The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

 PC
User Score
8.4

Generally favorable reviews- based on 12985 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 10,547 out of 12985
  2. Mixed: 1,375 out of 12985
  3. Negative: 1,063 out of 12985
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  1. Woolee
    Oct 9, 2021
    8
    Very large world to explore with a rich enough world that I'm pretty sure I'm never actually going to bother completing the story from all the distractions.
  2. Bruninho1997
    Oct 14, 2021
    8
    Certamente esse jogo vai te proporcionar muitas horas, dezenas ou talvez centenas, de diversão e exploração.
  3. Shnd3r
    Oct 9, 2022
    8
    The legendary game from the no less legendary American studio Bethesda Softworks. This game is the basis of modern popular RPG games. And it doesn't need any special comments. I will only note that in 2022 it plays well, you can get stuck for more than a dozen hours. My subjective rating is 8/10.
  4. chachamou
    Nov 8, 2021
    8
    Наиграл в эту игру сотни часов, с кайфом.
    Игра в которую хочется возвращаться, снова и снова.
  5. petrkozak13
    Dec 15, 2022
    8
    I've never been into fantasy RPGs so I avoided Skyrim for a decade. I finally played it in 2022 and I must say it's awesome game with huge, beautiful world and interesting quests and NPCs. Only things I don't like are weird UI and very slow movement speed. But overall it's a quality product, can't recommend it enough.
  6. Dan9el99
    Mar 6, 2022
    8
    Skyrim ist ein gutes Rollenspiel mit einer riesigen offenen Spielwelt und unendlichen Möglichkeiten. Die Nebenmissionen und zufälligen Ereignisse sind mit sehr viel Liebe zum Detail gestaltet worden. Leider ist die Hauptstory etwas vorhersehbar und bleibt erzählerisch relativ flach. Auch die Kämpfe gegen die Drachen sind repetitiv (8/10).
  7. UrbanEelf
    Jan 17, 2022
    8
    one of my fav games but the prequel is better imo. i really enjoy coming back
  8. BaldursThones
    May 13, 2022
    8
    I just like the brotherhood and thieves' guild questline. Then you have the rest of the open world on top of that.
  9. Uarabei
    Feb 21, 2022
    8
    Oddly enough, I liked Oblivion more.

    Perhaps this is due to the fact that when the game came out I was forced to play it on a weak PC, and there was no time at all because of my studies.

    However, I caught up later and it's still the same good old Elder Scrolls.
  10. PaddysPub
    Aug 18, 2022
    8
    Still haven't finished the game but after putting in a few hours - even THIS late in the game - it feels like a must play for me.
  11. cranos96
    Jun 3, 2023
    8
    Skyrim is part of my adolescence... The first time I saw it was in a YouTube video where a guy was reviewing the game, and the phrase "this game will make you say goodbye to your social life" still stuck with me, and it did. As I got to know it in depth, there were many bugs and inconsistencies related to the gameplay and even the translation into my language, but I can't help but give itSkyrim is part of my adolescence... The first time I saw it was in a YouTube video where a guy was reviewing the game, and the phrase "this game will make you say goodbye to your social life" still stuck with me, and it did. As I got to know it in depth, there were many bugs and inconsistencies related to the gameplay and even the translation into my language, but I can't help but give it a positive rating. The atmosphere and the fantasy world surrounded me at all times and to this day, in years since I have played the game, it has all remained in my heart.… Expand
  12. Mike95Ita
    Jun 26, 2022
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Contro
    Grafica inferiore al suo predecessore Oblivion
    Elementi RPG semplificati Quest senza scelte Sistema di dialogo semplificato e privi di scelte
    Sistema di classi inesistente
    Pro
    Tante quest
    Eccellente mondo di gioco    … Expand
  13. Venzz
    Nov 14, 2022
    8
    Oyunun hikayesi ve yan görevleri güzel.Rpg oyunu olarak gösterilebilecek oyunlardan birisidir.Yan görevlerinin tamamını bitirmek imkansız gibi bir şey oyuna tekrar ve tekrar başladığınızda önceki oynadığınız oyundan daha farklı bir yol izleyebilmeniz çok güzel.Fakat oyunda çok ağır buglar var ve bana göre oyunda girdiğiniz mağaraların çoğu çok kötü tamamen sıkıcı tuzaklar ve düşmanlardanOyunun hikayesi ve yan görevleri güzel.Rpg oyunu olarak gösterilebilecek oyunlardan birisidir.Yan görevlerinin tamamını bitirmek imkansız gibi bir şey oyuna tekrar ve tekrar başladığınızda önceki oynadığınız oyundan daha farklı bir yol izleyebilmeniz çok güzel.Fakat oyunda çok ağır buglar var ve bana göre oyunda girdiğiniz mağaraların çoğu çok kötü tamamen sıkıcı tuzaklar ve düşmanlardan oluşuyor.Mağaraya gir tuzağa basma meftunları soy uyandırma ilerle ve çık.Bu kadar boş yapılmaması gerek oyundaki buglar çok ağır görevi bitirmenize engel olucak cinsten.Hitbox sorunu zaten acayip derecede fazla büyük bir düşmanla kapıştığınızda kılıçlar içinden geçiyor ve vurduğunuzu bile anlamıyorsunuz. Oyunun en büyük avantajı mod desteğinin çok iyi olması oyunu çok iyi yerlere getiriyor fakat biz oyunu eleştiriyoruz modları değil bu yüzden eleştirinize modlarla çok iyi oluyor demeyin önemli olan oyunun kendisidir.… Expand
  14. Hyperfailure
    Nov 27, 2022
    8
    (╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻
    ┻━┻ ︵ ヽ(°□°ヽ)

    ┻━┻ ︵ ＼( °□° )／ ︵ ┻━┻

    ┬─┬ノ( º _ ºノ)

    (ﾉಥ益ಥ）ﾉ ┻━┻

    ┬──┬ ¯_(ツ)

    ┻━┻ ︵ヽ(`Д´)ﾉ︵ ┻━┻

    ┻━┻ ︵ ¯(ツ)/¯ ︵ ┻━┻

    (╯°Д°）╯︵ /(.□ . )

    ʕノ•ᴥ•ʔノ ︵ ┻━┻
  15. AxieEzz
    Jan 12, 2023
    8
    Как сейчас помню как с нетерпением ждал окончание уроков чтобы бежать домой ради этой игры. Настолько это было ново, круто и неописуемо слоняться по открытому миру и слышать: "не могу поверить, ты и правда... довакин?". Баги тогда не сильно замечались и не особо воспринимались, но проходя спустя время игру повторно - начинало надоедать, банальное не срабатывание скриптов, то Эсборн дверьКак сейчас помню как с нетерпением ждал окончание уроков чтобы бежать домой ради этой игры. Настолько это было ново, круто и неописуемо слоняться по открытому миру и слышать: "не могу поверить, ты и правда... довакин?". Баги тогда не сильно замечались и не особо воспринимались, но проходя спустя время игру повторно - начинало надоедать, банальное не срабатывание скриптов, то Эсборн дверь не откроет, то на пару с Дельфиной не захотят подойти к стене Алдуина то еще какая то муть выводили из себя и заставляли тратить уйму времени на поиск фиксов в инете.
    Но в целом, игра детства, 8 стрел в колене из 10.    … Expand
  16. Naked_Snakee
    Apr 7, 2023
    8
    Just text (crutch) to save the game to the list. Such things. Maybe I'll do a review later.
  17. Rundio
    Apr 3, 2023
    8
    It's a really nice RPG that has stood the test of time.

    The open world is vast and immersive, filled with breathtaking landscapes and fascinating lore. The gameplay is engaging, allowing for a wide range of playstyles and character builds. The quests are varied and interesting, with memorable characters and impactful choices.
  18. Liviaaa
    Apr 9, 2023
    8
    The music, the atmosphere, everything just drew me in and never let go.
    The best part is, you get to do it all at your own pace. Want to spend hours wandering through the forests, hunting game and gathering herbs? Go for it! Or maybe you want to delve deep into the dungeons, battling trolls and uncovering ancient treasures? The choice is yours.
    The gameplay itself is really nice, with    The music, the atmosphere, everything just drew me in and never let go.
    The best part is, you get to do it all at your own pace. Want to spend hours wandering through the forests, hunting game and gathering herbs? Go for it! Or maybe you want to delve deep into the dungeons, battling trolls and uncovering ancient treasures? The choice is yours.

    The gameplay itself is really nice, with a wide range of weapons and spells to choose from. You can specialize in any skill or playstyle you want, be it a stealthy assassin or a mighty warrior. And the best part is, you can switch things up whenever you want. Tired of being a mage? Pick up a sword and shield and become a warrior for a while.

    The main questline is epic and full of surprises, and there are countless side quests and storylines to explore as well. The characters are all unique and memorable.

    The graphics of course could be a lot better and are rather outdated.    … Expand
  19. dunuch
    Aug 31, 2023
    8
    Edit: Paid mods are gone but modgate will not be forgotten. We will stay vigilant, and we will be watching.

    Skyrim is worth playing once again, hopefully Fallout 4 ends up the same way.
  20. mjolls1441
    Aug 28, 2023
    8
    I liked the game the exploration was amazing the combat could use a little sprucing up but beyond that its a good game.
  21. Yllelder7
    Aug 29, 2023
    8
    RPG por excelencia. Gracias a la libertad que te da, y a las miles de historias secundarias que contiene, aguanta año tras año sin ser desbancado por algo mejor. El combate es bastante tosco, como en todos los juegos de Bethesda hasta la fecha.
  22. jemaj32
    Sep 7, 2023
    8
    A solid game that still holds up today especially when you add in mods. But still has some problems.
  23. DogFacedGod
    Mar 16, 2013
    7
    The series improved the melee combat system but retained lots of the flaws from oblivion. Using magic is no fun in this game, the main story isnt just that interesting, stealth feels broken because of dumb npc's, your actions dont have that much influence in the game world. Interface is an insult to PC gamers. Every dungeon looks the same and many more flaws.

    It still is a fun    The series improved the melee combat system but retained lots of the flaws from oblivion. Using magic is no fun in this game, the main story isnt just that interesting, stealth feels broken because of dumb npc's, your actions dont have that much influence in the game world. Interface is an insult to PC gamers. Every dungeon looks the same and many more flaws.

    It still is a fun sandbox-RPG world to explore with splendid visuals, and a more raw, realistic feeling environment. And the mod support is incredible.    … Expand
  24. Teaser38
    Dec 8, 2011
    7
    Incremental improvement on Oblivion. I've had no game killing bugs, but a few crashes which is better than any other Bethesda game I've played. Grind, grind, grind is the name of the game. Flat main quest line that offers little in the way of re-playability. Addicting, yes. Engaging, no.
  25. painterkilla
    Aug 20, 2013
    7
    Skyrim has made significant improvements over the past games, those being replacing the class system with a perk system, allowing for greater specialization: now improving a one-handed skill doesn't mean practicing with a sword makes with better at swinging a mace. Customization options are really good and the characters don't look like potatoes. The game world is really beautiful, varied,Skyrim has made significant improvements over the past games, those being replacing the class system with a perk system, allowing for greater specialization: now improving a one-handed skill doesn't mean practicing with a sword makes with better at swinging a mace. Customization options are really good and the characters don't look like potatoes. The game world is really beautiful, varied, with some degree of verticality due to the mountains and filled with little stories here and there in the form of notes and journals. However, the game feels largely unfinished and empty. The guild questlines are incredibly short and still allow for a character with no skill to become guild leader, especially the College of Winterhold and the Companions, though the Dark Brotherhood one is well done. The Civil War could have been much more, but it limits itself to changing the guard outfits, the dragons all have the same behavior: land at ~35% health and the player can head-on charge, spamming attacks left and right. The combat feels largely like Oblivion: hit the enemy sponges until they die. Blocking has no benefits, you still get damage and stamina is useless outside of sprinting: enchant your weapon with stamina drain and get power attacks all day long. Despite being very nicely handcrafted, the towns are incredibly small, even Solitude, which is supposed to be capital of Skyrim, only feels different in size due to its tall buildings you (most of the time) won't be able to enter. Almost all dungeons are corridors with the back entrance either being inaccessible due a combo of high terrain and invisible walls or are just stupid 'key required' locks. The loot is very poor, even a master locked chest has no more than one or two mildly priced items, forcing the player to use a lockpick perk to suddenly find daedric items everywhere, much like the speech perk tree is required for you to sell all the items you want. Lastly, this is the first game since Daggerfall where the player character can utter complete sentences all the time, unlike Morrowind and Oblivion, but the dialogue is very simplistic: Speech checks are rare and useless: a step back from Bethesda's own Fallout 3, where you could completely bypass a quest with a simple check. They also force the character to be a dumb warrior/wizard/thief/whatever simply due to the lack of skill checks like in New Vegas: Your character, the Dragonborn, blessed by Akatosh with a soul of a dragon, is nothing more than a dumb chap who needs everyone to tell him what happened for the last years because apparently he/she was living under a cave or something.

