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
Buy Now
Buy on

Review this game

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
view
per page
  1. Artomoz
    Dec 31, 2011
    8
    While The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim does not revolutionize the RPG genre it sure does bring fresh new content to the table. From epic scenery to ferocious dragon battles. The world of Skyrim left more to desire though, wishing for a more ambient and interactive world to explore. Don't get me wrong the world itself and detail of design of this game is amongst the best I've ever seen theseWhile The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim does not revolutionize the RPG genre it sure does bring fresh new content to the table. From epic scenery to ferocious dragon battles. The world of Skyrim left more to desire though, wishing for a more ambient and interactive world to explore. Don't get me wrong the world itself and detail of design of this game is amongst the best I've ever seen these past years. That's the main reason why I did not give this game a 10/10. Lost 1 point for lack of ambiance amongst the world. Exploring the world itself can take time and not to mention playing on "Master" difficulty will add plenty of hours to main quests and side quests. Whilst playing on anything below "Master" will definitely leave you wanting for more since the main quest is a bit short but can be elongated if the difficulty setting is changed. Then again, there are plenty of other quests the game provides you that will keep you busy through months, that is if you're the perfectionist or adventurer type. There are plenty of crafts to master from smithing to enchanting weaponry. I took another point off due to the basic level up system Skyrim has, while there are a variety of options there's not enough to say it is a true RPG leveling system. It follows more of the likes of Dragon Age, which is simplistic and does not really leave room to create unique characters from pures to hybrids. The giants are stronger than dragons debate I can say it is the difficulty level you're playing and the dragon you're fighting. A regular dragon is amongst the easiest, whilst a frost dragon can 1 hit KO the character. Most of these people complaining about the length obviously didn't take the time to change the difficulty setting of the game and just basically rushed through the main story instead of allowing themselves to enjoy this game. There's tons of books scattered around to collect that provide knowledge of certain areas, characters, history, organizations, and ect that can keep you busy reading if you're the person who enjoys expanding you're knowledge about Skyrim. I have to agree with some people stating some side quests left more to desire and that's another reason why I'm not giving this game a 10/10. About glitches and bugs found in Skyrim, we have to understand this is an open world sand box game so expect plenty of bugs and glitches. There's really nothing game breaking other than some words cannot be learned due to a bug on the game but does not necessarily impair you from completing quests.Overall this game is worth the $60.00 for players who are RPG fans. Many people claim this game is repetitive but which game isn't? FPS games = shoot/mission over/ cinematic/ infiltrate shoot/ mission over/ cinematic. That debate loses plenty of credibility fast as this game provides plenty of other options to keep yourself busy and away from monotonous dungeon clearing.… Expand
  2. B0ZZH0GG
    Nov 18, 2011
    10
    Awsome game! It has a few minor issues, but it will blow you away in it's scope. What Bethesda has managed to do here is mindblowing. The amount of interaction you can have with the world they have reated is at times a bit overwhelming. IF you have A.D.D. don't buy it as you will never get anywhere as more and more interesting things to do and explore pop up all over the place. TheAwsome game! It has a few minor issues, but it will blow you away in it's scope. What Bethesda has managed to do here is mindblowing. The amount of interaction you can have with the world they have reated is at times a bit overwhelming. IF you have A.D.D. don't buy it as you will never get anywhere as more and more interesting things to do and explore pop up all over the place. The menu system is perhaps a bit counter intuitive at first, but once you get the hang on selecting with WASD then things smooth out and become natural. Best Game I have played this year, if GotY is not bestowed upon this masterpiece by a reviewer than the contest is rigged because in my mind there is no contest this is the best game in decades.… Expand
  3. DameLCFC
    Nov 15, 2011
    10
    By the 11-11-11 AD, simply the best game ever written, the best story, the best graphics, simply huge playing area.
    I have been gaming for over 25 years since the Atari 2600. Despite the most minor of irratables (worth taking 10 points off by idiots, not worth an entire point in truth) this is as close to perfect as gaming has come this far on this planet!
    A masterpiece, for anyone to    By the 11-11-11 AD, simply the best game ever written, the best story, the best graphics, simply huge playing area.
    I have been gaming for over 25 years since the Atari 2600. Despite the most minor of irratables (worth taking 10 points off by idiots, not worth an entire point in truth) this is as close to perfect as gaming has come this far on this planet!
    A masterpiece, for anyone to enjoy not just hardcore RPG'rs.
    Everyone should buy this game as it IS the new standard all other games will live and die by.
    I    … Expand
  4. Katana
    Nov 12, 2011
    10
    First off: this game is buggy. But hey, this is a game from Bethesda right? All Bethesda games have a few teething troubles at the beginning and we can rely on them being fixed. As an example, I have played about 10 hours now and have had 1 crash that decided to restart my PC, 2 'stuck in dialogue' crashes (which seems to be related to steam overlay when you shift+tab) and one run of theFirst off: this game is buggy. But hey, this is a game from Bethesda right? All Bethesda games have a few teething troubles at the beginning and we can rely on them being fixed. As an example, I have played about 10 hours now and have had 1 crash that decided to restart my PC, 2 'stuck in dialogue' crashes (which seems to be related to steam overlay when you shift+tab) and one run of the mill crash to desktop. I've had worse.

    Now onto the good stuff! Immediately I noticed how modern the UI was and how it was clearly designed around consoles. After a couple of hours though the simple mechanics became completely natural and were easy to use, maybe having such a modern UI isn't the best thing they could have done - given the nature of the game, but strangely it does work.

    Bethesda got a lot of negative feedback after the release of oblivion about the speech system, character models etc, and have clearly made a decent effort to fix it.

    For example, character creation is good, some models have meshes that aren't exactly smooth etc, but generally the models are looking fresh and Bethesda have done a good job improving this since Oblivion.

    Dialogue fits neatly into the game and doesn't pull you away from the immersion anymore.

    Combat is excellent - time your block in less than a second, follow up with your axe, then finish them off with a kick to the chest and an axe in the head. Lovely!

    The best thing about this game: nearly everything has a use. pickaxes and woodcutting axes can be used to mine ore veins and chop firewood, you can smelt the ore to make ingots, kill an elk for its hide, tan it for leather, turn into leather strips then combine with the ingots you made to forge a shiny new sword!

    Overall, what can I say. I'm actually enjoying the game the MORE I play. A very competent and very fun RPG.    … Expand
  5. JackBurton
    Nov 14, 2011
    10
    Amazingly addicted and fun. Massive and gorgeous. My only negative is the controls on the PC can be tricky and take a bit of getting used to. Once you get going after a few hours you hardly notice the controls though and it becomes pretty fluid game play.
  6. TheGamer89
    Nov 30, 2011
    9
    Unbelievable good. Skyrim takes everything that was brilliant about previous Elder Scrolls titles and expands upon them tenfold. This game has pulled me away from all other games until I am happy I have "completed" it. There is no shortage of content and things to do, and 80 hours in I don't even feel like i'm near any sort of end.
  7. Kelz
    Nov 20, 2011
    8
    Skyrim is a really great game, i was on edge at first about whether i was going to buy it or not as i didn't really like oblivion but i'm glad i did it's very fun and very adictive and i'm happy with most of the changes that were made since the last game. One thing that is bad about the game is the UI i mean i can put up with it but it's very annoying with all that unnecesary scrolling andSkyrim is a really great game, i was on edge at first about whether i was going to buy it or not as i didn't really like oblivion but i'm glad i did it's very fun and very adictive and i'm happy with most of the changes that were made since the last game. One thing that is bad about the game is the UI i mean i can put up with it but it's very annoying with all that unnecesary scrolling and wasted space and of course there are a lot of annoying bugs but hopefully they will be sorted out soon. Skyrim is in general a really good game though there are some things that could improve it, there aren't really any interesting characters you can't really interact very much with anyone and there is no character development.… Expand
  8. PidoBear
    Nov 21, 2011
    10
    I represent 'www.BreakMyGame.com'. SKYRIM has been given our hands down! It's a new stepping stone for a new Creation game engine for new titles to come out! Graphics is not to high end and enough to wow players, the score they generated for the game is a step up to give an exact life to the world, an excellent successor and worthy hands-on for new and old players for the series. OverallI represent 'www.BreakMyGame.com'. SKYRIM has been given our hands down! It's a new stepping stone for a new Creation game engine for new titles to come out! Graphics is not to high end and enough to wow players, the score they generated for the game is a step up to give an exact life to the world, an excellent successor and worthy hands-on for new and old players for the series. Overall hour and hours of pure possibilities in how a High Exploring and Story Driven RPG game should be.… Expand
  9. ConnorMcCauley
    Nov 23, 2011
    10
    I have played over a hundred hours of Skyrim if my steam's accounted time spent is anything to go by and after all this I will say, Skyrim is leaps and bounds an improvement over Oblivion and a great successor to its Elderscrolls heritage, the graphics are gorgeous and while not next gen, next gen was never what the developers were going for, they were going for an improvement overI have played over a hundred hours of Skyrim if my steam's accounted time spent is anything to go by and after all this I will say, Skyrim is leaps and bounds an improvement over Oblivion and a great successor to its Elderscrolls heritage, the graphics are gorgeous and while not next gen, next gen was never what the developers were going for, they were going for an improvement over Oblivion which they certainly obtained. While there are some flaws, graphical bugs and a GUI that is oddly taken right out of the console even though it's a game so clearly made for the PC, these are all however relatively minute issues and really amount to nothing more than little annoyances for me and what's more as this is a Bethesda game they are all completely and entirely mod-able and changeable, further the game is leagues more stable than Oblivion or it's spiritual successor Fallout 3, after hours and hours of gameplay I only experienced crash to desktops on rare occassions or occasions where I'd abused alt tabbing.

    I therefore conclude that this game is 'very' deserving of my rating of 10.    … Expand
  10. shot-link
    Nov 25, 2011
    10
    Game is fantastic!! Skyrim is a masterpiece!! pros - fantastic game over all 10/10 for game play and interesting and fun if you play the game with out rushing you have 100+ hours easy !its fantastic and outstanding (I HOPE THERE WORKING ON ALLOT OF DLC AND EXPANSIONS!!!!!) Cant wait!! woulds best single player RPG!!!!!!

    cons - few bugs and a few quests could be longer - using dx9 but    Game is fantastic!! Skyrim is a masterpiece!! pros - fantastic game over all 10/10 for game play and interesting and fun if you play the game with out rushing you have 100+ hours easy !its fantastic and outstanding (I HOPE THERE WORKING ON ALLOT OF DLC AND EXPANSIONS!!!!!) Cant wait!! woulds best single player RPG!!!!!!

    cons - few bugs and a few quests could be longer - using dx9
    but they say future patches will fix bugs and dx11 update sounds promising!

    Random answer for some people for problems with with favorites well u can quickly switch them with pressing "Q" hover over the item with the mouse and press a number ( 1 - 9 ) =D done!    … Expand
  11. Appleman
    Nov 25, 2011
    10
    A lot of reviews seem to be from people having issues with bugs (graphical or otherwise). Let me start off by saying these reviews do not represent the majority by any means. I've discussed Skyrim in real life with 8 of my friends thus far. All 9 of us, myself included, have had no issues. I bought Skyrim pre-release off Steam and started playing 25 minutes after midnight. I expected quiteA lot of reviews seem to be from people having issues with bugs (graphical or otherwise). Let me start off by saying these reviews do not represent the majority by any means. I've discussed Skyrim in real life with 8 of my friends thus far. All 9 of us, myself included, have had no issues. I bought Skyrim pre-release off Steam and started playing 25 minutes after midnight. I expected quite a few bugs to be present for the first two weeks or so. That was not the case. I've spent 198 in-game days thus far and have only encountered one quest-breaking bug, which I was able to fix myself with the console. If you don't like using the console, Bethesda will send out a patch to address such issues. The PC controls are confusing at first, but so far other reviews have been over-exaggerating. Play the game for three hours or so and you'll have the controls down no problem. If you're too set in your ways to get used to new controls, then Skyrim allows you to change them. That being said, you need an external mouse. Playing Skyrim on a laptop without an external mouse is too awkward; although, that's the case with a lot of games these days.

