User Score
8.4

Generally favorable reviews- based on 12985 Ratings

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  1. Feb 6, 2012
    10
    Its hard to say things about this game, there is some much to say. Its a masterpiece! What makes the game even better on PC is the Creation Kit, and of course the modding community. Giving this game over 60 hours of time, possibly over 100. If I could complain about anything it would be the animations, textures, and bugs (The first two can be fixed with mods of course) and bugs have beenIts hard to say things about this game, there is some much to say. Its a masterpiece! What makes the game even better on PC is the Creation Kit, and of course the modding community. Giving this game over 60 hours of time, possibly over 100. If I could complain about anything it would be the animations, textures, and bugs (The first two can be fixed with mods of course) and bugs have been getting patched. This is an awesome game. Expand
  2. Feb 6, 2012
    3
    Just an overrated game. The old graphic engine unfortunately is not the worst feature: AI is 15 years old and the level of challenge of this game is zero. In fact enemies can't do anything else except to run to you in straight line, eventually throwing arrows or spells which are too easy to dodge. The easiest and worst adventure against decrepit zombies NPCs I've ever played.
  3. Feb 6, 2012
    9
    This review gives a different take on the bugs, glitches, and mishaps associated with the PC version of Skyrim. Many people are complaining about the lack of PC optimization, in addition to things like the UI clearly being only ideal for console users and textures not being high-res enough. While it is very unfortunate that this is the case (the game was not designed ideally for PC), whatThis review gives a different take on the bugs, glitches, and mishaps associated with the PC version of Skyrim. Many people are complaining about the lack of PC optimization, in addition to things like the UI clearly being only ideal for console users and textures not being high-res enough. While it is very unfortunate that this is the case (the game was not designed ideally for PC), what is fortunate is that Bethesda had the logic to give us OFFICIAL MOD SUPPORT for PC. Don't like the UI? Download a mod that changes it. Don't like the low-res textures? I've already downloaded over 3GB of higher res textures. Don't like the optimization? It gets better with each and every patch. While the PC version is not perfect, it's surely good enough for a 9/10 rating. Expand
  4. Feb 6, 2012
    1
    I didn't play a worse game. This game is totally stupid, overhyped and bad graphics. I've played it only 1 and half an hour, but this game makes me fockin' sick. Just delete this stupid game from the world.
  5. Feb 5, 2012
    8
    Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is an open-world WRPG with many weaknesses and only one real strength. The combat is uninspired and dissatisfying, the voice acting could use much more variety, the enemies could have been more diverse, and the main story could have had better presentation, but the one real strength about Skyrim is its longevity. The amount of quests in this game is enormous and theElder Scrolls V: Skyrim is an open-world WRPG with many weaknesses and only one real strength. The combat is uninspired and dissatisfying, the voice acting could use much more variety, the enemies could have been more diverse, and the main story could have had better presentation, but the one real strength about Skyrim is its longevity. The amount of quests in this game is enormous and the world is massive. There is always something to do in Skyrim during and well past the main quest line. Exploring the entire world of Skyrim is a great feat of its own, and clearing every quest in the game should easily net the determined player well over 200 hours. If you can get past Skyrimâ Expand
  6. Feb 5, 2012
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Skyrim is a great game at first, but this first look makes a big impression. The story lines were very dramatic and exciting. But after playing the game a while you get bored as the dungeons are repetitive and possibly were chosen from a random generator, as everything seems the same. The game is one of those "gets boring after a while" games. Not only that, but I did not like the AI of NPCs and enemies. Dragons get to be very easy. But if you are committed and play it well, it can reward you with a good experience. The graphics were pristine. The controls were comfortable and easily adaptable. The PC commands provide a steady flow of entertainment, and that's what I think makes this game best on PC. Expand
  7. Feb 5, 2012
    10
    This Game.. Epic.
    Just.. Look at all the ways you can actually play it. Side missions, Almost better than the main mission.
    a really good version of its predecesor Oblivion. But with more ways to play it and more interesting quests.
    I have played only Oblivion and Skyrim. So i unfortunatly i cant compare it to anithing exept oblivion.

    Final Though- A great freking game
  8. Feb 4, 2012
    10
    When i finished Oblivion i had very high expectations for Skyrim, congratulations Bethesda you did it again, an astonishing game! Cant wait to play another.
  9. Feb 4, 2012
    10
    One of the most addicting games I've ever played. It's a beautiful, vast open world, filled with hundreds of things to do. You can lose hours upon hours on just exploring the world and looking at it's breathtaking scenery. The combat mechanisms are good enough to give it a right feeling. There's room for multiple playthroughs as it's impossible to go thru all of the content in just oneOne of the most addicting games I've ever played. It's a beautiful, vast open world, filled with hundreds of things to do. You can lose hours upon hours on just exploring the world and looking at it's breathtaking scenery. The combat mechanisms are good enough to give it a right feeling. There's room for multiple playthroughs as it's impossible to go thru all of the content in just one playthrough. By far superior to Oblivion.

    What's there to improve then? Most of the quests are really linear. The AI is stupid at times in combat. Some of the perks are useless, like the lockpicking perk tree. Nearly every spell is more or less directly connected to combat, we could use spells like open locks which don't relate so much to combat. Luckily for pc users the mods corrects a lot of flaws found in the game. Skyrim is a wonderful game, but even then I wouldn't play it without mods once I've tried them.
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  10. Feb 3, 2012
    5
    Man, was I wrong when I gave this game 8 points. It's not what I thought it is. I have played tones of hours just by assuming it should get better but it never did. I will never buy Bethesda game again until they start to innovate and make more story driven games! Because Skyrim is Big Empty world full of same characters with same crappy lines. Main quest is joke as many others. No matterMan, was I wrong when I gave this game 8 points. It's not what I thought it is. I have played tones of hours just by assuming it should get better but it never did. I will never buy Bethesda game again until they start to innovate and make more story driven games! Because Skyrim is Big Empty world full of same characters with same crappy lines. Main quest is joke as many others. No matter what you do you never feel the difference in outcome. Very dull game!!!!! I regret that I spend 60 dollars on it. Expand
  11. Feb 3, 2012
    9
    I've put in 206 hours into this game so far according to Steam and have loved every minute of it. The game isn't perfect, I admit... Finishing the Dark Brotherhood quest line too early will break the Butcher quest and prevent you from buying the Windhelm home for example. But bugs and all I love how open the world is and cannot wait to get the editor to make my own content when itI've put in 206 hours into this game so far according to Steam and have loved every minute of it. The game isn't perfect, I admit... Finishing the Dark Brotherhood quest line too early will break the Butcher quest and prevent you from buying the Windhelm home for example. But bugs and all I love how open the world is and cannot wait to get the editor to make my own content when it comes out Feb 7th! Expand
  12. Feb 3, 2012
    9
    What can I add to the mountains of praise this has already received? The Elder Scrolls series delivers once again, with Skyrim being the best so far. I was unable to give it a solid 10 due to some bugs though, but these are minor and easily looked past.
  13. Feb 2, 2012
    9
    This is a very in-depth game, that is very deep and very long. The world looks amazing and the conversations are very interesting. Gameplay is rather simple, in that you can choose to do whatever you want in the world of Skyrim. The game gets a little repetitive at times, but only after playing a good 20-30 hrs of it. There are occasional glitches that may annoy you, but overall it is aThis is a very in-depth game, that is very deep and very long. The world looks amazing and the conversations are very interesting. Gameplay is rather simple, in that you can choose to do whatever you want in the world of Skyrim. The game gets a little repetitive at times, but only after playing a good 20-30 hrs of it. There are occasional glitches that may annoy you, but overall it is a very good game. I've never played Oblivion or any of the other games in the series though. I tried playing morrowind but got sick of it after 10 minutes of playing. This game was much easier to get into. Expand
  14. Feb 1, 2012
    6
    Man, you orctowngrot said every thing. This game start amazing, became great, then very good, then good, then ok, then mediocre, and finaly get boring. There's no challenge after you reach level 40. I'm level 46 and just kill everything without effort; dragons, bandits, trolls, falmers, elves, orcs, nords, mages. The quests get boring. The gameplay it's repetitive. In the end, you justMan, you orctowngrot said every thing. This game start amazing, became great, then very good, then good, then ok, then mediocre, and finaly get boring. There's no challenge after you reach level 40. I'm level 46 and just kill everything without effort; dragons, bandits, trolls, falmers, elves, orcs, nords, mages. The quests get boring. The gameplay it's repetitive. In the end, you just don't want play it anymore. Just get tired. Expand
  15. Feb 1, 2012
    9
    This isn't only the best RPG I've ever played, it's one of the best games I've played per se! Bethesda have honed the gameplay since it's forerunner Oblivion and implemented loads of new ideas which have obviously been suggested by Oblivion players and fans of the series. Gameplay is riveting and eats away at your sleeping time; it's so hard to pull yourself away from, you won't want to goThis isn't only the best RPG I've ever played, it's one of the best games I've played per se! Bethesda have honed the gameplay since it's forerunner Oblivion and implemented loads of new ideas which have obviously been suggested by Oblivion players and fans of the series. Gameplay is riveting and eats away at your sleeping time; it's so hard to pull yourself away from, you won't want to go to bed! This game offers months of engrossing gameplay which is hard to fault. My only criticisms are cosmetic. It has console style graphics, although the PC version is much better to look at on high end machines. It would have been so much more stunning to look at if it had the graphics of something like Battlefield 3, but the graphics do still impress with it's weather effects like the snow as you get higher up mountains and in colder areas of the environment. The little touches like the rabbits, goats and other wildlife which run off as you and the various enemies approach them, really give the feel of a living and breathing world. Also, the characters faces, which are a big improvement over the ones seen in Oblivion, are still a long way off from those seen in the likes of LA Noir for example. Still, this is a must have game for anybody into video games and even if you don't normally like RPG's, this still won't fail to impress. A stunning achievement from Bethesda and I for one can't wait to see where they go from here. Although a sequel is a long way off, the DLC will be hotly anticipated and much sought after, as will the best of the many user made mods which have already started appearing.
    This game is an undoubted all time classic!
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  16. Feb 1, 2012
    7
    Well, I'll start from the worst traits of this good RPG. First of all: enemies adapt their level to your own. Well, for newcomers of RPG it sounds great, but it's really disappointing for those seeking a REAL RPG. You can finish the game at level 67 (as I did) or you can at 17. Let's go on. Perks ! These are the new way Bethesda choose to align TES new chapter to all other MMORPGS outtaWell, I'll start from the worst traits of this good RPG. First of all: enemies adapt their level to your own. Well, for newcomers of RPG it sounds great, but it's really disappointing for those seeking a REAL RPG. You can finish the game at level 67 (as I did) or you can at 17. Let's go on. Perks ! These are the new way Bethesda choose to align TES new chapter to all other MMORPGS outta there. But why they did such a bad work? Some traits are useless. Some traits at 100 points are overridden by enchanted items, irritating to discover when you can't reassign perks in any way ! Oh, there's another thing about traits. You'll need only about 20-30 of them to become nearly unstoppable. Last chapter: crafting. Crafting is good, but in TES: Skyrim it is so overpowered that you'll never need anything more than what you can craft with materials bought from merchants. So it's frustrating to put your own hands on a Daedric artifact and discovering that it's far from being even nearly comparable to your crafted and enchanted sword. Dragon Shouts: well, they give the game the right folklore. But in real game you'll use only 3-4 of them. The others are there only to feed your hungry for hoarding items/skills/Dragon shouts.
    So Skyrim is a bad game? Isn't it worth the bucks spent? Well, I say that it's a good game. But while I played it for 183 hours at first It was nearly impossible for me to hit the ESC-key and return to the desktop. At the end it was too easy to do. The story becomes so confused if you are to follow every dumb request of side-quests that NPC's give you. And in the end the main plot isn't that good you would expect from a single-player RPG.
    I give this game a 7 because it is OVER ALL a good game. You'll enjoy roaming in Skyrim, hunting beasts, backstabbing enemies, incinerate enemies and fight dragons. In the end probably you'll find a dragon attack as something boring at most or a quick-fight just to allow you to quick-travel to your destination.
    I hope the expansion will fix some of these problems. And I hope that Bethesda will CHANGE PERKS to give player a REAL interest in climbing the tree to the top perk. Near the end of the game I shifted my mage in assassin just with 6 perks...
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  17. Feb 1, 2012
    9
    Excellent game, good storyline, and interesting levelling system. This is what I was expecting from skyrim. The graphics it points where mindblowing, saying that I was playing the game with the graphics maxed out on ultra setting on my pc. Beautiful game that makes you want to just explore, its like a world in itself. Now the disappointing part, the storyline compared to previous elderExcellent game, good storyline, and interesting levelling system. This is what I was expecting from skyrim. The graphics it points where mindblowing, saying that I was playing the game with the graphics maxed out on ultra setting on my pc. Beautiful game that makes you want to just explore, its like a world in itself. Now the disappointing part, the storyline compared to previous elder scroll games was a little weak, I didnt feel as if I had a real urgency to go out there and save the world. For example in oblivion you felt important and there was a real sense of urgency in what you had to do within the game, skyrim was missing this piece of magic. I also felt the levelling system was dummed down and extremely disappointing compared to previous elder scroll games.