    Bottom line: the game is enjoyable, but not exactly GOTY material, not with these issues, not with the bugs and definitely not with the interface on PC.    … Expand
  26. Dziver
    Mar 6, 2012
    7
    Not as good as Oblivion or Morrowind, everything has been simplified, the game is too easy, there isn't as much content and movement is restricted by mountains and invisible walls. However Skyrim is much easier to get into than these two games and this must also be the reason for all there positive reviews.
  27. Zzgashi
    Nov 16, 2011
    7
    Skyrim is a huge step forward from Oblivion. A great soundtrack, beautiful landscapes, improved animation (most of the time, still a few weird spots), better faces, and more choices. Unfortunately this beauty is only skin deep, as Bethesda continues to move away from RPG mechanics where you really live in a world trying find different solutions to problems by applying your character'sSkyrim is a huge step forward from Oblivion. A great soundtrack, beautiful landscapes, improved animation (most of the time, still a few weird spots), better faces, and more choices. Unfortunately this beauty is only skin deep, as Bethesda continues to move away from RPG mechanics where you really live in a world trying find different solutions to problems by applying your character's skills, but instead focuses on hack-n-slash loot-fest mechanics. Worse still is that the game uses a script to generate what items you find based on your character's level, ensuring that you never find anything remarkable. The fact that every dungeon ends with a large box full of more of the same, and a shortcut back to the entrance doesn't help the immersion either. In the end all I felt like I accomplished was improving my DPS.… Expand
  28. Gratson
    Mar 4, 2013
    7
    Unfortunately I was pretty disappointed eventually with this one, as with most open-world games. Granted Skyrim is probably one of the best open-world RPGs ever made, but it still feels like a fake world with simple-minded scripted bots. The skill system is also pretty meh, I preferred the skill system of some of their previous titles. Too many skills that do nothing and the interface isUnfortunately I was pretty disappointed eventually with this one, as with most open-world games. Granted Skyrim is probably one of the best open-world RPGs ever made, but it still feels like a fake world with simple-minded scripted bots. The skill system is also pretty meh, I preferred the skill system of some of their previous titles. Too many skills that do nothing and the interface is quite horrible.

    The menus are very bad, mods do help but they still are often unresponsive and annoying.
    The graphics are awesome, and so are many of the mods you can download with it. It's probably one of the most modded games in history. However even with mods it's still pretty unsatisfying, NPCs still say immersion breaking things, completnig major quest lines have very little impact on the world and the "people" there are pretty bland with very little to say or do. It certainly doesn't feel very immersive.

    Once we have better AI and are able to properly communicate with the NPCs of their world, I think we'll start getting incredible "Open World Sandbox" games. But for now, we're stuck with games like this, which excel in certain areas but are ultimately not that immersive and offer very limited interaction with the NPCs.

    Another thing that annoyed me is how unattractive the factions are. I didn't feel an urge to help either the Stormcloaks or the Imperials, both were pretty unappealing factions to me. Even the Blades and the Greybeards were flawed.

    But I'm still giving this a 7 because it excels at certain things like graphics, amount of things to do (huge amount of content) and the lore tends to be good. If you enjoy open world type of games in a fantasy world, you'll almost certainly like this one.    … Expand
  29. spinspock
    Dec 14, 2011
    7
    It's a good game but it could have used another 6 months of QA and bug fixing. The combat is incredibly simple and really could use some work. Most of the characters are forgettable and the story fairly boring.
  30. MustisTheCat
    Aug 25, 2015
    7
    Yeah maybe the game is huge but what else...not much. Boring, really. One can play through a game like Oblivion only so many times. Skyrim is very similar, only the story is even worse. As a gamer I expect the devs to treat me with respect that dictates them trying a bit harder than just adjusting and changing 10% of the recent game and release it as new title. I expect new story, I expectYeah maybe the game is huge but what else...not much. Boring, really. One can play through a game like Oblivion only so many times. Skyrim is very similar, only the story is even worse. As a gamer I expect the devs to treat me with respect that dictates them trying a bit harder than just adjusting and changing 10% of the recent game and release it as new title. I expect new story, I expect to be immersed, I expect great, interesting quests and characters. Nothing besides the music is above average in Skyrim plus I had to deal with the horrid console interface. What a joke.
    You can mod this game to hell and back and then it gains some color but vanilla Skyrim is a pale experience. Rating it based on mods would be giving credit to Bethesda instead where it is really due - the mod community. I feel that Skyrim brought me mediocre entertainment and in that term it is no better than Risen 2, yet it presents slighly higher production values, for example music and larger world.

    Story
    I hoped it would be something different, a lot better than Oblivion but I was dissapointed. The same jailed cutscene I can understand, that is TES franchise trademark so to say. But everything other besides that featured in the game. The Dovakhiin hero role playing is a lot worse than any TES earlier games. I literally had to force myself to sit through this and I consider the time lost forever.

    Graphics/Gameplay
    Dated on premiere day. Same console bull_____. Bad user interface ensures a pc player has trouble with smooth, fast action gameplay. The inventory is all over the place. Really a pain.
    Gaining skills and abilities has been changed for far far worse than in TES : Oblivion. It makes developing the character a chore and a needless, uninteresting grindfest. Few quests are good, hundreds do not deserve to take any self-respecting gamers` time.
    Actor models are horrific, bland robots. They did nothing to even help me submerge in the game`s world. They act in an incredibly scripted way, they are pathetic in showing any emotions at all, even the actor conversations are terrible.
    Maps/locations are huge and pretty, I give it that. But I haven`t come into anything remotely different than with any other rpg title. The same caves, same jail buildings, same castles, same tunnels I went through countless times before. The only thing that caught my attention are the open grounds like say waterfalls and some awesome sightseeing spots in the mountains.
    In the above locations are the same enemy types, all uncreative. I never came to meet an enemy I wouldn`t be able to characterise (strenght/health/magic etc.) at the plain first sight. Same ole spiders/zombies/thieves/monks/trolls/lions etc. What a waste of development time.

    Music
    Beautiful music, easily the strongest feature of Skyrim. Goes well with all character scenes. I caught myself exploring only due to the orchestra of different quite epic tunes.    … Expand
  31. Circe
    Aug 15, 2018
    7
    While lacking in depth and RPG mechanics and quest design, a beautiful world that demands exploration.
  32. obscurus166
    Dec 4, 2011
    7
    Having clocked up around 80 hours on Skyrim now, I feel just about qualified to write a review. It is fair to say that Skyrim is a very good action RPG, but is rather too shallow to offer a truly great roleplaying experience.

    By doing away with the standard base statistics (strength, agility, personality, etc) in the name of simplification, Bethesda has actually cheapened the gamer's    Having clocked up around 80 hours on Skyrim now, I feel just about qualified to write a review. It is fair to say that Skyrim is a very good action RPG, but is rather too shallow to offer a truly great roleplaying experience.

    By doing away with the standard base statistics (strength, agility, personality, etc) in the name of simplification, Bethesda has actually cheapened the gamer's experience significantly. Fallout: New Vegas offered a great insight as to how those statistics could affect the player's choices in a game, from different dialogue options with real consequences to being able to solve certain tasks for certain NPCs. Without those differing routes to the same conversational goal, interactions with NPCs feel flat, bland and pointless.

    Of further frustration is that NPCs fail to recognise the player's achievements in the realm, though they comment freely on abilities of which they ought to know nothing. "Hands to yourself, sneak thief," a Whiterun guard might tell me, though I've never been spotted thieving in Whiterun (or anywhere near it). I am, however, a thegn of Whiterun and, despite the Jarl's promise to let all and sundry know my new rank, I am never addressed as thegn by anyone save my huscarl (who, I am sure, does it only to humour me). The addition of companions is tiresome in the sense that it adds nothing to the game, save a beast of burden. Most are pretty poor combatants and the dungeoneer will find most of his time protecting the person whom he has hired to protect him. Followers offer no unique interactions or personalised side quests and, in that respect, compare unfavourably with Fallout: New Vegas and the Mass Effect series. They feel like an entirely wasted opportunity to add some roleplay value to the game.

    There are a large number of quests to complete, ranging from the benign (advise lovers for the Temple of Mara) to the downright evil (lure priests to their death for demented gods). There are some real moral choices to be made. However, there don't tend to be particularly profound consequences for those moral choices, which is rather disappointing.

    The raidiant quest system works well as a means of getting the player to explore the whole map. While the radiant quests themselves are necessarily simplistic, that is entirely forgiveable in the circumstances. Far more frustrating are the scripted side-quests, the College of Winterhold plot being particular source of dissatisfaction at its short and shallow scope. When I arrived, I was learning to cast ward spells. Three hours later, I was the Archmage, thanks to an infuriatingly simplistic deus ex machina plot device, and without being a noticeably better spellcaster. Morrowind required me to do tasks for various mages and to master several magical disciplines. Winterhold obviously sets a lower premium on actually being any good at magic. There are, of course, things Skyrim does brilliantly. It's a very handsome game to look at, even on medium graphics settings. The dungeon design has improved immensely since Oblivion (even if the inevitable secret door back to the beginning seems like something of a cop-out). The dual wielding system, while not perfect, is an interesting development and a welcome addition to the game. Even in snowy Skryim, there are a variety of terrains and architectural styles which gave the game a real feeling of size. The underlying plot dynamics are interesting: the Nords portray themselves as valiantly fighting for their homeland against the elven oppressors and the weak imperium, but themselves oppress Skyrim's native folk in the west. But the game feels unfinished, even hasty in places and, after 80 hours play, leaves me with the distinct impression that it could have been so much more.    … Expand
  33. Although
    Feb 10, 2012
    7
    Guys. I would like to give a new review , sad to tell but i get bored this game after two weeks, guess my mistake i thought skyrim give me freedom and true rpg experiences together. But unfortunatelly it doesnt give. This game was made for stupid american kids mainly. And so my mistake when i was thinking of Skyrim give me similar rpg experiences than Witcher 2. The story not bad but itsGuys. I would like to give a new review , sad to tell but i get bored this game after two weeks, guess my mistake i thought skyrim give me freedom and true rpg experiences together. But unfortunatelly it doesnt give. This game was made for stupid american kids mainly. And so my mistake when i was thinking of Skyrim give me similar rpg experiences than Witcher 2. The story not bad but its like to a once watch american movie simple and easy. I really hope Bethesda will make a perfect addon but... frankly i dont believe they will...So summary it is a nice game with lot of new part compare to Oblivion but it never will compete with Witcher 2 or Dragon Age 2!!! I have to say DA2 is better rpg than Skyrim. its my opinion. sad really sad.… Expand
  34. Bitter_Boy
    Dec 6, 2011
    7
    It's a nice upgrade to Oblivion, but it's not groundbreaking. If you liked Oblivion you'll like this. It's immersive and pretty and the voice acting is well done. It's been entertaining me for about 2 hours every night ever since I got it a few weeks ago. There is so much to do and I feel like I'm barely making a dent into the content, and I know the modding community will add a ton ofIt's a nice upgrade to Oblivion, but it's not groundbreaking. If you liked Oblivion you'll like this. It's immersive and pretty and the voice acting is well done. It's been entertaining me for about 2 hours every night ever since I got it a few weeks ago. There is so much to do and I feel like I'm barely making a dent into the content, and I know the modding community will add a ton of replay value in the coming months. So why is it only a 7? Subtract 1 point for being unoriginal in many ways. Same guilds, same dungeons, same enemies, same boring inhabitants as Oblivion. Oh, and the same bug ridden engine, which brings us to the next problem. Subtract another point for the myriad of annoyances. NPCs chit-chat with you incessisantly, repeating useless dialogue over and over. Followers don't level correctly and become useless after a few level ups. Player mages are UP while player warriors are OP. Dragon spam ruins immersion. The list goes on. And finally, subtract another point for the serious bugs - broken quests, #rimlag on the PS3, and releasing patch 1.2 which broke more than it fixed. Please publishers, stop, stop, stop shipping beta versions of games. I know a lot of reviewers dropped the ball in properly reporting these bugs, but the game publisher is still ultimately responsible.… Expand
  35. JLF
    Nov 13, 2011
    7
    The game has exceeded my expectations. However, my expectations were extremely low after the steaming pile of feces that was oblivion, so this doesn't say much by itself. The game is good, big, has a lot of content and NPCs finally don't look like frogs. I was pleasantly surprised that dungeons aren't rehashed one after another and are indeed hand crafted. Nevertheless, here's a list ofThe game has exceeded my expectations. However, my expectations were extremely low after the steaming pile of feces that was oblivion, so this doesn't say much by itself. The game is good, big, has a lot of content and NPCs finally don't look like frogs. I was pleasantly surprised that dungeons aren't rehashed one after another and are indeed hand crafted. Nevertheless, here's a list of things that need to be worked on :
    - Horrible UI
    - Some quests are bugged
    - Occasional CTD
    - Completely stupid AI
    - Obvious emphasis on consoles
    - Lack of RPG elements
    But I guess mods will fix everything, like always    … Expand
  36. LD9000
    Apr 26, 2014
    7
    Huge game with bad RPG system.