    Another common issue seems to be the menus. There are a few issues in that area. Navigating the perk tree is awkward using the arrows; however, if you use the mouse there really isn't any issue. Navigating the main menu, especially if you wish to see "General Stats" is downright impossible without the mouse. You aren't able to see item stats (weight, cost, etc) without first selecting the item. Items aren't at all organized in containers, such as chests. I believe Fallout 3 did a better job of the trading-with-NPCs screen. Overall they could be better, but there aren't any deal-breaking issues. Personally, I actually like spending time going through everything I've collected. "Ooo I didn't notice I collected such-and-such item! Cool!"

    I could go on and on about stuff other people have said, but instead I'll keep this short and end by saying overall Oblivion was a great game. Skyrim is even better. The only score that makes sense is 10/10.    … Expand
  12. davoid15
    Dec 4, 2011
    8
    While there are certainly RPG elements, I would hesitate to call this a true RPG. Not that it is a bad game by any means, but fans of Fallout 3, New Vegas, Oblivion, or Morrowind may feel they are missing depth. The quests are fun, and the combat is intuitive. Magic scales poorly, however. Overall, a very fun game, but almost brainless compared to more full bodied RPG's.
  13. svush
    Dec 6, 2011
    10
    its awesome. rich, huge and fun. the best elder scrolls so far. over 300 hours of game play. the best rpg game ever made. and on the top 3 of the best games ever made. in my opinion. buy it!!
  14. Knobaroo
    Dec 7, 2011
    8
    I would be traversing the wilds of Skyrim right now, however I took an arrow in the knee so must sit and write about what I have learned.
    First off, This game is in no way deserving of a 10! So many bugs. (long list, you can look they up as you come across them..... yeah you are not the first to have that happen) some you can work around, some that make you just drop a certain quest line.    I would be traversing the wilds of Skyrim right now, however I took an arrow in the knee so must sit and write about what I have learned.
    First off, This game is in no way deserving of a 10! So many bugs. (long list, you can look they up as you come across them..... yeah you are not the first to have that happen) some you can work around, some that make you just drop a certain quest line. (Saarthal the 6 pillarstones simply wont work for me..... cannot go any further. No workaround that I can find, previous saves don't clear up the issue)
    Do I expect it to be bug free? Would not dream of it. As a matter of fact, because it it a Bethesda game, I expect it, and would for some strange reason give it absolution from the rules of ratings. The price of this absolution is the highest score a gold Bethesda release can ever get is a 9. You know it needs patched even before you install it.

    Sights and sounds are amazing. This is the ultimate "Whats over the next hill" game. Graphics and textures seem to be held back to accommodate our uhh...... not quite up to speed, distant relatives on the console side of the family, but work nicely and set me into a fine state of immersion. So just a small hit here. (took me 2 hours to get sound to work, Bethesda logo war drums nothing. Was playing with headphones. Updated all drivers ya-da, ya-da, ya-da.... set audio from headphones to surround sound and fixed!)

    Lets talk Gravity for a moment. Although this game feels less "floaty" then last efforts, this bugs me more then all other Bethesda traits. Sneak your way through a cave and walk over a skull. It flies across the room like you kicked it with all your might.
    All this vertical terrine and I can just run down most steep cliffs without any fear of falling to my death. About the only time gravity kicks in is when I'm running up hill and get caught on a 6 inch lip in the hillside. I guess all those $$$$$ make them float around the office, and they perceive gravity a little different.
    That's my biggest pet peeve against Bethesda games. Big minus in the score column.

    All and all, at the end of the day I have a lot of fun, and would say that there are lots of adventures awaiting. 30 some hours into it, and I feel like I have just nicked the surface. Weighing good vs bad with this game is unlike most games ratings. It's more like your personal tolerance meter then a score. Some company's put out a 6 hour game today for the same price. I feel that I will not find most of the bugs before they are fixed, and I'll be playing this game for a long while. So I give the game an 8.5. This is the sum of the overall value to me. It is a lot of entertainment for the money, and the good outshines its unsightly blemishes.    … Expand
  15. JonnyZ
    Dec 9, 2011
    10
    Love the Game, absolutely positively the best game I've played ever. Loved Morrowind when i came out, Loved Oblivion when it came out too. Skyrim is amazing and it can only get better. I understand people's reasons for hating the game as it does have flaws but some people are incapable of looking past any negative aspects of any game. Graphics are beautiful, although more voice actorsLove the Game, absolutely positively the best game I've played ever. Loved Morrowind when i came out, Loved Oblivion when it came out too. Skyrim is amazing and it can only get better. I understand people's reasons for hating the game as it does have flaws but some people are incapable of looking past any negative aspects of any game. Graphics are beautiful, although more voice actors would be nice. Story is Good. Not amazing but it falls in line with all the previous games. More or less. I bought it for 360 but i intend to purchase it on Steam very soon. As soon as i finish upgrading my computer. So bottom line, Game is amazing, even if you have never played any of the previous games it could easily become one of your favorite games. Obvious choice for Game of the Year on all platforms.… Expand
  16. silversun
    Dec 11, 2011
    10
    THE best game out there right now- possibly ever made. For how much playing time you get it is well worth the price and whatever bugs are happening. Truth is- bugs will get fixed, and mods and patches will be made. It's only going to get better. So you better jump on the skyrim train to tamriel because this game is great for everyone. If you hate fighting badass creatures and adventuringTHE best game out there right now- possibly ever made. For how much playing time you get it is well worth the price and whatever bugs are happening. Truth is- bugs will get fixed, and mods and patches will be made. It's only going to get better. So you better jump on the skyrim train to tamriel because this game is great for everyone. If you hate fighting badass creatures and adventuring for treasure, you can sit in Whiterun and smith to level 40 :)… Expand
  17. Realtwitchy
    Dec 15, 2011
    10
    Simple the best game I have played since Oblivion was release. I have not had any major issues and I pre-ordered and have been playing since release. That said, there were minor graphics issues that were fixed with the first patch and that patch did create some minor in game bugs that should be easy to patch. However if they made the game this much more awesome then Oblivion I cant waitSimple the best game I have played since Oblivion was release. I have not had any major issues and I pre-ordered and have been playing since release. That said, there were minor graphics issues that were fixed with the first patch and that patch did create some minor in game bugs that should be easy to patch. However if they made the game this much more awesome then Oblivion I cant wait til the construction set gets released so the modding Com can start working and the next expansion WOOO HOOO… Expand
  18. MrHabadasher
    Dec 16, 2011
    10
    Depsite certain nostalgic critics, Skyrim is the best Elder Scrolls game to date. It has the same in depth, complex RPG gaming that TES games have always had, with some slight (welcome) modifications, but a more visceral combat experience. Glitches are a problem, but no more so than Oblivion suffered on release, and the glitches are slowly being patched.
    My favorite game of all time.    Depsite certain nostalgic critics, Skyrim is the best Elder Scrolls game to date. It has the same in depth, complex RPG gaming that TES games have always had, with some slight (welcome) modifications, but a more visceral combat experience. Glitches are a problem, but no more so than Oblivion suffered on release, and the glitches are slowly being patched.
    My favorite game of all time. Seriously, this is RPG gaming at its finest.    … Expand
  19. LynchSimon
    Dec 18, 2011
    10
    The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim is simply one of the greatest single player games of all time! The graphics are absolutely astounding in every aspect. The gameplay is incredible. You really do feel like your apart of the story and that it's up to you to make the decision at the right times. There are some very minor flaws with this game but i stress only minor, plus what game is perfect?The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim is simply one of the greatest single player games of all time! The graphics are absolutely astounding in every aspect. The gameplay is incredible. You really do feel like your apart of the story and that it's up to you to make the decision at the right times. There are some very minor flaws with this game but i stress only minor, plus what game is perfect? Some of the very few flaws with this game, and other Bethesda games is the Save system. The seem to follow the old school save system where the "auto save" feature for this game is very scarce and you must remember to save the game manually before entering specific areas or you'll find yourself 30 minutes behind should you be slane. Another old school errer which they make is the invisible barrier. Personally I thought that this feature would have been made obsolete. Clearly not the case but it does exist within the game. Moving onto positives tho, the thought of fighting a dragon 1 vs 1 would generally frighten people, but in Skyrim you really do crave the opportunity battling with them and also giants with their humerous "pet Mammoths" as I like to call them. There is so much to do in Skyrim I wot spoil anything for you now but if ther is ANY game that you buy this year, i emplore you, PLEASE buy Skyrim, you will not be disappointed!… Expand
  20. Herpedus
    Dec 19, 2011
    10
    After 100 hours of Skyrim I have to say that Bethesda Softworks has made a big leap with Skyrim. It has ALOT of content ingame. There's alot of things to do. You can explore dungeons, do quests, join guilds, master your skills and even try to kill everyone in the world.
    The sidequests are good, but guild quests aren't so good. (Possible spoiler alert!!) Like in Mage guild, there wasn't    After 100 hours of Skyrim I have to say that Bethesda Softworks has made a big leap with Skyrim. It has ALOT of content ingame. There's alot of things to do. You can explore dungeons, do quests, join guilds, master your skills and even try to kill everyone in the world.
    The sidequests are good, but guild quests aren't so good. (Possible spoiler alert!!) Like in Mage guild, there wasn't much time as a pupil. In oblivion you had to do quests to gain ranks and when you were high ranked enough, the "main" part of the questline starts. In Skyrim, you sign up as a pupil to the guild, but after 2 quests you're already on way to become the archmage. There isn't a feeling of progress, it's pretty disappointing.
    The holds (cities) are very interesting. Maybe the first hold you'll see is Whiterun. The first time I got there, I was amazed by the views, there's great mountains close by and they're veeery nice looking. Sometimes you just go somewhere just to see the nice scenery of Skyrim.
    Even though Skyrim has glitches, I haven't encountered glitches that would ruin my game experience. All the glitches that I encountered were rather funny! Like a mammoth dropping from the sky or giant hitting you to the skies.
    The combat is alot better than Oblivions. They could have done it better, but it doesn't care so much.
    So I have played Skyrim for 100 hours now and there's still pretty much to do. Just gotta do quests before the Construction Set (the same program that dev's used to make Skyrim) comes out, which means that everyone can make their own mods easily.
    Overall Skyrim is a great game! I have always loved Elder Scrolls and always will. If you have PC and console, buy it on PC. PC has mods, consoles doesn't.    … Expand
  21. Ztride
    Jan 20, 2012
    8
    A fun game with lots of things to do. However, the world doesn't feel very immersive mainly due to the ai. People you just spoke with will forget you in an instant and tell you something generic, such as they took an arrow to the knee or that you shouldn't steal from them. Combat is dull and ultimately depends on the number of health potions you've brought or the level of your stats. FastA fun game with lots of things to do. However, the world doesn't feel very immersive mainly due to the ai. People you just spoke with will forget you in an instant and tell you something generic, such as they took an arrow to the knee or that you shouldn't steal from them. Combat is dull and ultimately depends on the number of health potions you've brought or the level of your stats. Fast travel removes the excitement of exploration, but traveling is ineffective if you don't use it. Dispite having the choice of compainions, the world feels really lonely and there isn't really any characters with a lot of personality (especially guards). It still gets a 8 out of 10 because of the sheer amount of content.… Expand
  22. Panisher99
    Dec 29, 2011
    10
    It is one of the best games in which I played! Skirim simply bomb in series The elder scrolls! World research gives unknown pleasure, the world lives! Certainly there are some bugs, but with patches they are gradually corrected! Manually fulfilled vaults, a drawing, all in this game is ideal. Magnificence Skirim can be compared only to magnificence Oblivion in due time!!
  23. foxes
    Jan 7, 2012
    10
    Has passed all for 150 hours, there was a pair of not working quests, and desire to find still something interesting, especially wasn't picked much. Despite that what to complete it it is possible indefinitely, game beautiful enough and thought over.
  24. ChemicalBR0
    Jan 18, 2012
    8
    with 212 hours spent on this game (2 playthroughs) its gonna be pretty obvious that I love it.
    (i'm playing with a 360 controller) I agree with the people who say the pc control system is terrible.
    I tried keyboard and mouse for the first hour or so and it was a chore to say the least. bethesda should be ashamed. it was pc gamers who put them where they are today yet they fail to do any    with 212 hours spent on this game (2 playthroughs) its gonna be pretty obvious that I love it.
    (i'm playing with a 360 controller) I agree with the people who say the pc control system is terrible.
    I tried keyboard and mouse for the first hour or so and it was a chore to say the least.