    All in all a game well worth playing. Ime on my second playthrough just now. Bit of advice, play this on a gaming machine on ultra settings if possible. I done my first playthrough on the xbox 360 and am now playing my second run on my pc. This game is MUCHHHH better on pc.
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  18. Feb 1, 2012
    4
    This game is highly over-rated. Most suitable comparison would be saying that this game industry's Avatar (film). Impressive graphically at first, but once you see it clearly, it has a boring story, full of clichés and overall, not interesting enough. It has a great amount of items and weapons, but you won't need 80% of them because most of them are just useless. Quest becomeThis game is highly over-rated. Most suitable comparison would be saying that this game industry's Avatar (film). Impressive graphically at first, but once you see it clearly, it has a boring story, full of clichés and overall, not interesting enough. It has a great amount of items and weapons, but you won't need 80% of them because most of them are just useless. Quest become way too repetitive quickly, specially because most of them are just a copy & paste with different names and places, and besides, some skills make them too easy to complete. Main story itself isn't very interesting or original, and the fact that some side-quests may delay your progress in the main-quest makes it quite annoying. Enemies are poorly designed and there isn't enough variety of them for such a huge world. It may give you a few hours of entertainment, but unless for some strange reason you are like addicted to it, it will be hard for you to go further than 50% of the game, because by then you have noticed how repetitive it is. If you manage to complete 100% of the main quest, you won't really get a real reason to complete side-quests left, and that if you didn't accidentally ruined them by killing someone or doing something you shouldn't. The good: It has quite nice graphics, a huge world to explore and, if for some reason you actually like this game, you have a huge amount of things to do. The bad: Way too bugged (PC version got some of them solved by FANS even before they were officially solved), repetitive as hell, after main-quest is completed you have no real reason to keep playing, too many useless quests and items. Expand
  19. Jan 29, 2012
    10
    Funny how some people played this for like an hour and thought it did not live up to and exceed its previous games. Fools... This game is unreal if you played for more than a few hours and set your hot keys. There are mods for ore etc the game is fantastic. I have waited for it for a long time. Thinking I was only going to be let down with so much anticipation of it being great. NotFunny how some people played this for like an hour and thought it did not live up to and exceed its previous games. Fools... This game is unreal if you played for more than a few hours and set your hot keys. There are mods for ore etc the game is fantastic. I have waited for it for a long time. Thinking I was only going to be let down with so much anticipation of it being great. Not only is it great it has exceeded my expectations. If you liked any of the previous Elder scrolls then you will love this game period no matter what anyone on here says that is negative you will get pulled into this game and love it. Expand
  20. Jan 28, 2012
    6
    I don't really understand all this fuss about Skyrim. Sure, it's not a bad game, its world is very large, you get a lot of choices, but that's about all. Almost all the quest and dungeons are quite average and repetitive. There are BUGS, loads of them, even ones that brake the main quest. Graphics? Meh. Some textures look downright ugly. The inventory is ridiculous. And the "care" forI don't really understand all this fuss about Skyrim. Sure, it's not a bad game, its world is very large, you get a lot of choices, but that's about all. Almost all the quest and dungeons are quite average and repetitive. There are BUGS, loads of them, even ones that brake the main quest. Graphics? Meh. Some textures look downright ugly. The inventory is ridiculous. And the "care" for paying customers of Bethesda is really "wonderful". I just don't know how anyone can say that Skyrim is the best game of all time and stuff like that. TES series is unique for its huge open world concept, but the amount of bugs and mistakes should not be overlooked anyway. Expand
  21. Jan 26, 2012
    10
    Very good game as good as they come , yes it could be even better if they flushed out the quests a little more and added some better loot and made some more coherent connections between completing a guild quest and the main quest but this is about as good as it gets and far better than all of the competition out there .
  22. Jan 26, 2012
    7
    I have played the game all the way through, meaning the main story and all of the listed quests. My character is a 52 level Rogue, with maximum skills in stealth, lockpick, pickpocket, enchanting, blacksmithing and one handed combat. I have also replayed the game as a mage. The mage is much less satisfying. The spells are pretty lame. I do far more damage as a rogue with back stab.I have played the game all the way through, meaning the main story and all of the listed quests. My character is a 52 level Rogue, with maximum skills in stealth, lockpick, pickpocket, enchanting, blacksmithing and one handed combat. I have also replayed the game as a mage. The mage is much less satisfying. The spells are pretty lame. I do far more damage as a rogue with back stab. The game the first time was a lot of fun and it is worth getting. Replay-ability is not very high. While there is a lot to do there is not much variability in how it gets done. My favorite game from a replay-ability point of view has to be Dragon Age Origins. Must have replayed 20 times. Played all the races, genders and combat styles. Plus managing the group added an extra dimension. So, while Skyrim is a very good game the first time through don't expect to get much out if the second time around. Expand
  23. Jan 25, 2012
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This game absorbed me for 2-3 weeks, then my interest fell off a cliff. I've been away for a month and half or so now and thought I should try it again but instead I'm writing this review. I've been trying to think what went wrong for me with Skyrim and still have trouble putting it in to a coherent explanation. I know my interest collapsed within a day or so of my encounter with the thieves guild. I arrived in that town and was told by about everyone how bad the thieves guild was. So being the do-gooder, sociopath that I am, I set out to find and destroy the guild. Things went well at first. I found the sewers and fought my way through several maps to arrive at the guild's underground bar/base. I backed up, summoned my elemental, positioned my tank companion, and then started raining in glorious aoe nukes. At this point what I had been deluding myself was an open-world sandbox rpg revealed itself to be just another tracked, console port--the thieves guild leadership (the terrible folks terrorizing the whole town) are immortal, unkillable npcs. The next day I came upon an imperial general standing in a field. Being a rebel at war with the imperials, I tried to kill him. Again, no dice--plot essential immortal.

    Obviously, not being able to kill a few folks can't be the full explanation for my loss of interest, but I think it is symptomatic of a game that while beautiful and immense, upon closer inspection fails to deliver on the depth that it promises. Oh, and the melee combat is unresponsive and bleh.

    rep'd my arriving in the town with the th
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  24. Jan 25, 2012
    9
    Although the game was released a little prematurely IMO, Skyrim has a great onset of adventure and escape to it. The restrictive feeling of faction intervention into the player's destiny seems to be jammed in there, so it's not what i expected as far as that goes, though that does lend to the feeling of escape i mentioned. Though glitches were expected with the first release, i got theAlthough the game was released a little prematurely IMO, Skyrim has a great onset of adventure and escape to it. The restrictive feeling of faction intervention into the player's destiny seems to be jammed in there, so it's not what i expected as far as that goes, though that does lend to the feeling of escape i mentioned. Though glitches were expected with the first release, i got the feeling that glitches only increased after the first patch. Add to that some game breaking elements and this game avoids getting a 10 for it's lack of relevant bug fixing. Without getting too "professional" et IGN who's sole purpose seems to be to shut out the community for which these games meet their demand, i can say that this game exceeds my expectations, especially if the Skyrim Creation Kit pulls through as expected or on par with Oblivion's Modding Tools. I can see where the frustration comes in when gameplay is mentioned, though it is innovative and fascinating to plow through combat. The main issue i have is that the game seems to be comping elements from other popular games. And while a sprint function is something TES needs IMO, i wouldn't rip off other elements of unreal's restrictive gameplay style by limiting the overall customization of the game (ending with skills being horrendously wittled down). Overall this game is great for it's par, but the engine could be used to a much better purpose than a restrictive and more beautiful version of oblivion. This is not to demean the developers in any way, but where Oblivion excelled was it's innovation and preservation of the things that made morrowind and the other games so great. Skyrim takes all of that and tries to run with the skeleton. Expand
  25. Jan 24, 2012
    8
    I won't waste a lot of time repeating what's been said. I love open end games that take a lifetime to fully explore. However, one thing I absolutely despise are the "run around" quests in games that are basically there just to keep the player in the game so they can make claims that it takes x amount of hours to complete. Skyrim if full of these. Gets old real fast.
  26. Jan 24, 2012
    8
    Overall, it's your typical RPG. At first it's fun and exciting, but if you're not one to intently follow a story line, and just like to run around killing stuff and trying to level as fast as you can, than it's pointless to play this game really. The storyline, however, is fantastic, and the gameplay itself is really great.
  27. 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!
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  28. Jan 23, 2012
    10
    Its like Fallout but with magic, more epic environments and landscapes, improved graphics, amazing soundtracks, huge world to explore, etc. Fallout is epic as well, but this game goes beyond that.
    Everything that is good, this game has it!!
    Except for the freaking spiders which has become a nightmare for me. Yes, i'm arachnophobic. I know that there are mods to replace it but i'm a bit
    Its like Fallout but with magic, more epic environments and landscapes, improved graphics, amazing soundtracks, huge world to explore, etc. Fallout is epic as well, but this game goes beyond that.
    Everything that is good, this game has it!!