    This game is enormous and detailed. Apart from other elder scrolls and Fallout 3 series, I think this is the only game that allowed me to interact with the game world at such level of detail. I can pick up a mug in a tavern or enter some random NPC's house and steal everything. The world is living and breathing, with NPCs striking random dialogues with    Huge game with bad RPG system.

    This game is enormous and detailed. Apart from other elder scrolls and Fallout 3 series, I think this is the only game that allowed me to interact with the game world at such level of detail. I can pick up a mug in a tavern or enter some random NPC's house and steal everything. The world is living and breathing, with NPCs striking random dialogues with each other, bandits grumbling about the hardships of bandit life, etc .

    Voice acting, visuals are all top notch. There's basic physics.

    Sure, there is lot's to do, and after 3 playthroughs, I don't think I ever finished the dragonborn or civil war plotlines.

    And here comes my biggest gripe with the game - the bad RPG system. I played just about every western RPG since 1998, and Skyrim is just bad. Having only health, stamina and magicka along with armor means that just about every melee or ranged character feels the same. Dodge-block-hit, thousands of time throughout the game create a very dull feeling of combat.

    Without the 10 primary skill system from Oblivion, the character levels up too fast, where a single dungeon may mean 1-2 level ups. This means that a lot of content, like goblins (do they exist)? or Skeevers is just gone. Very quickly all dungeons are populated with bandits with elven weaponry, then Adept necromancers, then vampires in ebony armor. The entire world levels up just because I have sold some items to a vendor and levelled up my speech skill.

    With no way to degrade or lose armor, the player quickly acquires the best pieces of armor and weaponry available, which creates a dungeon crawling experience where I don't care about the loot. There's nothing in this dungeon that can come even close to my own crafted/enchanted/improved armor and weapons. Everything is vendor trash, and apart from the trainers there aren't really that many money sinks in this game for me to spend end game gold.

    Very soon my character becomes godlike in it's ability to slay everything that stands in its way. Sure, I can bump the difficulty all the way up to legendary, but this only makes combat feels worse. Instead of killing an enemy with 3 hits, I can dance around it for 2 minutes, slowly chipping away at it's health. Not really that fun.    … Expand
  37. Fortune
    Nov 15, 2011
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Pretty good game, if you like hack 'n slash or dungeon crawlers but don't like in-depth character customization or RPG elements. The storyline is good, the combat is great, and everything is simple.

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

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

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

    All in all, Skyrim is to Oblivion what Oblivion was to Morrowind. Streamlined, features taken out, nothing really added except a new storyline, and turned easy. Still very fun for what it is, but don't buy it thinking that it's something else.    … Expand
  38. jediwolf
    Nov 11, 2011
    7
    Yo Bethesda idiots!! Why I cant block using dual wield??? Morons!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  39. krasnyoktya
    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
  40. ThinkSamich
    Feb 1, 2015
    7
    .mis ming pileesnot ai ofs ming pileesnot as ming pileesnot as ming pileesnot as ming pileesnot as ming pileesnot as ming pileesnot as ming pileesnot as ming pileesnot as ming pileesnot a
  41. Zaqq
    Mar 31, 2012
    7
    To start with Skyrim is a nice game. Nice, but not 'great' or a 'masterpiece'. It has a big open world, lots of quests and characters. But the overall plot is too short and uninteresting. 99% of quests are less interesting than in TES4: Oblivion or Fallout 3/New Vegas; for example, Dark Brotherhood (guild of assassins) quests are only "go there and kill that man", no surprises at all, andTo start with Skyrim is a nice game. Nice, but not 'great' or a 'masterpiece'. It has a big open world, lots of quests and characters. But the overall plot is too short and uninteresting. 99% of quests are less interesting than in TES4: Oblivion or Fallout 3/New Vegas; for example, Dark Brotherhood (guild of assassins) quests are only "go there and kill that man", no surprises at all, and victims even don't pay attention when you approach them. RPG-system has downgraded a lot comparing to Oblivion. It is cool to find new items and upgrade old ones, but there are less types of items than in previous part. Combat is too easy, most of enemies are too easy to defeat. Overall, Skyrim is a step back in TES series; Fallout: New Vegas has more new features comparing to Fallout 3 (and no downgrades!), than Skyrim comparing to Oblivion.… Expand
  42. evilhippo
    Nov 16, 2011
    7
    This is a good game and in some ways, a great game: sweeping vistas, epic music and sound-scape, coherent storyline and the scope of the game, the sheer immersion and *size* of it all, is truly staggering. Items that are eye candy clutter in other games... cooking pots, whetstones, mills, smelters, furnaces, are actually functional in Skyrim! This represents a significant advance overThis is a good game and in some ways, a great game: sweeping vistas, epic music and sound-scape, coherent storyline and the scope of the game, the sheer immersion and *size* of it all, is truly staggering. Items that are eye candy clutter in other games... cooking pots, whetstones, mills, smelters, furnaces, are actually functional in Skyrim! This represents a significant advance over other Bethesda games like the earlier Eldar Scrolls series or ever the sprawling Fallout 3 and Fallout New Vegas. Kudos for that.......

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

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

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

    ...7/10... would be 8/10 is companions were not so completely uninteresting.    … Expand
  43. akalla21
    Mar 8, 2012
    7
    Skyrim is a beautiful game with so much potential that is only half realized. Having played Oblivion (I missed Morrowind when it came out, and I just can't get into it now), I knew what I wanted out of Skyrim. I wanted a great story, freedom to go anywhere, realistic NPCs, and tons of customization for my character. Skyrim, in my opinion, accomplished none of these. The main story isSkyrim is a beautiful game with so much potential that is only half realized. Having played Oblivion (I missed Morrowind when it came out, and I just can't get into it now), I knew what I wanted out of Skyrim. I wanted a great story, freedom to go anywhere, realistic NPCs, and tons of customization for my character. Skyrim, in my opinion, accomplished none of these. The main story is mediocre at best; it starts strong, and for a while I thought it was going to be incredible, but after a bit, it starts losing steam. By the end of the main quest, I just wanted it over; it was not nearly as engaging as the main story in Oblivion, which, admittedly, wasn't the greatest main story ever. As far as freedom goes, Skyrim does a decent job of giving one the illusion of freedom, but still falls short of its potential. This is because Skyrim's player movement system is the same as it was for Morrowind and Oblivion before it: run, jump awkwardly, and can't climb anything. If complete freedom was Bethesda's goal, it was only partly realized. Give me the ability to go wherever I want, however I want. If I encounter a cliff I want to scale, give me a grappling hook to climb it. The next item is the one that irks me the most about Skyrim: NPC stupidity. Again, during the opening scenes of the game, I was wowed by the dialogue and interactions of the NPCs. However, once you reach Riverwood, the experience starts to go downhill. NPCs repeat themselves ad nauseum: how many times do I need to hear Lydia complain about how she's sworn to carry my burdens? This is a simple fix: after they say their lines, NPCs should shut up. Don't speak again unless I speak to you. And when we work together to take down a dragon, please don't walk away immediately after the dragon dies like nothing happened. And if a townie NPC dies for some reason, his corpse should not just lie in the middle of the street forever for people to step over and ignore. Guards should carry him to the house of the dead; what's the point of those places if they aren't used? The worst offense, however, are hostile NPCs. If a person is shot with an arrow in the head, they should NEVER stop looking for who shot it, no matter how sneaky that person is. Multiple times I had to sigh in frustration when a bandit had an arrow sticking out of his eye only to call off the search for me stating "I swear I heard something." Yes, it was your brain being punctured. This kind of robotic character action is unforgivable. Lastly, the character customization was, at best, average. In a giant world filled with so many different races and cultures and people, it seems laughable that there are only seven or eight types of weapons and armor. Maybe I'm asking too much, but it is hard to suspend my disbelief when everyone wears the same stuff and wields the same weapons. Not every steel sword should look identical; how about some variation? The beauty of Skyrim is in its modding community, where many of the issues plaguing the original release are being addressed. In fact, I had originally purchased the PS3 version (stupidly), and I ended up selling that on eBay and purchasing the PC version on Steam so I could use mods. They add simple fixes to many of Skyrim's most crippling problems, and make it a better game overall.
    Overall, Skyrim is a good game. Not incredible, not ground-breaking, not revolutionary, but certainly worth your time if you enjoyed Oblivion and Fallout 3. Just do yourself a favor and get the PC version so you can download the mods of your choice to enhance your experience. Enjoy!    … Expand
  44. MikeyMo
    Nov 18, 2011
    7
    The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is a great game in some aspects, but only a good game in others. I will start by saying that I'm not sure you can call this an RPG - or at least - a classical RPG. I believe TES V is among a new breed of 'modern' RPG games. I am perfectly fine with this. It is just not my preference, that is all. I say this for a number of reasons. For example, there aren'tThe Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is a great game in some aspects, but only a good game in others. I will start by saying that I'm not sure you can call this an RPG - or at least - a classical RPG. I believe TES V is among a new breed of 'modern' RPG games. I am perfectly fine with this. It is just not my preference, that is all. I say this for a number of reasons. For example, there aren't stats. To level up a skill such as 'Two-Handed Weapons', you have to constantly use that ability. For every bit of leveling up in a skill, it will contribute to an overall level where in a traditional RPG you would boots stats here, but in TES V, you gain a perk beneficial to a particular skill. Also, there are no stat boosts to weapons or armour based on character stats. It is things like these that make TES V very very shallow compared to other RPG games such as Dark Souls. The UI could be better. I do not like that you cannot compare stats of your items, there is only a triangle showing your best item. This brings me to another complaint. There are only three aspects to an item. A weapon for example: Damage, Weight, and Value. Again VERY shallow for an RPG. The combat is very dated, this goes for both melee and magic, the archery is actually fairly good. To compare again to Dark Souls or The Witcher 2, both have perfect combat, which includes melee, magic and archery. Then to play TES V where there is regenerating health, many breaks in gameplay to pause and take potions and simply spamming destruction spells is a let down. ONTO WHAT IS GOOD. The world is very large. Often large scale games can get lazy. Skyrim is not lazy. Bethesda knew they wanted a very wilderness heavy, Nordic stylized game. Then achieved this. It is not my favourite style, but the fact they accomplished that detail exactly the way they wanted it is simply incredible. There is also many unique combat areas in the game. There are apparently 200 plus unique dungeons/caves. I have found some to be similar but no two the same so far. With that being said, I still have yet to find one Inn or Mill that looks any different from another. There are MANY MANY quests. So many you don't have to even touch the main storyline from the get go. I personally am twelve hours in and haven't played the main story past the tutorial. The voice acting is very good, but there is a problem that has nothing to do with the actors talent, but the frequency of the voices. The same actor can voice up to I estimate over 15 characters. I begins to get bothersome very early on. If you can look past this then you shouldn't be too annoyed. All in all, there is A LOT to do in TES V: Skyrim, but if you are looking for a traditional RPG this isn't it. HOWEVER, if you like to explore a seemingly never ending beautiful wilderness discovering something new to do almost every few minutes, then Skyrim is your game. I GIVE A 7.5/10. A GOOD/GREAT GAME.… Expand
  45. OliverGrau
    Dec 12, 2011
    7
    This is my 3rd rewiev, and I started at the score 0. I've been playing for about 25 hours now.

