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. Delogic
    Nov 13, 2011
    4
    BLAND BLAND BLAND.

    How this can get 10's from 10's of critics is beyond me. Oh, I have a thing or two to say about that.. 1. Design is bland. Enviroments look just the same as Oblivion, with the same random-dungeon-generation as Oblivion, with the same lack of feeling, charisma, distinctiveness. It's like it couldn't be made better looking and equally uninteresting at the same time. None    BLAND BLAND BLAND.

    How this can get 10's from 10's of critics is beyond me. Oh, I have a thing or two to say about that..

    1. Design is bland. Enviroments look just the same as Oblivion, with the same random-dungeon-generation as Oblivion, with the same lack of feeling, charisma, distinctiveness. It's like it couldn't be made better looking and equally uninteresting at the same time. None of the enviroments are actually connected to any type of function - they're just made to look awesome. Large expances? Check. Walkways floating in the air? Check. Underground lighting and strange floating plants? Check. Oh, and I started as a feline with enhanced vision to see in the dark. Think I ever needed to use it? Nope! Chuck Testa.

    2. Game mechanics are bland. Wow, I got a sword that does 15 fire damage instead of 10. THAT's CONSIDERABLE. Oh, this sword does frost damage instead of fire, NEVERMIND, damagetype almost never matters ANYWAY. Perks? Yeah, 20% more damage, 40% more damage, can it get more flavorful? Oh, what's that I hear? You can get 25% chance to make monsters bleed from axes or something? ... Sorry, I think I fell asleep. Automatic difficulity adjustment is back, btw! Hell, you're wearing the best armor possible? Well, be prepared to be slaughtered by peasants and iron-armed cave-men. All for a decent challenge, you know!

    3. Spells are bland. Fear, Spark, Fireball, Tashas hideus laughter - sorry, made the last one up. That one would actually been interesting. Make X do Y for Z seconds. Step-n-repeat. All elemental spells have same structure: Low-level, medium-level, high-level, a bit more awesome level, I can guess what this is going to be level, and I couln't care less level.

    4. Dragons? Yeah, **** fly-like-on-rails one-trick-pony kill-them-the-same-way dragons. All look the same. Try killing them with a close-range weapon? HAH!!! Yeah right. Try instead getting them glich-stuck behind a tree and spend 20 minutes waiting for your mana to recharge or your petty spells to do your work. Dragon powers? You can become a ventriloquist! With great power comes great responsiblities!

    5. Inventory? HAH! Be ready to spend equal time in the horrible menu-system as watching the scenery go by, slowly on a horse with no name that can actually run - for 10 seconds - then plot along. Potions of healing and Potions of health and Potions of Regeneration and Potions of **** well, all these are going to be just a blast scrolling though. Some heal you. Some doesn't. You'll just have to find all of them again and again. Easy to recognize visual representations? Pff.. who needs'em. Up, down, left, right. Get ready to be confused. Select skills without jumping to another skill and trying again and again and again and again and almost destrying your keyboard? You wish!