    Except for the freaking spiders which has become a nightmare for me. Yes, i'm arachnophobic. I know that there are mods to replace it but i'm a bit lazy at the moment. :|
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  29. Jan 22, 2012
    10
    At first I was very sceptical about the graphical design and character animations of this title but the immersion that this vivid worlds offers is unprecedented! You don't enter a location after a loading screen, you don't switch from jungle to icy mountain tops in seconds. You have to move your ass out of the house that you've just bought, mount your stolen horse and ride, ride and ride.At first I was very sceptical about the graphical design and character animations of this title but the immersion that this vivid worlds offers is unprecedented! You don't enter a location after a loading screen, you don't switch from jungle to icy mountain tops in seconds. You have to move your ass out of the house that you've just bought, mount your stolen horse and ride, ride and ride. The weather will change and you'll meet some bandits along the road but after a while you'll reach the windy sanctuary. The feeling is GREAT! Expand
  30. Jan 21, 2012
    8
    I find it hard to review this game. If I were to be legitimately honest and give my true opinions on this game I would upset a great many people that would see this. Do I hate this game? No, it is one of my top 5 games of 2011 but then again, there were only 7 or 8 games that i actually enjoyed of this year.

    Probably the thing that pisses me off the most about this game is the way in
    I find it hard to review this game. If I were to be legitimately honest and give my true opinions on this game I would upset a great many people that would see this. Do I hate this game? No, it is one of my top 5 games of 2011 but then again, there were only 7 or 8 games that i actually enjoyed of this year.

    Probably the thing that pisses me off the most about this game is the way in which the story is told. The story is the same story we have seen in every RPG ever created, and if you really think about it. Itâ
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  31. Jan 21, 2012
    10
    This game is top of the line material, most negative comments are just from people who hate everything and think they could do better. Sure, Skyrim might have bugs here and there, but compared to most games, the gameplay is unbeatable! I mean, it offers an open-world, with tons of characters and personalities, and hundreds of quests! Only a few games can offer that! And of course mods makeThis game is top of the line material, most negative comments are just from people who hate everything and think they could do better. Sure, Skyrim might have bugs here and there, but compared to most games, the gameplay is unbeatable! I mean, it offers an open-world, with tons of characters and personalities, and hundreds of quests! Only a few games can offer that! And of course mods make games more fun, but they aren't better than Bethesda! They could do more work to make the game as awesome as it could be, but who wants to wait like 2 decades for a game? That's why they leave the rest to modders to complete the game. So if your just a little complainer saying that just one little bug here and there makes everything that Bethesda put into this game suck, then gtfo and complain somewhere else. Expand
  32. Jan 21, 2012
    10
    The best game I have played in a very very long time. The key to playing this game is to not just go thru the main storyline as fast as you can. Enjoy the beautiful landscape, dungeons/caves and faction quests. I would recommend this to any gamer.
  33. Jan 21, 2012
    6
    Others seem to have had a much better time with it than I have. As for me I've run into a few game breaking bugs that not even console commands or regular saving could fix. One reason I got Skyrim for PC was to be able to avoid some issues like this. I also find it too combat oriented at times, even forcibly so. Some enemies are scripted to find you which can leave characters relying onOthers seem to have had a much better time with it than I have. As for me I've run into a few game breaking bugs that not even console commands or regular saving could fix. One reason I got Skyrim for PC was to be able to avoid some issues like this. I also find it too combat oriented at times, even forcibly so. Some enemies are scripted to find you which can leave characters relying on sneak or those not focused in combat in trouble. This can leave using console commands, lowering difficulty, or using tactics the AI can't put up a fight against to deal with the problem which I'd consider a design flaw. While not having enemies level with you like in Oblivion was a step in the right direction, if they're 20 levels above you, able to instantly get a killing animation if they get close enough, and running across all of Skyrim to hunt you down then needless to say it can be problematic. And people saying,"You just need to level up more," should understand that a game forcing you to play a certain way loses the definition of being open world, sandbox, or nonlinear. A game like this shouldn't be a race to grind levels. This might have been a string of bad luck for my first few characters, 4 or 5 I felt I had to delete for this reason or the previous one. Graphics aren't as refined as expected. Shadows are blocky unless on a higher end gaming PC or ini settings are adjusted, but the later results in a performance hit. Antialiasing and lighting conflict, giving a lighted or colored outline to characters in certain areas. Without mods I consider a character using Archery, and this goes for some magic skills also, as unplayable with the auto-aim Bethesda saw fit to put in. Otherwise in my opinion, many other features have been mixed to me. Getting rid of stats, the classless leveling system, removing or combining skills, Fallout lockpicking, new use of speech, removed birthsigns to name a few. I can see both good and bad things out of each. Dual wielding is a plus, but not being able to block when doing so is senseless. Dual casting can be exciting for new ways to play. Expand
  34. Jan 21, 2012
    10
    Before playing Skyrim you must accept the fact that Elder Scrolls games... or Bethesda RPG's in general have tendencies to be terribly glitchy and well un-organised. Skyrim, reasons you are so great: Great graphics/models/views/effects, great combat (decapitating people casually), great array of weapons armour and crafting, great bunch of characters, a good adventurer experience.
  35. Jan 21, 2012
    7
    Skyrim is the best RPG game of 2011 year. If you like RPG games you should play it. However it is "best" not because it is perfect, but mostly because there are no alternatives (not much RPG games in 2011 year). What's GOOD: Huge world to explore, nice graphics. What's BAD: Combat system, main character development, game physics, AI, ambient sound, minimal player's influence on game world.Skyrim is the best RPG game of 2011 year. If you like RPG games you should play it. However it is "best" not because it is perfect, but mostly because there are no alternatives (not much RPG games in 2011 year). What's GOOD: Huge world to explore, nice graphics. What's BAD: Combat system, main character development, game physics, AI, ambient sound, minimal player's influence on game world. The game fails in the RPG's core principle - character development. Take for example Diablo 2, I had to start playing Diablo 2 from scratch like 10 times, because at some point I was unable to progress further because my character build - suck.Or take as example WOW, where your build and equipment is crucial for game success. This is not the case for Skyrim. Combat system and physics are very disappointing, for example you are holding a huge heavy mace, and swing at your opponent with it, what you would probably expect is something like Sauron from Lord of the rings when he kicks ass with his mace, and enemies flying miles away, in Skyrim however your enemy will stand like it was, it will not fall, nor it will show any sign that you hit him. In general the game lacks physics, except for collision detection, and gravity, and even it fails often. The game AI is dumb, enemies will simply attack you (run to you or do range attacks(bow, magic)), Don't expect NPCs to attack in groups, heal each other, retreat. Your influence on the game world, is very limited. You can exterminate whole city, no one cares, nothing will change. Due to those facts the game reminds a world viewer application, and most likely you will become quickly bored after 40-60 hours of wandering and admiring nature. And still you should play this game to mark a check box that you did it, and forget about it for an year, then give it a try again ("maybe it's not so bad and I can find something worth in it") play it for 2-3 days and tell yourself "Nah it's a boring crap", throw it away and go play some fun MMORPG with your friends. Expand
  36. Jan 20, 2012
    10
    I wish I could give this game a 9.9 - there were a few bugs, one of which absolutely destroyed my first playthrough, so a "perfect 10" is overstating things ... VERY SLIGHTLY. But otherwise? Gorgeous landscapes, an intuitive interface, a wonderfully adaptive system that can handle almost any conceivable play style ... and oh, so very very many things to go out and DO. If you buy onlyI wish I could give this game a 9.9 - there were a few bugs, one of which absolutely destroyed my first playthrough, so a "perfect 10" is overstating things ... VERY SLIGHTLY. But otherwise? Gorgeous landscapes, an intuitive interface, a wonderfully adaptive system that can handle almost any conceivable play style ... and oh, so very very many things to go out and DO. If you buy only one game this year? Make it Skyrim!! Expand
  37. Jan 20, 2012
    10
    Bethesda you've out done yourself once again! Few bugs here and there but what game doesn't release with bugs these days? As the games get more complex things are bound to go wrong, but nothing could stop me loving this title :) Top graphics, incredible immersion (I always forget about the time playing this), and a story that is unsurpassed by any other game for choice and depth. 10/10Bethesda you've out done yourself once again! Few bugs here and there but what game doesn't release with bugs these days? As the games get more complex things are bound to go wrong, but nothing could stop me loving this title :) Top graphics, incredible immersion (I always forget about the time playing this), and a story that is unsurpassed by any other game for choice and depth. 10/10 without question. Expand
  38. Jan 20, 2012
    10
    This is my second review of this game because it's worth it. For those of you out there who like to rush through games, then maybe you'll find Skyrim to be too short for your liking; however, this is NOT the reason Bethesda makes their Elder Scrolls games. Like Morrowind and Oblivion before it, Skyrim allows you to sit back and explore an amazing world full of side quests andThis is my second review of this game because it's worth it. For those of you out there who like to rush through games, then maybe you'll find Skyrim to be too short for your liking; however, this is NOT the reason Bethesda makes their Elder Scrolls games. Like Morrowind and Oblivion before it, Skyrim allows you to sit back and explore an amazing world full of side quests and adventures. It's simply a beautiful game in every aspect and is the best in the Elder Scrolls series to date. I have been a fan of since Morrowind and will continue to purchase Elder Scrolls titles as they are released. Sure there are glitches in the game which Bethesda will fix and the menu navigation could be better, but all in all a great gaming experience. I can't wait for upcoming expansions :) Expand
  39. Jan 20, 2012
    6
    With Oblivion, I preordered the limited edition. This time, because of my experiences with Oblivion, I was not going to make the same mistake again. And boy am I happy I didn't. One might think they would learn from their last game. Instead, they made it even worse! Full of bugs, underwhelming graphics (especially if you've played Witcher 2 just a bit before - sure, you don't have an openWith Oblivion, I preordered the limited edition. This time, because of my experiences with Oblivion, I was not going to make the same mistake again. And boy am I happy I didn't. One might think they would learn from their last game. Instead, they made it even worse! Full of bugs, underwhelming graphics (especially if you've played Witcher 2 just a bit before - sure, you don't have an open world there but still... the difference is GIGANTIC! and because of texture mods and ini mods and whatnot, people know that bethesda could have done more... instead they let their fans do the work) and the leveling system which is supposed to accommodate any play style (although... didn't they say that about Oblivion already?) is about as screwed up as in Oblivion.
    When Skyrim was first announced, I told my friends I would wait for about a year after release before I will play it. But because of all the mods that are already released and very popular, I figured it might be time already. No it isn't. And with things as screwed up as they are in Skyrim, I wonder whether it ever will be.
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  40. 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
  41. 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.
  42. Jan 19, 2012
    8
    Simply put, Skyrim is fun. There is a lot to do and a lot to explore. Eventually the quests get boring (with a few bursts of excitement I suppose) and you lose interest, mainly because of how long the game is. I found myself eventually just wanting to roam the world trying to find caves or treasures, ignoring all the quests.
    Skyrim is a pretty place. Very detailed and huge. With scary
    Simply put, Skyrim is fun. There is a lot to do and a lot to explore. Eventually the quests get boring (with a few bursts of excitement I suppose) and you lose interest, mainly because of how long the game is. I found myself eventually just wanting to roam the world trying to find caves or treasures, ignoring all the quests.
    Skyrim is a pretty place. Very detailed and huge. With scary creatures and boring people in it.
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  43. Jan 19, 2012
    10
    LOLS all i see here is people putting 0 because there computers are **** and people putting 10 because there computers are. This game is unbelievable and was not a let down(unless you were expecting the most amazing pile of awesomeness). This game is what it was meant to be. CHOICE!
  44. 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.
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  45. Jan 18, 2012
    9
    Wow. I don't even know where to start with this game. it has so much going for it. first of all, the game looks beautiful. the new engine does wonders for the game this this time. characters look fantastic compared to the last installment. then theres the world. the world is massive. and you can go anywhere you want straight out of the gate. i have over 60 hours in the game so far, and iWow. I don't even know where to start with this game. it has so much going for it. first of all, the game looks beautiful. the new engine does wonders for the game this this time. characters look fantastic compared to the last installment. then theres the world. the world is massive. and you can go anywhere you want straight out of the gate. i have over 60 hours in the game so far, and i havent even been to all the main areas. nevermind the tons of small settlements and dungeons that are literally everywhere. the world is massive and beautiful. and every character has there own personality. there own story. they may not be interesting, but there all there. that brings me to my first problem. even thought a great amount of detail has gone into these characters, they dont feel life like. they dont seem to be remotely interested in what there saying to you. and thats a shame. but its a hard thing to do. and even though its not done the best, its still miles above the competition. moving onto the gameplay, skyrim has kept its combat pretty much the same as oblivion. because it works. very well. its really my favorite part of the game. everything is smooth and fluent. then theres the story. there is so much story in this game, that i cant begin to talk about it without taking up the rest of the review. so its good. very good. theres over 100 hours of it. with every good thing that game brings out, there seems to be a lot of not so good things to go with them. i bought the game for PC. and its very buggy. there is so many bugs, its become a sport with me and my friends to find the most hilarious one. floating people, killer props, and liquid ground are all present here. i guess what im saying is that the game is great, but with many problems. i still recomend picking it up. Expand
  46. Jan 18, 2012
    9
    I've played through Oblivion and the two recent Fallouts plus a lot of other solo and multi-player games. So far, Skyrim is the best!