    bethesda should be ashamed. it was pc gamers who put them where they are today yet they fail to do any optimization of the interface for us loyal pc gamers. however it is a fantastic game, there is so much you can do. the fact that you can level yourself up and make weapons and armour that are better than what you can find in the game is a BIG bonus if you ask me and not as others have stated a flaw. you get a great sense of achievement when you wipe out a team of enemies with weapons you have crafted yourself.

    the game is not without its flaws. the wooden npc's spouting the same lines over and over becomes a bit annoying, the fact that you can't craft an amazing bow but you can't make arrows to go with it, the sometimes dodgy animation. the swordplay isn't that great either, but seeing as i tend to play as a sneaky archer it doesn't really bother me.

    it won't be a game for everybody, if you like your action thick and fast stay away as there is a lot of exploring to be done where not much happens other than the odd bear or wolf attacking you.
    in this day and age of the average game lasting 8-10 hours and you ending up feeling ripped off, skyrim has the depth to keep you entertained for hundreds of hours
    you need to invest a lot of time in skyrim to get the best from it.
    you get a hell of a lot of game for your money.    … Expand
  25. tamazetram
    Feb 17, 2012
    8
    part of me hates the game now but after 300 hours i guess i would be getting bored of almost anything!some great missions,especially with the side quests,main story is pretty bland but never really been an elder scrolls strong point anyway,it is very easy unfortunately which is why i am deducting 2 points,i have had to restart several times-all because once you've levelled up a bit it'spart of me hates the game now but after 300 hours i guess i would be getting bored of almost anything!some great missions,especially with the side quests,main story is pretty bland but never really been an elder scrolls strong point anyway,it is very easy unfortunately which is why i am deducting 2 points,i have had to restart several times-all because once you've levelled up a bit it's far too easy.even on master difficulty i found around level 30(you can level to 81)you are fairly invincible,apart from against mages for some reason.all in all a great game let down by lack of difficulty… Expand
  26. wood431
    Mar 29, 2012
    8
    I have never played an RPG before this game. The concept put me off. However, this game has provided me with an immersive world that is beautifully created. The quests are diverse and fun at the same time, and the mods available on the Steam workshop create a fully customisable game that I have taken full advantage of. The only downside is sometimes I may get a little bored and frustratedI have never played an RPG before this game. The concept put me off. However, this game has provided me with an immersive world that is beautifully created. The quests are diverse and fun at the same time, and the mods available on the Steam workshop create a fully customisable game that I have taken full advantage of. The only downside is sometimes I may get a little bored and frustrated with some of the NPC's predictable quests, and there are a lot of bugs (although that's to be expected for such a huge world.) I'm giving this an eight because it is not the perfect game, but it is a well deserved eight at that.… Expand
  27. Rodnix
    May 17, 2012
    9
    Its a mixed feeling really, the game graphics and physics, terrain access, the lighting and shadows!! It truly remarkable... You can see the amount of work put into making this game. But, somehow when you start the game, you feel let down, by the console like transfers/selection, you wanted a prehistoric book like feel and it wasn't there... and as you level up you somehow feel that youIts a mixed feeling really, the game graphics and physics, terrain access, the lighting and shadows!! It truly remarkable... You can see the amount of work put into making this game. But, somehow when you start the game, you feel let down, by the console like transfers/selection, you wanted a prehistoric book like feel and it wasn't there... and as you level up you somehow feel that you can't make that tiny variation in your skills, without the attributes that you normally have in all Elder Scroll Games prior to Skyrim... And the popular saying is, "its been dumbed down".

    But then you play for 5 hours... And you get used to it! Slowly you start liking the sheer amount of content! And with the creation kit launched... The variations with the number of people willing to put in dedicated amount of work hours to take the game to a whole new level! I guess its something like reading LOTR, you start with the dreary old patterns, where all the descriptions really gets to you. until it sticks to you! And then you will be in the virtual world for a lot more time that you actually thought you would spend. And you will end up like me, when i was adamant that i would not rate it more than 7... i've already marked it to 9. The more you play the more you want to play. three cheers to the Modders though! 9 on 10    … Expand
  28. Mudgee
    Nov 20, 2014
    10
    Quite possibly the greatest game of all time. Well, it's definitely up there for me. Every single thing about this game is outstanding, and continues to grow via PC still to this day with more mods then sense. Buggy, yes. A true Bethesda quality when it comes to ES games. One flaw aside, I cannot fathom how much time I put into this game and still do. 3 years on and still discoveringQuite possibly the greatest game of all time. Well, it's definitely up there for me. Every single thing about this game is outstanding, and continues to grow via PC still to this day with more mods then sense. Buggy, yes. A true Bethesda quality when it comes to ES games. One flaw aside, I cannot fathom how much time I put into this game and still do. 3 years on and still discovering quests. When you get a perfect round the board score like this in every category, it's difficult to critique. 10/10
    I've never been more involved and immersed in a such a top quality masterpiece.    … Expand
  29. demondred79
    Dec 6, 2014
    10
    I never give a 10 score out but this one is deserving. After 400 hours of play and a constant urge to replay over and over again.....what's not to like. There are too many reviews to waste my time adding a 5000 character review so I'll jump to what matters:
    Bethesda.....please make an inventory system that doesn't suck. Make SkyUI part of your future games. Your welcome!
  30. eialici
    Sep 12, 2015
    9
    Skyrim has a level of immersion to it not seen in many games that came before it. The map is huge as are the places to visit and the characters to interact with. Thanks to a huge community you can mod virtually anything and everything about the game. You think of it and someone made a mod for it.

    the game is 4 years old now but due to its community hold its own against todays graphic    Skyrim has a level of immersion to it not seen in many games that came before it. The map is huge as are the places to visit and the characters to interact with. Thanks to a huge community you can mod virtually anything and everything about the game. You think of it and someone made a mod for it.

    the game is 4 years old now but due to its community hold its own against todays graphic standards.

    Overall a great game.    … Expand
  31. SkyrimGuy935
    Dec 7, 2014
    10
    As you can tell by my username, I freaking love this game. It's arguably my favorite game ever. I'm not even in to RPGs that much, but this game is just incredible. To explain why would take WAY more than what a metacritic review allows, but I'll try to get a few reasons. The hack-and-slash gameplay is downright fun and definitely addicting, and character leveling works perfectly, andAs you can tell by my username, I freaking love this game. It's arguably my favorite game ever. I'm not even in to RPGs that much, but this game is just incredible. To explain why would take WAY more than what a metacritic review allows, but I'll try to get a few reasons. The hack-and-slash gameplay is downright fun and definitely addicting, and character leveling works perfectly, and the story, while it may seem somewhat unoriginal, is still intriguing. However, you may not even get to playing the main story considering there are HUNDREDS of well thought-out side quests. Just be sure to get the definitive version on PC, where with the help of mods, this game becomes a truly timeless classic.… Expand
  32. jelikey
    Sep 10, 2015
    8
    Deep, with a fascinating Lore, immense world to explore and amazing graphics for his era, it's not one of the best rpg games, but of all time. Go deep in Skyrim, you will not be regretful!
  33. Odogreviews
    Dec 6, 2014
    10
    Skyrim is the best game ever. The graphics are beautiful and so is the soundtrack. The combat system allows you to play what ever play style fits you best. You can shoot fire out of your left hand and attack with your sword on your right. This is a must buy game. BUY IT!!!!
  34. Desdicado
    Jan 23, 2012
    8
    Ok first thing to tell you is that I have finished this game, all the major quest lines and am starting my second play thru, this time as a mage, rather than melee shield combo. This is a very good game, with some pretty major irritants. Ok, what's good, the main quest lines are well done, the world is huge and looks pretty good (thanks to mods) it has that "just one more quest" feelingOk first thing to tell you is that I have finished this game, all the major quest lines and am starting my second play thru, this time as a mage, rather than melee shield combo. This is a very good game, with some pretty major irritants. Ok, what's good, the main quest lines are well done, the world is huge and looks pretty good (thanks to mods) it has that "just one more quest" feeling that will keep you up to 2am and mods add to it all the time, lightsabres? yes please. Ok, so what is not good, too many draughar, are those the only enemies? it seems like it too often. Too many bandits, I would have liked much more enemy variety. Loot, any stuff you find is generally only useful at low levels, even the Daedric artifacts and unique items are no good, you can craft better items yourself. You basically collect money to no good purpose as all I ever bought were crafting supplies. The townsfolk, bethesda seem to have hired 4 voice actors for the whole game, James Hetfield, another guy, a norwegian female and another woman, that's it. And they all spout the same line again and again "EVERYTHING'S for sale!" etc
    People don't look great but mods help this. I also HATED that they'd dumbed down the RPG element of the game by removing stats and streamlining skills. Anyway, I will probably play it thru again, so it must be good, but it could have been better!    … Expand
  35. seandewar5
    Jan 14, 2012
    8
    The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, what an amazing game!

    Skyrim offers an amazingly large free-to-roam world in which many items, quests, monsters and dragons can be found. The game's impressive story-line, life-like characters and action-packed quests definitely make it one of the best games of 2011 - 2012. The only flaws I could see with the game is the fact that the dragon battles can get    The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, what an amazing game!

    Skyrim offers an amazingly large free-to-roam world in which many items, quests, monsters and dragons can be found. The game's impressive story-line, life-like characters and action-packed quests definitely make it one of the best games of 2011 - 2012.

    The only flaws I could see with the game is the fact that the dragon battles can get repetitive, as they tend to repeat the same actions over again and that a lot of glitches are present in this game, which may actually prevent the player from completing a quest, or may just be minor.