    Well, at least it doesn't have any bugs.. ..oh, wait.    … Expand
  2. tvangste
    Nov 13, 2011
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. combats ok better than oblivion but still ok...the skill set up wasnt as good it makes u to op. every single questline just ends nothing nice happens after u complete them like in oblivion when u finish the questline everyone loves u and u get the imperial dragon armor and its awesome cuase u feel great about it, this one u defeat a dragon in a different dimension get sent back to skyrim and u get no dialogue no more quests from the main storyline and u recieve nothing. all u get is a cutscene of dragons flying away...but even after u kill all the leader dragons there is still dragons around. all the guilds were only about 3 hours each lacked any really fun story in the guild and they ended the same way as the main story the thieves guild had a darker story than the dark brotherhood, good armor rarely dropped, all the dungeons had reused parts and 60% of the time u were fighting skeletons which got annoying since every single skeleton was a one hit kill after a while. It feels like u are in a small world the entire game, while the graphics are really good all the npcs look like poop. It feels like ur given no freedom, or too much freedom its hard to tell either one can be good or can be bad in this case it doesnt help the game out too much....thats why im giving this game a 8 out of 10.… Expand
  3. Isisius
    Nov 13, 2011
    3
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. As a huge fan of the series I hate to do this, i really do, and if i was just playing an ordinary game by an ordinary developer this would be getting a 8 or a 9. If i was just taking the first 5 hours, this would be getting an 8 or a 9. This weekend i have put a solid 35 hours into this game, so i feel like my review comes after some experience.
    Firstly, the positives.
    The game is interesting, the lore is good, the dungeons are varied and have interesting puzzles.
    Combat is improved, if not brilliant and the perks are quite neat.
    These positives are definitely enough to make the game interesting and playable.
    Now the negatives.
    The menus, OH MY GOD WHAT THE HELL. How difficult is it to make a frigging spreadsheet, listing the weight, value and name of the item, and let me sort it by those things. Not to mention its all designed for a console, so i waste so much time clicking the wrong thing because the cursor doesn't map properly to the options.
    Secondly, the bugs, man this is difficult to play when it crashes to the desktop ever hour or so with no warning or error message, its just gone. AI does some silly stuff sometimes but i can get over that, its just the crashing to desktop for no apparent reason that's killing me.
    Thirdly, and this is my biggest and most important one, and more general too.
    I don't know if anyone else senses this, but the whole game feels less heroic and epic than Morrowind or Oblivion. Sure you fight dragons, but the game feels kind of scripted.
    ----Minor Companion Guild Spoiler alert---- (I don't say what happens just it doesn't take long)
    So the companion guild is supposed to replace the fighters guild, and it was my first stop. I expected hours of missions and working my way through the ranks to finally become the leader, which would come with benefits such as getting my cut from the other members of the guild i now lead, or special missions, or special perks or SOMETHING. I would have expected extra reputation but that is no longer in this game for some reason. But what happens? I finish the couple of quests in little over an hour and am suddenly head of the guild and my benefits amount to a big fat nothing. Oh i get some stupid axe that i already had weapons as good as. And what is the special quests i get after being the mighty leader? "Hey man, this guy has a wolf (a single wolf) in his house on the other side of the map, can you go kill it?" Yeah send the freaking head of the guild to do that for like 100 gold.
    Same deal with the mages, no benefit at all.
    ----End Companion Spoiler----
    That's ok, ill go work for a Jarl, and get a house and become a thane, surely that will come with benefits and affect the story somehow.
    Wrong, after all the work and money it takes to get there, its just another thing you do that has no real benefit except you can get away with small crimes.
    This game is suffering from what i call Fable-itis, you can even get married ( to random NPCs or no noteworthiness for no benefit). There's so much to do, but why bother. All of my Armour and weapons were crafted by myself and are drastically better than anything i find, the only thing i use that i found was an amulet.
    Even taking part in the Civil War seems to have little affect that i can see so far other than a change in NPC's that run the cities and no benefit to yourself.
    The other Elder scroll games made your character so important, in Morrowind you could join a great house and rise through it eventually building your own castle. How awesome and epic.
    In Oblivion when you were the master of the guild you were the MASTER. You got a cut of everyone's earning and could direct the attention of the guild, and you were famous because of it.
    Where is that in this game? Where is the epic story where you grow in power and fame? Sure there are some epic battles, but the Elder scrolls were never about that, they were about the heroes story from rags to riches, from a dirty prisoner to lord of all you see.
    The problem with Elder scrolls is the expectations that go with it, this game looks great, and plays pretty well, as my 35 hours playtime will show, but it just doesn't feel like a good Elder Scrolls game, and most fans of the series will realize this as the game progresses and they seem to be having less and less effect on the world.    … Expand
  4. catraven70
    Nov 13, 2011
    8
    I waited a very long time for this game to be released. I was floored when I first popped Oblivion in my system. With regret, I didn't feel those same emotions at the beginning of Skyrim. As I continue playing, I am enjoying my experience but there is something missing. Where is all the pomp that Oblivion had ? Theme music anyone? Nope. I did truly expect more from Skyrim then what I'mI waited a very long time for this game to be released. I was floored when I first popped Oblivion in my system. With regret, I didn't feel those same emotions at the beginning of Skyrim. As I continue playing, I am enjoying my experience but there is something missing. Where is all the pomp that Oblivion had ? Theme music anyone? Nope. I did truly expect more from Skyrim then what I'm getting, but since it's Elder Scrolls...ah well ..sigh… Expand
  5. DeagleHS
    Nov 13, 2011
    8
    Amazing with a splash of disappointment. I've re-written this a few times and I'm just going to say the things that are annoying me - the disappointments. Although this is much to love. The graphics are MASSIVELY outdated. I brought Metro 2033 for $5 recently and it's graphics where better. I know graphics aren't what a game is all about but when I started the game (on ULTRA) I thoughtAmazing with a splash of disappointment. I've re-written this a few times and I'm just going to say the things that are annoying me - the disappointments. Although this is much to love. The graphics are MASSIVELY outdated. I brought Metro 2033 for $5 recently and it's graphics where better. I know graphics aren't what a game is all about but when I started the game (on ULTRA) I thought I'ld accidently set it on Medium or low. lol I swear I rechecked the video setting 5 times to make sure it wasn't a mistake. I'm gonna say it - it's the outdated console's (xbox and ps3) that are to blame. The console's manufacturers are milking their current box's for all there worth and the effect it has on PC games is developers working with making new gen games based on crappy crappy outdated hardware. As we all know the money is where the console noobs are at. So we will continue to get S word lol graphics until a new console gen emerges. From the youtube video's I was so excited to look at an artifact (sword, shield or food) and look at it in amazing detail but Nooooo. To support much of what i've been saying have a look at RAGE - similar situation. The detail level is horribly low and this was another disaapointment. Then there is the console port - ok it's a OK console port but there are obvious things like the GUI settings for the console pads LT and RT - WTF how could you overlook taking this out of the PC release.
    OK im off the whole consoles are to blame section
    Combat: Having so much fun with stealth and Archery - good job here. Melee combat has been slightly improved but still have a while to go to be interesting. Haven't touched magic - not playing that character yet.
    More voice actors and this has improved but still needs improvement. Characters are still rather stiff.
    Love how NPC's are more aware of your actions and comment as such. I was having fun using my shouts in town and a guard came along and told me to shut up lol. I love the random encounters.
    So why am I giving the game an 8/10 with all this complaining. Despite the short coming's and a few area's the game is still as immersive as ever and im enjoying it. The graphics were full DX11 and not DX9 overlook the rest of the issues. This is a open world game and realistic graphics really does help you be in this world.    … Expand
  6. Colrum
    Nov 13, 2011
    10
    I sat down to play Skyrim after a long wait following Oblivion, I played, I played, I played. I explored, I did side quests, I did some of the main quest, got distracted by shiny things in the distance and went off to do other things. I was utterly entranced. My housemate knocked on my bedroom door and asked me "What skills you gone for?" he had just finished installing it after gettingI sat down to play Skyrim after a long wait following Oblivion, I played, I played, I played. I explored, I did side quests, I did some of the main quest, got distracted by shiny things in the distance and went off to do other things. I was utterly entranced. My housemate knocked on my bedroom door and asked me "What skills you gone for?" he had just finished installing it after getting home from work, I, had the day off. He came in and looked at me, exclaiming only "It's 10pm dude..." I had been played since 7am, and had absolutely, no, idea.… Expand
  7. tyler_james
    Nov 13, 2011
    9
    An exceptional game. Period. The stand-out features of Skyrim are too many to name. What really hooked me, was the exceptional level of detail in the graphics, the excitingly tumultuous new-line adventure of terrorizing the populace as a werewolf, and the intense combos of a revamped melee system. As an avid Oblivion player, I really wanted something new to set Skyrim apart, and moreAn exceptional game. Period. The stand-out features of Skyrim are too many to name. What really hooked me, was the exceptional level of detail in the graphics, the excitingly tumultuous new-line adventure of terrorizing the populace as a werewolf, and the intense combos of a revamped melee system. As an avid Oblivion player, I really wanted something new to set Skyrim apart, and more importantly, to make the game worth the 60$ it cost me. Bethesda delivered. Unless you're running the game on a Pentium 3, the graphics are incredible with a refreshing style and user-friendly interface. Example: when your character looks at something really bright (like the sun) then looks into something darker (like a shadowed room) your screen actually mimics the experience of "your eyes becoming accustomed to the light/dark." NPC characters' eyes actually glitter in the dark sometimes. Incredible. As far as new content, how's being a werewolf? An exciting twist to the game, without the humdrum inconvenience of being a vampire in Oblivion, lycanthropy adds a ton of fun to the game without being overpowered and without causing the player undue tension with NPC's. And as far as combat goes, awesome. The end. Fallout style combat closers never get old. Critical strikes? I'm in. Dual wielding spells? as@hDb%as9dh!!! The only downside to Skyrim is the technical issues that need to be resolved (and I assume they will be in upcoming patches) that are mostly held to the player falling to death in silly, annoying ways, and the occasional quest bug. Also, the Dark Brotherhood isn't as cool in this one, but that's just my opinion. And, as usual with this style of game, I'm always conscious of the fact that I am completely and utterly alone. Some kind of multiplayer would make the engine truly groundbreaking. But apart from wishful thinking, and the occasional annoying bug, Skyrim is worth your money, and a whole lot more. 9/10… Expand
  8. Ghjkl242
    Nov 13, 2011
    9
    I'm really not entirely sure why this game is getting negative reviews. Some of them are negative due to lack of observation (ie. you CAN change the controls :p), others don't make much sense (the menu system works great with a mouse. I think they were looking for something that would work well on both console and pc), but some of them do have validity. In response to the graphics: theyI'm really not entirely sure why this game is getting negative reviews. Some of them are negative due to lack of observation (ie. you CAN change the controls :p), others don't make much sense (the menu system works great with a mouse. I think they were looking for something that would work well on both console and pc), but some of them do have validity. In response to the graphics: they aren't bad at all. It's not goddamned Crysis, but it's a humongous improvement over Oblivion, and a hell of a lot faster. It actually runs faster than Oblivion on my machine. In fact, considering how much landscape ends up on the screen at once, it looks really good. Even the indoor areas look good. In regards to "The story is bad", it's not just about the story given to you (which is pretty good in the first place), but the story that you create for yourself, so if the story sucks, you probably aren't playing the game as it was intended to be played. In response to "There are more voice actors, but not enough", are you serious? I think I've heard the same voice twice one or two times, and I've played the game quite a lot. In contrast to Oblivion, which had roughly 10 voice actors (not including Patrick Stewart and Sean Bean who only played one character each), although, according to Wikipedia there were only 6 total, Skyrim has more like 70 voice actors. Not to mention the quality of acting is much better. And what is this about the combat being bad? It may not be perfect, but it's loads better than Oblivion, and definitely better than Morrowind. The only downfalls of Skyrim I can find are the occasional glitches (which I personally see as comic relief), and no short-cut keys, which hopefully will be fixed in the next patch. If not, some modder will make it anyways. If you want to know the numerous good things about this game, just look at other positive reviews. Right now, I'm gonna go play Skyrim.… Expand
  9. spoonfreak
    Nov 13, 2011
    10
    What an achievement. A massive, stunning adventure in a rich, vast world filled with thousands of years of history. Gameplay is streamlined and varied at the same time. Exploration is endless, as are the quests and number of characters to meet and interact with. Visually, they've taken some slightly dated tech and cranked it up to 11, creating an atmosphere that draws you in and never letsWhat an achievement. A massive, stunning adventure in a rich, vast world filled with thousands of years of history. Gameplay is streamlined and varied at the same time. Exploration is endless, as are the quests and number of characters to meet and interact with. Visually, they've taken some slightly dated tech and cranked it up to 11, creating an atmosphere that draws you in and never lets you go. There's so much thought, care and artistry involved in every area of Skyrim, that you're more immersed than you are in the shiny Battlefields and Modern Warfares of the world. The Soundtrack is simply stunning, possibly the best game soundtrack I've ever come across. You have to admire the sheer audacity and ambition of a project like this and forgive the small glitches and problems that don't even come close to ruining the ultimate experience. A deserving 10.… Expand
  10. Oneheven
    Nov 13, 2011
    10
    When I first started I wasn't sure about the changes it has compared to its predecessors. The changes to the menus, the way combat feels and the change in classes and skills.
    But after I have been playing non stop since I got my hands on it I love it. Everything works so well and it makes me feel like i'm in the game that i'm an high elf mage and that is what i love a game that can make me    When I first started I wasn't sure about the changes it has compared to its predecessors. The changes to the menus, the way combat feels and the change in classes and skills.
    But after I have been playing non stop since I got my hands on it I love it. Everything works so well and it makes me feel like i'm in the game that i'm an high elf mage and that is what i love a game that can make me feel like i'm part of it.
    If I could only have one game this year this would be my pick, you have to pick this up or you are missing on of the best games created so far.    … Expand
  11. ppd8472
    Nov 13, 2011
    10
    As a new follower to the Elder Scrolls world - only played Oblivion, I can say, without a doubt, this is one of the better games I've EVER played. Period. The depth of the quests, the soothing sounds of the soundtrack, and the absolutely beautiful world created in Skyrim will resonate with me for a long time to come. I have sunk 30 hours in and I haven't even begun to scratch the surfaceAs a new follower to the Elder Scrolls world - only played Oblivion, I can say, without a doubt, this is one of the better games I've EVER played. Period. The depth of the quests, the soothing sounds of the soundtrack, and the absolutely beautiful world created in Skyrim will resonate with me for a long time to come. I have sunk 30 hours in and I haven't even begun to scratch the surface of how far the proverbial rabbit-hole goes. They took what was awesome from Oblivion, coupled it with the positive characteristics attached to the new Fallout series, and made one hell of a good game. True, they are some bugs, but nothing that detracts you from the games playability in the least. I even find some hilarious - like woolly mammoths that fly. So I never gave them two thoughts. I can't put this game down. If you love the Elder Scrolls series, the Fallout series, or any game in general, get this, you will not regret it.… Expand
  12. MasterXi
    Nov 13, 2011
    10
    My thoughts more than a review. This game is all around awesome. I never expected to get this game and never played any of the older ones. After getting it, I'm glad I did. CoD MW3 and BF3 are put on hold for awhile.