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

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

    I think the game is pretty good, but it could get A LOT better. I would reccomend it to everyone, because we all need to make an effort, to safe the lands of Skyrim!    … Expand
  46. Puzzola
    Feb 1, 2012
    7
    Well, I'll start from the worst traits of this good RPG. First of all: enemies adapt their level to your own. Well, for newcomers of RPG it sounds great, but it's really disappointing for those seeking a REAL RPG. You can finish the game at level 67 (as I did) or you can at 17. Let's go on. Perks ! These are the new way Bethesda choose to align TES new chapter to all other MMORPGS outtaWell, I'll start from the worst traits of this good RPG. First of all: enemies adapt their level to your own. Well, for newcomers of RPG it sounds great, but it's really disappointing for those seeking a REAL RPG. You can finish the game at level 67 (as I did) or you can at 17. Let's go on. Perks ! These are the new way Bethesda choose to align TES new chapter to all other MMORPGS outta there. But why they did such a bad work? Some traits are useless. Some traits at 100 points are overridden by enchanted items, irritating to discover when you can't reassign perks in any way ! Oh, there's another thing about traits. You'll need only about 20-30 of them to become nearly unstoppable. Last chapter: crafting. Crafting is good, but in TES: Skyrim it is so overpowered that you'll never need anything more than what you can craft with materials bought from merchants. So it's frustrating to put your own hands on a Daedric artifact and discovering that it's far from being even nearly comparable to your crafted and enchanted sword. Dragon Shouts: well, they give the game the right folklore. But in real game you'll use only 3-4 of them. The others are there only to feed your hungry for hoarding items/skills/Dragon shouts.
    So Skyrim is a bad game? Isn't it worth the bucks spent? Well, I say that it's a good game. But while I played it for 183 hours at first It was nearly impossible for me to hit the ESC-key and return to the desktop. At the end it was too easy to do. The story becomes so confused if you are to follow every dumb request of side-quests that NPC's give you. And in the end the main plot isn't that good you would expect from a single-player RPG.
    I give this game a 7 because it is OVER ALL a good game. You'll enjoy roaming in Skyrim, hunting beasts, backstabbing enemies, incinerate enemies and fight dragons. In the end probably you'll find a dragon attack as something boring at most or a quick-fight just to allow you to quick-travel to your destination.
    I hope the expansion will fix some of these problems. And I hope that Bethesda will CHANGE PERKS to give player a REAL interest in climbing the tree to the top perk. Near the end of the game I shifted my mage in assassin just with 6 perks...    … Expand
  47. starsh3ro
    Nov 12, 2011
    7
    i wanted to call it game of the year,
    what i like is that the game difficulty is not set too low and that the enivorment is very detailed, the sounds and the music are nice as well all together a impressive atmosphere. its very small, the download only has a size of 5,8GB.
    on the other hand, the graphics engine itself is looks very old, when you get closer to anything, all you see is    i wanted to call it game of the year,
    what i like is that the game difficulty is not set too low and that the enivorment is very detailed, the sounds and the music are nice as well all together a impressive atmosphere. its very small, the download only has a size of 5,8GB.

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

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

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

    its not worth the 49â    … Expand
  48. RiskyBinjuice
    Nov 11, 2011
    7
    Good game much better than Oblivion but it still has its flaws. First of all is the combat: it's very similar to Oblivions but this time has finishing moves that seem to happen randomly. It also has those stupid slow motion bits at the end of combat that appeared in Fallout 3 (which I hate). Facial animations are a bit stiff but that being said no one does make on an RPG like Bethesda. MyGood game much better than Oblivion but it still has its flaws. First of all is the combat: it's very similar to Oblivions but this time has finishing moves that seem to happen randomly. It also has those stupid slow motion bits at the end of combat that appeared in Fallout 3 (which I hate). Facial animations are a bit stiff but that being said no one does make on an RPG like Bethesda. My only major qualm with this game (and the reason I gave it a 7 not a 9) is the menu system. I have no problem with developers making a game for consoles but is it really that difficult make a different menu for the PC version? A menu system designed for use on consoles very rarely works well on PC.… Expand
  49. MasterKuni
    Nov 11, 2011
    7
    Fallout 3 with swords. Don't let it's marginally improved looks fool you, this is the same game Bethesda have been remaking for the past 6+ years, but this time with dragons and swords. Voice acting is homogeneously unimpressive and even maxed out, the graphics are thoroughly unimpressive, especially when compared with the likes of Witcher 2. The melee combat is almost identical toFallout 3 with swords. Don't let it's marginally improved looks fool you, this is the same game Bethesda have been remaking for the past 6+ years, but this time with dragons and swords. Voice acting is homogeneously unimpressive and even maxed out, the graphics are thoroughly unimpressive, especially when compared with the likes of Witcher 2. The melee combat is almost identical to Oblivion, with no real substance or skill behind the formulaic block-slash-repeat. One of my biggest issues: The control scheme, particularly in the menus on the PC are AWFUL AWFUL AWFUL. Completely nonsensical arbitrary keys for archaically navigating menus that were clearly designed with the console in mind. The mouse works on about half the menus, and on the other half, ONLY the arrow keys work, with Tab being the "back button" and Enter being the select button. However, good luck figuring out which menus let you use your mouse, as only trial and error will unveil the answer. This game has potential, but is evidently hampered by what is clearly a bad case of console-itis. Save your money and buy Witcher 2 if you want a truly polished RPG experience where PC users aren't served second-class citizen control schemes.… Expand
  50. Angriest
    Nov 11, 2011
    7
    The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim offers the user new story content in a familiar world. Understanding of development: This is where the user is a fault, the urge for a new game in the series are insane. And development of a game, engine, story, characters takes years and years. So to expect a massive upgrade in every aspect of a game, in the short amount of time developers have is just absurd.The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim offers the user new story content in a familiar world. Understanding of development: This is where the user is a fault, the urge for a new game in the series are insane. And development of a game, engine, story, characters takes years and years. So to expect a massive upgrade in every aspect of a game, in the short amount of time developers have is just absurd. They provide us with new material/story, new characters, new enemies, slight graphic upgrades to quell our thirst for a new game, but we want more. How are they to survive while developing this uber game, that even the most common of users will enjoy ? e.i. Dad who started playing with the Xbox generation, not to mention his kids. Bugs are annoying agree, but they will be fixed.
    User interface friendliness, specially for PC users is bad I agree.
    Graphics are great, not mind-blowing but hey they were already so good to begin with.

    I think story needs to be the key instrument ALL gaming companies needs to be working on and F what corporate are saying. In game characters/monsters/neutrals/music should be well tweaked to fit the story and enhance authenticity. User interface should be optimized and game should be close to bug free. After these things, if graphics are great too hurray!    … Expand
  51. Chimpwn
    Nov 12, 2011
    7
    First off, I want to say I'm having tons of fun with this game. But I'm only giving it a seven because the developers promised so much more and came short on everything. They promised that the combat would be skill based and not a button mashing combat system. That was a lie. You click till they're dead. I've been using 2 handed weapons that supposedly do 3 times the damage of theFirst off, I want to say I'm having tons of fun with this game. But I'm only giving it a seven because the developers promised so much more and came short on everything. They promised that the combat would be skill based and not a button mashing combat system. That was a lie. You click till they're dead. I've been using 2 handed weapons that supposedly do 3 times the damage of the single handed weapons I have. And the 1 handed weapons seem to do about 1-2 damage less. It's so stupid. Also, they said the animations would be better, they are and they aren't. The animations by themselves are fine. But none of them interact with each other. Also, there's STILL no diagonal run animation. It's 2011 Bethesda, please move forward at a normal pace. And don't try to get by doing the same stuff you did last time. Update the engine with every release, and by that I mean make big changes that make a difference and not adding "slo-mo" and making the same washed out textures for all the games they make. And by that I mean the game kind of looks like ass. But that's to be expected out of a game they explicitly said would have the 360 as the lead platform. Oh and, the UI is total ass. The worst from any game I've ever played.… Expand
  52. Philderbeast
    Nov 12, 2011
    7
    Upon loading the game up I was quite impressed, visually its quite easy on the eyes even on medium settings with a distinctly elder scrolls feel to it, and this is achievable on most common PC hardware. Now my PC is no gaming beast but its still above the average hardware that post people are using (again according to the steam statistics) so Iâ
  53. Loque
    Nov 14, 2011
    7
    The game is "good" or "very good" depending on your expectations and system configuration. Compared to other RPG games, Skyrim offers a lot of stuff to do and many little details that can make you feel "deeply involved" in the game. Example: if you drop a piece of armor on the ground in any town, a random npc could stop and ask "you don't need this, can I grab it?". If you agree, the npcThe game is "good" or "very good" depending on your expectations and system configuration. Compared to other RPG games, Skyrim offers a lot of stuff to do and many little details that can make you feel "deeply involved" in the game. Example: if you drop a piece of armor on the ground in any town, a random npc could stop and ask "you don't need this, can I grab it?". If you agree, the npc will pick the gear piece and wear it, then walk away. In that sense, Skyrim offers lots of "wow!" situations. So why am I giving 7/10? Because reviews don't mention anything about bad graphics, bad animations, bad physics and bad npcs. Yes, they are good "overall". But the amount of inconsistencies, small bugs in pathfinding, ai, answers, dialogues, physics, ... is really too much to give a full 10/10 to the game. Jsut a small example: are you afraid of giants? No problem: just fight while above something (a rock, a small hill, a log, ...) and they wont be able to climb with you. These kind of "path-problems" is quite common and pretty easy to come across.… Expand
  54. Machinegon
    Nov 17, 2011
    7
    Not perfect but not bad either. I'm playing the game on xbox and I like the modifications they did for the inventory management. I can't believe its the exact same thing for PC thought because you just can't play a game on pc like you play a game on console. There's a couple of things that are annoying me, the fact that I can kill a dragon in like 4 blows but sometimes I will just run intoNot perfect but not bad either. I'm playing the game on xbox and I like the modifications they did for the inventory management. I can't believe its the exact same thing for PC thought because you just can't play a game on pc like you play a game on console. There's a couple of things that are annoying me, the fact that I can kill a dragon in like 4 blows but sometimes I will just run into a **** saber tooth cat that will one shot me or either a no-were mercenary equipped with some piece of **** that I can't get a quarter of his life backstabbing him with a 30x 17 damages blow. Good work with difficulty scaling. Some random glitches in AI here and there, like the time I tried killed a chicken in a town and everyone jumped on me. The fact that the guards are still extremely overpower. In fact, I think the town guards are the hardest mobs to kill in the entire game. Positives facts, I like the main quest scenario, its better than in oblivion. I also like the critical blows that triggers an animation its really fun. Alot of graphical improvements on the xbox if I compare to oblivion, they really managed to exploit the old console, its annoying for loading times tough but not to bad. Overall a good game, alot of content has always, I would recommend it.… Expand
  55. Dream_Creeper
    Nov 20, 2011
    7
    Spell casting is OK (quite fun), Difficulty settings suck hard time (either way to easy, or u need like 15 fireballs to kill a dog >_> , in expert or master dif.). Melee Combat is blunt, boring sounds of melee combat despite what weapon you are using are so cheap, blocking is boring. Horse riding is dead compared to oblivion (nice horses thought as graffics). NPC AI, can be really awful,Spell casting is OK (quite fun), Difficulty settings suck hard time (either way to easy, or u need like 15 fireballs to kill a dog >_> , in expert or master dif.). Melee Combat is blunt, boring sounds of melee combat despite what weapon you are using are so cheap, blocking is boring. Horse riding is dead compared to oblivion (nice horses thought as graffics). NPC AI, can be really awful, and totally stupid, specially the summoned minions without ranged attacks, stuck everywhere. There are good elements though in stories, quests, environments, loved the dungeons, loved the undead mobs, some sound effects are of cinematic quality. RPG elements are few to none, there are like 1/5 of quests that have moral choices. Dragons are great, but they are too often seen, i encounter more often dragons than wolves. Overall Skyrim is a good really good game, could be a great game, but there are some really bad flaws ruining the entire Elder Scrolls Experience.… Expand
  56. hoffstarr
    Dec 8, 2014
    7
    Without mods Skyrim is nothing but a mediocre hiking simulator...

    - clunky combat
    - laughably bad writing
    - mostly consists of garbage content ( fetch quests, c&p dungeons, kill x amount of y, etc. )
    - No matter how big a game is, that amount of bugs and glitches is simply not acceptable
    - really poor animations
    - the interface is basically unusable
    - etc.
  57. Clams_n_Roses
    Nov 23, 2011
    7
    Beneath Bethesda's usual sloppy laziness lies the makings of a fantastic game. The world, the lore, the culture, and the atmosphere of the game are very rich, but the many flaws and bugs hold it back. The textures are extremely poor, the animations are pretty awful (good luck shooting things with magic or arrows, since the enemy models tend to float around quickly, independent of anyBeneath Bethesda's usual sloppy laziness lies the makings of a fantastic game. The world, the lore, the culture, and the atmosphere of the game are very rich, but the many flaws and bugs hold it back. The textures are extremely poor, the animations are pretty awful (good luck shooting things with magic or arrows, since the enemy models tend to float around quickly, independent of any realistic or predictable movements), and while the combat is far less "floaty" than in FO3 or Oblivion, and generally feels quite satisfying with a sword and board, the floatiness is still present when using magic, bows, spell and sword etc. The lack of any blocking mechanism with most of the combat options, ease and speed of floating around in circles, and high amount of damage required to defeat a lot of enemies, mean a lot of fights will revolve around the you and your adversary floating in circles around each other mashing the attack button. The AI is still dreadful too, and you can happily shoot someone in the face with an arrow from a few feet away, only to hear them loudly exclaim "WHO'S THERE", shrug their shoulders, and return to what they were doing.