    Other than that, this game is amazing! 8!    … Expand
  36. Ultan
    Nov 16, 2011
    9
    First impression was very good, game did not crash for 10 hours playing and was stable. After the next day the game started to get crashes to desktop and lag issues. For this reason i give it a 9. The game has improved alot from the other games, graphics and story wise and the fun factor in combat. Alot of detail in the melee department, able to chop of heads and stab mobs inFirst impression was very good, game did not crash for 10 hours playing and was stable. After the next day the game started to get crashes to desktop and lag issues. For this reason i give it a 9. The game has improved alot from the other games, graphics and story wise and the fun factor in combat. Alot of detail in the melee department, able to chop of heads and stab mobs in fun/interesting ways. Some extra fun with casters on how magic is used, able to duel wield and combine magic with interesting magical effects. The world itself is just breath taking, from the night sky to the lush trees and grass you walk on. Very well done in this area. Dungeon traps are fun and make you jump unexpectedly and add a twist of fear when exploring them. Characters models did improve from the last game and from reading the reviews with some people here, i think they just expect alot more or too much now days.… Expand
  37. DoctorFox
    Nov 14, 2011
    9
    An overwhelmingly wonderful installment to the Elder Scrolls series. While playing, the player will delve into stunning graphics, engaging quests and relationships, incredible architecture, and a refined combat system built to impress. This is not to say that there were no issues, as there were. NPCs move strangely, voices don't always line up with mouth movements, and crashes to desktopAn overwhelmingly wonderful installment to the Elder Scrolls series. While playing, the player will delve into stunning graphics, engaging quests and relationships, incredible architecture, and a refined combat system built to impress. This is not to say that there were no issues, as there were. NPCs move strangely, voices don't always line up with mouth movements, and crashes to desktop happen. As it has become the industry norm to release unrefined games, Skyrim is no exception. However, it is one of the best unrefined games released to date. 9/10… Expand
  38. Naiboss
    Nov 15, 2011
    9
    Having racked up hundreds of hours of gameplay in both Morrowind and Oblivion I was looking forward to the release of a new Elder Scrolls game. However, as the release date got closer and they still weren't really talking about the PC version of the game, I started to get a little nervous. When the game turned up, I found that the result was mostly good...

    The game itself, is fantastic.    Having racked up hundreds of hours of gameplay in both Morrowind and Oblivion I was looking forward to the release of a new Elder Scrolls game. However, as the release date got closer and they still weren't really talking about the PC version of the game, I started to get a little nervous. When the game turned up, I found that the result was mostly good...

    The game itself, is fantastic. The world is huge and amazingly detailed. And, while you still get a fair amount of repeated dialogue from passing NPCs, it's not nearly as bad as Oblivion. The locations are quite varied and the levels of the enemies are far more balanced... you'll still run into the odd low level bandit in the higher levels while giants will continue to squish you for looking at them funny from level 1 till quite a way into the game (they're tougher than dragons!).

    This is probably the first Elder Scrolls game, since Daggerfall, that I've actually WANTED to do more of the main quest! I've played Oblivion for over 200 hours and still haven't got round to doing the main quest. In fact the choices of quests can sometimes be a little overwhelming. This is certainly a game that intends to give you value for money.

    Sadly, the PC version doesn't really take advantage of the platform. It's still a DirectX 9 game, so no advanced graphics features and it's still restricted to using 2Gb of RAM (although this can be 'fixed' with a mod). The UI is less that perfect, requiring a lot of necessary scrolling and clicking to find out some of the most basic information (although I rather liked the new skill page... I know a lot of people don't). It doesn't help that mouse location and clicks within the menu tend to be a little hit and miss as well. Is it something that will stop be recommending the game? No, definitely not, but it needs mentioning. Also.... press to exit out of containers (or click on the very left of the screen)... a somewhat annoying 'feature' that seems to have caught a few people out. No idea why they didn't allow to be used as well.

    Already the mod scene is hard at work creating even better textures and improvements to Skyrim. Hopefully, once Bethesda release a couple of patches (and maybe a DirectX 11 update to really take advantage of the PC) it'll be worth 10 out of 10. Either way... buy it!    … Expand
  39. 1010101
    Nov 22, 2011
    10
    Wow! This is a fantastic game, and there's so much content! The quests are entertaining, the world is beautiful, what more could you ask for? I honestly think I'll need to play the game 2-3 times in order to experience all of the content.
  40. KeirDevou
    Jan 10, 2012
    10
    People who say this game isn't full of choices and awesome character customization and a fantastic story line with in depth quests dont know the first thing about videogames. This game rules, anyone who doesn't think so is an idiot. No I'm not being ignorant
  41. wm4l
    Nov 26, 2011
    10
    Å
  42. DMuhny
    Nov 30, 2011
    10
    Beautiful world. Excellent graphics. Exhilarating combat. Overall, this game is simply a 10/10.
  43. saffers
    Jan 19, 2012
    10
    Besides a few glitches that don't usually alter the main experience to much, skyrim is the best RPG I have ever played combining all the good things of The Elder Scrolls Series.
  44. MasterT
    Nov 15, 2011
    9
    The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is another great addition to the serie. It is everything a fan would expect. The story is incredible, the lenght of the game is awesome, you have plenty side-missions and you are left with a lot of different ways to play the game. The 2 main problems why this game doesn't deserve a 10 are the fact that the graphics are way out-dated, they look just likeThe Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is another great addition to the serie. It is everything a fan would expect. The story is incredible, the lenght of the game is awesome, you have plenty side-missions and you are left with a lot of different ways to play the game. The 2 main problems why this game doesn't deserve a 10 are the fact that the graphics are way out-dated, they look just like Oblivion. It sucks that games nowadays are stuck having to develop with 5yo consoles. I think they should've done what bf3 did which is make the game on PC with ultra graphs possibilities and release an xbox/ps3 version which can run only at medium graphs. The second thing is the skill tree really isnt computer friendly, we can clearly see that it was made for console and it sucks. Of course there's also a few minor bugs, but nothing that will ruin your gaming experience. Overall this is a must buy for any rpg fans and even for people who never played any Elder Scrolls!… Expand
  45. Picklez
    Nov 21, 2011
    8
    This is comming from someone whos played like 3 hours of the game. Although I can safely say ill will be playing at least another 10 without getting bored. Graphics look well maybe not astonishing, its no crysis although the effects for weather are quite nice to look at. If im gonna be honest character creation is good enough for me at least some more body shape and hairstyle options couldThis is comming from someone whos played like 3 hours of the game. Although I can safely say ill will be playing at least another 10 without getting bored. Graphics look well maybe not astonishing, its no crysis although the effects for weather are quite nice to look at. If im gonna be honest character creation is good enough for me at least some more body shape and hairstyle options could be lovely although i cannot ask for allot more. The gameplay itself is good fun. Walking tends to get annoying but its not too extreme and wont really throw you off. I wish the choice of weoponry was a little bit more broad (im talking about the first couple of hours) Gave it an 8 instead of a nine as it reminded me too much of Fallout.… Expand
  46. ThaWiz77
    Nov 12, 2011
    9
    The world of Skyrim is huge. The graphics are truly amazing. The gameplay is great. This is really worth your money if you love role playing games! I understand that some long-time Elder Scrolls fans might be a bit disappointed with some of the aspects of the game though. Its complexity has been somewhat scaled down to fit the console crowd and casual gamer better. But overall I'm notThe world of Skyrim is huge. The graphics are truly amazing. The gameplay is great. This is really worth your money if you love role playing games! I understand that some long-time Elder Scrolls fans might be a bit disappointed with some of the aspects of the game though. Its complexity has been somewhat scaled down to fit the console crowd and casual gamer better. But overall I'm not personally bothered with that. The game is still immersive and fun, and it's got all the bells and whistles a true role playing game should have. I have shaved one point off my score (from a 10 to a 9) simply because of the few but noticable bugs in the game. Don't worry though, they don't spoil the enjoyment of this fantastic game.… Expand
  47. Guitarclassic
    Nov 13, 2011
    9
    Let me begin by saying that I love open-world games. I wasn't a huge fan of Oblivion though, I much prefer Gothic 2 and 3 and Risen. This is my first review, and I feel compelled to write it because in the span of two or three hours I became hooked by Skyrim. The experience began very weak in my opinion, partially because of the way it was delivered and partially because my NVidiaLet me begin by saying that I love open-world games. I wasn't a huge fan of Oblivion though, I much prefer Gothic 2 and 3 and Risen. This is my first review, and I feel compelled to write it because in the span of two or three hours I became hooked by Skyrim. The experience began very weak in my opinion, partially because of the way it was delivered and partially because my NVidia drivers weren't up to date so I was getting a strobe effect with sky shadows. Having resolved the graphics issue with the latest drivers and turning down my monitor contrast, I found a beautifully rendered world with many immersive atmospheric touches. I restarted the game from the beginning and chose this time to follow the convict/rebel out of the burning settlement... much more interesting path. Many WOW moments since then, largely to do with the world itself.

    Skyrim receives a 9 from me because the UI did take some time to get used to... since I'm left-handed, I remapped some keys and got stuck over-encumbered and unable to drop anything. That took a while to figure out... and just getting out of books and maps etc. seems counter-intuitive and I still occasionally get stumped. Graphically there are some ugly textures as many have mentioned but the overall effect is quite nice, particularly the water rendering. I have had no crashes in my eight hours of play. I'm only at level 4 (I like to take my time) so time will tell but I'm anything but bored at the moment. On the one hand I can't seem to get enough, yet part of me worries that this will eat into my real life. That fact alone tells me that this is a powerful game.    … Expand
  48. Waddles
    Nov 15, 2011
    9
    Its the next elder scrolls game. so what do you expect? does it feel like the others? gamplay wise yes, not a bad thing. Lore and setting no, its all feels fresh and new. and being set 200 years after TES 4 there are alot of nice lore tid bits for fans who got in to the story. The land of skyrim its self is massive, its what you expect from bethesda. the faction quests and man story arcsIts the next elder scrolls game. so what do you expect? does it feel like the others? gamplay wise yes, not a bad thing. Lore and setting no, its all feels fresh and new. and being set 200 years after TES 4 there are alot of nice lore tid bits for fans who got in to the story. The land of skyrim its self is massive, its what you expect from bethesda. the faction quests and man story arcs are tight and much more story driven that in previous Elder Scrolls games and the world is littered with dungons that promote exploration while on other tasks. if anything the content is overwhelming. the Npc's are simple but feel some what genuine. you realy feel these people are strong and vikeing like but not uniform in there personalities. The PC interface is clunky to say the least. while the "Q" quick change menu would work for a few things. there are to many things (even worse if you play a mage type) such as shouts, wepons, potions, etc. you want to use. And while you can key bind things for most of the game when gear or item rewards are failrly constent and ungrades frequent its more trouble than its worth. a breif text pop up out of sight at the top left of your screen is the only warning you get if your character is in realy harm from spells or effects. otherwise you need to constent cheek your "active effects" tab... in your magic tab... in your overall menu tab... by pressing tab. on the bright side inventory is still 'i'?

    then you have the famous bethesda launch bugs. Alot of people are dealing with memory leak issues that is causeing crash to desktop issues and vanishing textures. Bodies with floating eyes and teeth now haunt my dreams. and to play through a major event with one of the characters as a purple skinless mesh was a little sad.

    So why a 9? well.. 8.5 isn't posable. and if the launch bugs were fixed this game would be a solid 9 - 9.5 yes it has issues, but nothing that stops the game elements of this game from being the most fun and rewarding elder scrolls to date. and hopefully once a few of these issues are fixed it could deserve the 9.5 I would want to give it.    … Expand
  49. LeMort
    Nov 16, 2011
    9
    There should have been an option to give 9.8.
    That's what the game deserves. It Ain't perfect, so a 10 is out a place, but 9 is to low. Know what I mean? No?
    Ok, I'm a sucker for non-linearity. This game IS non-linear. In all it's extend. I have 2 char's. One (18hours of play) that inbetween does a bit main-quest. And another character that just gives a sh*t about any main-quest, just    There should have been an option to give 9.8.
    That's what the game deserves. It Ain't perfect, so a 10 is out a place, but 9 is to low. Know what I mean? No?