    Run ultra graphics with a GTX 580. Load times are 2-3 seconds average with some loads going up to 5 seconds. Play with XBox controller. Amazing on 5.1 surround sound    My thoughts more than a review. This game is all around awesome. I never expected to get this game and never played any of the older ones. After getting it, I'm glad I did. CoD MW3 and BF3 are put on hold for awhile.

    Run ultra graphics with a GTX 580. Load times are 2-3 seconds average with some loads going up to 5 seconds. Play with XBox controller. Amazing on 5.1 surround sound and 59" TV. Glad I got it for the PC.    … Expand
  13. changchang
    Nov 13, 2011
    10
    Skyrim traditionally isn't a game with a strong main-quest, but with an unbelievable freedom. There are quests everywhere and a giant world to discover. Though the controls are not optimized for PC, its a jewel and a masterpiece. For me personally, it's the RPG-Highlight of the past 5 years.
  14. beforsirius
    Nov 13, 2011
    10
    I really do not know where to begin. I am not putting a fan-boy '10' up, nor am I giving Skyrim a 10 over sensationalism. This game really has earned it.

    Gameplay: The gameplay is more addictive than ever, and while it borrows from past Besthesda games, it still retains its own ingenuity. The combat is very violently refreshing, with very realistic 'pick-your-shot' fighting being    I really do not know where to begin. I am not putting a fan-boy '10' up, nor am I giving Skyrim a 10 over sensationalism. This game really has earned it.

    Gameplay: The gameplay is more addictive than ever, and while it borrows from past Besthesda games, it still retains its own ingenuity. The combat is very violently refreshing, with very realistic 'pick-your-shot' fighting being logically most effective. You can rush in and swing your sword relentlessly and get the same, or you can gauge your opponents strikes and counter. There is more support now for a stealth themed character, and archery is actually an effective combat style now (as opposed to oblivion). Though at first being unable to block with two swords was very fickle, the point made of "you can't block with one arm supporting the hilt; the sword will fly right out of your hand" was quite valid. Skyrim has given me an actual adrenaline rush when fighting a bear. In my opinion, everything seems to just make sense now.

    Animation: The combat stances I have seen so far are VERY practical (i.e. they borrow from actual martial arts). The hand-to-hand stance is very tight, and well guarded (hands up, stomach tucked, chin tucked). Punches are thrown just as they are in boxing; loose and relaxed, thrown with the hip and not flailing. Running looks like running, and not like you have spaghetti noodles for arms and legs (like a troll). Ditto for walking. The finishing sequences are quite brutal, and brutally well made. While still somewhat showy, they aren't overly flamboyant with spin-flip stabby things. Jumping looks like jumping. While it seems like it shouldn't be such a big deal to make a point of 'jumping looks like jumping', so many games in the past have failed where Skyrim is finally getting a grasp of what gravity might ACTUALLY do to a jump! The animations in Skyrim are a new rung in a chain of animation technology.

    Graphics: Current generation graphics for sure. I am running on all ultra settings on a PC, and everything (especially the lighting) is visually impressive. If you are playing Skyrim on a 360 or PS3, you are naturally going to miss out on the best graphics Skyrim has to offer; a 256MB GPU just won't cut it. The aurora borealis in the game had me running around for 5 minutes or so just looking at the sky. THE FACES ARE AMAZING. 'Nuff said, haters gonna hate.

    Sound: Some of the best quality voice acting you will find around. I feel like I'm playing the main role in an action film. There are some nuances here and there, and some of the voices sound irrelevant to the setting, but I guess it supports an immigration clause. That's all I need until sound technologically transcends into perfection.

    UI: Anyone who doesn't understand the UI and argues 'it's made for retards' obviously has a mental deficit themselves. Think; if you are equipping a sword, you will naturally equip a sword to be used in the right hand on the left side. The sheath will be on the left so that you can reach across and unsheath the sword without having the struggle you would if it were on your right. Skyrim was made with logic in mind, so use it!

    Cons: So far, I've seen a few bugs such as bodies floating and a random mammoth falling from the sky to its death (perhaps it was made to be?). Such is to be expected in a games release. What matters is that most of the general population can play it and there are no bugs which detract from the gameplay itself.    … Expand
  15. Aidoneus1
    Nov 13, 2011
    10
    Hands down the best game in years. There are just a handful of game companies that consistently go WAY beyond what is expected when creating games, and Bethesda is one of them.

    As is typical of massive games like this upon release, ES V has crashed on me twice in a couple of days, but I'm sure patches will remedy this. It feels far more stable than Oblivion or FO3 upon release. The    Hands down the best game in years. There are just a handful of game companies that consistently go WAY beyond what is expected when creating games, and Bethesda is one of them.

    As is typical of massive games like this upon release, ES V has crashed on me twice in a couple of days, but I'm sure patches will remedy this. It feels far more stable than Oblivion or FO3 upon release.

    The leveling system is much improved from Oblivion in my opinion. Why they didn't go completely FO3 with the leveling in Skyrim, they did correct the fundamental issues with Oblivion's system. And they are perks galore! And you get to choose one each level.

    I haven't advanced far in the main quest yet (I tend to get easily distracted by side quests, of which there seem to be no end!), but the story already has the makings of another Bethesda epic.    … Expand
  16. Elderstealth
    Nov 13, 2011
    10
    Skyrim
    After 40 hours of gameplay I still love this game. I give it 9 out of 10 due to the menu system been console based. I have selected 10 out of 10 to try an balance unfairly bad ratings that I feel are unfounded. The graphics in this game are incredible. The leveling system is awesome leveling up what you actually do i.e my first character is a mage but often i run out of magic so I    Skyrim
    After 40 hours of gameplay I still love this game. I give it 9 out of 10 due to the menu system been console based. I have selected 10 out of 10 to try an balance unfairly bad ratings that I feel are unfounded. The graphics in this game are incredible. The leveling system is awesome leveling up what you actually do i.e my first character is a mage but often i run out of magic so I hit enemies with a one handed "Axe of fear" this increases One handed weapon skill while my mage cast in creasing conjuration, destruction and restoration (the only schools of what I cast). Getting of track to whats important. This is a fantastic game upgrade to large screens fast video cards and buy the game :)    … Expand
  17. Alpha_fish
    Nov 13, 2011
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I am truly astonished by the number of negative user review for this game. Worse yet, the majority of these negative reviews are written by people who claim to have played no more than 5 hours of a game that has been designed to last around 300 hours if if the player opts to complete every quest and dungeon in the game. That's a lot of content these reviewers are missing out on. I have also seen many complaints regarding the PC controls for the game. I actually can't speak of how the keyboard and mouse feel as I have been using my wired xbox controller the entire time I have been playing, and I have to say that the game handles very well with the controller and does seem to be tailored for the use of controllers (much like the Witcher 2). Still, it seems foolish to rate a masterpiece like Skyrim so low for something so trivial, as others still have done for the "terrible" graphics in the game. The game is gorgeous. Anyone who tells you otherwise is either lying or wasn't playing the game on its highest settings. Certainly the game isn't quite as glorious to behold as say Battlefield 3, but it is far beyond the deary, ugly landscapes and denizens of Fallout 3's Wasteland. Plus, the game world is massive. While the surface world of the game is comparable to Oblivion, there are numerous dungeons: each with their own unique look and personal history for the player to discover. While the hundreds of locations to find and explore suits me and my play style, no doubt others will be more interested in the main story and Guild quests. Simply put, they are amazingly fun. There are no more tedious tasks like getting recommendations from every Mage's Guild, instead you are dropped right into the Guild's quests; all of which have interesting stories and valuable rewards (such as the ability to transform into a werewolf). I still haven't touched on the much improved combat yet, so I'll dive into that now. The ability to dual wield everything from axes to spells has tremendously improved the game play. Using nothing but magic is a truly viable option, whereas in Oblivion you often had to rely on melee weapons for close combat, now you can have a magical shield up while simultaneously shooting fireballs. Companions are also a much greater help in the combat arena than they were in the past, owing to the ability to give them enhanced weapons and armor as well as the option to tell them to attack particular targets. Still, the game is not without its blemishes, notably I am disappointed by the lack of attributes in the game (Strength, Endurance, Speed, etc.). While the perks when leveling up do give you a great deal of control in regard to how you would like to play the game, I can't help but feel combining all of the attributes into the categories of Health, Magicka, and Stamina oversimplified the leveling system too much. Still, all in all the game is absolutely amazing, and there is no way I could fully explain everything it does right in this review, so I will simply end it here with a hearty recommendation that anyone reading this review go out and buy this game.… Expand
  18. Renu
    Nov 13, 2011
    10
    This is easily one of the best games I have ever played and trust me, I have played a lot. Sure there are some bugs and glitches, but I haven't encountered any game breaking ones yet. Everything has been greatly improved from Oblivion, well except the UI part.