    I've heard a lot of people argue that mods will fix the huge amount of bugs in the game (almost constant crashing, giant purple crystal looking trees/objects/characters loading up, etc), as well as the many other problems, however Bethesda's recent actions suggest they will do everything in their power to stop this- for those of you who don't know, for some bizarre reason, Skyrim is capped to use only 2GB of RAM (about as much as a basic laptop has), resulting in constant stuttering, framerate drop, and crashes. Some helpful fellow made a fix to bypass this; allowing the game to run without so many hiccups, but Bethesda patched the game to add more DRM (which of course only affected those that had already bought the game anyway) which broke this fix. A new fix has been made by someone, but it begs the question of why Bethesda not only didn't fix this themselves, but then prevented others from fixing it.    … Expand
  58. gravothermal
    Nov 23, 2011
    7
    My main gripe, just like in every other Bethesda game I've played, is the low quality of NPC facial expressions and character development. All the NPCs just stare at you as if they're zombies as they talk.

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

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

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

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

    It is true that melee combat feels like a 1990s Gold Box D&D game. But magic and archery are really well done. If you restrict yourself to magic and archery, you will have fun in combat.    … Expand
  59. Copenhagun
    Nov 26, 2011
    7
    Over-hyped. Too much walking, and riding a horse around vast amounts of land, and not enough action. Also, it'd be nice to know what your level is, versus the level of the enemy on screen consistently. I hate getting reamed by an enemy npc, because I couldn't see it level vs. my level.
  60. Pelopidas
    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.    … Expand
  61. CoolDadTx
    Jul 14, 2012
    7
    Skyrim lives up to the expectations of the Elder Scrolls series, for the most part. The main story itself is uninteresting. I didn't even get past the halfway point until I was forced to in order to get the remaining side quests. The whole civil war thing seems really tacked on to me. I eventually chose sides and started taking over cities as part of the war quests but then switchedSkyrim lives up to the expectations of the Elder Scrolls series, for the most part. The main story itself is uninteresting. I didn't even get past the halfway point until I was forced to in order to get the remaining side quests. The whole civil war thing seems really tacked on to me. I eventually chose sides and started taking over cities as part of the war quests but then switched back to the MQ to finish up. It seemed that neither side had notice that I had picked a side. Both acted the same way. This really broken the realism for me. Bethesda generally doesn't make these types of mistakes.

    The dragons (which people have been asking for forever) really don't add anything to the game. They are just another creature with loads of health. Fighting them becomes canned as they go through the same motions. The first encounter was interesting. The rest were boring. Even worse is the fact that they randomly appear out of nowhere (a feature Bethesda bragged about). The problem is that if you teleport somewhere to follow a quest you might suddenly have to fight one of these stupid dragons. Because of their large health it can take several minutes. I got to the point where I would just run away because fighting them wasn't worth anything. I hope that dragons don't make an appearance in future ES games.

    I've never been a fan of the leveling system of ES. Skyrim tried the Fallout approach of perks and it might have worked if the perks were actually that useful. For the most part they are useless. I much prefer the Oblivion skill system. But even then I should get rewarded for finding new areas. Make me want to spend time in this world Bethesda!! Instead my reward was generally yet another dragon battle I didn't want. You'd figure with all these dragons flying around that they would just take over the world.

    Some of the early enemies are, again, overpowering. Spellcasters and higher level bandits appear at frightening frequency even early on making melee attacks deadly. Once you've acquired a certain shield (after a side quest) though they become trivial. By midway through the game there was no enemy that was even a remote challenge to my character. Bethesda really needs to work on a better balanced system.

    Overall Skyrim was fun but I was honestly bored by the end of it. I wasn't interested in finishing the lackluster main quest nor searching the world for anything (because I gained nothing by doing so). I just ran through the final main quests as fast as I could. I see they now have DLC for the game but I doubt I'll get it. Nothing they throw at me wouuld be challenging (unless they take all your equipment - which is a popular pasttime) and it would probably have more dragons. Unless they come out with an expansion on the level of Shivering Isles I'll have to say goodbye to Skyrim until the next ES game comes along.    … Expand
  62. Rennn
    Jun 26, 2013
    7
    It's very hard for me to review this game. I loved Oblivion, which makes this all the more painful.
    Skyrim is just as good as Oblivion. There. I said it.
    Skyrim is EXACTLY as good as Oblivion. I get the feeling that most of Skyrim's raving fans have never played a previous Elder Scrolls game. There's very little progress for the series. Graphics have barely improved, gameplay is    It's very hard for me to review this game. I loved Oblivion, which makes this all the more painful.
    Skyrim is just as good as Oblivion. There. I said it.
    Skyrim is EXACTLY as good as Oblivion.
    I get the feeling that most of Skyrim's raving fans have never played a previous Elder Scrolls game.

    There's very little progress for the series. Graphics have barely improved, gameplay is identical, and quests are no more creative than they were in 2006.

    For everything Bethesda added in Skyrim, they removed something else. To add more unique spells, they removed spellcrafting. To add dynamic shadows, they removed most of the HDR lighting quality. To add NPCs with more personality, they removed many of the total NPCs, leaving Skyrim barren. To add horse combat, they removed the first person horse camera. Etc. It just continues like this. Every time Bethesda adds something to a sequel, they take away something else. Essentially, Skyrim is the same game I played in 2006, and although I loved Oblivion then, it's not okay to sell the same game year after year.

    Morrowind defined the genre in 2002, and 10 years later, Skyrim still hasn't significantly improved. It kills me to do this to a series I still like, but at most, Skyrim deserves an average review. Mods on the PC version are the only reason to buy this game instead of literally any other generic RPG to release in the last 10 years.    … Expand
  63. meediocre
    Sep 30, 2013
    7
    For me, the wonder and magic starts to wear off after about 20 hours or so into the game. Truly wonderful, gorgeous open game-world, with great music and hundreds of hours worth of content to discover and explore, is unfortunately let down by rather repetitive and boring quests, characters and combat. It's a difficult one, because in terms of volume of content and ambition it certainlyFor me, the wonder and magic starts to wear off after about 20 hours or so into the game. Truly wonderful, gorgeous open game-world, with great music and hundreds of hours worth of content to discover and explore, is unfortunately let down by rather repetitive and boring quests, characters and combat. It's a difficult one, because in terms of volume of content and ambition it certainly gets top marks, but just how fun and engaging is the experience of actually playing Skyrim? I guess that completely depends on the player, and I'm totally aware that this Bethesda RPG is considered one of the all-time greats. But, starved of any real narrative meat, tense combat and addictive reward systems, it kind of left me feeling like giving up, even though I've got the Legendary Edition and have probably only completed 5% of the game, or less. Despite having some essential visual mods, I still was annoyed by bugs and glitches in the game, or having side-quests that I just couldn't seem to complete. That being said, I'm still in awe of the value for money the game provides, and if I were a bit younger and had a lot more time to go traipsing around, then I might have carried through. This is a huge, epic game but it is not a fantastic gameplay experience.… Expand
  64. FatherOfTreason
    Dec 21, 2011
    7
    An impressive game whose strength lies in its sweeping, detailed world, the exploration of which, can consume hour upon hour of your time without you even knowing. There is always some new jaw-dropping vista to discover, some new silhouette in the distance, enticing you through a driving blizzard or some errand to take you out to some far-flung reach of the map. The world itself is worthAn impressive game whose strength lies in its sweeping, detailed world, the exploration of which, can consume hour upon hour of your time without you even knowing. There is always some new jaw-dropping vista to discover, some new silhouette in the distance, enticing you through a driving blizzard or some errand to take you out to some far-flung reach of the map. The world itself is worth the price of admission. However, the game still leaves much to be desired.

    Skyrim is simply chock full of bugs, broken quests and poorly implemented design. But I suppose poorly implemented might be preferable to simply not implemented at all, which as how many aspects of the game feel. Going through some of the lowlights:

    The UI is abysmal. The menu system seems designed to confound rather than assist you. This is probably sue to it being created for a controller rather than a mouse and keyboard, so everything you do with it feels like it's taking three extra steps whereas one would have sufficed. Equipping gear is a chore since you are limited to just eight hotkeys, which is very little for the number of spells, weapons, shouts, potions and scrolls you might need available at a moment's notice. Often times, you will find the need to pause the game and go hunting though the menus to find what you need. Poisons are a good example of this. Since poison on a weapon usually will only last for a single hit, characters who rely on them will find themselves pausing several time every fight to reapply it. This serves to really pull the player out of the game since the action is stopped continuously.

    Companions are pretty dumb. This is hardly unexpected and is a common complaint for any game that actually includes AI controlled companions. Skyrim is no exception. The pathfinding is awful and you will spend much of your time trying to find alternate routes to get to where you want to go because your companion will get stuck on an ankle high piece of scenery and get left behind, you will drop down off a knee-high elevatin change and they will be unable to follow. On the other hand, sometimes they will. This forces you to babysit them across all uneven terrain (there is a lot of it in Skyrim) by always watching behind you to ensure they are following. You can also elect to just leave them behind and hope they will catch up with you later. Sometimes they do. Other times they just disappear. Fast traveling can be used to "pull" a wayward companion with you, but sometimes when they get lost, they also get dead, and no amount of fast traveling will remedy it.

    Another problem with companions is that you have little control over their development, have no way of knowing what skills they are best at (without looking up the entry on the Wiki) and sometimes, can only suggest what armor and weapons they should equip. Sometimes they just wear what the want, no matter how inexplicable it is. Just give them what you want them to have and cross your fingers. The bright spot about companions is that they do make good mules for carrying around the masses of loot your are bound to find.

    Mounts have barely been implemented at all. Yes, you can buy and ride horses, even having several at one time. Unfortunately, the speed increase they give you is marginal, you can't use them for additional storage in the field, you can fight from the saddle, your companions can't ride at all so if you bring a friend along with you, you'll often leave them behind due to differences in travel speed, and finally, horses love to jump into combat with you. Although that may sound like a bonus, it's not, since they also tend to die horrible deaths rather quickly. With a 1000g price tag each time you need to replace one, you will soon learn that they are not something you want to bring with you on the road, which pretty much makes them absolutely useless in all respects.

    Game textures are pretty low-grade as well. At a distance, it's not something you notice, but once you get up close to the scenery, the stripped down console-based textures become horribly apparent. Luckily, these are easy to mod up to snuff for PC users. This includes new textures for everything from running water to character appearance, which really needed some work. Bethesda, it appears, decided that all characters, particularly female, would be better received by gamers if they were as ugly and unattractive as possible. The community begged to differ and, at the time of this writing, the most popular mod on Skyrim Nexus (among hundreds of truly excellent ones), is a mod to beautify the women of Skyrim. It may seem trite to some, but those ladies desperately needed a major league makeover.

    And despite these complaints, I still have to give Skyrim high marks. The bugs will be fixed, the textures will be improved and the mechanics will be overhauled. But most importantly, Skyrim is a world you can easily lose yourself in.    … Expand
  65. kamryu
    Dec 23, 2011
    7
    3 out of 3 for story the number of quests and extra's will keep you going for a long time
    2 out of 3 for graphics one or two issues even on ultra such
    2 out of 3 gameplay the variety of weapons and spells saves this basic point and click 0 out of 1 for replay value the differences between quests which will alter storyline are so minor ultimately you know going stormcloak or leagion its    3 out of 3 for story the number of quests and extra's will keep you going for a long time
    2 out of 3 for graphics one or two issues even on ultra such
    2 out of 3 gameplay the variety of weapons and spells saves this basic point and click
    0 out of 1 for replay value the differences between quests which will alter storyline are so minor ultimately you know going stormcloak or leagion its going to be the same story only your attacking the other guy now instead this being said if your doing everything you ll get well over 100 hours plus in a single play through so replay not a big deal.