    Ok, I'm a sucker for non-linearity. This game IS non-linear. In all it's extend. I have 2 char's. One (18hours of play) that inbetween does a bit main-quest.
    And another character that just gives a sh*t about any main-quest, just fooling around.

    That is the beauty of this game, I caught myself, yesterday, in playing for several hours not doing one single quest! I just ran around exploring, and had a hell of a time!

    Now that says something.

    To all those whiners that trolls any board around, get a grip will ya?
    This game is NOT bad, there is no way anyone can call it bad. Why? because it is freakin' good, and if you don't agree, well this wasn't a game for you.
    That's bad (especially for you, if you paid for this) but the game is not bad. No way.

    giving zero?
    You know what criteria lies down to give a zero? The game won't start. it doesn't exists. It fails to be released.
    If it has been released and starts, even just for a bit, it's worth more than 0.

    Just my two cents
    M:)    … Expand
  50. Hazard
    Nov 22, 2011
    8
    Skyrim is an excellent game and probably one of the best of the year. It has fun and addictive game play beautiful scenery and graphics fun and rewarding quest lines and it has improved in leaps and bounds upon its already legendary predecessors. 

    Any game however is far from perfect and Skyrim has some major flaws to boast as well.  The first and most glaring flaw    Skyrim is an excellent game and probably one of the best of the year. It has fun and addictive game play beautiful scenery and graphics fun and rewarding quest lines and it has improved in leaps and bounds upon its already legendary predecessors. 

    Any game however is far from perfect and Skyrim has some major flaws to boast as well.  The first and most glaring flaw is the interface and menu system. On the PC it is very difficult to navigate and utilize quickly. You will find yourself selling and buying items you don't intend to and saying things in conversation that you don't mean to. 
    The save game sorting is also bad. Instead of sorting saves by character profile all games are lumped into one list that you gave to dig through to find your correct choice, also no quick save button is readily available that I have found which makes the games instability all the more frustrating. 
    As already mentioned the game is rather unstable and I have had to play through quite a bit of progression again due to crashes. 

    Some things are immersion breaking particularly the caves and barrows. I like that they used some different tile sets this time but all of the caves are lit up like you are in a jungle canopy rather than a cave and why do I figure out how to open a tomb that has been sealed for hundreds of years just to see a torch burning in a sconce on the other side?  

    Pathing is poor for NPCs and this can be exploited to kill monsters easily. It also makes having a companion a liability when it comes to traps they will get themselves killed constantly on easily avoidable traps and sometimes take you with them. There is also no way to discern their health easily to know if they need a heal. 

    Overall I recommend the purchase of the game. If you can wait try to get it on discount and if you have a decent PC get it on that platform.  TES series has a wonderful modding community and I hope many of the issues I have raised will eventually get fixed in patches or by the modders.     … Expand
  51. iMaNeRD
    Nov 15, 2011
    9
    This is an absolutely fantastic game. I have sunk 20 hours into it and barely scratched the main story line. There is so much to do. Bethesda have really improved the graphics and gameplay over oblivion. The character models and facial expressions are a huge improvement as are the voice acting and dialogue. The only thing so far I don't like about the game is the fact they got rid ofThis is an absolutely fantastic game. I have sunk 20 hours into it and barely scratched the main story line. There is so much to do. Bethesda have really improved the graphics and gameplay over oblivion. The character models and facial expressions are a huge improvement as are the voice acting and dialogue. The only thing so far I don't like about the game is the fact they got rid of durability and repairing on items. however this is really nit picking. Absolutely fantastic game, one you dont want to miss!… Expand
  52. Speedhorn
    Nov 16, 2011
    9
    In my opinion, this is the best game of the year. The game is massive, biggest Iv'e seen yet! Most reviews already cover the great bits, so I'll just mention the parts I don't like.(I am aware I have given it 10/10. But the problems I found were not huge). First problem is the shadows. They are pretty poor even on everything up on max. This can be fixed though by editing the shadowIn my opinion, this is the best game of the year. The game is massive, biggest Iv'e seen yet! Most reviews already cover the great bits, so I'll just mention the parts I don't like.(I am aware I have given it 10/10. But the problems I found were not huge). First problem is the shadows. They are pretty poor even on everything up on max. This can be fixed though by editing the shadow resolution in the skyrimpref file. Next was some of the animations. For example, I noticed that when some of the NPCs are eating, their mouth doesn't move at all which makes it look kinda silly. Last thing that I noticed was......skeletons bleed? Hmmm, I guess this doesn't bug me. I just noticed it and it made me a tad confused.… Expand
  53. Hoboparty
    Nov 20, 2011
    10
    This game is incredible. Probably the best role playing game I've ever played. Pretty much the only rule is that your character is a badass. The open world is beautiful on Ultra graphical settings. The only games that top this in terms of graphics are Crysis and Battlefield 3, but those games don't have the massive scale of this game. I know I'll spend at least 500 hours on this game. TheThis game is incredible. Probably the best role playing game I've ever played. Pretty much the only rule is that your character is a badass. The open world is beautiful on Ultra graphical settings. The only games that top this in terms of graphics are Crysis and Battlefield 3, but those games don't have the massive scale of this game. I know I'll spend at least 500 hours on this game. The combat systems are way better than previous games: magic feels awesome, the bow is great, and swords handle better than ever.… Expand
  54. Redeemer65
    Nov 22, 2011
    10
    Most amazing Role-playing game up to date. This game lets u be whoever u want. I've spent about 50 hours in this game since it's released and I've barely done anything related to main quest because Skyrim's world is simply filled with dozens of quests. And awesome thing is these quests aren't generic, they're pretty much all different.
  55. juanjuan
    Nov 22, 2011
    10
    It is a vast understatement to call this an "Improvement" over Bethesda's previous installment in the series. Almost every feature has been improved upon, from the quick use menu and favourites list, to the graphics and stat system. It is almost difficult to believe that this game is running on the same hardware as Elder Scrolls IV Oblivion, as you take in the breathtaking scenery andIt is a vast understatement to call this an "Improvement" over Bethesda's previous installment in the series. Almost every feature has been improved upon, from the quick use menu and favourites list, to the graphics and stat system. It is almost difficult to believe that this game is running on the same hardware as Elder Scrolls IV Oblivion, as you take in the breathtaking scenery and character design. From giant, amazing and beautiful creatures such as Dwemer robotic golems, mammoths and of course, dragons, to the small insect life, and birds flying overhead. This game is teeming with life, and features some of the most beautiful creature animations i have seen to date. A couple things bothered me greatly about the still fun and amazing elder scrolls oblivion, such as an extreme abundance of glitches, as well as a horrible stat system, which discouraged playing the game freely without pruning each skill specifically, as to raise your stats to be the highest possible. Skyrim changes the around perfectly, with a system that encourages you to play exactly how you want to, and become exactly who you want to be. I personally chose a heavy armor specializing Khajiit, with a focus on restoration magicka and talents in smithing, alchemy, enchanting and speech. In addition, it is appealing to find a lack of glitches in the game, after experiencing how common they were in previous installments. I have found a handful in perhaps over a hundred hours of gameplay, which is to be expected with any game, none-the-less such a massive open world experience.

    So far I have played 100+ hours, and I am still finding creative, entertaining, and often awe inspiring scenes, quests, and situations in the game. I expect to play at least a hundred more hours, not including the guaranteed extra play-though or two in my future.

    In my opinion, the improvements made, and complete mass of quality and quantity in this game should put to shame some of the other recent games to come out, such as Skyward Sword, and Modern Warfare 3.
    Same genre or not, it should be easy to see which of the series' titles outshines the others in improvements made and overall quality.    … Expand
  56. mikefromsaskato
    Dec 2, 2011
    10
    Absolutely amazing. If you enjoy RPGs at all this game is a must-buy.

    Is it perfect? Of course not; no game is. What is Skyrim? The game that truly makes you forget the time until all of a sudden it's 3am and you have to get up for work in 3 hours. It's the game that has made me squeeze an extra 70 hours in the past two weeks, despite all my obligations to work, family, and friends.    Absolutely amazing. If you enjoy RPGs at all this game is a must-buy.

    Is it perfect? Of course not; no game is. What is Skyrim? The game that truly makes you forget the time until all of a sudden it's 3am and you have to get up for work in 3 hours. It's the game that has made me squeeze an extra 70 hours in the past two weeks, despite all my obligations to work, family, and friends.

    Skyrim is the kind of game you will want to play over and over, just to try different character paths and morality options.

    I honestly cannot see how anybody can review this game as "negative" unless they either hate RPGs or had such high hopes that any game would make them bitter and angry.    … Expand
  57. Caboosey
    Nov 26, 2011
    9
    Simply amazing. No words can describe the feeling you get as you roam the vast tundra of skyrim as a dragon circles overhead. Despite the unlimited list of amazing parts included into this game, its not perfect. Some really boring side quests and extremely repetitive voice acting among the cities (And you thought it couldn't get worse than talks of mudcrabs). On the other hand, there areSimply amazing. No words can describe the feeling you get as you roam the vast tundra of skyrim as a dragon circles overhead. Despite the unlimited list of amazing parts included into this game, its not perfect. Some really boring side quests and extremely repetitive voice acting among the cities (And you thought it couldn't get worse than talks of mudcrabs). On the other hand, there are amazing side quests and so many i haven't discovered yet. The diversity of virtually everything leaves me knowing i'll play this for years to come. And the modding community loves Bethseda's games just as much as i do. It is impossible to argue that this game isn't one of the best games ever.… Expand
  58. Hogwashskin
    Nov 27, 2011
    10
    I'm not going to say this is incredible, because you already know it. Instead I'll state two facts about my Skyrim experience. One: I've played sixty hours. Two: I feel I've only scratched the surface. There is an unimaginable volume of material in this game. It's so well-realised that fast travelling between locations seems incredibly wasteful - you'll never know what places you'veI'm not going to say this is incredible, because you already know it. Instead I'll state two facts about my Skyrim experience. One: I've played sixty hours. Two: I feel I've only scratched the surface. There is an unimaginable volume of material in this game. It's so well-realised that fast travelling between locations seems incredibly wasteful - you'll never know what places you've missed, or encounters, characters, quests, treasures. I haven't fast travelled once. I haven't wanted to. Each time I'm sent off somewhere, I go by foot, and never cease to come across astounding experiences. Some criticise the game's animations or voice acting or whatever. To me this is anal retentive. The game is **** huge. Experience it. Enjoy its scope and ambition. When I'm walking through an autumnal mountain pass at sundown, I'm not thinking about UI niggles, I'm thinking: "holy **** The animations are fine, the level scaling is fine - a solid compromise between Morrowind and Oblivion - the towns are huge, the characters brilliant, the combat bloody good, the quests well-thought out and, of course, infinite. There is too much excellence in this game to give it 2/10 for a few unsatisfying door textures. Ignore the grumpy little graphics whores who expect games to look better than real life. Try Skyrim for yourself. It's brilliant. And endless.… Expand
  59. IbUyGaMeS
    Dec 23, 2011
    10
    Game of this year for me. All my childhood dreams how a game should look like were fulfilled here. Unless you are a strong personality with decent social life, you should not play this. There is a fair risk, you will love this world more then normal one:).
  60. ErebusMaligan
    Feb 10, 2012
    8
    A good game, with a few flaws that greatly diminish any replay value. Played a total 287 hours before i uninstalled though. Even one playthrough that hits all the major points is 60-80 hours easily, so well worth the money. First playthrough as a sneak archer finished. Second as a destro mage, quit at lvl 30 because it was beyond weak. Third 2h melee, almost completed, then just quitA good game, with a few flaws that greatly diminish any replay value. Played a total 287 hours before i uninstalled though. Even one playthrough that hits all the major points is 60-80 hours easily, so well worth the money. First playthrough as a sneak archer finished. Second as a destro mage, quit at lvl 30 because it was beyond weak. Third 2h melee, almost completed, then just quit out of boredom eventually. Once you've seen all the main quest stories once and have gotten a character to a point where it is powerful and you have all your abilities that you will ever really use, there is no point in continuing.