    You can wander the beautiful, dramatic hills and valleys, visit the quaint towns and meet the quaint people, follow all or none of the quest lines. You can make a career and a marriage, play any of the numerous races and both genders. You can specialize in
    I've played through Oblivion and the two recent Fallouts plus a lot of other solo and multi-player games. So far, Skyrim is the best!

    You can wander the beautiful, dramatic hills and valleys, visit the quaint towns and meet the quaint people, follow all or none of the quest lines. You can make a career and a marriage, play any of the numerous races and both genders. You can specialize in melee or ranged or casting, or you can build a character who does it all. You can adopt a companion to watch your back and carry your loot. This is an extremely immersive game that I would highly recommend to those new to the genre. Replay value is high.

    You do need to make sure you have the hardware recommended for this game. Don't even think of getting by with the minimum! The graphics are much too good to waste and they'll kill a mediocre system.

    Small bugs still exist but you can learn to use the developers console to repair a quest or skip the boring parts. If you get stuck, there are plenty of helpful references free on the Net. My only dissatisfaction was that I didn't feel emotionally connected to any of the NPCs. I think this is because Bethesda didn't use cutscenes to bring me close to a character's face. Witcher II and even the old Half-Life series nailed my feelings better.
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  47. Jan 18, 2012
    10
    Best PC RPG game ever. Ignore the bug-gripers; they have dirty systems. And Skyrim will only get better as the mods roll in and the expansion packs arrive. Seriously, coolest game ever.
  48. Jan 17, 2012
    8
    Skyrim is a good game, but something about it doesn't seem right to me. Maybe it's because I am extremely tired of fantasy adventure settings, wonder why open world games are so good, or maybe it's because Skyrim has the same exact gameplay as Oblivion or Morrowind. Just repackaged with better music, sounds, animations, and graphics. But, in all honesty, it is still an excellent game thatSkyrim is a good game, but something about it doesn't seem right to me. Maybe it's because I am extremely tired of fantasy adventure settings, wonder why open world games are so good, or maybe it's because Skyrim has the same exact gameplay as Oblivion or Morrowind. Just repackaged with better music, sounds, animations, and graphics. But, in all honesty, it is still an excellent game that DOES take awhile for me to enjoy it thoroughly. One of my favorite aspects is the perk system, which does not fail in allowing you to use WHATEVER you want. As a fan of warriors who uses two handed swords and matching armor, this game REALLY caters to me! Let's see World of Warcraft or ANY OTHER RPG do that, as they only encourage you to use "what's best". Anyway, Skyrim is stellar in every aspect, but tough for people like me to get into... Expand
  49. Jan 17, 2012
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I have been a fan of TES series since DaggerFall. (I havent played Arena.) I loved Dagger Fall for its complex open world and advanced game mechanics. Of course it had its faults but they were undermined by the huge myriad of features the game had. Morrowind cut the features down a little bit but the incredibly detailed and interesting world it gave you to explore, the complex story line and still relatively complex character mecahnics more than made up for that. Oblivion dumbed down the character mechanics even further and even its pretty graphics couldnt hide the very generic game world provided. WHich leads us on to Skyrim. Well its both better and worse than Oblivion in many ways. The game world is visually stunning, very diverse in encounters and quickly becomes tedious. After several hours of walking through the varied locations you soon realise that although one place looks different from the other, they all act and behave the same. The character mechanics have been dumbed down to a horrible degree. Attributes are as good as gone with only three remaining. Instead they have given us the Fallout 3 style perks. You get to go up one attribute and one perk per level. This makes it VERY hard to care about leveling or the character you are creating. The quests are generally the same, go here, kill this, get that, come back. After 7 - 8 of these you will start to discover boredom at its best. The quest storylines are also far too "Awsome".[spoiler] For example, the mage questline has you saving the world as an apprentice and then suddenly rising to Archmage [/spoiler] I would say that after not too long, you will have saved the world at least a dozen times. Skyrim, on the surface is a great game, well worthy of the praise it has received. But as soon as you explore the game a little further, it quickly shows the lack of depth or longevity this game has to offer. All in all, I would say this game is on par with Oblivion which is not a good thing. I would personally buy this game at a low price or wait for one of its competitors to see if they are able to offer a better experience. Expand
  50. Jan 16, 2012
    9
    A startling amount of content in a beautiful package. The environments and the soundtrack blend beautifully to create a world you really want to get lost in. And with so many quests to do, you can easily pour over a hundred hours into this great game. Though there are bound to be glitches in a game of this magnitude as well as a lack of a fully substantial story, Skyrim still offers theA startling amount of content in a beautiful package. The environments and the soundtrack blend beautifully to create a world you really want to get lost in. And with so many quests to do, you can easily pour over a hundred hours into this great game. Though there are bound to be glitches in a game of this magnitude as well as a lack of a fully substantial story, Skyrim still offers the most immersive and enormous world for gamers to explore. Expand
  51. Jan 16, 2012
    10
    As expected, the developers are very densely filled with not very large map. The results are impressive. In the course of assignments we get dozens of temples, caves and castles, learn about the many characters, both important for the Dragon Reach, and with ordinary citizens. For performing tasks you do not get experience, but you will not the less valuable gold, jewelry, armor, orAs expected, the developers are very densely filled with not very large map. The results are impressive. In the course of assignments we get dozens of temples, caves and castles, learn about the many characters, both important for the Dragon Reach, and with ordinary citizens. For performing tasks you do not get experience, but you will not the less valuable gold, jewelry, armor, or weapons. Speaking of the latter: in the game a great set. Starting from the normal that a player can make himself, and the last registered. Expand
  52. Jan 15, 2012
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. As many here, I was a fan of Morrowind and I bought the game when it was released. A solid 15 hours of fun it was, and then... The varnish went off: the game is dull and repetitive, and there is no sense of an epic progression. No legendary objects crafted aeons ago that would beat anything I'd make myself; no reward in becoming a thane, a guild's master or solving the civil war; a clunky menu, because, hey, it's a console port; a boring combat system with ridiculously cheap and unvaried animations. If anything, the whole action felt, well, generic. On top of that, and after roughly 30 hours, I am completely overpowered *** possible spoilers ahead ***: I'm a pure two-handed warriors with armor crafting and enchanting to the max, and it takes me two or three hits to kill an ice-dragon. Boring. Once you're past the discovery of the supposedly beautiful (I find them colourless) landscapes and of the skill system (which is OK), the game is nothing but a series of repetitive dull tasks, and you get NO sense of achievement whatsoever. Expand
  53. Jan 15, 2012
    1
    How can you release a PC game with broken binds!? It's bad enough that I'm forced to bind spells and weapons to number keys only, but then these vanish into thin air a few minutes later! What a thoughtless console port. The mouse lag in menus is also unforgiveable. Numerous online solutions have failed to correct these problems. I have spent more time trying to make this pos game playableHow can you release a PC game with broken binds!? It's bad enough that I'm forced to bind spells and weapons to number keys only, but then these vanish into thin air a few minutes later! What a thoughtless console port. The mouse lag in menus is also unforgiveable. Numerous online solutions have failed to correct these problems. I have spent more time trying to make this pos game playable than actually playing the game. Do yourself a favor and either buy the console version or play somethign else. Expand
  54. Jan 15, 2012
    10
    This is one of the best games ever created, and has just raised the bar for openworld action-rpg's to a new impssible height. Dragon age does well, Fallout does well, and so do a lot of other open world games. We had a lot of those in 2011, but this one is the best. The graphics are the best you have seen in a while on PC, the gameplay is fantastic and the amount of content justThis is one of the best games ever created, and has just raised the bar for openworld action-rpg's to a new impssible height. Dragon age does well, Fallout does well, and so do a lot of other open world games. We had a lot of those in 2011, but this one is the best. The graphics are the best you have seen in a while on PC, the gameplay is fantastic and the amount of content just incredible. Take Morrowind and Oblivion times two, plus better graphics, longer and more rewarding gameplay and an amazing amount of detail, and you have Skyrim. And, finally, a game arrives that does dragons right. Each dragon fight, even if you already had a milliion, is epic. The detail in weapons and armor, buildings, enemies, characters and weather conditions was never seen before until Skyrim came along. Expand
  55. Jan 15, 2012
    10
    Despite the many bugs the game is excellent, even the game trailer super popular cry, and yes there are games = D FUS RO DAH
    Here it is the best game of the year!
    here it here it is my dream game Skyrim hefty guys skaaaaaayrim !!!!!!!!
  56. Jan 15, 2012
    5
    Skyrim get's some things right, but ultimately it ended in disappointment. What's done right: 1. Map size and detail. Markarth is one of the most beautiful towns I've seen in a video game. 2. The beginning of the game is fun and engaging. What's done poorly. 1. Level scaling. By the time you hit level 40 and above, the game is incredibly unchallenging at normal difficulty, and on hard,Skyrim get's some things right, but ultimately it ended in disappointment. What's done right: 1. Map size and detail. Markarth is one of the most beautiful towns I've seen in a video game. 2. The beginning of the game is fun and engaging. What's done poorly. 1. Level scaling. By the time you hit level 40 and above, the game is incredibly unchallenging at normal difficulty, and on hard, fights are long and boring. 2. Economy. It's far too easy to acquire gold. It's amazing that there are still beggars in Skyrim. 3. Overall challenge. There is none. I can hit F5 whenever i sense danger and death can always be quickly circumvented. 4. Bugs and Patches. As expected, the game contained many bugs upon launch and most of these were tolerable, but when they released they're "patch" that introduced more bugs, it broke the game for me. I was disappointed to see such a lack of care. Now, I did put 70 hours into the game and the first 40 were solid (though the dark brotherhood was much better in oblivion in my opinion), but I can't bring myself to play it anymore when so many other quality games that involve true character development and provide a challenge are on the market. Expand
  57. Jan 14, 2012
    7
    Skyrim is a classic example of a game with all the potential in the world but that falls victim to repetition and uninspired characters and quests. The main storyline is interesting enough to keep you glued to your seat. The game kicks off with you, a prisoner sentenced to death, escaping a city called Helgen amidst a surprise dragon attack and going on to discover that you're a rareSkyrim is a classic example of a game with all the potential in the world but that falls victim to repetition and uninspired characters and quests. The main storyline is interesting enough to keep you glued to your seat. The game kicks off with you, a prisoner sentenced to death, escaping a city called Helgen amidst a surprise dragon attack and going on to discover that you're a rare individual known as a "Dragonborn." Dragon encounters and epic trips up gigantic, treacherous mountains follow as you learn more about who you are and what you can do to cleanse the world of evil and make things right again. Then come the side quests. Thieves Guild and Dark Brotherhood quests aside, Skyrim is absolutely filled to the brim with some of the most pathetic, repetitive quests I've ever undertaken in an open world role-playing game. Nine times out of ten, it's "Go collect this, then return to me!" or "Go kill so-and-so, then return to me!" There is no originality to be found and by the time you've fetched the 50th item for the 50th uninteresting character, you'll be ready to tear your hair out and call it a day. The dungeons in which you'll be doing most of your fetching and killing are largely repetitive affairs, too, with copy-and-paste layouts and repetitive puzzles that make each one feel exactly like the last. These gripes aside, not all is bad in the world of Skyrim. The world is large, the graphics are much improved over Oblivion, and the soundtrack is mesmerizing and memorable. The lockpicking system brought over from Fallout 3 is an excellent replacement for Oblivion's annoying one, too, and even the leveling system has been improved. Overall, Skyrim is a great game hampered by quests with no soul and uninteresting characters. Had it featured more interesting characters and a greater variety of quests and things to do - I missed the arenas from Oblivion, for example - I would've played until my eyes had rotted inside my skull. As it stands, however, Skyrim features a huge, gorgeous world to explore but offers little to do in the way of interesting activities once the story reaches a conclusion and you've assisted both the Thieves Guild and Dark Brotherhood. Had there been more to do, this would've easily received a perfect score from me. Perhaps upcoming downloadable content will provide this game the interesting content it desperately needs. Expand
  58. Jan 14, 2012
    9
    Amazingly huge game that, when compared to all other games out to date, deserves much better than many people are giving it the credit for. I mean, COME ON people, you whine and complain about how it's not perfect...well, has there EVER EVER been a game that was perfect? Absolutely not. Many negative reviews are from people who want something more, but they fail to realize this is aAmazingly huge game that, when compared to all other games out to date, deserves much better than many people are giving it the credit for. I mean, COME ON people, you whine and complain about how it's not perfect...well, has there EVER EVER been a game that was perfect? Absolutely not. Many negative reviews are from people who want something more, but they fail to realize this is a project that is way more than any other game out there. Yes, there are flaws, but they pale in comparison to its virtues. Pros: Amazing world, ALL dungeons are different, I'm not getting bored exploring them like in oblivion. Graphics are pretty good, although we still have people whining about that...it's Bethesda for gods sake! And overall hours and hours of possible gameplay. Quests are relatively interesting, with a good variety as far as i'm concerned. Overall, loving it.