    UI is very stripped down. Where is sort function? Better highlights would have been great too, I have used potions by accident too    This is easily one of the best games I have ever played and trust me, I have played a lot. Sure there are some bugs and glitches, but I haven't encountered any game breaking ones yet. Everything has been greatly improved from Oblivion, well except the UI part.

    UI is very stripped down. Where is sort function? Better highlights would have been great too, I have used potions by accident too many times already. I can't see how much air I have left when I'm swimming underwater. I hope they release a patch to fix the UI or do I need to wait for a mod to do that?

    UI aside, the game is absolutely fantastic. Visuals are very beautiful, music is amazing, voice-acting is very well done. Story quests are much more interesting than in Oblivion. A pure masterpiece.    … Expand
  19. fenthal
    Nov 13, 2011
    10
    Wonderful graphic, great soundtrack, amazing gameplay. Plus, the story is an epic Viking-style saga. If you have played and loved Oblibion in the past, this game is a must. It has few flaws, and maybe 10 it's not an accurate score, but I saw too many haters with theirs 0, and I feel the duty to counterbalance them.
  20. kylerbizzle
    Nov 13, 2011
    10
    It is a rare day when I give a game a perfect rating. However, Skyrim is incredible. The combat and dialogue may be spotty, but for such a wide world, most of it is seamless. I love it, it's so good. It's the best. I could give so many reasons why, but there is way too many. The randomness of everything is incredible. I've started a character twice and each play through is completelyIt is a rare day when I give a game a perfect rating. However, Skyrim is incredible. The combat and dialogue may be spotty, but for such a wide world, most of it is seamless. I love it, it's so good. It's the best. I could give so many reasons why, but there is way too many. The randomness of everything is incredible. I've started a character twice and each play through is completely different. I'm in love.… Expand
  21. glest
    Nov 13, 2011
    10
    While I admit, the menus are a sorry console port, the game itself is breathtaking and amazing. Shame on the trolls who rated the game a zero. The graphics are amazing, the engine is far stabler (heck, the "~" console in oblivion didn't even work for me), and the gameplay is smoother. Some people complain that the game has been "dumbed down", but I must disagree. Fast travel is a majorWhile I admit, the menus are a sorry console port, the game itself is breathtaking and amazing. Shame on the trolls who rated the game a zero. The graphics are amazing, the engine is far stabler (heck, the "~" console in oblivion didn't even work for me), and the gameplay is smoother. Some people complain that the game has been "dumbed down", but I must disagree. Fast travel is a major boon, not a curse, especially with the massive size of the game world (I won't kid you, I haven't experienced 1/10 of it yet, it's so large). I, for one, would not want to spend half an hour getting from city to city just for "shop hopping", for example. As well, the "finishing blows" concept was a pleasant surprise to me. Does it make battles easier? Oh sure, but they're random with powerful strikes, and I've still managed to die a few times (half being falls from tall places - go figure), so I'd hardly say battles are suddenly too easy. I'm sure as soon as I have a run-in with a dragon, I'll invent some new curse words.

    I wish there was a way to assign hotkeys to equipment instead of just using the favorite list (as in oblivion), but do like how versatile the favorite list is, as well as how spells and weapons can be given a hand.

    The game plays amazingly smooth on my computer. Where Dragon Age II had some points where it stuttered, I've yet to encounter any lag even on the "high" settings that the game defaulted for me.

    Is the game an improvement? Most definitely. Ignore the trolls who are rating 0s just because they're unhappy with a single change. The game is most definitely worth it, and then some.    … Expand
  22. Mistwaver
    Nov 13, 2011
    1
    Simply terrible. This is the worst Elder Scrolls game I've ever played, and I've been playing them for many, many years. I don't know what Bethesda was thinking, but they simply failed miserably on this one, and never again will I give Bethesda MY heard earned money for any game with Bethesda anywhere near it.

    First and foremost, the game is unfinished. It should have stayed in    Simply terrible. This is the worst Elder Scrolls game I've ever played, and I've been playing them for many, many years. I don't know what Bethesda was thinking, but they simply failed miserably on this one, and never again will I give Bethesda MY heard earned money for any game with Bethesda anywhere near it.


    First and foremost, the game is unfinished. It should have stayed in development for another 3-6 months. The UI horrible. The worst ever in a Elder Scrolls game. It's a main in the @** to navigate because it was designed for consoles, and Bethesda was too lazy to fine the UI for the PC version. If my $60 is going to support a company who is too lazy to spend a couple more days to refine the UI for the PC version, then I'll send that $60 elsewhere next time.


    Secondly, the combat. They went backwards instead of forwards with the combat. The screen pitches and rolls far too much. It makes me nausea and dizzy, so I started playing from third person view, which is undoubtedly, not properly implemented. It has input lag where the first person view does not, and the animations are laughable. Not to mention, avoid those trolls because they'll send you flying 200 ft in the air with one swing. Good job Bethesda! Don't take that in a positive way, because it's not -- it's meant to be a smart-@** remark telling you good job on screwing this one up after years of anticipation. Not to mention, the map system simply is terrible. Additionally, they should have just left the map out if they weren't going to do any better than this. It's so terrible it's not even usable. It doesn't help with navigation at all, unlike in Oblivion. Then within 30 minutes it the game they make you spend 30-45 minutes trying to find your way through this mountain to get to your next objective. What in the hell was Bethesda thinking if anything? I can see this after playing the game for 4-6 hours, but not as a second step in the main quest within 30-45 minutes of starting the game. Shameful Bethesda, you are now simply terrible.


    The ONLY reason I even gave this game a 1 is because of the soundtrack, or it would have simply just gotten a 0. Bethesda, patch this pile of junk you released, redo the UI so it's mouse friendly, fix the lag in the third person view, fix the trolls, revamp the map, because it simply sucks, add more presentation to the game, because as it is it's just a simple mindless quest grind with voice over until you reach the end of the story. There is simply nothing in the game that drives the story forward Go visit BioWare and take some lessons from them -- you can learn a lot from them. Trust me, because you flopped on this game.


    $60 I wish I had kept.    … Expand
  23. Darkstar01
    Nov 13, 2011
    10
    Cons: Initially the game had driver issues, but then Nvidia released new drivers and problems were solved.
    Cons: The only other problem which I see will be solved by mods at a later date is the fact that you cannot hot button anything.. While this may seem to make the game play slow, and at times it does, the fact that you can pause the game to switch to other spells does make it    Cons: Initially the game had driver issues, but then Nvidia released new drivers and problems were solved.
    Cons: The only other problem which I see will be solved by mods at a later date is the fact that you cannot hot button anything.. While this may seem to make the game play slow, and at times it does, the fact that you can pause the game to switch to other spells does make it easier.