    PROS: It's a great epic open world, and most of the main quest lines are actually pretty enjoyable (if not a bit predictable). Plenty of places to go, and really it's just fun to explore... at least at first. The world is very engrossing and entertaining despite any flaws. Personally i found the combat just fine, although others may disagree.
    CONS: The interface... the default interface and even with improved user mods is not great for pc. I didn't find it nearly as gamebreaking as some people, but there is an inherent disconnect between the keys and the mouse and which has priority on certain screens. The res of the textures isn't great and really requires a high res texture pack... after which it looks pretty great. Money has NO purpose after the very early game. On my first completion i had 300k in money and another 4-500k of stuff in my house. Following all the major quest lines doesn't really drive you to most of the minor cities. There are several i never visited even after doing all the major quest lines and finishing the main game quest. Eventually... all the tombs and ruins are just the same, gets a little tedious. Enchanting makes you an instant god once you get to 100... as does playing a sneak archer at all. If you max enchanting and blacksmithing (which there is no reason not to) you make more money than you can spend, you can buy all alchemy mats every time you are in town, and your gear will be better than anything you will ever find. Basically you can become a god at level 30 without having even left whiterun really. It makes no sense. The one exception being destruction mage which is completely broken, because at level 30 with max destruction, you can't even kill a bear without dipping into other trees and it still takes way too long. Destruction has no +damage enchants, so the damage scales incredibly poorly... in that it doesn't scale at all except for the perks in the tree which do not buff it enough. Dwarven ruins... all of them, are way too long and all look the same.    … Expand
  61. goodjon
    May 11, 2012
    10
    I have been playing this game since I received it as a present at Christmas. I do not play daily but when I do sit down to play, I play for a few hours at a time. This game remains challenging and engaging even after 4 months. I find myself doing side quests and exploring because I really don't want the game to end. I played Oblivion as well and enjoy this game even more. I am hopingI have been playing this game since I received it as a present at Christmas. I do not play daily but when I do sit down to play, I play for a few hours at a time. This game remains challenging and engaging even after 4 months. I find myself doing side quests and exploring because I really don't want the game to end. I played Oblivion as well and enjoy this game even more. I am hoping the soon to be released expansion is just as good as the original and that the next game is not far from release. I even like the music in the game so much so I went and bought the soundtrack. if you have not purchased the game, do so NOW!… Expand
  62. toth9050
    Mar 31, 2013
    10
    After playing all of the older elder scrolls games and many other RPGs, i was ecstatic to hear about Skyrim, and it did not disappoint. with all of the rich lore and masterful graphics, Skyrim takes the franchise to a whole new level. after spending over two hundred hours on this game i am not in the least bit board, and i will continue to play until TESO comes out. I highly recommend thisAfter playing all of the older elder scrolls games and many other RPGs, i was ecstatic to hear about Skyrim, and it did not disappoint. with all of the rich lore and masterful graphics, Skyrim takes the franchise to a whole new level. after spending over two hundred hours on this game i am not in the least bit board, and i will continue to play until TESO comes out. I highly recommend this game to all gamers.… Expand
  63. timeformime
    Nov 24, 2011
    10
    Metacritic users who rate this game below a 5 can suck it, because Skyrim delivers in every possible way for those of you who want to immerse yourself in a fantasy world. Buy it, you will have spent your money as wisely as possible this holiday season.
  64. spydercanopus
    Nov 22, 2011
    10
    Best game I have ever played. I was a huge fan of 3, and I liked 4, but 5 is the BEST EVER! I have played for about 200 hours and still haven't beaten the game.
  65. clockradio
    Nov 16, 2011
    10
    After twenty-five plus hours played I still have not got around to finishing the main storyline. My quest log is loaded and I have not even explored all of the major towns yet. This game is packed with content and is literally the most fun I've had with a game in years. The combat system, for the most part is familiar to that of Oblivion, but the executions are absoultely awesome. SoAfter twenty-five plus hours played I still have not got around to finishing the main storyline. My quest log is loaded and I have not even explored all of the major towns yet. This game is packed with content and is literally the most fun I've had with a game in years. The combat system, for the most part is familiar to that of Oblivion, but the executions are absoultely awesome. So far I have not encountered any game breaking bugs, or anything really noticeable. The wait for this game was worth it (now the wait for mods begins) and I will be playing it for years to come.… Expand
  66. janbirsa
    Nov 18, 2011
    10
    This has been the BEST RPG experience of my life... Skyrim > Oblivion. Skyrim is second best game I played this year among with Portal, every other game was just a waste of money and time. Caution: Skyrim may make you forget you have a real life and that humans sleep at night :P
  67. Lionhearte
    Nov 14, 2011
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Beautiful graphics and high resolution textures, easy-to-navigate user interface which operates smoothly for the PC, combat is fluid and dynamic, the new perk trees are fun and unique, and the details put into this game are what make it so amazing, from tiny ants crawling on a rock, to being able to use the lumber mills; just for fun.

    Ignore the trolls who rate this anything lower than a 3/10 while only listing one or two superficial reasons. If you only buy one game this year - buy Skyrim. Nothing is more fun than killing dragons, or unleashing your fury on a group of bandits as a Werewolf, and the new Dark Brotherhood and Thieves Guild questlines are nothing short of magnificent. Game of the Year All Years.    … Expand
  68. REDSIPERAS
    Nov 12, 2011
    10
    Best RPG of the year. Nuff' Said. This game will eat away your life; I couldn't even keep track of time while I was playing lol.
  69. Wallie
    Nov 16, 2011
    10
    What a great game. Its about time I get a game that seems pretty much complete. Only one issue with the sound and that was an easy fix. So much to do!! This is a game I will be playing a long time and will playing again I'm sure. If you.. sorry WHEN you get this game make sure you have nothing important to do for a few days as this will suck you in and keep you. Graphics are beautifulWhat a great game. Its about time I get a game that seems pretty much complete. Only one issue with the sound and that was an easy fix. So much to do!! This is a game I will be playing a long time and will playing again I'm sure. If you.. sorry WHEN you get this game make sure you have nothing important to do for a few days as this will suck you in and keep you. Graphics are beautiful difficulty is (for me) perfect not easy and not the usual cheating AI.

    If you played any of the past elder scrolls and it did didn't appeal to you (like it didn't for me) I think you will enjoy this game even more! OK I took my 10 min break back to playing!    … Expand
  70. workingpixels
    Nov 15, 2011
    10
    all we can do is wish for EVERY sandbox electronic creation to be just like this GAME. beacause this is GAME. vast experience. feels like those neverwinter times when atmosphere and journey was your favourite companions.
  71. Raddra
    Nov 12, 2011
    10
    Absolutely fantastic. Everything I had hoped for. It would be a 10/10 only the interface has blatant consolitis and feels very counter-intuitive. For a series that has always been a PC gamers haven it feels like a betrayal. Otherwise, I am enjoying the game immensely: considering the interface frustrations this is testament to how good the base game is.
  72. Karlo
    Nov 12, 2011
    10
    This is n awesome game. The graphic could maybe better but its great cauz the graphic is not the biggest key point at a TES game. The most of the mistakes from Oblivion r better than before. It is n great game experience to walk through that huge world of Skyrim and feel the live atmosphere in the game. All REAL TES player will love this game!!! +1
  73. TotalPirate
    Nov 12, 2011
    10
    00** I agree with what this guy said - > People either give around 10 points, or 0 points (to compensate the others valuation probably)... I am giving also 10 points. Why? The answer: because if you can overcome those few issues that happen during the game (e.g. Battlefield 3 looks better, BUT IT IS FULLY SCRIPTED AND TOTALLY DETERMINISTIC in contrary to Skyrim, WHICH IS NEARLY TOTALLY00** I agree with what this guy said - > People either give around 10 points, or 0 points (to compensate the others valuation probably)... I am giving also 10 points. Why? The answer: because if you can overcome those few issues that happen during the game (e.g. Battlefield 3 looks better, BUT IT IS FULLY SCRIPTED AND TOTALLY DETERMINISTIC in contrary to Skyrim, WHICH IS NEARLY TOTALLY FREE!!!); if you can configure/tweak (as I did in 1-2-3 hours) the game to work smoothly on your PC; if you try to adapt to the mouse-less, mostly keyboard-driven menu-system (which can become much-much faster and convenient: TAB, W, A, S, D, E, R, Q + mouse-roll = thats it, you can do EVERYTHING in seconds!!) ...and you enjoy the free world, tons of quests, wonderful dialogue, TOTALLY DYNAMIC WORLD, THEN YOU WILL MOST PROBABLY ENJOY THIS GAME VERY-VERY MUCH. Think about this, please! ...and enjoy as I do (after the first, bit disappointing impression, taking a breath, being patient, and DISCOVERING THE TRUE VALUE OF THIS STUFF:… Expand
  74. fabiowitt
    Nov 14, 2011
    10
    One of the best games i have ever played. I just thank God Bethesda is alive to bring games like these to us. Games that try to change our reality during our game-play. From the music to the magnificent scenario and landscape (even with those odd textures), it is just too good. It is a game that no only provide a great experience, but many more since you can replay as many time as you wantOne of the best games i have ever played. I just thank God Bethesda is alive to bring games like these to us. Games that try to change our reality during our game-play. From the music to the magnificent scenario and landscape (even with those odd textures), it is just too good. It is a game that no only provide a great experience, but many more since you can replay as many time as you want and you still see different things over and over again. One of the best ROLE playing game that i have had the opportunity to play.… Expand
  75. FatHitman
    Nov 17, 2011
    10
    Originally pirated the game due to not knowing if it was going to be so epic that i would need to buy it because lets be honest who buys Single-player games now? Anyways i did buy it because it was that impressive.
  76. Masamune91
    Nov 15, 2011
    10
    The game is incredibly immersive. As soon as you start up you will have entered another world filled with lore, interesting characters and beautiful scenery. The quests are interesting and engaging and the combat is fun and feels a lot more real than Oblivion. It feels as if Bethesda really listened to the community for this game adding several features that were mods for Oblivion likeThe game is incredibly immersive. As soon as you start up you will have entered another world filled with lore, interesting characters and beautiful scenery. The quests are interesting and engaging and the combat is fun and feels a lot more real than Oblivion. It feels as if Bethesda really listened to the community for this game adding several features that were mods for Oblivion like werewolves, a great crafting system and a new game engine that really shines for performance.

    I'm also happy that the game has key mapping and windowed mode which seems like a crazy thing to be happy about but with all of the console ports these days its nice.

    This is a game that is enormous and boiling over with content. I could spend months and months going through everything it has to offer and perhaps even longer with the quest generators in the game. The fact of the matter is that Bethesda has really taken a step up with this edition of The Elder Scrolls.

    My only complaints are the obvious console centric UI which can be difficult at times with some insensitive menus and some broken key functions. I could not use the favourites menu because I could not set any items as favourites. If you change the movement keys from default you might have issues. Also, at times my NPC companions would block me into small rooms which can be frustrating and there are very minor graphical glitches at certain moments.