    Cons: Menu system does suck, but mods are out (and coming out) already to improve it. Have gotten one crash...but compared to oblivion this is Mac versus Windows...
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  59. Jan 14, 2012
    5
    While there are millions of bugs and the combat, textures and animations suck this game is still great! There are tons of hours of playtime.Bethesda could've done more on the 4 years of development. Anyways i think Skyrim deserves a 5
  60. 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!
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  61. Jan 14, 2012
    8
    doesn't live up to my expectations unfortunately. But since I am a fan of the series and have played the previous game quite a bit, I'm still pleased. The game is less open ended then Oblivion IV, often you can't alter or end a quest line by killing a key person, they often act like you didn't kill them the next time you go visit them, and the menu system and controls are far too consoledoesn't live up to my expectations unfortunately. But since I am a fan of the series and have played the previous game quite a bit, I'm still pleased. The game is less open ended then Oblivion IV, often you can't alter or end a quest line by killing a key person, they often act like you didn't kill them the next time you go visit them, and the menu system and controls are far too console oriented, making it feel like it was just ported straight over to the PC without tweaks for controls. It is still fun, and I like ironic bugs in the game if they aren't messing with the quest direction too much. Expand
  62. Jan 14, 2012
    9
    An impressive feat showing what the gaming industry is capable of. The new engine is a massive improvement over the old one and it allows for some amazing landscapes and more impressive environments. Though the mechanics are pretty much the same as the earlier games. Many different things have been upgraded and improved. Inducing the new switcheroo weapon/magic system which features aAn impressive feat showing what the gaming industry is capable of. The new engine is a massive improvement over the old one and it allows for some amazing landscapes and more impressive environments. Though the mechanics are pretty much the same as the earlier games. Many different things have been upgraded and improved. Inducing the new switcheroo weapon/magic system which features a bio-shock(Esq) hand movements and casting . The radiant A.I allows for unlimited quests, though in retrospect these do seem a little repetitive after a while as they are mostly go here and fetch the item or go here and defeat the dragon. Though they are the same the dungeons are always new and exciting and the fantastic dragon A.I keeps it fresh and exciting. The story Itself in my opinion is a better improvement over oblivion and goes back to Morrowind's roots. and the battles and quests could not be more epic. Even so it has it's downfalls, like many games this large it can have a large number of bugs, though many of these can be fixed with a patch and if you have it on PC you can definitely get an unofficial bug-fix for your problem. The menu's on the PC are a little irritating to flick through showing that the console to PC porting process was most probably done in absent mind. Even so this can be remedied by mods that you can download off the internet for free, and once again the mod support from the community (the nexus community especially) has been amazing and the best experience for this game is on the PC . Though you will need a relatively good gaming rig to pull the game along smoothly. Overall the game is a massive improvement on oblivion, graphically, game-play and story wise. Though the game does have it's shortcomings (mainly with bugs that CAN be fixed) and the combat system can seem a little tedious and irritating at times. It is an awesome game that definitely gives you your bang for your buck, especially if you get it on the PC. If you haven't played oblivion you don't really need to but many references may seem confusing at first, making the game harder to get into, but it's well worth it, and if you really feeling out of the loop you can look up extensive lore online or simply play oblivion which is still good for it's time even now. Expand
  63. Jan 13, 2012
    7
    Much like Oblivion this is a game which provides an entirely new world to explore and interact with. The focus is on creating your story and no one really demands of you to be Dragonborn and follow the main quest until the end. I have had loads of fun simply playing as a thief, assassin and an archer. If you are creative and keen on roleplaying, this game is for you.
    There is however at
    Much like Oblivion this is a game which provides an entirely new world to explore and interact with. The focus is on creating your story and no one really demands of you to be Dragonborn and follow the main quest until the end. I have had loads of fun simply playing as a thief, assassin and an archer. If you are creative and keen on roleplaying, this game is for you.
    There is however at least one huge downside to this game. Where the other Elder Scrolls always managed to make me feel as a part of the world, Skyrim makes me feel distant to it. It doesn't persuade me about its own history, and most of the time I feel like I am playing someone else's made up world.
    Despite that huge downside, this is still one of the best games of 2011 and a must buy for anyone looking for some 200 hours worth of escapism.
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  64. Jan 13, 2012
    10
    Game of the year 2011! Maybe also the best RPG ever. Story, gameplay, characters, voice acting, everything is perfect. All the flaws from the past elder scrolls games are gone. Almost no bugs, missing textures or broken mechanics. Only a big open world with lots of good quests, monsters and items. Highly recommended!
  65. Jan 12, 2012
    9
    I will try to review the different aspects of the game. Also i will show you my point of view to some points of critizism by others, especially the comparison to oblivion.

    Grafics and scenery: The graphics are allready very good. Max. resolutuion is 1920x 1080. The scenery is genuine and i have the impression, each part of the map is unique. I dont get the feeling its repeating.
    I will try to review the different aspects of the game. Also i will show you my point of view to some points of critizism by others, especially the comparison to oblivion.

    Grafics and scenery: The graphics are allready very good. Max. resolutuion is 1920x 1080. The scenery is genuine and i have the impression, each part of the map is unique. I dont get the feeling its repeating. Especially the dungeons are very nice and u never know, what lurks behind the next corner Some ppl say its even inferior to Oblivion, well, i can defenitely say, its not. Storyline: Well the main story line is quite..., flat! There are tons of side quests, and i mean tons. So concerning the storIES (main and side) its up to your liking if you like it this way or if you would prefer a huge story with not so many, or at least LESS side than main questing! Personally i prefer a huge story with different ways of solving it, so to me this is a flaw. If you are more an adventurer, going through the world, to see what it has for you, well this is it! Questing in general: Well, some quests are really repeating: Kill boss in Cave A. Bring this to place B. But some quests are really interessting. But i have to admit, to me it seems, quests in Oblivion have been a little bit better. Not much, but its defenitely not a step forward. IMO with only little efforts, questing could have been highly improved, with the new characters and nicely created dungeons.