    The shere scale of Skyrim is its biggest quality you ve got so many sub quests and storylines to follow you ll be very easily distracted I mean it is possible to complete the "main" story in a few hours but honestly anyone doing that is completely missing the point of the elder scrolls franchise. Bethesda has not made a game with a story they have made a country with inhabitants who need help and thats exactly what it feels like its not just a do this quest game you will find yourself at times very easily distracted between what quest to do next if like myself you might even spend forever trying to collect an entire book series (god I spent so long tracking down the wolf queen volume 6, I refused to google its location) and decorating your house, Diciding what way your going to play your character also is a nice feature at the start you decide your race and image thats it you don't go ohh I am going ot be a melee specialist oh I am going to be an archer and so on no no you decide that once your playing you want to be an archer pick up a bow and start using it you want to be a melee then pick up a sword and shield. The characters spreadsheet for leveling and so on is a lot more simplified than its predecessor Oblivion some might feel this a step back some might feel it an improvement, its down to personal choice. The biggest thing with skyrim as I stated is its scale you are in Skyrim the country your not just following a story that has always been the elder scrolls advantage the storylines might not be of the best quality when you break them down but the shere number of them you have more than makes up for it.    … Expand
  66. Omnius
    Dec 23, 2011
    7
    An overall solid game that unfortunately still suffers from many of the problems of its immediate predecessor. Skyrim is executed with a reasonable degree of competency, but a few issues in particular stick out after just a few hours of gameplay. The first being the all-too-small voicecast for such an expansive digital world. Nothing breaks immersion quite like talking to a shopkeeper,An overall solid game that unfortunately still suffers from many of the problems of its immediate predecessor. Skyrim is executed with a reasonable degree of competency, but a few issues in particular stick out after just a few hours of gameplay. The first being the all-too-small voicecast for such an expansive digital world. Nothing breaks immersion quite like talking to a shopkeeper, walking out the door, and hearing the EXACT same voice come from another NPC not 10 feet away. While most of the dialogue is delivered well, the repetition of voices really begins to grate before long. The other main complaint would be the repetition of environments, especially the infamous "dark and mossy cave" over and over again. While the game's named side-quests generally do a good job of mixing up locations every now and then, the "radiant" quests became a repetitive and copy-pasted chore after only a few runthroughs. Despite these complaints, however, I find Skyrim to be a vast improvement over Oblivion, both in terms of graphical quality and overall gameplay. In the end, Bethesda has yet to reattain the lofty heights of game design that it once visited in Morrowind, but Skyrim does show that they are trying their best to get on the right track. It's not perfect, but Skyrim is definitely worth at least a glance if you find yourself wanting for a new single-player RPG experience to fill your time.… Expand
  67. stopdroplol
    Dec 25, 2011
    7
    I've been playing the series since Morrowind and I know it sounds elitist and unoriginal to say, but the games have been going downhill ever since. This latest game is by far the most repetitive and unoriginal game by far. The story really doesn't even feel TES, it's lacking on all fronts and is what I expect of a low budget Hollywood movie. The geography is almost universally the sameI've been playing the series since Morrowind and I know it sounds elitist and unoriginal to say, but the games have been going downhill ever since. This latest game is by far the most repetitive and unoriginal game by far. The story really doesn't even feel TES, it's lacking on all fronts and is what I expect of a low budget Hollywood movie. The geography is almost universally the same climate, i'd say a good 90% is covered in snow, 6% forest, 3% swamp, 1% badlands. Every city seems to be the same. The player really never gets a reason to feel sorry for the Stormcloaks yet it seems to be forced on us from the very beginging that they're the good guys. Dragons? Well they start off kinda ok, then you kill your first 5 and you think, "well they're nothing special." And by the time you kill the 12th or so you think, "Why'd they even put them in the game." Seriously, for a world in which dragons are suppose to be these ultimate beings, exceptionally rare, and rightfully feared by everyone, why does it only take 6 city guardsman to kill one? Why are do you seem to find one every 500 yards? Why do they rinse and repeat the same scripted attack patterns over and over? So why did I give it a 7? Well if its your first time playing an Elder Scrolls game you're gonna love it. But if you're a veteran of the series you probably couldn't play more than 30 hours before you had to give it up in boredom.… Expand
  68. krammerlock
    Jan 26, 2012
    7
    I have played the game all the way through, meaning the main story and all of the listed quests. My character is a 52 level Rogue, with maximum skills in stealth, lockpick, pickpocket, enchanting, blacksmithing and one handed combat. I have also replayed the game as a mage. The mage is much less satisfying. The spells are pretty lame. I do far more damage as a rogue with back stab.I have played the game all the way through, meaning the main story and all of the listed quests. My character is a 52 level Rogue, with maximum skills in stealth, lockpick, pickpocket, enchanting, blacksmithing and one handed combat. I have also replayed the game as a mage. The mage is much less satisfying. The spells are pretty lame. I do far more damage as a rogue with back stab. The game the first time was a lot of fun and it is worth getting. Replay-ability is not very high. While there is a lot to do there is not much variability in how it gets done. My favorite game from a replay-ability point of view has to be Dragon Age Origins. Must have replayed 20 times. Played all the races, genders and combat styles. Plus managing the group added an extra dimension. So, while Skyrim is a very good game the first time through don't expect to get much out if the second time around.… Expand
  69. CHIHWAHLI
    Feb 15, 2013
    7
    This game looks huge, is huge, looks good. The world and characters are very good looking. The weather effects are nice. Overall it's joyful and fun to play, but there are a few things that could have been much better. The main quest is really short. There is no feel of something grand going on. It's just you against the bad guys. Yes you can bring a companion with you, and from time toThis game looks huge, is huge, looks good. The world and characters are very good looking. The weather effects are nice. Overall it's joyful and fun to play, but there are a few things that could have been much better. The main quest is really short. There is no feel of something grand going on. It's just you against the bad guys. Yes you can bring a companion with you, and from time to time you escort someone to safety, but it still feels empty and lonely. From time to time you get jumped by a thief who asks for your purse, or same bandits roaming certain places. You can almost tell which one will have bandits. The side quests are usually boring. Fetch this, get that at X then go back. They should have attached more quests to the main story instead of having a 'billion' side quests.

    Fighting style is limited to certain combinations, the skill list is big but alas they forced the player to choose certain style combo. That's a shame. The UI is not good enough I think. AS a caster I have to switch really fast between spells, or I must pause and then choose. As a caster it's difficult to play. Arrows will kill you instantly when the archers start getting much better arrows and bows. Throw a few melee enemies and you can't do much as a caster then keep distance and behind cover, otherwise it's death. Spells to slow targets or keep them away are limited. Talking about spells... you will keep using the same spells for a long time. The expert and master spells are only available at 90 and 100 for master. 100 points is max for any magic skill level, which means you have to train and grind till 90! by that time you are over lvl 30 and played many hours with the same spells. At level 90 summoning skill and lvl 35 character I could buy my Summon ice pet, before that I had to use my weak wolf. And my fire elemental that has fireballs. The idea of an RPG is to get new spells and rewards from time to time, but that is soo limited.

    Another thing that annoys me, and shows that it's a bit unfinished or rushed: you get a certain title archmage very quickly as if you earned it by doing a few quests. It's just not realistic.... or immersive.

    Skyrim is fun, but could have been much better. It fee;s like they focused a lot on the visuals, then created a quick and short main quests and start selling the game. In the meanwhile create extra DLC to earn more, to fill the gaps that the main quest should have. After looking at the start of the game I expected a lot. But alas the start is great, but the ending is not always shiny.

    So I understand why so many people voted mixed or negative. Thanks to the modding world and skyrim Nexus mod program, the game is worth more....but this should not be the way to create games....
    Without mods it should be a blast to play.... and not what it;s now...    … Expand
  70. ogysaenoem
    Jan 7, 2012
    7
    Coming from someone that hasn't played the previous Elder Scrolls, It's safe to say that Skyrim isn't really something special as a stand alone game (die hard fans would disagree). Sure you have a vast world to explore but the many interactions with AI and the environment are weak. The AI triggers during battle are broken (had a guard say "that was just a scratch" while falling dead?Coming from someone that hasn't played the previous Elder Scrolls, It's safe to say that Skyrim isn't really something special as a stand alone game (die hard fans would disagree). Sure you have a vast world to explore but the many interactions with AI and the environment are weak. The AI triggers during battle are broken (had a guard say "that was just a scratch" while falling dead? Really?). Small things such as being able to run through a dragon skeleton like its a hologram saddened me, considering the developer created such a large world only to disregard collisions, really basic stuff. Melee combat is a joke: Hold mouse to hit just a bit harder at the cost of most of your stamina and on top of that expect to take a few hits while you charge up your strike, only to have the enemy shrug it off as if they got hit by a feather. The worst aspect of his game has to be the builds. The armor and weapons you find allow for little variety so your likely to end up with a hybrid of all sorts. All in all, Skyrim seems to run on an old engine that allows for little breakthrough in terms of actual game play and more so in terms of appearance and so you will probably be bored throughout unless your exploring dungeons and caves, which imo is not really new to the gaming world but still fun as always.… Expand
  71. Chubzdoomer
    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
  72. BrokenPipe
    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
  73. darkmaterial
    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    … Expand
  74. Banhammer0
    May 31, 2014
    7
    Good things: extremely modable, good music, rich world, huge sandbox possibilities
    Bad things: extreme amounts of bugs and rough edges, terrible AI, meh combat, too few voice actors, idiotic radiant quests
    Overall it can be enjoyable if you mod it A LOT.
  75. Godsteel
    Feb 14, 2012
    7
    Alright, time for a review based on what I observed through one long playthrough.

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

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

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

    Overall opinion: A good game with a good story that came out too early with too many familiarities to previous games. Worth a playthrough.    … Expand
  76. Bobwolf
    Mar 11, 2012
    7
    The reason why I can't give Skyrim a better score is simple : Skyrim has been made for console. I was expecting so much. But once you begin to truly explore, it feel very repetitive and the control on PC are very so so.

    It's still a good game, but I can't give more than 7.
  77. newtee2
    Mar 6, 2012
    7
    After playing well over 100 hours in the game as a warrior, a mage, and a ranger, I must say that this game has many great ideas and quite a few flaws. The world is amazing; Skyrim is a living and breathing place and you get the sense of that just by walking through the towns or running through the tundra and seeing giants and mammoths roam. Combat can be really fun, especially when youAfter playing well over 100 hours in the game as a warrior, a mage, and a ranger, I must say that this game has many great ideas and quite a few flaws. The world is amazing; Skyrim is a living and breathing place and you get the sense of that just by walking through the towns or running through the tundra and seeing giants and mammoths roam. Combat can be really fun, especially when you toss in dragons to spice things up. Dragon fights are probably the most fun fights but can get boring and easy later on. The main quest line is the only quest line that really stands out in the whole game, immersion in the world can easily be broken by the creation engine's limitations, actual RPG elements like chopping wood and cooking are nice but there aren't nearly enough and it feels half done, and combat can get dull pretty quickly due to combat limitations. Props to Bethesda for using the Steam Workshop, finally releasing the CK, and giving us a free HR DLC. Even though the game can be lame at times, and even though there is no DX11, it's still pretty solid.… Expand
  78. Pootah
    Jun 26, 2012
    7
    Certainly a step up from a Oblivion; Skyrim fixes a lot of the problems of its predecessor. Menus and other UI elements have been streamlined; stats have been removed and replaced with perks, allowing for greater control over your character's progression. Level scaling has been reduced to be more like Fallout 3's, so levelling up is actually useful, where in Oblivion it only made the gameCertainly a step up from a Oblivion; Skyrim fixes a lot of the problems of its predecessor. Menus and other UI elements have been streamlined; stats have been removed and replaced with perks, allowing for greater control over your character's progression. Level scaling has been reduced to be more like Fallout 3's, so levelling up is actually useful, where in Oblivion it only made the game harder. Graphics are inevitably superior, although remain mediocre comparative to other games of recent years. As with every Bethesda game, Skyrim can be lot of fun so long as you don't think about it too hard; after a while you start wondering those niggling little questions like "how are these torches still burning when this dungeon has apparently remained untouched for thousands of years?" Or "how can I make a 30-pound suit of armour out of 5 1-pound metal ingots?" or "How the hell did so many bugs slip past QA? Seriously, there's a pile of rubble just floating 2 feet off the floor there." Skyrim's map is also slightly larger than Oblivion's, but it suffers from exactly the same problems: while the scale of the game may be impressive, quality is more important than quantity. I don't care about having virtually infinite quests to complete spread across more dungeons than you can count when nearly all of them are boring fetch quests or similar and every dungeon is just copy+paste of one of four other dungeons. Having dozens of towns sounds impressive, up until you realise that the alleged capital of Skyrim literally only has 9 houses in it. The most disappointing failure of scale is the characters: there must be thousands of them, but there's not one personality between them (and only maybe 20 VAs as well). The main narrative is unimaginably bland; centreing around a civil war in the eponymous province. Predictably, the player can choose which faction to join, but joining either side results in identical quests with the names switched round. Combat is similarly broken: since increasing your magic skill only reduces the amount of mana used (and you can't make your own spells any more), fights consist of either one-shotting enemies with sneak attacks with a bow or mashing the attack button in melee until the red bar is empty (the block skill is even more worthless than it was in Oblivion). As previously mentioned, even after a slew of official patches, bugs are a constant feature, whether it's quests failing to activate or merely items falling through the shelves they've been placed on, leaving modders to actually complete the game.… Expand
  79. Messerschmitt
    May 25, 2015
    7
    The game has weak plot, it lacks interesting characters and although the design is inspired by nordic mythology it's still very generic and cliche - all those elements are essential for a really good rpg game and skyrim does them wrong. Also the game is quite buggy and dumbed down compared to it's predecessors. Despite those flaws It's fun to roam this world, music and visuals are good andThe game has weak plot, it lacks interesting characters and although the design is inspired by nordic mythology it's still very generic and cliche - all those elements are essential for a really good rpg game and skyrim does them wrong. Also the game is quite buggy and dumbed down compared to it's predecessors. Despite those flaws It's fun to roam this world, music and visuals are good and it managed to entertain me for about 30-40 hours.