    PROS: The most amazing graphics ever seen on a console or PC system. If you have a GTX 580 or higher you will be enjoying impressive micro details as well as impressive macro details of the game. Example Micro detail would be the veins on a leaf. Impressive Macro details would be snow generated according to the wind and piled up realistically. It actually makes you FEEL cold.. I turned on the heater..=D
    PROS: The physics in this game is so dead-on accurate that its scary... you drop a body into the water and watch it swirl down a river and eventually sink under the waves... You jump in the water yourself and you are pulled down stream by the rapids, I actually spent time just floating with the river and catching fish with my bare Argonian hands... :) Thank Talos for water breathing.
    PROS: So much good stuff I cannot write about it all    … Expand
  24. CupMcCakers
    Nov 13, 2011
    10
    Skyrim whole is greater than the sum of its parts. I have given the game a review score of 10 for this and one other reason, the other reason being that I do not believe 8.5 (average user score at time of posting) to be an accurate representation of the quality present and the enjoyment that can be taken from game. As usual it seems there are people that insist on bombing a gamesSkyrim whole is greater than the sum of its parts. I have given the game a review score of 10 for this and one other reason, the other reason being that I do not believe 8.5 (average user score at time of posting) to be an accurate representation of the quality present and the enjoyment that can be taken from game. As usual it seems there are people that insist on bombing a games metacritic score with 1â… Expand
  25. Leonarius
    Nov 13, 2011
    9
    I simply wanted to address and issue on some of the bad reviews I've seen before I go back to play Skyrim, so here goes...

    If played on the Console or anything Lower than Ultra Detail I think it's unfair to judge Skyrim on graphics. The graphics are amazing, I mean a-m-a-z-i-n-g. It's something you can only experience if you have the hardware to run it and the screen in front of you. When    I simply wanted to address and issue on some of the bad reviews I've seen before I go back to play Skyrim, so here goes...

    If played on the Console or anything Lower than Ultra Detail I think it's unfair to judge Skyrim on graphics. The graphics are amazing, I mean a-m-a-z-i-n-g. It's something you can only experience if you have the hardware to run it and the screen in front of you. When bits a pieces are taken away from the layers of details that Bethesda has created, the graphics will decline rapidly. I also don't think Hardware cost should be included in the rating for a 60 dollar game to be run on max details. It's a next generation game, that uses next generation equipment with the option to dock down the layers of detail to be playable on older hardware. It simply looks better on Ultra at 35FPS+ with everything cranked up, it drives me nuts to see some of these reviews saying the graphics are horrid. You can't judge a book by it's cover while looking through broken glasses underwater. The recommended graphics for the game are for Normal to High - not Ultra with x8 Antialiasing, Anisotropic x16 and FXAA. Hit the Ultra Button, go to the second page and hit FXAA then run the game. If it runs at 5-15 FPS or less then your hardware is not up to par for a final review of Skyrims Graphics. I just wanted to address this issue that keeps showing up in some of the low reviews so don't let those complaints turn you away from the game. Skyrim turned into my new favorite game of all time and I'll admit a full review would end up being overly bias - so I'm happy I could at least address this issue which is indeed a proven fact. Computer Graphics>Current Console Graphics and Ultra >High>Medium>Low. I also gave it a 9 and not a 10 simply because there are a few small bugs in the game - nothing big but it would be unfair to give a 10 which is a perfect score. A few dead bodies are left standing up here and there and an a mammoth once jumped 100 feet in the air when it phased in. Either way, like many of you I probably just gave up a year of my life for this game...enjoy.    … Expand
  26. Bitercup
    Nov 13, 2011
    10
    Every game gets me bored after 2-3 days but not Skyrim, and with all that mods i will play it forever.
    And for those who care only about graphic, play some other game, in Skyrim graphic is not that important.
    This game must be GOTY (Game Of The Year).
  27. Asmodias
    Nov 13, 2011
    10
    Many here will compain about features that don't even seem to be negative, the combat functions brilliantly, the visuals aren't incredible, but they are still attractive. Compared to most Bethesda games I found relatively few bugs. This game is borderline perfection, it's not without it's flaws and inbalances; but it's a sandbox game, and it's recently released, it'll get better.
  28. fearless
    Nov 13, 2011
    10
    Competing with nostalgia-rich classics of the genre, critically acclaimed "hardcore" offerings, deep PnP style multiplayer RPGs as well as Oblivion and the (superior) Morrowind before it, Skyrim still comes out on top to become the best game I've ever played.

    It combines the vast explorability and intoxicating atmosphere of Morrowind with the eminent playability of Oblivion, and turns    Competing with nostalgia-rich classics of the genre, critically acclaimed "hardcore" offerings, deep PnP style multiplayer RPGs as well as Oblivion and the (superior) Morrowind before it, Skyrim still comes out on top to become the best game I've ever played.

    It combines the vast explorability and intoxicating atmosphere of Morrowind with the eminent playability of Oblivion, and turns the art style, world design, voice acting, story and most everything else up to 11 to create an almost perfect high fantasy/sword & sorcery RPG experience.

    Visuals: 9.5/10
    Audio: 10/10
    Gameplay: 10/10
    Story/Quest Gameplay: 10/10
    RPG Mechanics/Design: 9/10
    Content/Scope: 10/10

    Overall: 10/10    … Expand
  29. DonTrixster
    Nov 13, 2011
    10
    Amazing game, Has surely surpassed previous Bethesda masterpieces such as Fallout or Oblivion. The storyline is AMAZING, the graphics is AMAZING, the game-play and whole leveling up and combat speciality system is AMAZING. Just playing the game on my pc with Maxed-out graphics is an honour alone.
    Besides the main storyline missions, which has at least 10hours playing on it at least,    Amazing game, Has surely surpassed previous Bethesda masterpieces such as Fallout or Oblivion. The storyline is AMAZING, the graphics is AMAZING, the game-play and whole leveling up and combat speciality system is AMAZING. Just playing the game on my pc with Maxed-out graphics is an honour alone.
    Besides the main storyline missions, which has at least 10hours playing on it at least, there's loads of side quests which are actually fun and interesting, which altogether makes up for the lack of a multi-player feature

    Highly recommended, game of the year material here!    … Expand
  30. Zombiechow
    Nov 13, 2011
    10
    The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is a triumph. Bethesda's magnum opus and the new benchmark for action RPG's in terms of size, scope, scale, and story. There's a lot to love here. Bethesda managed to take its signature, addicting, open world style of game play and refine it to near perfection. There is a massive amount content here. So much so, it's staggering. I find myself talking toThe Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is a triumph. Bethesda's magnum opus and the new benchmark for action RPG's in terms of size, scope, scale, and story. There's a lot to love here. Bethesda managed to take its signature, addicting, open world style of game play and refine it to near perfection. There is a massive amount content here. So much so, it's staggering. I find myself talking to everybody I meet to obtain new things to do, and even if they have nothing for me, a lot of the time they will add their own unique insight into the events and happenings in the world. This makes the world feel alive and lived in. Quests for the most part, are fun, interesting, and will easily distract you from the main story line in a numerous amount of wonderful ways. I won't list any spoilers here, but it's advisable to partake in these, even if the task seems trivial. The game starts off interestingly enough and it's immediately more engaging than the previous title. While I loved Oblivion, I found the first hour or two of the game to be relatively boring and painful. In fact, i had to pick it up and start over several times over a period of months before I finally got into the game. Again, I won't provide any spoilers, but it's much more engaging and vastly more interesting. I'm about 50 hours into the experience and I've not wanted to put down my controller.

    Controller? PC? Rly? Why you ask? Well, it's simple. The game was designed for consoles. It's a simple fact, though this isn't a bad thing. I'll touch more on this later, but the new UI is beautiful, responsive and easy to access with a controller. Important information, for the most part, is easy to access and your treated to absolutely stunning 3D models of available armor, weapons, items, etc. Everything can be examined in real time front to back and there are tons of beautiful details to gorge yourself on. The gameplay is heavily revamped in this time around and there are a few new ways to enjoy combat here. The most notable being the ability to dual wield weapons. Yes, dual wield. This can be a combination of weapon and magic, or weapon weapon. I won't go into a lot of detail on this as it pretty much speaks for itself, but imagine being able to stream a wall of fire at your target, then close in to finish him off with an axe to the head. It's a load of fun. Each weapon can be triggered independently or together to have a cumulative effect which is substantially more powerful. Swordplay this time around feels much more engaging and is vastly more brutal. The finishing moves are also a nice touch, but seem to happen only at random. In other words, you will WANT to get up close in personal with your targets.

    Now lets talk about the visuals. Bethesda revamped the entire visual style of the series the results are absolutely stunning. The attention to detail within the world of Skyrim is absolutely insane, setting a new benchmark for the genre visually. From the clouds swirling the mountain tops, the wind blowing freshly falling snow from the ground, and the amazing texture work, there is a lot to take in visually here and I found myself examining everything. In fact, the world looks so good that it's almost distracting. Those who have already made the 7,000 step hike to the top of The Throat of the World will agree with me here. The world of Skyrim is cold, jagged, and harsh....yet Bethesda managed to make such an unsettling place a thing of beauty. Even this said, there is plenty of variety in the environments to keep things from becoming stale.