    NPC's: Their has been a lot of criticism "they are repeating", "characters are static", "they talk nonsense" and so on. To be honest: In some cases its true. But i nver saw a rpg so far, where the npc act like a real human and u cant see no difference no more. To me, its defenitely a step forward then to oblivion. The way they stand, sit or talk loks to ma at times quite real. You just cant demand, that this must be 100% during the entire game. Thats simply unrealistic. To me it creates a world with some depth. What i miss though, are more genuine or maybe crazy characters, that you dont forget anmyore and meet in different parts of the world.

    Fight system: Well, no big difference to oblivion. As a ranged attacker like i am, its even more difficult than before. Even animals dodge my fireballs! Even in close combat, its hard at times to hit the enemy, cause hes jumping from left to right and my companion walks into my flash. Do i complain about it? No! Does your opponent in real life sit and wait? Of course hes dodging. Ok, dodging animals is not okay afaic!

    Magic System & leveling: It has been changed alot, but its not completely different than before. Also this has been an aspect of alot of criticism, and i have to say: Again its about your likings! Most of the oblivion skills have been kept, but the character atributes are completely wiped out! Strength? What for. Intelligence? Who cares. THIS is really a step back IMO. Differences with effects on the skills are only from the race your playing, e.g. more magic, if your an elf. So all elfs know the same magic? All nords can carry the same load? Very bold thesis! The only atributes left are magic, life and endurance which you can push ONE for 10 points each levelup. So since there are no more attributes, it doenst matter anymore which skills you have to push (like in oblivion). You can skill all, if you want with the same speed. No more main skills. Probably this was the intention and you you are skilling to your playing style. Additionally they invented the perks, so you can boost some of your skills with those perks to get additional special skills, e.g. youre fire spells are stronger in general. And ADDITIONALLY you get the dragon shouts, special shouts, which are basically similar like the magic skills. In all this is a step forward in MY opinion. I allways used to play a thief fire mage, and finally i can (ok, i am an old school d&d player) So final conclusion: I kinda like the new system, but it couldve been better.

    Balancing: Yeah, there are some issues about it. Dragons should be harder. Why am i fighting the first dragon at level 6? Even a giant seems to be harder!

    Interface: It was written for game console, i read and it is indeed crappy! Thank god, the modders invented some mods, which makes it 100% better. Bethesda: That was CRAP!

    Bugs: It runs fine at my system. No crashes. Still a few left, but nothing that destroyes the game. Modding scene: Why should i take this into my review? Because its there AND it makes the game more interesting, especially in the aspect of long term motivation. If it was planned or not? I dont know, but the result is the same. The scene will give you alot of enhancements of the game in EVERY aspect!

    In total i still give it 9 points. Why? (I still criticized quite some things). Well, to me oblivion was a 10 so IT IS a step back. And the modders also were responsible for 2 points! But i dont know any better rpg on the market then TES. I would defenetely recommend this game!
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  66. Jan 12, 2012
    9
    What drew me into this game, and has kept me playing for 100+ hours is the immersion factor. You feel as if you are part of a genuine world with real characters and locations. Even though I have completed the main quest there is still lots to do and I am contemplating restarting as a different character to make different choices to see how that plays out. Crafting is particularly wellWhat drew me into this game, and has kept me playing for 100+ hours is the immersion factor. You feel as if you are part of a genuine world with real characters and locations. Even though I have completed the main quest there is still lots to do and I am contemplating restarting as a different character to make different choices to see how that plays out. Crafting is particularly well done and fits into the game seamlessly without being a chore.

    The downsides which are preventing me from giving the game a 10/10 is the clunky world map. It is looks over functionality and I would often get lost as the roads are not displayed. Also, the UI is not brilliant, particularly when you gain a level and pick new skills.

    In general I would totally recommend this game for the heart pounding dragon fights, companions, compelling quests, beautiful graphics and believable world.
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  67. Jan 11, 2012
    10
    Excellent game, many thanks to developers! The beautiful drawing, the huge world, interesting quests. The thought over balance. There are insignificant defects which can be corrected patches. I play almost every day till some hours. I recommend game to fans of this genre. Thanks.
  68. Jan 11, 2012
    9
    Fairly the best game of the Eldar Scrolls line. They improved like every part of the last games and implemented some new stuff. .For those who where already used to the Eldar Scrolls game style its a must have, for all the others its the very best beginning to this game row.
  69. 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
  70. Jan 9, 2012
    9
    Skyrim is an excellent way to pass time, slay dragons and get your butt firmly kicked by a frost troll in the first hour of gameplay. The game offers (as i read somewhere else) a veritable "country-in-a-box". a Beautiful one at that too. Combat is much better than Morrowind and about the same level as Oblivion, stealth is reasonably unchanged as well. Im thinking the magic system is anSkyrim is an excellent way to pass time, slay dragons and get your butt firmly kicked by a frost troll in the first hour of gameplay. The game offers (as i read somewhere else) a veritable "country-in-a-box". a Beautiful one at that too. Combat is much better than Morrowind and about the same level as Oblivion, stealth is reasonably unchanged as well. Im thinking the magic system is an interesting way of going about it, instead of making a new spell that does only so much fire damage and ice damage, you just put fire on the left, ice on the right, and go to town. Now, i don't know how many of my fellow reviewers have tried to make a fantastic storyline with no issues and gripping gameplay through and through (*In a sandbox world*) but for what it is (certain storylines do fall flat oddly), its pretty awesome. While you still feel the fact that your a player in a world full of npc's, just looking at how much they have improved since oblivion is great. No doubt, might i add, once you done with what the devs have created, it can grow exponentially from there with the modding community that has already polished the graphics and will within a reasonable amount of time start unleashing their own mini-countries onto the interwebs.

    Tl,Dr; Devs made a wonderful sandbox game. Storys fall flat rarely (but disappointingly). Great if you enjoy stalking your prey.
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  71. Jan 9, 2012
    5
    I love my PC version of Oblivion. It's modded to hell and back and still gets a lot of my time. However, there are niggling issues with that game that I hoped would be resolved in Skyrim. Alas, they haven't. ....... Combat is still clunky and unbalanced, dialogue is awful, the UI is appalling, quests are linear and forgetful, the game engine (Gamebryo not 'Creation'!) is as buggy and weakI love my PC version of Oblivion. It's modded to hell and back and still gets a lot of my time. However, there are niggling issues with that game that I hoped would be resolved in Skyrim. Alas, they haven't. ....... Combat is still clunky and unbalanced, dialogue is awful, the UI is appalling, quests are linear and forgetful, the game engine (Gamebryo not 'Creation'!) is as buggy and weak as ever, and the animations in the game are 2004-spec. What's more, this is a very weak port from X360, with very little effort made to optimise it for PC users (DX9? Really?)........ The music and sound, however, are VERY strong, the world is well realised (Bethesda actually had art direction this time!), and the allure of the big open gamespace is as strong as ever. Dragons are fun, if easy to kill and repetitive. Dragon-shouts differentiate the PC from the NPCs, which is important. These are the plus points, but there should really have been more........... Besthesda are not pushing themselves. Oblivion 1.5 is nice, but where's the innovation, guys? Deep inside i'll always know that this is not yet the RPG I know this dev can make.......... Next time- get a new engine (a REAL, new engine), redesign combat entirely, come up with decent stealth mechanics, hire new writers and build a better connection between the game world and the people that inhabit it (better AI, animations etc.). Because as much as I love the Elder Scrolls, I can't pretend forever that this isn't a bit of a mess. -Loco Expand
  72. Jan 9, 2012
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Skyrim is possibly the best game I have ever played. You can wonder off into any direction and find something. The gameplay is half-linear and the game world is massive. The conversations between people on the street are almost realistic. It has made a huge leap from oblivion with dragons and better leveling. You could become a hired assassin or an arch-mage. The main quest which starts off as you finding out you are the dragonborn and ends with the defeat of alduin and lots of stuff in between. The civil war quests were fun with lots of killing (which is good). i give this game a 10/10. Expand
  73. Jan 8, 2012
    10
    Skyrim, my game of the year 2011! The game is addictive, fun and there is so much to do in it, this is why I don't mind the bugs skyrim has. I have played the game for over 100 hours already and the game can only become better when the creation kit will be released this month.
  74. Jan 7, 2012
    7
    Coming from someone that hasn't played the previous Elder Scrolls, It's safe to say that Skyrim isn't really something special as a stand alone game (die hard fans would disagree). Sure you have a vast world to explore but the many interactions with AI and the environment are weak. The AI triggers during battle are broken (had a guard say "that was just a scratch" while falling dead?Coming from someone that hasn't played the previous Elder Scrolls, It's safe to say that Skyrim isn't really something special as a stand alone game (die hard fans would disagree). Sure you have a vast world to explore but the many interactions with AI and the environment are weak. The AI triggers during battle are broken (had a guard say "that was just a scratch" while falling dead? Really?). Small things such as being able to run through a dragon skeleton like its a hologram saddened me, considering the developer created such a large world only to disregard collisions, really basic stuff. Melee combat is a joke: Hold mouse to hit just a bit harder at the cost of most of your stamina and on top of that expect to take a few hits while you charge up your strike, only to have the enemy shrug it off as if they got hit by a feather. The worst aspect of his game has to be the builds. The armor and weapons you find allow for little variety so your likely to end up with a hybrid of all sorts. All in all, Skyrim seems to run on an old engine that allows for little breakthrough in terms of actual game play and more so in terms of appearance and so you will probably be bored throughout unless your exploring dungeons and caves, which imo is not really new to the gaming world but still fun as always. Expand
  75. Jan 7, 2012
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Simply....amazing. The graphics are amazing, combat, at least for me, is exciting and the best out of fallout or oblivion. Very good story that kept me wanting to find out what happens next, and and overwhelming amount of quests. To this day i have noot finished all of them and i have played it for hours on end. The gameplay was just stunning. For example, I was walking around in the capital city of Skyrim when I deciced to kill some random person, just for the fun of it. After the deed was done, I fleed from the many guards that were chasing me with there weapons drawn, and also the guys wife. A few game days after I escaped, 4 Hired thugs approched me and told me that some one wanted me dead. After killing them with the use of cheats, (I died to many times to count) I read a note on one of there bodies. The note was a bounty on me, and the person who issued the bounty, was, amazingly, the wife of the guy I murdered. This is just one of the few amazing things that happen in the game. There are a couple of glitches in the game, some fatal, so you might need to save often, but that is a small price to pay. If your looking for a good game to play, definatly play this one. Expand
  76. 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.
  77. Jan 7, 2012
    6
    I have to change my intial score of this game. I orginally made my previous score of 10 after playing this game for just over 40 hours. After I had put 80 hours into the game I find myself disappointed. I can say that the effect they were going for in Skyrim has been achieved, but the fact Skyrim is so utter repetitous and cliche in its design makes the game disappointing. On a gameplayI have to change my intial score of this game. I orginally made my previous score of 10 after playing this game for just over 40 hours. After I had put 80 hours into the game I find myself disappointed. I can say that the effect they were going for in Skyrim has been achieved, but the fact Skyrim is so utter repetitous and cliche in its design makes the game disappointing. On a gameplay level its ok, not too hard to grasp and easy to find some interesting place to explore. The storyline and characters are a little bland, a lot of the time I found myself lacking the initiative to continue into that dungeon or cave because I found the enemies tedious. The engine seems to struggle quite a bit on my computer, (my computer can play The Witcher 2 on close to high). I think it plays like the engine has been pushed to its graphical limit TBH. It is hard to find a comfortable framerate in this game, it jerks between 10-45 frames constantly. I encountered some bugs (notably a bug where I was unable to proceed through a gate), but nothing to cry about. Please Bethesda, concentrate on trying to find that little place in your minds that wants to take people to another world. So what if the fans want dragons. Expand
  78. Jan 7, 2012
    9
    One of the best rpg ever... It's a great game that has some minor flaws that are overshadowed by awesomeness. If you haven't played it yet, you are missing a lot. GO GET IT NOW!
  79. Jan 6, 2012
    10
    its good lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll
  80. 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. Jan 5, 2012
    5
    5/10 it's all i can give. Old graphic engine, art styl is good, you can feel nordic climate but from technical point of view it sux, less complicated RPG gameplay compared to Morrowind. And no spears, my favourite weapons, again like in Oblivion everything seems to be simplified for idiots, who have trouble counting to 10.
  82. Jan 5, 2012
    10
    Skyrim is truly awe inspiring. Firstly, I'd like to disregard all those trolls and fools, who bash the game down to grades bellow 5, because they obviously have no taste for RPGs or any ability to comprehend how vastly superior Skyrim is. I'll admit that I wasn't the biggest fan of Oblivion and Morrowind came when I was still a little young for it, but Skyrim is a dream come true forSkyrim is truly awe inspiring. Firstly, I'd like to disregard all those trolls and fools, who bash the game down to grades bellow 5, because they obviously have no taste for RPGs or any ability to comprehend how vastly superior Skyrim is. I'll admit that I wasn't the biggest fan of Oblivion and Morrowind came when I was still a little young for it, but Skyrim is a dream come true for anyone, who enjoys huge open fantasy worlds with a living, breathing society in it and dragons. Well, sure, there are some minor bugs, but in a game of this scale? It would have to be a miracle if there were none. So sometimes you'll ride your horse up a rocky mountain with some glitchy animations, sometimes some finishing move won't be nearly as glorious and neat as it should be, but who cares? Who could mind silly little things like this when there's a beautiful-beyond-tell world opening for them, where no dungeons look the same, where every step your horse takes through the vale of a night is an adventure on its own. Quests are rich, intriguing and entertaining, albeit the civil war wasn't as amazing as I had hoped. I've spent quite some time with the game already, up to the level 45 so far and I still love it, I still sometimes just stand still on a cliff at night, looking up to the starry sky with northern lights and gasp. One of the most immersive and probably the best RPG ever. Expand
  83. Jan 5, 2012
    10
    Bethesdawesome. I played almost every game of the Elder Scrolls saga and Skyrim takes the best elements of Daggerfall, Morrowind, and Oblivion to create a unique gaming experience. There are of course some minor "unreal" issues, such a possibility to boost your stats, create powerful items and hack'n'slash your way to the end, but hey, this isn't real world! Bethesda is improving from gameBethesdawesome. I played almost every game of the Elder Scrolls saga and Skyrim takes the best elements of Daggerfall, Morrowind, and Oblivion to create a unique gaming experience. There are of course some minor "unreal" issues, such a possibility to boost your stats, create powerful items and hack'n'slash your way to the end, but hey, this isn't real world! Bethesda is improving from game to game. If you want a really flawless game of THIS magnitude, prepare for at least 10 years of Blizzard-ish development, balancing etc. Moreover, I personally found the Skyrim interface created for controllers very, very satisfying on PC. As for the setting in the Northern province of Tamriel, I don't like mono-setting games and I'm still waiting for some kind of Daggerfall 2, but I really enjoyed playing in the cold, snow-clad province of Skyrim during my snowless winter Christmas holidays. Expand
  84. Jan 5, 2012
    10
    Didn't expect a lot after Oblivion, and Skyrim was a great surprise ! Closer to Morrowind, it's a huge game to explore, epic and very very good looking. 100 hours and far from finished...
  85. Jan 5, 2012
    10
    Really good game, so addictive, can't stop...
    Great story, great landscape, great game play great voice acting and good re-play value (I'm now on my fifth play trough). My point of view is that you can't review a game if you haven't done all there is to do in a game (or at least most of the stuff) and this game almost seems endless and I know I haven't done everything and I haven't seen
    Really good game, so addictive, can't stop...
    Great story, great landscape, great game play great voice acting and good re-play value (I'm now on my fifth play trough). My point of view is that you can't review a game if you haven't done all there is to do in a game (or at least most of the stuff) and this game almost seems endless and I know I haven't done everything and I haven't seen all the sides of the story (yet) so that is also why I'm not yet able to do a complete review...anyhow, one thing is for sure, YOU HAVE TO TRY THIS GAME!

