruise than a challenge, there's a tonne more exploits than previous titles held, and most disappointing of all (in my opinion) is the removal of the class system. It's not only due to the little things like how you have to rest between every level up, but I feel that they've put too much fallout into this game, like the arrival of perks. I like being set onto one type of class, so I can focus on whatever I want, but the system they have here has you easily overcoming all odds, and eventually everyone becomes a super-mage. The faction-war side quest was anticlimactic and could've been improved much more, the way that no one recognized you or didn't care about your progression made the game feel lazy and dull. In fact the interaction with people has deteriorated so much over the course of the elder scrolls that we now have characters that you can't even talk with any more.
    The PC port wasn't great, the menus were obviously meant for consoles and made going through anything a chore. But of course As Always there's a mod for that, I never had a game so dull on its own that it actually needed mods for me to be able to play it. Too bad there's no mods for a cheap difficulty setting that only increases the handicap of the player rather than making enemies more complex or more satisfying to defeat, it's like a combat is a grind until you finish the fight.
    On the other hand Skyrim made a lot of nice additions to the franchise, like the ability to dual-wield, own a house that you can interact with, blacksmithing, a much better magic system, and a better combat system (that is still plagued with the way you have to just grind at the enemy rather than employing different skills and ways of fighting).
    I hope the next elder scrolls has a much better story, progression, interaction, compatibility and a much more complex class system, and maybe smarter AI and less cheap-difficulty.    … Expand
  96. kobenator24
    Apr 16, 2013
    6
    Awsome world full of exploring and amazing locations filled with boring,anonymous characters (tell me names of 5 your favourite characters).Combat is bad (magical atacks are good but normal nah) it is just about clicking on two buttonts without any strategy preparaton or thinking how to strike.There is so much to do i lost in it. We were talking about Skyrim with my schoolmates and i askedAwsome world full of exploring and amazing locations filled with boring,anonymous characters (tell me names of 5 your favourite characters).Combat is bad (magical atacks are good but normal nah) it is just about clicking on two buttonts without any strategy preparaton or thinking how to strike.There is so much to do i lost in it. We were talking about Skyrim with my schoolmates and i asked who had it like me (played skyrim for days enjoying it and then when i had like 40 quests to do i turned it of because i didnt knew where to go first. There is so much good ideas in this game but i think they need better realizaton on them.… Expand
  97. BudSpencer
    May 15, 2013
    7
    The problem here is not that it´s bad, it´s just that the game isn´t a true RPG. The story is boring and uninteresting, the characters too, the graphics are ugly but they set the landscapes and mountains in a magic scene so the graphics can be described as: weak graphics that let the world look beautiful. The combat gets repetitive, the merchants are useless because all stuff and weaponryThe problem here is not that it´s bad, it´s just that the game isn´t a true RPG. The story is boring and uninteresting, the characters too, the graphics are ugly but they set the landscapes and mountains in a magic scene so the graphics can be described as: weak graphics that let the world look beautiful. The combat gets repetitive, the merchants are useless because all stuff and weaponry you get from chests. The only real good thing in this game is the world and epic feeling. That´s it. Buy Skyrim get blown away by the setting and world and have fun, yeah it´s fun even if it´s a bad RPG. I can recommend the game to everyone who never played RPG´s before and which want an easy to play one, but don´t expect too much. You will see how bad it is, but then you will also love it and play it 100 hrs. Try it out and build your own opinion! The PC Version is superior but unstable. Many people have problems with lags, the system requirements are a lie. You can´t be sure if it´s running or not. Get it for console if you are a casual.… Expand
  98. Pepelinojosefo
    Apr 13, 2013
    5
    No tengo experiencia en escribir criticas, pero aquí va.
    The Elder Scrolls V Skyrim, tenia muchas esperanzas al ver el teaser trailer de este juego, al jugarlo, gaste varias horas, el juego en si es divertido, la libertad que tenes es inimaginable.
    Cosas buenas: Gráficos excepcionales, muy buen estilo de combate, las misiones opcionales son muy divertidas (sobre todo los del gremio de    No tengo experiencia en escribir criticas, pero aquí va.
    The Elder Scrolls V Skyrim, tenia muchas esperanzas al ver el teaser trailer de este juego, al jugarlo, gaste varias horas, el juego en si es divertido, la libertad que tenes es inimaginable.
    Cosas buenas: Gráficos excepcionales, muy buen estilo de combate, las misiones opcionales son muy divertidas (sobre todo los del gremio de los ladrones y The DarkBrotherhood), y varias son mas divertidas que la historia principal del juego. Las ciudad estan muy bien hechas (excepto Markarth)
    Cosas malas: El voice acting es aburrido, es como si los voice actors estaban muy aburrido cuando grababan sus voces para este juego, la historia era bastante mala, muy predecible, muy aburrida, en varios cutscenes me dormía, la inteligencia artificial de los compañeros que te ayudan es muy horrible, se traban con piedras, y encima se mueren de 2 golpes contra una rata de alcantarilla. Subis de nivel extremadamente rápido y el juego no supone ser un desafió, lo jugué directamente en "master" y la verdad no me supuso ninguna dificultad. Los monstruos no cambian su nivel cuando vos subís a medida que juegas al juego. Osea, un día estas en nivel 2 te encentras un Falmer y capaz te da un poco de pelea, pero cuando estas al nivel 10 o mas, lo vences de 1 o 2 golpes. El Sneaking system da miedo, te sorprenderá lo idiotas que son los NPCs al no verte cuando estas al lado de ellos y no te escuchan.
    Otra cosa horrible son las tierras Skyrim, TOOODO pero TOOODO es nieve y nieve y nada mas que nieve, cerca de Whiterun capaz encentras un bosque verde, pero solo cubre como un 5% del mapa. La peleas contra los dragones es horripilante mente fácil (cuando tendría que suponer ser un desafió), las misiones opcionales como la del gremio de los asesinos o incluso las misiones opcionales comunes son muucho mas interesantes que la historia principal del juego. También el oro, el oro es tan pero TAAAN facil de encontrar, que termine con casi 70000 de oro (llegue hasta nivel 54 por cierto), vas a una ruina enana y en cada vasija encontraras como 20 de oro para arriba mínimo. Y una de las cosas que mas me enojo es el conjuro FrostBite, esta muy overpowered, como un poder novice puede llegar a ser tan poderoso como una de las habilidades expertas en Destrucción?.
    Bueno, capaz lo encuentren divertido, pero comparado con su antecesor, este es muy malo, pero le puse 5 porque aunque tenga varias cosas malas, me divierte un poco todavía, no se si recomendarlo, capaz lo disfrutes, pero por poco tiempo...    … Expand
  99. Isengrim
    May 9, 2013
    7
    TES V: Skryim open world fantasy RPG that suck You in more than anything and anyone before.
    Let's talk about the main story of this game... Em... Oh, right, dragons and stuff... yeah. Main story is hardly a strong point of this game. It's all about the exploring and side-quests... and with this Skyrim is damn good. Forget about sleep, forget about food, forget about girlfriend/boyfriend    TES V: Skryim open world fantasy RPG that suck You in more than anything and anyone before.
    Let's talk about the main story of this game... Em... Oh, right, dragons and stuff... yeah. Main story is hardly a strong point of this game. It's all about the exploring and side-quests... and with this Skyrim is damn good. Forget about sleep, forget about food, forget about girlfriend/boyfriend there is another cave to explore!