    However, the few issues I have with the game do not change my overall experience as they are just small problems. I love the game. Love it! I plan to enjoy it for a long, long time. I recommend it to anyone who loves RPG's and entering a world ready to be shaped by your imagination. OUTSTANDING!    … Expand
  77. YaMun
    Nov 16, 2011
    10
    My social life is paused for at least a few months until i finish this game entirely, its one of they rare games that draws you in and you become addicted and don't want to stop playing, Ive played around 20 hours and most of it is just wandering around killing beasts and dragons, The graphics have been much improved from bethesda's previous oblivion and the subtle effects do make aMy social life is paused for at least a few months until i finish this game entirely, its one of they rare games that draws you in and you become addicted and don't want to stop playing, Ive played around 20 hours and most of it is just wandering around killing beasts and dragons, The graphics have been much improved from bethesda's previous oblivion and the subtle effects do make a difference to the overall experience. The game is huge and who knows how long it would take to complete this fully but im having a heck of a time playing it and you all will to, buy it now… Expand
  78. EJ107
    Nov 16, 2011
    10
    Skyrim is a fantastic game. It is easily the best RPG I have ever played, and one of the best I have ever played period. It has all of the strong points of it's predecessor, Oblivion, but all of my major concerns with the last game have been fixed, and new features added that I had never even thought of, but make Oblivion unplayable in comparison. The combat has been much improved. DualSkyrim is a fantastic game. It is easily the best RPG I have ever played, and one of the best I have ever played period. It has all of the strong points of it's predecessor, Oblivion, but all of my major concerns with the last game have been fixed, and new features added that I had never even thought of, but make Oblivion unplayable in comparison. The combat has been much improved. Dual wielding both spells and weapons gives you a much larger choice in how to play your character, despite the removal of the majority of stats. Spells feel more varied, and combat over all is far more enjoyable, while still retaining the overall feel that it did in the previous game. NPC's are more interesting, and companion AI is better. It is not perfect, but I have had no major issues with the people I have following me around. Enemy AI is also better, and even though I have fought quite a few dragons the fights are still interesting. The world of Skyrim is huge, and there is a lot to explore. Most of the 30+ hours I have spent on the game so far have consisted of simply wandering between towns, doing dungeons and side quests. I recommend using fast travel and the carriage system sparingly, and the journey from place to place is often more interesting and fun than the quests at the either end. Not everything is perfect. I have some issues with the PC interface, although they become less annoying once you get used to them. There are also a few bugs, although I believe that they will soon be fixed, and none have actually stopped me from progressing through the game and the quests. These issues are very small compared to all of the fantastic things about the game. I would give it 9.5, rather than a perfect 10, due to the small interface issues and bugs, but I think that on the scale given here a 10 is more appropriate than a 9.

    I would recommend this game to anyone, especially those who have played and enjoyed previous Elder Scrolls games.    … Expand
  79. DarkAce_731
    Nov 21, 2011
    10
    Skyrim is the most incredible game i've ever played, i know for certain that once i'm done on the character i'm playing at the moment i'm immediately going to jump straight onto another one because i just can't get enough of it, the combat is incredible, i play on console so the interface issues don't bother me, if i could give it more than 10 i would in a heart beat and i would recommendSkyrim is the most incredible game i've ever played, i know for certain that once i'm done on the character i'm playing at the moment i'm immediately going to jump straight onto another one because i just can't get enough of it, the combat is incredible, i play on console so the interface issues don't bother me, if i could give it more than 10 i would in a heart beat and i would recommend it to anyone. In summary if this is the first game you ever play i pity you because every other game you play from this point on will look like absolute crap compared to it. if you don't have the game yet then BUY IT NOW it's worth every cent… Expand
  80. ristlin
    Jan 6, 2012
    8
    Skyrim was fun until I realized my side quest accomplishment of becoming the world's greatest wizard no longer mattered as soon as I step foot inside the thief's guild. Once again, I was just a grunt. The lack of side-quest persistence throughout the game, and its lack of impact on the main story, breaks much of the immersion built early on. Besides that, this game earns its title as theSkyrim was fun until I realized my side quest accomplishment of becoming the world's greatest wizard no longer mattered as soon as I step foot inside the thief's guild. Once again, I was just a grunt. The lack of side-quest persistence throughout the game, and its lack of impact on the main story, breaks much of the immersion built early on. Besides that, this game earns its title as the true successor to Morrowind. The combat is lively and exciting, adding depth to the already impressive dragon shout system that elevates you to a whole new pedestal of awesomeness. The game could do with more meaningful secrets to discover, but the content that is there is sure to leave you breathless for weeks, if not months, on end. Get this game, enjoy it.… Expand
  81. Blackaorta
    Nov 12, 2011
    10
    I don't understand why people give this game a 0, if you can play it you can rate it. I'd give it a 9.5 but rounding it to 10. Firstly the art direction is much better though people say otherwise, the textures are quite low rez though when you look at the scenery as a whole its pretty gorgeous. The shaders, lighting, shadows and hdr effects are 10 times better than oblivion. TheI don't understand why people give this game a 0, if you can play it you can rate it. I'd give it a 9.5 but rounding it to 10. Firstly the art direction is much better though people say otherwise, the textures are quite low rez though when you look at the scenery as a whole its pretty gorgeous. The shaders, lighting, shadows and hdr effects are 10 times better than oblivion. The environments have a much more realistic tone, which reminded me a lot of morrowind, which was till now maybe, my fave TES game.

    The world is very dense even though the total land mass may be equivalent to oblivion, running through the tundra seeing forests stretching into the distance, mountain peaks towering on the side with cloud covered peaks, truly makes this game feel much more immense.

    Much better looking characters, believable faces, anatomy and textures...oh AND voices thank goodness. As well as animations have improved tenfold, I mean from what I can remember bethesdas animation for previous games aren't what you'd call good, but defiantly much better in skyrim. Can no longer do floaty jumps and swing your swords as if they were made of plastic. Dual wield, dual spells, proper crafting system, disenchanting items to unclock enchantments, etc this game really has surpassed in features of any TES game.

    The big plus for me is the game can actually be quite tough, you will sometimes get 2-3 shot by things, trust me you will be utilizing the quick save feature often. Naturally you go exploring you should bump in to some badass things that should eat your face, it adds to the thrill of exploration, which is one of the reasons I loved morrowind, a game that was hugely rewarding to explore. Unlike oblivion which had some doughy scaling system that was so obvious everything was leveled according to you, which got rid of any sense of progression, by the time you hit 30s in oblivion maybe less, bandits all had daedric/ebony armor...cool eh.

    And what else...the repetitiveness of caves and etc have been addressed and it's a pleasure to actually see caves and dungeons that differ. The music is just so good too, really adds to the feeling and atmosphere and yes I could write a book but I will leave it here, great game, a must get.

    TLDR: Improves on everything that was In oblivion, minus the bad, feels like a new morrowind, get the game.    … Expand
  82. kiwicube
    Nov 15, 2011
    10
    Overall, 14 hours of gameplay... without cheats so far... its a beautiful game, works well, VERY realistic, love the weird glitches that appear occasionally (after all it wouldn't be elder scrolls if there wasn't crazy NPC bugs).
    I LOVE THIS GAME!!!!! plan to spend many many many more hours on it. BEST GAME OF THE YEAR!!!!
  83. IriathZhul
    Nov 15, 2011
    10
    Ignore the Dark Souls fanboys who didn't actually buy Skyrim before writing a negative review. This game is superb, and possibly the best example of how an enormous amount of good content can outweigh a few flaws (a smattering of minor bugs that will likely be fixed within the month). It's hard to single out any one aspect of the game for praise--instead, it is the individual experiencesIgnore the Dark Souls fanboys who didn't actually buy Skyrim before writing a negative review. This game is superb, and possibly the best example of how an enormous amount of good content can outweigh a few flaws (a smattering of minor bugs that will likely be fixed within the month). It's hard to single out any one aspect of the game for praise--instead, it is the individual experiences that make it so memorable:
    Stalking the shadows with a hand-crafted bow, planting arrows in the backs of vampires.
    Charging ferociously across the tundra into an epic battle with a city whom you had secretly worked to undermine for days.
    Climbing the tallest mountain in the land, with nothing but long expanses of silence and the shimmering northern lights to mark your passage.
    This is certainly the Game of the Year, if not the game of the decade.    … Expand
  84. Crusader508
    Nov 15, 2011
    10
    Absolutely one of the best games I've ever played. The sheer amount of detail is staggering, and the ability to do, quite literally, anything you want is mesmerizing. Join the legion? Sure, crush the rebellion you were introduced to in the beginning of the game. Join any number of guilds throughout the game that have their own story/quest lines? Go for it. Do the main quest? Up to you. TheAbsolutely one of the best games I've ever played. The sheer amount of detail is staggering, and the ability to do, quite literally, anything you want is mesmerizing. Join the legion? Sure, crush the rebellion you were introduced to in the beginning of the game. Join any number of guilds throughout the game that have their own story/quest lines? Go for it. Do the main quest? Up to you. The options are seemingly limitless, and the 300 hour gameplay ideal truly seems possible, if not more so. I'm naturally apprehensive when it comes to paying lots of money for a game, but 60.00$ was completely worth it. This should be game of the year for many, many reasons. And the 95/100 Critic review score is absolutely spot on. If you played Oblivion, it's everything you liked enhanced, and everything you didn't fixed to where it's not there, or just that: fixed. One of my all time favorite games now. Absolute recommendation!… Expand
  85. oivalfselat
    Nov 17, 2011
    10
    Finally a game producer, launched a game! In addition to beautiful, is vast, free, full of books and paths for a long journey.
    Try check the stories of Tamriel, lost in dungeons, in secret places of necromancy, tombs with dread lords... is endless. you can collect and keep books at home, to read later, and found informations about spells, treasures and start a new journey, inside the    Finally a game producer, launched a game! In addition to beautiful, is vast, free, full of books and paths for a long journey.
    Try check the stories of Tamriel, lost in dungeons, in secret places of necromancy, tombs with dread lords... is endless. you can collect and keep books at home, to read later, and found informations about spells, treasures and start a new journey, inside the journey.
    Best of 2011!    … Expand
  86. oa53412
    Nov 15, 2011
    10
    This game is a must buy! Bethesda Softworks has gone further than they have with any other title. The amount of content in this game is at such a large scale that you will have to spend hundreds of hours to get a complete 100%. The map design is on a whole other level then compared to oblivion. You will actually feel like you are traversing around a large mountainous region. With more toThis game is a must buy! Bethesda Softworks has gone further than they have with any other title. The amount of content in this game is at such a large scale that you will have to spend hundreds of hours to get a complete 100%. The map design is on a whole other level then compared to oblivion. You will actually feel like you are traversing around a large mountainous region. With more to explore then the simple forests you ran into 80% of the time like in Oblivion. The map feels like it did back when I played Morrowind. I feel like I am actually traversing across a country with being able to walk through a tundra only to be going down a thin mountainous path into a forests of orange and red. Now the typical Bethesda bugs are back, some that you would have expected them to be able to fix. With the rain still falling through buildings. But I blame that more on the choice they made on their engine that is mostly still their ever since it's construction for Oblivion.