    Character models have been vastly improved and look amazing. Gone are the days of strange looking faces and awkwardly designed characters. Character animations could still use a bit of work, but for the most part they're superior to that of what was seen in Oblivion. The flow of time is greatly improved as well. NPC interact with themselves fluidly without many awkward pauses in their speech. Additionally, the world does not come to a halt when you talk to an NPC. This was a huge annoyance to me in Oblivion and took away from the overall immersion in the world.

    The game is not without its flaws though and I wish I had more space to get into these, but there's nothing game breaking here. The UI is awkward if you use a keyboard and there are various bugs in the world such as wobbling plates plates on tables that should be stationary, slow transitions after brawls with NPC, and a few other things, but nothing severe. I also wish that weapons didn't seem to "bounce" off of a target when you swing.

    Skyrim is a masterpiece. It's not a game, It's an experience. One that will easily take several hundred hours of your life. There's a lot I've not touched here such as customization of your character, but trust me...there's a lot to love here. Bethesda has not only set a new benchmark for itself, but for all open world games as a medium.    … Expand
  31. chado1980
    Nov 13, 2011
    10
    Although a little too familiar and a little unpolished, another great game from Bethesda.

    Second best RPG in the last month, but that's another conversation.

    Gonna be a good winter for gaming.
  32. Guitarclassic
    Nov 13, 2011
    9
    Let me begin by saying that I love open-world games. I wasn't a huge fan of Oblivion though, I much prefer Gothic 2 and 3 and Risen. This is my first review, and I feel compelled to write it because in the span of two or three hours I became hooked by Skyrim. The experience began very weak in my opinion, partially because of the way it was delivered and partially because my NVidiaLet me begin by saying that I love open-world games. I wasn't a huge fan of Oblivion though, I much prefer Gothic 2 and 3 and Risen. This is my first review, and I feel compelled to write it because in the span of two or three hours I became hooked by Skyrim. The experience began very weak in my opinion, partially because of the way it was delivered and partially because my NVidia drivers weren't up to date so I was getting a strobe effect with sky shadows. Having resolved the graphics issue with the latest drivers and turning down my monitor contrast, I found a beautifully rendered world with many immersive atmospheric touches. I restarted the game from the beginning and chose this time to follow the convict/rebel out of the burning settlement... much more interesting path. Many WOW moments since then, largely to do with the world itself.

    Skyrim receives a 9 from me because the UI did take some time to get used to... since I'm left-handed, I remapped some keys and got stuck over-encumbered and unable to drop anything. That took a while to figure out... and just getting out of books and maps etc. seems counter-intuitive and I still occasionally get stumped. Graphically there are some ugly textures as many have mentioned but the overall effect is quite nice, particularly the water rendering. I have had no crashes in my eight hours of play. I'm only at level 4 (I like to take my time) so time will tell but I'm anything but bored at the moment. On the one hand I can't seem to get enough, yet part of me worries that this will eat into my real life. That fact alone tells me that this is a powerful game.    … Expand
  33. KnucklesKiss
    Nov 13, 2011
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Buy it. Buy it. Buy it. Buy it. Buy it. Buy it. Buy it. Buy it. Buy it. Buy it. Buy it. Buy it. Buy it. Buy it. Buy it. Buy it. Buy it. Buy it. Buy it. Buy it. Buy it. Buy it. Buy it. Buy it.… Expand
  34. Warbird
    Nov 13, 2011
    6
    Running on a i7-2600k with 460GTX SLI and 3 monitors. It crashed at the startup screen every time. I found the fix on a site listing 42 bugs & fixes. After I dropped the sound quality down to 44KHz the game ran fine. But there is no 3 monitor resolution so I'm stuck with just playing on one monitor. Also theres no tessellation or DX11 or even DX10 support and the menus are such a pain inRunning on a i7-2600k with 460GTX SLI and 3 monitors. It crashed at the startup screen every time. I found the fix on a site listing 42 bugs & fixes. After I dropped the sound quality down to 44KHz the game ran fine. But there is no 3 monitor resolution so I'm stuck with just playing on one monitor. Also theres no tessellation or DX11 or even DX10 support and the menus are such a pain in the butt. The quick change between spells keeps going to the wrong hand so 1-0 is useless. Hopefully the mod comunity will do Bethesda's job for them. You would think 13 million from PC sales would pay for more effort than just a basic console port. Give the game 90 days and it'll probably get an 8 but any 10 is just plain lying BS. It is NOT close to a perfect 10. I could see an 8 or maybe even a 9 if you are reviewing on what you guess the end product will be like after the modders fix it.… Expand
  35. Elmiq
    Nov 13, 2011
    5
    After like 6 hours i have stopped playing as i was just bored. It is almost the same as Oblivion, but we have rocks and snow instead of grass. Stupid dialogs, stupid tutorial (there is a bear ahead, lets sneak or take this bow - then one shot and bear is dead. So simple, but still my companion had to cry). Graphics are average - nothing special about it. Is dragon from start trying to killAfter like 6 hours i have stopped playing as i was just bored. It is almost the same as Oblivion, but we have rocks and snow instead of grass. Stupid dialogs, stupid tutorial (there is a bear ahead, lets sneak or take this bow - then one shot and bear is dead. So simple, but still my companion had to cry). Graphics are average - nothing special about it. Is dragon from start trying to kill us ? Then he should wait one more second - dragon idiot, that's all. I would give it 5, as game is not that bad, it is just nothing more than average experience.… Expand
  36. Rakka
    Nov 13, 2011
    10
    To all the negative critics: THIS IS WHAT AN ACTUAL RPG SHOULD BE! I find it saddening that people are crying about idiot things such as "I can't kill everyone" or "I get no hollywood story with choices", because they seem to rate a brilliant game as it should be some sort of FPS or dating-sim. Skyrim is RPGs at it's best, amazing, well detailed world, truly free gameplay, and mind-blowingTo all the negative critics: THIS IS WHAT AN ACTUAL RPG SHOULD BE! I find it saddening that people are crying about idiot things such as "I can't kill everyone" or "I get no hollywood story with choices", because they seem to rate a brilliant game as it should be some sort of FPS or dating-sim. Skyrim is RPGs at it's best, amazing, well detailed world, truly free gameplay, and mind-blowing atmosphere. Will likely spend hundreds of hours with it. Good job Bethesda!… Expand
  37. Areiston
    Nov 13, 2011
    9
    I've been playing for around 13 hours now. And I have to say it's a fantastic game. At first I was a little disappointed, but as I progressed I realised how much of a great game it is. I haven't encountered any problems except for 1 or 2 texture glitches. There are some similarities with Oblivion and Morrowind that some people may hate, but you can easily see past it. The game is huge stepI've been playing for around 13 hours now. And I have to say it's a fantastic game. At first I was a little disappointed, but as I progressed I realised how much of a great game it is. I haven't encountered any problems except for 1 or 2 texture glitches. There are some similarities with Oblivion and Morrowind that some people may hate, but you can easily see past it. The game is huge step forward from previous titles no matter what others say. I'm not going to go into any detail as many have already done that

    Instead of agreeing or disagreeing with peoples reviews, try the game for yourself. Rent it(on PS3 or Xbox 360) or play it in a friends house first, just in-case you have regrets buying it and wasting your money.    … Expand
  38. ITSC
    Nov 13, 2011
    10
    Brilliant game which immerses you in the Nordic mythology like no other yet with a weird twist which takes you back to the roots of Morrowind. 10/10, cant wait for expansions.
  39. Nacirema
    Nov 13, 2011
    10
    God damn! Here's some answers for the kids: 1) Bad Graphics. Upgrade your PC (That's all really.) 2) Game is too easy. Put it on Master difficulty (Settings -> Gameplay) 3) It's Oblivion! Rather than be a dumbass and rate the game without playing(EVERY ONE IS DOING THIS HERE) Why don't you just look for the faction quests? 4) It has bugs/glitches. Well, this game is not for you. SuchGod damn! Here's some answers for the kids: 1) Bad Graphics. Upgrade your PC (That's all really.) 2) Game is too easy. Put it on Master difficulty (Settings -> Gameplay) 3) It's Oblivion! Rather than be a dumbass and rate the game without playing(EVERY ONE IS DOING THIS HERE) Why don't you just look for the faction quests? 4) It has bugs/glitches. Well, this game is not for you. Such lammer doesn't deserve to play this masterpiece. Compare this game with the previous game you played and try to think about how complex it is. If Bethesda wanted, I am pretty sure they would make the best action game ever, because it's just too easy for them.… Expand
  40. funkydoodycool
    Nov 13, 2011
    10
    Before I start I should note that I bought this game on the strength of Fallout 3 (which I loved) rather than Oblivion (which I didn't care for).