    Graphics are good but nothing over the top... but who cares, really? This game is clearly not about graphics.

    Soundtrack is good and climatic, gameplay is very enjoyable. This game is damn good.

    Of course is has some minuses: the main storyline is short and it will never be the factor that keeps you playing. Characters are forgettable. There are some bugs here and there but patches are made short work from most of them.

    And also... Mods support will make You play this game more... and more... and more.
    TES V: Skyrim certainly worth having.    … Expand
  100. XXDragoNXX
    Jul 20, 2013
    7
    Ah yes, Skyrim. It`s a good RPG game that you will spend a lot of time on (Played 25 hours, about to start a new playthrough with new DLC). Honestly I liked Oblivion much more then I like Skyrim, I don`t know why. It just feels different. But anyway, if you like RPG games, or are a fan of The Elder Scrolls, definitely pick this game up!
    7..
    If you want all the DLC, and you should get it,    Ah yes, Skyrim. It`s a good RPG game that you will spend a lot of time on (Played 25 hours, about to start a new playthrough with new DLC). Honestly I liked Oblivion much more then I like Skyrim, I don`t know why. It just feels different. But anyway, if you like RPG games, or are a fan of The Elder Scrolls, definitely pick this game up!
    7..
    If you want all the DLC, and you should get it, then pick up the Legendary Edition!    … Expand
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Awards & Rankings

2
#2 Best PC Game of 2011
1
#1 Most Discussed PC Game of 2011
2
#2 Most Shared PC Game of 2011

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
94

Universal acclaim - based on 32 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 32 out of 32
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 32
  3. Negative: 0 out of 32
  1. PC Master (Greece)
    Feb 29, 2012
    90
    Unfortunately, Skyrim trips and falls on its own (most probably, to make the cool-sounding deadline of 11-11-11) and just before it reaches perfection as the ultimate specimen of its genre, it self-destructs in a crucial aspect of game design: the interface and the peripheral components (inventory, journal, map, etc)... but that is not to say that Skyrim is anything but a truly majestic, epic RPG that will suck you right in its cosmos.
    Read full review
  2. Armchair Empire
    Feb 14, 2012
    100
    Skyrim is definitely one of the best games of 2011, but if the DLC holds out, it might just be one of the best games of 2012 as well.
    Read full review
  3. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Jan 19, 2012
    90
    Skyrim is the best open world RPG you can get. A true evolution of genre is not flawless but still it is the game you love to live in. [Christmas 2011]
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