    Overall it's a good game that by it doesn't deserve the praise it gets. It can probably be great but only if you smoke pot:)    … Expand
  80. Dezpy
    Apr 24, 2012
    7
    Being my first Elder Scrolls game, I probably wasn't as picky as those who have played the previous games. But I'd like to put my input as just a general PC gamer. This is not a game I can sit here and bad mouth, and surely I'd willingly recommend it, but like any other game, it had its flaws. The graphics were great, ever on low. But, I found lots of repetition in both the environmentBeing my first Elder Scrolls game, I probably wasn't as picky as those who have played the previous games. But I'd like to put my input as just a general PC gamer. This is not a game I can sit here and bad mouth, and surely I'd willingly recommend it, but like any other game, it had its flaws. The graphics were great, ever on low. But, I found lots of repetition in both the environment itself and in the dungeons. At the beginning and further into the game, I ran into dungeons that were all pretty much identical in both enemies and loot. Luckily I was immersed enough in what I was attempting to complete that this didn't stick out to me until my tenth or eleventh dungeon that looked exactly like the past few I had been doing. I'll cut bethesda some slack here, it was a huge game and creating each dungeon to be unique would have been both time consuming and difficult.

    It took a good thirty hours of choppy gameplay before I began getting bored, and I knew I was still at the very tip of the game still! I still continued playing, as I was curious. I had some good quests going that kept me playing, and was figuring out things every day that I hadn't known. It was the repetition that got to me. Sometimes I'd just want to log on and run around, doing quests that would consist of just running around town and delivering items or something of the sort. I found a few of these, which was fantastic, but a large majority of the quests sent you way off into some dungeon with the same graphics as the last dungeon you completed. And one last thing that I'd like to address to any future buyers. The quests are glitchy. Not all of them, but I've ran into a few that have made it either impossible to move forward, and nearly impossible. I'm grateful these can be fixed in patches, but they can really set you off of the game for a while. It's a fair warning that I'm sure most have heard before- it's not uncommon. Also, the game isn't at all linear. It has its moments (especially in dungeons or when speaking to someone), but you're able to go explore whenever and wherever you want. You're not stuck on a single path, you're able to branch off and join guilds of thievery, or armies, and even a college for mages, you name it. That's what I have liked the most about this game. I can make my character how I want to, and like most single players games, where you're stuck with one destiny, this one you get to chose what it is. Well worth the $60.00 I spent on it.    … Expand
  81. Xen-Masta
    Apr 30, 2012
    7
    The ratings that this game has received by the critics calls the integrity of the gaming/game review industry into question. These scores reek of bribery. This is a good game, but to give it a ten is absurd. The horrible looking shadows alone take a full point off, in my opinion. Oblivion's shadows were far preferable. I attempted to play this on ps3, but it looked so horrid i took itThe ratings that this game has received by the critics calls the integrity of the gaming/game review industry into question. These scores reek of bribery. This is a good game, but to give it a ten is absurd. The horrible looking shadows alone take a full point off, in my opinion. Oblivion's shadows were far preferable. I attempted to play this on ps3, but it looked so horrid i took it back and then played it on PC. The PC graphics are infinitely better, but still very dated due to cross platform development. The gameplay is solid, and addictive. I found myself wanting to finish the main quest more so than in Oblivion. But i also stopped playing after i finished it, and I don't see myself going back to it. If this game had not been developed primarily for 7 year old console hardware, It could have been a masterpiece. For the PC version, due to community modding, it still could be. Shame on any professional critic who gave this game a 10. Credibility = dunzo.… Expand
  82. ZetignaGaming
    May 9, 2012
    7
    This is one beautiful game. Its hard to argue that the graphics are dull or uninspiring, because you would be lying. However, even though The Elder Scrolls series are hard to beat and even harder to come by on epicness, I will say that this one disappointed. Clearly, they spent a lot of time trying to make a beautiful game, but its depth is about a deep as a puddle of water. If I am thisThis is one beautiful game. Its hard to argue that the graphics are dull or uninspiring, because you would be lying. However, even though The Elder Scrolls series are hard to beat and even harder to come by on epicness, I will say that this one disappointed. Clearly, they spent a lot of time trying to make a beautiful game, but its depth is about a deep as a puddle of water. If I am this all powerful, god like warrior, I should be treated like one. You will find that you will complete missions, save an entire town or city from complete doom and your reward is that you get to buy a house in the town. Hell if I didn't save it you wouldn't have one. I should be KING! The scale in which your importance in this world feels just wrong. You spend most of the time taking on much of the world by yourself and doing what most armies can't. The rewards for being so amazing are something that should have more meaning. Being a puppet when I could clearly kill the quest giver is none to pleasing. Best example I can give is also a spoiler. If you help the stormcloaks win the war and take over Skyrim all you get is a cheap sword that does Nothing! Nuff said....… Expand
  83. STMary
    May 15, 2012
    7
    This game is well done. I enjoyed it more than Oblivion myself, but not nearly as much as Morrowind.
    Had to knock the score down a notch because of the horrible UI. I haven't played since the Steam Workshop has come out, but I imagine there are quite a few fixes for this since it seems to be a common complaint. Its a shame Bethesda neglected the PC version, I would say that's where most of    This game is well done. I enjoyed it more than Oblivion myself, but not nearly as much as Morrowind.
    Had to knock the score down a notch because of the horrible UI. I haven't played since the Steam Workshop has come out, but I imagine there are quite a few fixes for this since it seems to be a common complaint. Its a shame Bethesda neglected the PC version, I would say that's where most of their fan base lies. Still pretty fun, was able to squeeze 40-50 hrs out of it before the game got too tedious for me. Will try to pick it back up again in the future, but right now I need a break.    … Expand
  84. bombrero
    Apr 30, 2015
    7
    This game is one if not the holy grail of the RPG Action Sandbox. The freedom of choice is pretty ample in most aspect, such as the construction of your characters being able to chose between different combat styles along with varying approaches such as stealth, ranged, ranged stealth, shield and one handed, two handed, dual wielding, etc.

    It also provides out of combat approaches, such    This game is one if not the holy grail of the RPG Action Sandbox. The freedom of choice is pretty ample in most aspect, such as the construction of your characters being able to chose between different combat styles along with varying approaches such as stealth, ranged, ranged stealth, shield and one handed, two handed, dual wielding, etc.

    It also provides out of combat approaches, such as blacksmithing or persuassion, which allow you to wield highly rated equipment that can compensate for your lack in combat skills, or earn enough money to hire help to go on your quests, along with posibilities to bribe or intimidate enemies or guards; or simply use your economic situation to pay for combat or stealth or even magic lessons and gradually become a skilled warrior while specialicing in money control.

    The enemies are diverse, with distinct behaviour and their own lairs and settings, which are pretty well constructed, presenting ancient traps (ancient fortress), human lied traps (bandit caves or forts), or natural ambushes (Frostbite Spiders... Yuck!).

    Magic and powers are also present in the game, having the traditional fire, ice and lightning spells, which come in the form of "walls", beams, shields or projectiles; and other spells such as invocation of creatures and spiritual weapons, fear and appreciation spells that will change the npcs behaviour towards you or each other, weapon enchanting, healing and undead turning spells, telekinesis and magic shields, etc.

    The powers include the racial minor and or major powers, which vary depending on the race you may choose, the stones power which can be obtained in landmarks around Skyrim and present diverse powers such as revive a corpse for a limited time, poison an enemy, turn invisible for a short period, etc. This is complemented by other aquired powers, like the ability to turn into a werewolf, or a vampire, and lots of other powers granted trough questlines. The main quest starts you in the way of the voice, which allows you to project magic in shouts with little cooldown and varying, but often devastating effects (a huge force push "Fus Ro Dah", fire breath, ice breath, cold fire, disarm enemies (or allies), leave enemies (or allies) on the verge of death, and a long etc.

    The map itself is fairly huge and provides tons of fortress, villages, caves and landmark or temples to explore, each of them fairly unique and well designed.

    The npcs have their own life agenda, following slightly varying routines and all of them have independent disposition towards you. For example: if you are a dark elf you will be hated in some towns, leading to people treating you harshly and lowering their disposition towards you, meaning they will be less inclined to follow your persuasion intents on them. This can be changed by either helping them directly (with quests if they offer one or with shop patronage if they own one) or by helping their faction (helping their city or guild if they belong to one). You can always try to threaten them or put a charm on them that will turn them into your emotional slaves for a short time. If they like you, in the long time you will be helped if attacked near them, they will gift you items or coins sometimes, and if they die, you will be a beneficiary towards their heirloom.

    All in all its a great game and it comes with one of the best and biggest modding communities, which have achieved amazing results for mod standards. But sadly, the horrible attempt of Bethesda and Valve to force us to pay for mods to get more money have hurt the modding community pretty hard, causing disloyal competence during the time the paying mods were active that now resulted in a fragmented community, with old hard working members that used to work together towards a goal opposed or outright rejected by their old partners, meaning some modding teams may not be again working together. Basically, mods were constucted with the help of numerous peoples and other mods, with the help and credit of the original authors. This allowed the creation of huge campaigns and assets. Once the paid mods were released, the scene turned competitive, work that before was borrowed was suddenly stolen, some modders tried to go standalone, hurting their counterparts, and some others leaved feeling insulted by the new system. Skyrim was a modding paradise. It will be long until it recovers from the damage done by the greed of the companies.

    This game would be a 9, but after damaging the community by acting selfishly it is not the same.    … Expand
  85. Gothic90
    Aug 9, 2013
    7
    Skyrim, imo, is highly overrated.

    It is by no means a bad game. It offers tons of content. I played 100+ hours into it. It got a huge open world, interesting lore and background, and all the things you can do. But the quality of the massive amount of content is not very high. In most questlines, other than civil war and maybe Daedra quests, you don't have meaningful choices. Maybe if    Skyrim, imo, is highly overrated.

    It is by no means a bad game. It offers tons of content. I played 100+ hours into it. It got a huge open world, interesting lore and background, and all the things you can do.

    But the quality of the massive amount of content is not very high. In most questlines, other than civil war and maybe Daedra quests, you don't have meaningful choices. Maybe if you count DLCs, then Dawnguard would count as well. For example, you can never fight against thieves' guild; the best you can do is to avoid that quest.

    The skill system also encourages grinding, which is boring.

    Its DLCs, imo, are also overpriced.

    Moddability on the other hand is a very important part of this game, and that is why I still give it a 7.    … Expand
  86. sterlingwriter
    Jul 21, 2012
    7
    I have played Skyrim for 182 hours, and I'm probably finished with it for awhile. I never actually beat the main plot, because there's so much to do, I ended up being distracted by all the side quests and exploration, which seemed a lot more interesting to me than the main plot, and now I think I'm burned out on the game. Like all recent Bethesda games (like the Fallout series) the NPCsI have played Skyrim for 182 hours, and I'm probably finished with it for awhile. I never actually beat the main plot, because there's so much to do, I ended up being distracted by all the side quests and exploration, which seemed a lot more interesting to me than the main plot, and now I think I'm burned out on the game. Like all recent Bethesda games (like the Fallout series) the NPCs are horrible in this game -- they talk too much, get in the way too much, get killed too much, and are all the same unless you use mods. There are other annoying bugs in the game, but none were so terrible that my experience was ruined, I just wish they'd QA these things out before the game actually goes retail. The UI was a bit clunky, too, since things didn't always sort properly. What I enjoyed about Skyrim, was finally, the opportunity to play a ranged character without always having to kite or tank monsters. A stealth-archer can often crit one shot and/or kill things before they get into melee range, which is awesome. All the side quests, and the sheer amount of cool stuff you can find when exploring was my favorite part of the game. I was having tons of fun finding new towns, treasure in remote locations, and pursuing the artifact quests (without using any wikis, I got most of them). The graphics are amazing, and with the high-res texture pack, one of the best looking western RPGs I've ever played. The soundtrack is also amazing, but unfortunately the voice acting is terrible most of the time, due to overuse of certain voices, and the bards... well, let's just say I tended to interrupt them when they'd start singing, it was that bad. As far as crafting goes, Blacksmithing and Enchanting were fun, but Alchemy was a chore because of the way the vanilla game sorts potions, and the sheer number of different potions you can make (most of them being useless, so what's the point of having them). Overall, a fun game with room to improve. If you still don't have it, I recommend that you wait for a 50% off (or more) sale on Steam.… Expand
  87. wrongpassword
    May 23, 2012
    7
    Skyrim's a good game but it isn't as good as its predecessors on the PC. The graphics are slightly improved but they are not the quantum leap that Oblivion was to Morrowind. The menu system is in a word crap. The dragons are more annoying than challenging. The loss of crafting spells also really hurt gameplay. Travelling around the mountainous terrain with no ability to fly or climbSkyrim's a good game but it isn't as good as its predecessors on the PC. The graphics are slightly improved but they are not the quantum leap that Oblivion was to Morrowind. The menu system is in a word crap. The dragons are more annoying than challenging. The loss of crafting spells also really hurt gameplay. Travelling around the mountainous terrain with no ability to fly or climb is a massive hassle making the open world environment feel a lot less open. The radient quest system is just a pretty way of saying randomized kill and/or fetch quests. Like all Beth releases, it is riddled with bugs which leads to a series of often questionable patches. Steam's habit of auto/stealth updating the game makes preventing bad patches a hassle and wreaks havok with modders.