    That said, this game shares so much in common with both the aforementioned, taking everything Bethesda has learned and creating a near-perfect RPG experience. The game engine is fantastic, with even my 3-year-old Core 2 Quad/Nvidia 9800GTX+    Before I start I should note that I bought this game on the strength of Fallout 3 (which I loved) rather than Oblivion (which I didn't care for).

    That said, this game shares so much in common with both the aforementioned, taking everything Bethesda has learned and creating a near-perfect RPG experience.

    The game engine is fantastic, with even my 3-year-old Core 2 Quad/Nvidia 9800GTX+ computer pushing out Ultra graphics settings without too much difficulty. It's not as good as Rage, but it's certainly a contender for best graphics.

    There are complaints about the controls, but as I'm using an Xbox 360 pad I'm not really having any difficulty. Naturally, aiming your bow would be easier with a mouse, but this is a concession I'm willing to make for a generally more comfortable control method. The controls are mapped well to the Xbox pad, with the sticks doing their usual movement/camera thing, the triggers controlling the weapon/magic/shield in the respective hand, and the other face buttons mapped to various options.

    Combat is very visceral. You can now shield bash by holding up your shield and tapping the attack button, which knocks enemies back, affording you a little breathing space.

    The map is HUGE, with plenty of incidental details. I initially thought the world was quite sparsely populated, but having spent some hours wandering about, I've stumbled upon so many different villages and camps, some friendly others not so much.

    Quests are so far of the "go to this dungeon, kill everything and collect this item and bring it back to me" sort, which is fine by me. The dungeons are all interesting, and boss fights are variations on the standard enemies.

    This game is big enough, that at level 9 I've experienced things that friends who have more time to play (level 24+) have yet to see. And we've all had a lot of fun in Skyrim - strong contender for game of the year.    … Expand
  41. uns3en
    Nov 13, 2011
    5
    This gets a solid 5 and even that feels a lot more than it should have been. Where do I start? Bugs everywhere, from immortal NPCs to crime-reporting chickens(!!!!!) . The controls are just horrible and unresponsive. The so-acclaimed UI is a joke - stinks of console, no mapping to numbers, mouse doesn't work in half the containers, and I'd rather have mouse wheel scroll through myThis gets a solid 5 and even that feels a lot more than it should have been. Where do I start? Bugs everywhere, from immortal NPCs to crime-reporting chickens(!!!!!) . The controls are just horrible and unresponsive. The so-acclaimed UI is a joke - stinks of console, no mapping to numbers, mouse doesn't work in half the containers, and I'd rather have mouse wheel scroll through my favourites than do what it does. The whole interface screams 'use a controller!!!', but I don't even own a console because I HATE THOSE THINGS! The graphics are weird in a way that there are great high-res details present and then you see a blurry low-res texture sitting right next to it (guess that makes it easier on console graphics units, BUT I'M NOT PLAYING A CONSOLE!!!!!). AI and pathing are just plain retarded. No point in levelling at all, because your enemies level with you. AND WHERE ARE MY REGULAR STATS? You no longer need to sleep to level, and to make it even more retarded you have now a choice of whole 3 (three!) stats to improve... and a perk (what is this? Fallout?). Dungeon-crawling quickly becomes monotonous and boring. Overall, it feels like a poor Oblivion 2.0 port packaged in recycled gift-wrap. Bethesda managed to take everything that made Morrowind great and... flush it down the drain, because there's non of it in Skyrim.… Expand
  42. Joeyy
    Nov 13, 2011
    9
    This is a great game, as a previous mod developer for oblivion/heavy mod user, it does make me smile to see how much the developers listened to the community and Incorporated ideas and systems from mods. It feels like oblivion streamlined and made a lot better, and is a great game overall, i have enjoyed the storyline, although I am not done yet, and there is a huge amount of gameplayThis is a great game, as a previous mod developer for oblivion/heavy mod user, it does make me smile to see how much the developers listened to the community and Incorporated ideas and systems from mods. It feels like oblivion streamlined and made a lot better, and is a great game overall, i have enjoyed the storyline, although I am not done yet, and there is a huge amount of gameplay possibilities.


    The only thing that prevents me from giving this a ten is that the textures are too low rez for a gaming pc that runs bf3 on ultra, however it still looks nice and I don't doubt that a HD texture pack and perhaps even tools to increase view distance (before LOD kicks in) will be available in the foreseeable future. The freedom in TES titles is about mod-ability as much as vanilla gameplay choices.    … Expand
  43. c0m4ndo45
    Nov 13, 2011
    10
    I fail to understand the negative reviews here. There are flaws, yes. No game i played had no flaws - specially near release. A bug or two do not affect my rating however, and that is all the bad i've found so far. The graphics are good, for god's sake! why does it seem like every game must look like crysis or something to have good graphics! The sound is good, the atmosphere is perfect,I fail to understand the negative reviews here. There are flaws, yes. No game i played had no flaws - specially near release. A bug or two do not affect my rating however, and that is all the bad i've found so far. The graphics are good, for god's sake! why does it seem like every game must look like crysis or something to have good graphics! The sound is good, the atmosphere is perfect, the story is epic...

    I may be more favorable than i should because i share such nostalgia and love for oblivion and this game was just what i have been waiting for since i stopped with oblivion, but this game is for those who have loved oblivion and the series and like this kind of game for what it is overall, and i value the fact that bethesda did what their fans wanted. If you find this game boring, go play something else, it is not for you.

    If yet you come here to rate this game down, knowing that it is not really your kind of game or just blaming graphics or something like that, know that your name will be in my prayers for Sithis...    … Expand
  44. Renegade
    Nov 13, 2011
    4
    Absolutely horrible performance, bugs everywhere, awful menu system and UI, and it isn't even that fun. Oblivion was interesting and felt like something I wanted to explore. This game, at least what I've experienced of it, is nothing but "go here and talk to this person" and "go here and find this thing". You get to traverse large, empty plains and mountains that remind me of Fallout moreAbsolutely horrible performance, bugs everywhere, awful menu system and UI, and it isn't even that fun. Oblivion was interesting and felt like something I wanted to explore. This game, at least what I've experienced of it, is nothing but "go here and talk to this person" and "go here and find this thing". You get to traverse large, empty plains and mountains that remind me of Fallout more than anything. The animation is nice, graphics are okay at best, but sound and music is mediocre and mono-sounding. It also isn't really fun to play at a constant 30fps when you're using the lowest possible settings.… Expand
  45. Whiskey990
    Nov 13, 2011
    9
    Okay, initial impressions were actually CRAP. The menus angered me, as I refuse to accept anything resembling a console setup. My mouse and aiming lagged to high heaven... But within an hour or two I had mastered the menus (even though I agree it is still a console setup and I wish it wasn't) and thanks to the wonderful world of .Ini files, fixed all my lag! Hell I even added more shadows,Okay, initial impressions were actually CRAP. The menus angered me, as I refuse to accept anything resembling a console setup. My mouse and aiming lagged to high heaven... But within an hour or two I had mastered the menus (even though I agree it is still a console setup and I wish it wasn't) and thanks to the wonderful world of .Ini files, fixed all my lag! Hell I even added more shadows, and sharper details :D

    This game looks beautiful. I keep looking at my screenshots, like "Wow, I was really playing that?!" The sounds make me want to crank up my surround system to hear the skeleton parts roll down the rock stairs, hear the chant as I level up...or even the bass upon startup! Side quests, and unique locations have taken 15 delightful hours of my time and I can't wait for more. (Am avoiding the main quest for now).