    P.S. The only bad thing there is to say about this game is that the texture resolution is poor but it's ok especially when you think about how big this game really is, and then also if the texture resolution would be higher then also the system requirements would be sky high.
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  86. Jan 4, 2012
    9
    "is this the best game ever made?" ...... I am not a big rpg dragon slayer type fan, but after playing 30 mins of this game I was amazed and lost at the same time. If you did not buy a help book/ walk through, you may be lost in a big world of what to do. for help you can find youtube videos that will walk you along the way. it only gets boring if you do not know what to do. As an xbox/pc"is this the best game ever made?" ...... I am not a big rpg dragon slayer type fan, but after playing 30 mins of this game I was amazed and lost at the same time. If you did not buy a help book/ walk through, you may be lost in a big world of what to do. for help you can find youtube videos that will walk you along the way. it only gets boring if you do not know what to do. As an xbox/pc gamer the game works well on both systems. its even better when you can take the game with you on your pc. The pc copy of skyrim is not for windows live and you will have to download the game from steam. :) over all fun game for oblivion rpg fans. 9/10 Expand
  87. Jan 4, 2012
    10
    A ton better than Oblivion... Graphics are simply phenomenal. Gameplay rocks, physics is very tight, a few bugs but nothing that is a game killer. I play this game with a Nvidia GTX 590 and the latest Intel multi-core, and full 3D on 3 screens.... Simply amazing to see the environments at full detail in 3D. Open, non-linear gameplay is a huge draw.... sand-box is the way to go andA ton better than Oblivion... Graphics are simply phenomenal. Gameplay rocks, physics is very tight, a few bugs but nothing that is a game killer. I play this game with a Nvidia GTX 590 and the latest Intel multi-core, and full 3D on 3 screens.... Simply amazing to see the environments at full detail in 3D. Open, non-linear gameplay is a huge draw.... sand-box is the way to go and Bethesda proves it. Great game, and I've played many.. including The Witcher 2. 2011 was just a great year to be a PC gamer... hoping 2012 can follow it up with an encore! Expand
  88. Jan 4, 2012
    10
    Skyrim is a perfect game. A masterpiece. Compared to all the previous Elder Scroll games, this one has improved graphics, more quests, and new characters that you can easily relate to. The most impressive thing about this game is the visual look of the world. The landscapes are beautiful, and would surprise even the biggest gamer. Definitely the best game in the series.
  89. Jan 4, 2012
    10
    It is widely accepted between role-playing gamers that the difference between a good and a bad game experience is the amount of freedom the developer decides the player will enjoy: the good guys at Bethesda know it very well, and Skyrim makes no exception in the long tradition of deep and immersive games this software house has developed.

    The one of Skyrim is a huge and impressively
    It is widely accepted between role-playing gamers that the difference between a good and a bad game experience is the amount of freedom the developer decides the player will enjoy: the good guys at Bethesda know it very well, and Skyrim makes no exception in the long tradition of deep and immersive games this software house has developed.

    The one of Skyrim is a huge and impressively variegated world, where every detail is there on purpose and every story makes sense, at the end of the journey. Just don't believe the haters: they can't stand the fact that this game represents the natural evolution of the happy marriage between role-playing and adventure, and at the same time the starting point of a long, epic and sometimes pleasantly frustrating adventure. Until you get an arrow in the knee, you know.
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  90. Jan 4, 2012
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. After 80 hours, I think it's time to review, i was impressed, Skyrim is a huge step up from oblivion in graphics and gameplay, There are 4 cities, 9 holds (sort of like countys or states, where bounties are tracked alone) First of all, the story, you are one of the 10 races, being executed when a dragon attacks Helgen & Destroys the entire town, you escape and you can join the Imperial (The Empire) or the Stormcloak Rebellion, but the main story is you're a dragonborn & you kill dragons and save the world.

    Main Story (Civil War Questline Inc.) 8/10 - The main story dragged on, the civil war was amazing.

    Now with the graphics, the graphics are amazing, VERY long draw distances, but on a GT 430 it won't go above med. on 1080p, but that's alright.

    Graphics - 9/10

    Stability however, is a HUGE drop, there are a few CTDs and a ton of bugs, involving horses and what not, many glitches can involve quests breaking, forcing the console to be put to use. Mods make this worse.

    Stability - 5/10

    Side Questing is a very fun activity, some are horrible quests, but the daedric quests are extremely fun, such as mehrunes' razor and more.

    Side Questing - 10/10

    Everything else, modability is amazing, i have 8 mods installed (Child mod, Deadly Dragons, Dragon Music changed, New Menu theme and a whole lot more), It'll be even better when the Creation kit comes this month

    Music is good too.