    That isn't to say there aren't any positives. The random encounters are far more varied and interesting now. The two weapon combat system creates interesting if not fully realized possibilities. The new companion system also is a welcome addition. If you are a modder, which is almost mandatory, it is quickly developing one of the strongest libraries though I personally would avoid steamworkshop and its over simplified attempt at QC for mods. With the current generation of mods, I would rate this an eight and probably a nine sometime next year. That is the thing with Bethesda titles. They only get better as they age.    … Expand
  88. fluxmulder
    Apr 25, 2013
    7
    Bethesda stretched themselves too thin with this game, and the result is a game that lacks any depth and is instead is crammed with repetitive and trivial content. Unlike the excellent Fallout 3, there are no significant choices to be made in any of the quests you will undertake. Solutions to most everything will be to kill, and kill some more. There is so much exposition thrown at youBethesda stretched themselves too thin with this game, and the result is a game that lacks any depth and is instead is crammed with repetitive and trivial content. Unlike the excellent Fallout 3, there are no significant choices to be made in any of the quests you will undertake. Solutions to most everything will be to kill, and kill some more. There is so much exposition thrown at you that you will start to lose track of what's going on, and without any truly memorable set piece type quests to back them up, they remain nothing more than exposition. The world, though undeniably large, starts to blend together into an indistinguishable mish-mash of dungeons, forests, and towns. There are hundreds of NPCs, but just like the locations and quests, they are too many and too shallow. There are no branching dialogue trees; most characters will have 3 or 4 topics of conversation. Worst of all is hearing the same 10 or so voice actors spread across the hundreds of NPCs. The art is a mixed bag. The color palette is grey and drab, suitable for the Nordic environment, but it becomes an eyesore over time. There are some great looking environments, such as the dense forests and mountain vistas, however many areas look like they were hurriedly built, such as the northern coastline. The characters look as stiff as ever; both in their procedurally generated faces and their terrible animations... both Bethesda trademark. The music is uniformly excellent, though it can get repetitive hearing the same battle and town themes over and over. Don't get me wrong, there is fun to be had. Play the main quest line and a few of the faction quest lines, and you will get the best of what Skyrim has to offer. Delve any deeper and you will ultimately find a shallow experience devoid of any meaning.… Expand
  89. Bobbo
    Jun 21, 2012
    7
    I never knew black and white video games existed until I played Skyrim. My eyes hunger for color. I was more interested in improving the AI from Oblivion, but that didn't happen.
  90. TheCommander
    Jun 20, 2012
    7
    First of all, just because I gave the game a 7 doesn't mean that Skyrim is a bad game, in fact, it is quite fun. However I just don't think it is nearly the masterpiece that Fallout 3 or Morrowind was. The mechanics are pretty poor and revolve around a "favorite" system where my bulky fingers often press the wrong buttons and I use stuff I didn't want to, this system also stops combatFirst of all, just because I gave the game a 7 doesn't mean that Skyrim is a bad game, in fact, it is quite fun. However I just don't think it is nearly the masterpiece that Fallout 3 or Morrowind was. The mechanics are pretty poor and revolve around a "favorite" system where my bulky fingers often press the wrong buttons and I use stuff I didn't want to, this system also stops combat which kills the fluidness of the game. I wish that Bethesda had used the hotkey system they did in Morrowind. In this game I saw a lot of rehashing of things that Bethesda used in Fallout 3 and Morrowind, including items, references, and soundtracks which made me laugh. I was also disappointed in how unbalanced the classes were in this game. Warriors are horrible and pretty much useless while mages with fire magic kill just about anything hard, be it spriggans or trolls. Some enemies like the cavebear are just plain overpowered. I think perhaps the most disappointing thing in the game is that you find items according to your level. You can't just walk into a cave at level 1 and stumble upon a daedric longsword like you could in Morrowind. To me this takes away from the fun in the game. I would also like to say that this is the most buggy game I think Bethesda has ever released which was another disappointment. I did however think Skyrim was a big improvement over Oblivion as far as surroundings and storyline, but It just doesn't have the mechanics, fluidness, mystery and fun factor that Morrowind had.… Expand
  91. jerrypatel_07
    Oct 17, 2012
    7
    This is nowhere near a quality rpg like Planescape: Torment. Average plot, Bland NPcs,sluggish combat. It is only a decent game because of its visual design and quality world and dragons........
  92. GRANIT_Salvo
    Jun 30, 2012
    7
    "It was a dark and stormy night; I had taken a creative writing course...." OK, if you can ignore the shallow dialogue, you can enjoy this game. Even with all the bugs and holes in the game, it's still pretty fun to play. I myself am surprised by how many hours I have given it. BUY THIS GAME IF: -You love sandbox RPGs. -You have a NEXUS account -You can spend hours digging through mods"It was a dark and stormy night; I had taken a creative writing course...." OK, if you can ignore the shallow dialogue, you can enjoy this game. Even with all the bugs and holes in the game, it's still pretty fun to play. I myself am surprised by how many hours I have given it. BUY THIS GAME IF: -You love sandbox RPGs. -You have a NEXUS account -You can spend hours digging through mods and testing your personal brew to get the game right. AVOID THIS GAME IF: -You are diagnosed with ADD (I dare you to stick with one character past 30) -You are a perfectionist or completionist -You have a family dependent upon you. OVERALL: I don't agree with relying upon the modding community to polish a game, but you SHOULD mod it, and if you can put in the time you can make this a great escape.… Expand
  93. Tyandriel
    Mar 4, 2014
    7
    Since I´m not into the ElderScrolls games (only played Skyrim), this game is not much more than Fallout 3 in a fantasy world. It hase some nice features like the huge world, crafting and a nice set of quests. But it feels like a Fantasy-SinglePlayer-SecondLife.
    It has some flaws, foremost a missing golden thread. My motivation curve was a downward spiral, since progress became repetitive    Since I´m not into the ElderScrolls games (only played Skyrim), this game is not much more than Fallout 3 in a fantasy world. It hase some nice features like the huge world, crafting and a nice set of quests. But it feels like a Fantasy-SinglePlayer-SecondLife.
    It has some flaws, foremost a missing golden thread. My motivation curve was a downward spiral, since progress became repetitive and pointless. Skills, equipment and even leveling becomes senseless at some point (far from endgame), since it´s possible to win every fight by using brainpower.
    The world feels empty, grey and static, by the way. So many possibilities wasted...

    A big world to discover, some nice hours of gameplay, but far from being a hypeworthy, shimmering gem of video game. So: some honest 7 of 10. Clearly above average, but not outstanding.    … Expand
  94. Armotekma
    Jun 26, 2014
    7
    In a word? Overrated. They really messed up the major point of even playing an Elder Scrolls game - the story. Not just the main quest, but all of the side quests and especially the guilds. It is fun, but inferior to Oblivion and Morrowind and not a good sign of to-be Elder Scrolls games.
  95. Greg_Heavy
    Jul 23, 2012
    7
    It's ok, until the next TES game comes out. Then it will be forgotten (I like to call it the "need for speed effect") by everyone. Shallow story and characters, nothing really interesting apart from the graphics.
  96. Tattoedsailor
    Jul 25, 2012
    7
    **Spoiler Free** Let me start with: if your into "sandbox RPG's" your going love it. This game follows the typical Bethesda design of their previous games (Elder Scrolls, Fallout). You have a lot freedom in this game. The graphics are top notch especially with high rez pack. Game play and animations are excellent. The sound through 7.1 is incredible. I beat the game with your**Spoiler Free** Let me start with: if your into "sandbox RPG's" your going love it. This game follows the typical Bethesda design of their previous games (Elder Scrolls, Fallout). You have a lot freedom in this game. The graphics are top notch especially with high rez pack. Game play and animations are excellent. The sound through 7.1 is incredible. I beat the game with your typical warrior (Board / Sword) . A lot of fun! On the PC version it allows you install mods. Which makes the game play endless. So why the 7.0 and not a 10 you ask? Where the game fell short was the horrible amount glitches and bugs. Some of which were very easy to fix through the console command. Others required a ton of research and trial and error. The companion quest line had a lot glitchs in particular The problem with glitchs is you get them in middle quest line which doesn't allow you progress in the game. Bethesda really needs to come out with a patch update to address this issue. My advice to someone playing through the game for first time is make sure you have multiple save files @ different times. This game would have gotten a 9.0, but because of tech probs I can only give it 7.0.… Expand
  97. linkdude
    Jul 28, 2012
    7
    this game is good plain and simple that's how i'm going to put it i REALLY loved this game when it came out but then after about a week of playing everything gets meshed together and you already have the best armour and weapons. characters i feel need more depth i murdered everyone i could in whiterun and didn't really care about them i was just like "meh" and a bunch more glitches andthis game is good plain and simple that's how i'm going to put it i REALLY loved this game when it came out but then after about a week of playing everything gets meshed together and you already have the best armour and weapons. characters i feel need more depth i murdered everyone i could in whiterun and didn't really care about them i was just like "meh" and a bunch more glitches and bugs from falling through the world to the quality being pixilated to the max but the worst of all is the loading screen i've spent about 2 hours of loading screen on the first 2 weeks of playing. but don't think i hate this game
    the people you meet can sometime give special missions to you which is why you talk to everyone. the dragon battles are intense the first few times around you can become a werewolf and vampire and the map is EXTREMLY huge if you're looking for a game that has some flaws but is an overall fun expierence then i recommend that you pick up this game if you havn't already    … Expand
  98. OverdueReview
    Aug 14, 2012
    7
    Bethesda are known for their
  99. Crispycookie
    Feb 15, 2013
    7
    This game is actually very hard to place because of the enormous amount of content it got some quests are just plain boring a LOT of quests are repetitive and 95% of the time the game holds your hand while questing because it tells you where to go with a map marker so there isn't any suprise of exploring for the most part. BUT this game also got some VERY good quests and very good dlc's,This game is actually very hard to place because of the enormous amount of content it got some quests are just plain boring a LOT of quests are repetitive and 95% of the time the game holds your hand while questing because it tells you where to go with a map marker so there isn't any suprise of exploring for the most part. BUT this game also got some VERY good quests and very good dlc's, I personally think Dawnguard was a very good dlc maybe a bit overpriced but the extra quest you got in it was worth it Dragonborn is even beter with a LOT more stuff to do. Modding is ofcourse also a nice addition!
    The skill system is pretty broken you can get from level 1 to 100 in some skills smithing in 10min by just crafting the same thing over and over again with mats you buy from merchants, and that's pretty stupid if you ask me, they needed to make skilling a lot longer a lot more rewarding!
    The area's in Skyrim look for 99% the same snow and mountains and the caves are pretty much ALL the same with 2 or 3 exceptions BUMMERRRR.
    Also a very stupid thing in this game is the weight system items just are too damn heavy 60 pods for a freaking chainmail?! for a mage or rogue that's like a full inventory in 3 items without potions counted.
    The graphics are pretty and the soundtrack is awesome tho!
    I give this game 7.5 out of 10! This game becomes boring after 100~ hours but those 100 hours you will have a great time!    … Expand
  100. Namredel
    Sep 29, 2012
    7
    Skyrim looks amazing, that is honestly the best thing I can say about it. Boy does it lack Good Content. When I play an RPG I expect good story telling and this game came up short. I don't know if it's just Elder Scroll combat or what but I just found it boring for the most part. The thieves guilds story line was pretty good but unfortunately I did that first so the rest of the game justSkyrim looks amazing, that is honestly the best thing I can say about it. Boy does it lack Good Content. When I play an RPG I expect good story telling and this game came up short. I don't know if it's just Elder Scroll combat or what but I just found it boring for the most part. The thieves guilds story line was pretty good but unfortunately I did that first so the rest of the game just seemed stale. I've dappled with the mods which breath new life into Skyrim which make it enjoyable. It's a well done game especially visually and they did a lot of technical touches that make it well polished. But I honestly don't understand why it lacks good story telling. Skyrim is a massive game with a huge world. It will take you many places however, they may be places you don't want to go to. If you're a fan of Elder Scroll games you'll most likely enough this one. But Oblivion had better story telling. imo.… Expand
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Awards & Rankings

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

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
94

Universal acclaim - based on 32 Critic Reviews

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