    But the few bugs and problems the game have is so quickly forgotten when you are exploring and finding everything this game has to offer.    … Expand
  87. davenbettridge
    Dec 8, 2011
    8
    It's great that an RPG to take itself as seriously as Skyrim has been so successful as it will ensure that we continue to receive more epic RPG in the future. Skyrim's Nordic setting is good, the vast scope and the depth of the quests and skills are also compelling. The character skills, progression and the amount of things to do in the game are fun and rewarding which does make SkyrimIt's great that an RPG to take itself as seriously as Skyrim has been so successful as it will ensure that we continue to receive more epic RPG in the future. Skyrim's Nordic setting is good, the vast scope and the depth of the quests and skills are also compelling. The character skills, progression and the amount of things to do in the game are fun and rewarding which does make Skyrim value for money and worth peoples time. Unfortunately I found the main story fairly lame and I felt disinterested in most of Skyrim's characters and skipped over most of the dialog which should not be the case in an RPG. I found myself only completing quests for rewards rather than any story purpose which is a missed opportunity. I also did not like most of the character models in Skyrim, the humanoid faces were awkward to look at. As I played Skyrim on PC I was disappointed that the UI was very console friendly at the expense of much keyboard/mouse support, which is something that is inexcusable for a game originating on the PC. Overall Skyrim is an epic game and one that has a lot of depth, its a pity that the characters and overall story of the game are not better but it is what it is. Recommended.… Expand
  88. charl13dontsurf
    Nov 11, 2011
    8
    First the game is gorgeous, love the atmosphere of another TES game. However... my impressions are mixed between the love for the series and the potential - and how they mangled the menus and interface for the PC.

    Even in the character creation screen I found it frustrating switching between mouse and keyboard just to tweak how my guy looks. You can't mouse into the next setting and I ran    First the game is gorgeous, love the atmosphere of another TES game. However... my impressions are mixed between the love for the series and the potential - and how they mangled the menus and interface for the PC.

    Even in the character creation screen I found it frustrating switching between mouse and keyboard just to tweak how my guy looks. You can't mouse into the next setting and I ran into a problem several times where I had to back out using the top menus with my mouse because the context menus were stuck.

    Then there is the inventory system. Ick. I still think that top navigation and splitting the areas out below is way better than this side scrolling system. Do weapons only have two stats? Damage and weight? lol. Where are the more detailed stats like swing rate etc. You can't even view how items look without exiting out of the menu, standing still and pivoting to see your character.

    The skills menu is another area where while it looks pretty for the first bit, you should really have an option where you can condense it into a single overview screen.

    There needs to be a better way to swtich weapons and spells besides using favourites. I don't like having to pause the action every 2 minutes to switch my loadout from bow to dual wield, to spells etc. Cumbersome.

    In my opinion though, menus are pretty easy to change. The actually game plays well and the story captured my interest immediately. The crafting, harvesting and other elements are pretty well done. This is only a first impressions rating. I might have to buy it for PS3 or just hookup my PS3 controller to the PC in order for me to get beyond the cumbersome menu systems though. Looking forward to playing it more this weekend!    … Expand
  89. TruthSeer
    Nov 11, 2011
    8
    Best Elder Scrolls out to date. Free world ROLEPLAYING and beautiful game world exploration at its finest. I give it an 8 due to -1 for it clearly being made for console and they could have taken the time and ported over to PC a little better. Not a major flaw but a flaw none the less. The next -1 is for video driver and pathing/camera issues. No ATI crossfire support and someBest Elder Scrolls out to date. Free world ROLEPLAYING and beautiful game world exploration at its finest. I give it an 8 due to -1 for it clearly being made for console and they could have taken the time and ported over to PC a little better. Not a major flaw but a flaw none the less. The next -1 is for video driver and pathing/camera issues. No ATI crossfire support and some intermittent NPC pathing issues (especially in large groups) are troublesome but not game breaking.

    Next, I would like to point out, please make sure your PC meets the recommend requirements before writing a review on performance. This game is hardware demanding, both on Processor and on VideoCard. Many are posting with PC specs half a decade or more older than what is recommended. Recommended = QuadCore Proc, 4GB+ RAM, Nvidia GTX260+ or ATI 4890HD+    … Expand
  90. Marou
    Nov 12, 2011
    10
    I've played over 20 hours, and this game meets or far exceeds my expectations. Especially with respect to how greatly optimized the engine is, which is something they hardly spoke about. I expected to have to run the game in medium settings since I'm a fair way below recommended; but I can run it in high with no slowdowns, and the clip range is further than any game I've ever playedI've played over 20 hours, and this game meets or far exceeds my expectations. Especially with respect to how greatly optimized the engine is, which is something they hardly spoke about. I expected to have to run the game in medium settings since I'm a fair way below recommended; but I can run it in high with no slowdowns, and the clip range is further than any game I've ever played before. The difference in quality between this and recent Bioware offerings hammers home that corporations can't make good RPG's; and that Bethesda Game Studios is peerless in the crafting of single player RPGs.… Expand
  91. jst68
    Nov 14, 2011
    10
    Wow! This is really what I was hoping for. Great game. Excellent story with interesting characters. A significant improvement over Oblivion. You can also see that it pays off to not fall into a yearly schedule like Dragon Age.
  92. coldxblooded
    Nov 15, 2011
    10
    Absolutely amazing game. its everything i had expected form the series and in my opinion its games like this that raise the bar for others. the only thing that sucks is the long wait for the next game in this series.
  93. bstm300
    Nov 17, 2011
    10
    I'd like for everyone to keep in mind that everyone's experience of this game differs according to the graphics settings, kind of character, and type of ad-hoc gameplay style they develop when playing through skyrimz. Myself, I do appreciate a challenge, but I also like to appreciate the storyline without having gut-wrenching, impossible battles. As such, I'm playing the game on theI'd like for everyone to keep in mind that everyone's experience of this game differs according to the graphics settings, kind of character, and type of ad-hoc gameplay style they develop when playing through skyrimz. Myself, I do appreciate a challenge, but I also like to appreciate the storyline without having gut-wrenching, impossible battles. As such, I'm playing the game on the default difficulty level. If you prefer to take a more relaxed approach like me, I recommend doing same. As for my playing style, I'm role playing the game as sort of a noble vigilante much like Robinhood. I haven't officially joined any factions other than the College of Winterhold which is purportedly not involved in world affairs-at least, that's the version of the story your told to believe. Behind the veneer of the college as a distant, scholarly retreat, there is the reality that the college is full of men and women with ulterior motives who have brought unsanctioned practices and customs with them, regardless of approval by the college's authorities. So far, the college if proving to be a very enjoyable experience. Compared to Oblivion's and Morrowind's Mage Guilds, the storyline is much richer, and you really do get the sense that your just a pawn in a dangerous game of mage politics. As for the game-play itself, I was frankly blown right of my socks by the dual casting. The visuals for the spells, the way the body moves when casting, and way spells can combine together nearly made me pee myself. If it's any indication to you of how cool spell casting is in this game, I spent nearly 45 minutes to an hour trying out different spells on the outskirts of a city just to see what they looked like and to test them all out. The only strong criticism I have for Bethesda, in terms of mage combat, is that there a major lack of conjuration spells. I'm hoping they'll make up for this in DLC's they release. Additionally, I'm thinking they may have erred in how they designed the level-up system for mages. It may have been a better idea to have sub-specialties for conjuration crazies like me so that the creatures we summoned gained better hp and attacks buffs as we put more skills into, for example, daedric summoning. In the end design, they probably limited the amount of spells in order to have better balance in the game and to be able to perfect each spell in terms of it's visuals and associated casting movements. Sword and archery combat is a great deal improved now, too. There are spin moves, thrusts, and slashes for sword lovers who want to have more flexibility in terms of their combat style which is a major plus. Then, for those who are more the dark brotherhood types, there are special take down moves that can be done with swords and daggers from up close. Secondly, archery feels much more natural now. The way your arms and body moves when you draw your bow is much more natural. Long distance shots are quite difficult to land since arrows actually do arch, but short range shots almost always hit (even if you're a low level archer). The bowman can even do a sort of shove attack with the bow to fend off attacking enemies although this isn't very effective against enemies wielding large weapons because they hit you long before you can shove them back with your bow. A minor complaint here, but I think Bethesda should have added a richer complement of melee attack options for the bow. In addition to the shove, the archer should be able to swing his bow as a make-shift blunt weapon and even use his arrows as a dagger. Alchemy seems pretty complex, and there are thousands of ingredients and recipe books to keep the alchemy buffs quite content. As for the number and variety of quests, I couldn't do them full justice here, but I think I can sum it up in one sentence. If you wanted to be a full-time adventurer and/or treasure hunter, it's entirely possible to do so given the sheer number of side quests available. I can't tell you the number of times I've run into random bandits, creatures, altars, graves, abandoned forts, mines, and ruins that have their own mini-story lines and often lead to other quests. Freaking awesome!

    Overall, the graphics, storylines, and voice-acting collectively work together to produce a role-playing experience so immersive, enthralling, and impressive that you may never put the game down until you finish it.    … Expand
  94. lostintime
    Nov 14, 2011
    10
    This game is awesome. I was a big fan of Fallout New Vegas so a lot feels familiar which I like. I can see myself wasting a good 100+ hours on this one which in my opinion makes it worth the purchase price.
  95. WarViking
    Nov 15, 2011
    10
    One of the greatest games of all time. Takes a crap on both Oblivion & Morrowind. It is what Oblivion wished it was. With all the improvements and added content that Oblivion left out. Skyrim is a complete game.
  96. MrCaca000
    Nov 12, 2011
    10
    The aren't enough words to describe this game. When Bethesda develops a game, one should expect bugs, glitches, broken mechanics and some minor combat issues; problems that are present in Skyrim as well, but don't even come close to ruining the experience. The land is beautiful, with a lot of detail and bettered by a superb soundtrack that manages to touch your heart. There are some uglyThe aren't enough words to describe this game. When Bethesda develops a game, one should expect bugs, glitches, broken mechanics and some minor combat issues; problems that are present in Skyrim as well, but don't even come close to ruining the experience. The land is beautiful, with a lot of detail and bettered by a superb soundtrack that manages to touch your heart. There are some ugly textures and some colours are drab and monochrome, but that doesn't affect too much. I'm not even going to talk about the rest of the game, so speechless I am.… Expand
  97. kurleykyew
    Nov 14, 2011
    9
    Great game, though the controls are a bit awkward because it's designed for the console. Visually speaking, it's about as good as it gets with stunning and well-designed locations/creatures.
  98. Pacoglen
    Nov 14, 2011
    10
    Amazing game if you're a fan of Oblivion and Fallout 3. This is a huge immersive world. Love the new art style, UI design and perks. Very addicting gameplay.
  99. BigDaddyDream
    Nov 11, 2011
    10
    Amazing! A beautiful world to explore filled with people that are as real as your neighbors. Battles are fluid and satisfying with some nice kill shots thrown in. People saying the graphics are poor need to upgrade their machine. My son has a $500 laptop and the game looks beautiful on it.
  100. highlandyeti
    Nov 11, 2011
    10
    Simple..... with out a doubt the best game of the year. Some of the reviews from the idiot trollers on here are well just utter total rubbish.

    The bottom line is no other studio produces games, or for a better word, Worlds like the elder scrolls games, everything from the sublime production values, the endless time spent by the developers on every little facet and detail, the feeling of    Simple..... with out a doubt the best game of the year. Some of the reviews from the idiot trollers on here are well just utter total rubbish.

    The bottom line is no other studio produces games, or for a better word, Worlds like the elder scrolls games, everything from the sublime production values, the endless time spent by the developers on every little facet and detail, the feeling of complete exploration, the haunting musical score evoking a feeling of drama and isolation, I could go on but I have a world to explore.
    Bethesda thank you for producing games like these, GOTY without a doubt    … Expand
Page:

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]
See all critic reviews »