    My overall score is 9/10

    Other - 9/10
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  91. Jan 3, 2012
    10
    This game is an experience unlike anything ever created. I was a fan of Bethesda since Morrowind and Oblivion, and this game shows the fruition of all the good elements from those games. Rarely do you find yourself truly a part of a world and a character that time and real life seem to disappear. After 100 hours of gaming I have had 8 problems with bugs. The graphics are great. TheThis game is an experience unlike anything ever created. I was a fan of Bethesda since Morrowind and Oblivion, and this game shows the fruition of all the good elements from those games. Rarely do you find yourself truly a part of a world and a character that time and real life seem to disappear. After 100 hours of gaming I have had 8 problems with bugs. The graphics are great. The game is great. The amount of content is unbelievable. People need to know this is an experience not to miss. Expand
  92. Jan 3, 2012
    8
    This is definitely a great game, but no way does it deserve the GOTY or the 100/100 scores you see from the critics. Visually it is amazing and Bethesda have truly done a fantastic job of making sure everything you see looks good - it really is a masterpiece of ingame world art. The attention to the layout of rivers, waterfalls, mountains, dungeons, towns, caves, snow, rain, etc, etc..This is definitely a great game, but no way does it deserve the GOTY or the 100/100 scores you see from the critics. Visually it is amazing and Bethesda have truly done a fantastic job of making sure everything you see looks good - it really is a masterpiece of ingame world art. The attention to the layout of rivers, waterfalls, mountains, dungeons, towns, caves, snow, rain, etc, etc.. fantastic. If only they had spent as much time with the depth of the quests and making sure it was bug free, it could have been the best game ever made. Expand
  93. Jan 3, 2012
    10
    I generally don't give a blanket 10 but in this case I feel Skyrim deserves it. In this game they really took their time and did everything right. From the start the story grabs you and the graphics and sound quality are excellent. It is very easy to get drawn in to the side story's and quests in the game and forget about the main story for a bit as you explore. Bethesda truely did aI generally don't give a blanket 10 but in this case I feel Skyrim deserves it. In this game they really took their time and did everything right. From the start the story grabs you and the graphics and sound quality are excellent. It is very easy to get drawn in to the side story's and quests in the game and forget about the main story for a bit as you explore. Bethesda truely did a great job with this one and the world feels alive as you interact with it. The atmosphere is great and I recall being startled in one of the first dungeons when I heard a scraping sound and a pack of Skeevers (rat monsters) jumped out of the darkness at me. The ability to almost completely customize your character and play the game the way you want to is very impressive. This is one of those games you can play one way and then come back and make a different character and play a different way for a totally new experience. Truely a quality and engrossing game worthy of the many gameplay hours I've put into it. Expand
  94. Jan 3, 2012
    10
    This is by far the best game made in this genre. I've seen Fallout 3 and all it's DLCs as the best, and for time it was. Next came Fallout New Vegas, not quite as good, but closing in, but Skyrim took it all ! I've never played Elder Scrolls before, but I turned a fan over night. It does not come better...for now !
  95. Jan 3, 2012
    6
    The game Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, name that brought so much smile on gamer faces.

    This game, the state it is now, it's still in beta. Unsheathe your weapon while crouching allows you to run normal speed. Developing stealth is a joke. If you want to build up anything combat related fast, pick a mammoth where there's a tree or 2 and keep running around them. Wanna try even something more
    The game Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, name that brought so much smile on gamer faces.

    This game, the state it is now, it's still in beta.
    Unsheathe your weapon while crouching allows you to run normal speed. Developing stealth is a joke.
    If you want to build up anything combat related fast, pick a mammoth where there's a tree or 2 and keep running around them. Wanna try even something more fancy? Use 1st stage Whirlwind sprint upstream.

    And what is the use for the horse? Sometimes it helps, sometimes it just makes a suicide run against everything. The speed barely matches you sprinting around combat ready. Whereas on the horse you're completely helpless. You can't talk or interact with anything, you can't even use the other hand to cast a spell or swing a sword to defend yourself.

    Armors some look fancy some just clip through your character's skin. Ouch I say. And for Argonian and Khajit races. Would it have been such a trouble making the tail slide below the armor or making the armor custom build, like having a hole for the tail.

    Dragons become a joke if you want to. They select weird landing spots and are unable to defend themselves against arrows or spells. It doesn't take much to see where they land 80% of the time and then running to distance where you can hit it and it still lands on the same place. And when your character is 60% behind a large object they are unable to attack. For some reason they just don't bother coming any closer.

    Then the usual battles and difficulty. Yes clearing a normal dungeon, fortress, cave. With a stealth bowman it's a disaster. If you play with stealth and arrows you can develop your stealth like 14 points while clearing one. It takes from 20 minutes to an hour to clear one with harder difficulty like expert or master. Even with 45 stealth your enemies are totally blind and in "shadow" area you are part of the furniture. Even running over you doesn't blow your cover straight. People see 4 of their mates dead and go to everyone saying, "I will make whoever did this pay!". Or listen for them to repeat the same songs, stories, chit chat of the same woman, same gold and glory. Guy can take 30 arrows up the nose and say every time, "I guess it was only my imagination". Some say this is fun..? Yea if you listen to it for 4 hours for clearing dungeons you want to switch to lower difficulty and feel like a real stealth archer should. It's pointless to raise the level. When you encounter the problem of swarm of strong people in one room as weak stealth bowman. Just shoot few arrows, every time you re-enter a room and after the 3rd time you get back in the enemy stations have been reset so they can be found sitting at a table or watching the wall. With a ranged build your ideal places are somewhat weird ledges that you can walk over at ease but the opponent thinks it's impossible route. Yes you shoot an arrow, walk few steps back, opponent turns back and starts running around the room, then you take a step forward and s/he'll come the same route.

    With a melee player this might however get somewhat satisfying. If you don't build stealth or pick a bow on the way that is, you MIGHT actually have a challenge up your face with harder difficulties like expert and master. In dungeons, forts and so on. It ain't so. Yea you clear up halfway of the place at ease. Then comes the little bit more experienced fighter that's capable of 3 hit and finishing strike you. And the leaders can do that in one blow. One way is having a table or fence around. You simply time your hit right and you can hit that baddie once, then jump over the fence or table and he will have to run around that. Now how fun is that?
    Dragons will be a pain when you run a warrior like this so what's the point if you can't hit one flying little lizard, comes floating next to you spitting fire or ice. You just can't hit it or force it to come down. You lose the ability to fight your main objective in the game.

    There is simply no point in raising the difficulty above adept so you can keep the overall combat and exploring, somewhat, pleasing.

    And yes your character can jump if you tap jump button while down and rising up.

    And then there's the final touch. Eventually you have to choose a side. You make a game this scale and don't add grey area.

    Most of the game's score comes from beautiful environment. Great story since you make it only as big as you like thanks to all the quests around the world. Visual, story. Easy to use UI once you get hang of it.

    I wished that the fight animations would've been a bit more versatile. And not having pretty much the same animations for 3 weapons.

    Yes. My opinion stays. Still beta...
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  96. Jan 3, 2012
    9
    Skyrim is a huge game. It is probably the single most ambitious attempt at creating a living small world on your desktop (or laptop). You can hate its bugs, you can spit on character animations (NOT good) or search for washed out textures but these complaints are dwarfed and ultimately silenced by a sheer scale of this wonderful game. You can spend weeks running around the montaneSkyrim is a huge game. It is probably the single most ambitious attempt at creating a living small world on your desktop (or laptop). You can hate its bugs, you can spit on character animations (NOT good) or search for washed out textures but these complaints are dwarfed and ultimately silenced by a sheer scale of this wonderful game. You can spend weeks running around the montane lands.You can spend days just modding the game, maybe to get rid of these horrid textures in the first place. You can shun the main quest aside and go pillage the caves. You can sack cities and kill dragons, and... Is the game fun? As it's my personal review I'd say a definite yes. What's important to understand that this is not exactly a story-driven (i.e. Bioware-like) game. The main quest is fun, if not always inventive, although I still have to finish it. The auxiliary storylines are all good however, and sometimes give you a surprising twist which is nice coming from a game where the quests are secondary to exploration. And explore you will with dozens of caves scattered around the world, ancient tombs (all different!!) cities and small villages. The freedom youâ Expand
  97. Jan 1, 2012
    7
    As many reviewers have stated, this game starts out great and you want to give it a 10. What the red reviewers are saying is true; the quests get boring, the dungeons are cookie cutter, the NCP characters are annoyingly repetitive and the physics are poor (not to mention that I've gotten stuck a number of times). That being said, the game is still visually impressive and inspiring. ThereAs many reviewers have stated, this game starts out great and you want to give it a 10. What the red reviewers are saying is true; the quests get boring, the dungeons are cookie cutter, the NCP characters are annoyingly repetitive and the physics are poor (not to mention that I've gotten stuck a number of times). That being said, the game is still visually impressive and inspiring. There are a number of different regions with different wildlife and different harvest-able ingredients, as well as different environments and climates. The races are very well incorporated into the storyline, and it is easy to pick sides based on how your character would feel in the situation. There were times when I wanted to go out and kill certain groups of NCPs. What people are saying about not being able to specialize is false. If you want to be a mage, you can hold a shield charm in one hand and a destruction spell in the other. The perk trees have been fun to explore, although there have been times when none seemed worth the work. The leveling system is not perfect, but it could be much worse. All in all, you will have a great time playing this game on the PC, but having the quests in the ESC menu instead of the TAB menu really rubs me the wrong way. Expand
  98. Jan 1, 2012
    9
    Bought this game several weeks ago for PC. Never played Oblivion, Morrowind, or any other Elder Scrolls game, so really didn't know what to expect, other than wandering around and killing things.

    Things i liked: Graphics look very good even on lower settings. Enough quests to keep you busy. Lots of choices as far as builds go, regardless of what class you play. No more worry about "How
    Bought this game several weeks ago for PC. Never played Oblivion, Morrowind, or any other Elder Scrolls game, so really didn't know what to expect, other than wandering around and killing things.

    Things i liked: Graphics look very good even on lower settings. Enough quests to keep you busy. Lots of choices as far as builds go, regardless of what class you play. No more worry about "How many points to Strength, how many to this, how many to that?" choices, since the game takes care of that MASSIVE headache for you. Marriage is very interesting, creating a daily source of gold as well as a 24-hour, buy-anything store at your disposal, which proves to be VERY valuable when you want to sell stuff at 2am in-game.

    Things i didn't like: Lockpicking on PC is VERY tricky, as the mouse can be very touchy. You almost got the pick in the right spot, move the mouse just a little bit, you're on the other side of the lock now, far away from where you wanted to be. Game can feel a little repetitive after a while, especially if you don't care about storylines. Fighting with bows can be frustrating sometimes, as the arrow doesn't always go where the crosshairs are, especially if you're close to a short wall you're using for cover. You may end up shooting that wall instead of the bandit shooting at you.

    All things considered, i'm definitely happy with this game, and would recommend it to anyone.
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  99. Jan 1, 2012
    5
    They said combat system will be imroved but it is still years behind games like WoW. It is very unpolished and retarded, especially if you try using magic and dual-weild. You need to constantly open equipment or favirotes menu to switch between weapons and spells because hotkeys are FUBAR. Stupid blocking animations (adding delays to weapon switching etc) make situation even worse.

    I was
    They said combat system will be imroved but it is still years behind games like WoW. It is very unpolished and retarded, especially if you try using magic and dual-weild. You need to constantly open equipment or favirotes menu to switch between weapons and spells because hotkeys are FUBAR. Stupid blocking animations (adding delays to weapon switching etc) make situation even worse.

    I was not able to get good feeling of Nords (there are MMO games with better atmosphere and music), random dungeons are still copy & paste (and waste of time, don't do dungeons!), quests seems to be weak and flat (nothing like New Vegas), and why they introduced random or repeatable quests in single player game is beyond my understanding! Like someone will do stupid repeatable quests in single player game for the pure sake of 700 gold, LOL! I would recommend New Vegas much more then this.
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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. 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.
  2. 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.
  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]