    OH and my breezehome is fully decked out and has tons of goodies in it...despite my housecarl being dead :(    … Expand
  46. 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
  47. Infinit
    Nov 13, 2011
    10
    To be honest, my first impressions were rather average. However, from about five minutes in, it got steadily better. The huge amounts of detail are like nothing I've ever seen. From the insects crawling over a tree stump, to foxes hunting rabbits, giant spiders hunting deer, and the distant roars of dragons, the world feels so much more alive than any previous game. Sure, the graphicsTo be honest, my first impressions were rather average. However, from about five minutes in, it got steadily better. The huge amounts of detail are like nothing I've ever seen. From the insects crawling over a tree stump, to foxes hunting rabbits, giant spiders hunting deer, and the distant roars of dragons, the world feels so much more alive than any previous game. Sure, the graphics aren't revolutionary, but they are certainly good enough to not detract from the experience. Now, the game isn't perfect, and the AI does some stupid things that remind me of Oblivion (for example, going back to sitting by a campfire shortly after your friend has been shot by an arrow), and there are a few bugs here and there (not sure what some reviewers are seeing though, I've only had one minor glitch so far). It is by far the best game I've ever played.… Expand
  48. countryfarmer
    Nov 13, 2011
    10
    There is a good game and a very good game. This game is beyond both of these. This game is not just fantastic to play but it is also breathtaking with its enchanting scenery, enjoyable missions, fascinating puzzles and the unforgettably addictive gameplay. Once again Bethesda Softworks has made a game which I will never get bored with. Thanks, Worth every penny!
  49. IHateFanboys
    Nov 13, 2011
    10
    This game is a while lot of fun, I have been playing obsessively since its midnight release and I have been loving every minute. Clearing dungeons and slaying dragons are incredibly fun to do and leave the user with a feeling of accomplishment. Occasional glitches do little to detract from the hours of entertainment. Exploring is rewarding and challenging while interesting characters andThis game is a while lot of fun, I have been playing obsessively since its midnight release and I have been loving every minute. Clearing dungeons and slaying dragons are incredibly fun to do and leave the user with a feeling of accomplishment. Occasional glitches do little to detract from the hours of entertainment. Exploring is rewarding and challenging while interesting characters and unique characters make every encounter seem fresh and unusual. Its a really good game to eat up all your free time… Expand
  50. ivnelsif
    Nov 13, 2011
    10
    This game is fun, it's pretty much they took everything that made Oblivion fun and made another game with better graphics. There is also a lot less class customization required at the start, for someone who finds it hard to pick the perfect class this was icing on the cake.
  51. SP3333D-O
    Nov 12, 2011
    10
    I have played the PC version 18 hours in the last two days (because it is that great) and have had almost no issues (1 quit to desktop).

    I am (maybe I should now say "was") not an Elder Scrolls fanatic. In fact, my first was Oblivion, which I got because of my interest in Skyrim. I hated Oblivion. I found it buggy, ugly, and boring, even with mods. I tried Fallout 3 after that, but only    I have played the PC version 18 hours in the last two days (because it is that great) and have had almost no issues (1 quit to desktop).

    I am (maybe I should now say "was") not an Elder Scrolls fanatic. In fact, my first was Oblivion, which I got because of my interest in Skyrim. I hated Oblivion. I found it buggy, ugly, and boring, even with mods. I tried Fallout 3 after that, but only found it less ugly and boring but still just as buggy. I almost didn't get Skyrim after this, but I am VERY glad I did. It has exceeded my expectations and is deserving of the hype and accolades.

    The graphics on Ultra @ 1080p (thanks to SLI 560 TIs) are beautiful and smooth, and using a 360 controller lets me sit on the couch and enjoy it on the big screen.

    I'm not a big RPG fan. I loved Red Dead Redemption, but I think Skyrim is even better. There may be some die-hard E.S. fans that will give this a bad rating because it may not be similar enough to the previous titles, but my guess is that is why I am enjoying it so much.

    Great game. Get it now if you have any interest.    … Expand
  52. crispyrollz
    Nov 12, 2011
    9
    OK being a huge rpg fan i really like skyrim its great looking compared to earlier elder scrolls games not as many glitches way to much stuff do third person is ok at best but there are some glitches when ever u try to duel wield it will only show one item on u when u put away your weapon which sucks and more often the not your finishing move will look awkward me personally i would haveOK being a huge rpg fan i really like skyrim its great looking compared to earlier elder scrolls games not as many glitches way to much stuff do third person is ok at best but there are some glitches when ever u try to duel wield it will only show one item on u when u put away your weapon which sucks and more often the not your finishing move will look awkward me personally i would have gave this a 11.5 out of ten but i have to look at it from a critics stand point but i suggest u pick it up it could easily b game of the year in my opinion… Expand
  53. Skjuludde
    Nov 12, 2011
    10
    I've been reading through a few reviews, mostly the negative ones, and most reasons I've found has been from either their own hardware problem or hellbent determination to complain on anything that's not PC-exclusively developed or catered to the PC-group of customers. Personally I've not had any problem with the graphics. I've had one glitch and that was that a decently important dialogueI've been reading through a few reviews, mostly the negative ones, and most reasons I've found has been from either their own hardware problem or hellbent determination to complain on anything that's not PC-exclusively developed or catered to the PC-group of customers. Personally I've not had any problem with the graphics. I've had one glitch and that was that a decently important dialogue went silent. The UI, I agree, feels consoly. Though I can't find any wrong with it. The only thing would be that I can't sort items based on value or weight. There's a reason that few games are specifically designed for the PC anymore, piracy. And even if piracy isn't as serious as before the reputation of the PC is ruined and won't recover for many years. The only thing I've noted so far from "PC-gamers" is that they are entirely incapable of adapting. Apart from the sorting part I find the UI to be clean and well thought through. I immediately did in Skyrim as I did in Morrowind, Oblivion and Fallout, ran away as soon as I was done with the introduction. Thus far, 13 hours in, the world has not disappointed me. Been ambushed by bandits, crushed by giants, torn to pieces by sabre cats, took some poor mans armor while he was sleeping etc. My High Elf mage/archer who at times duel wield short swords, haven't had any issues with either the diffculty, which btw got 5 levels that you can change, nor with clunky stale combat. Being a mage has never been more fun. The AI is sub-par, I have to agree on. My mage could win a brawl vs an orc chief simply since the chief didn't seem to care I was fighting with one hand and healing with the other. Anyway, I forgot where I was going with this.… Expand
  54. BlutoothBaddy
    Nov 12, 2011
    9
    The game is perfect by no means, but most of these scores ranging below 6 are mainly picking out very minor things and turning each of these into a game breaker. First off the bugs are nowhere near as bad as people have made them out to be. I have played a total of fourteen hours and have crashed twice, both cases happened at a loading screen so my progress was auto saved before, only aThe game is perfect by no means, but most of these scores ranging below 6 are mainly picking out very minor things and turning each of these into a game breaker. First off the bugs are nowhere near as bad as people have made them out to be. I have played a total of fourteen hours and have crashed twice, both cases happened at a loading screen so my progress was auto saved before, only a minor set back. Aside from that the little quirks go unnoticed and I continue to go about doing as I wish. Also, the combat isn't mind-blowing but it has improved tremendously since Oblivion and does a fine job at it. The visuals aren't the best but they aren't merely a "heavily modded Oblivion." Each quest has been completely unique and the dungeon layouts are fantastic. Somewhat cheesy story line but well worth it. I foresee many more moons of playing Skyrim.… Expand
  55. Blackaorta
    Nov 12, 2011
    10
    I don't understand why people give this game a 0, if you can play it you can rate it. I'd give it a 9.5 but rounding it to 10. Firstly the art direction is much better though people say otherwise, the textures are quite low rez though when you look at the scenery as a whole its pretty gorgeous. The shaders, lighting, shadows and hdr effects are 10 times better than oblivion. TheI don't understand why people give this game a 0, if you can play it you can rate it. I'd give it a 9.5 but rounding it to 10. Firstly the art direction is much better though people say otherwise, the textures are quite low rez though when you look at the scenery as a whole its pretty gorgeous. The shaders, lighting, shadows and hdr effects are 10 times better than oblivion. The environments have a much more realistic tone, which reminded me a lot of morrowind, which was till now maybe, my fave TES game.

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

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

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

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

    TLDR: Improves on everything that was In oblivion, minus the bad, feels like a new morrowind, get the game.    … Expand
  56. UserExperienceS
    Nov 12, 2011
    8
    If you're having issues with the game crashing:

    1. Set your audio to 24 bit, 44.1Hz
    2. Be sure you have the latest graphics card drivers
    3. On the main menu, go to Data Files and turn on "Load Loose Files".
  57. Spacewolf
    Nov 12, 2011
    9
    Being able to play this might be hard for some computers, and there are definitely some console port related issues to fix, but the game really is breathtaking when it works the way it is meant to.
  58. xgustavo
    Nov 12, 2011
    10
    Para mim, talvez esse seja o melhor jogo do ano... ou se não de todos os tempos... O jogo realmente é bom e te poem dentro de um mundo antes inexistente, já joguei cerca de 15horas e pretendo ficar muito mais, minha vida social acabou com skyrim kkkkkk...
  59. Togue
    Nov 12, 2011
    9
    After playing for about 4 hours I realized that this game was way over hyped. After getting out of the starting zone, I killed a chicken outside in this small town. After that, I entered the house which is kind of your starting home base. A man inside attacked me because I hit the chicken (which he didn't see). I fought back and killed him, his wife and then started fighting myAfter playing for about 4 hours I realized that this game was way over hyped. After getting out of the starting zone, I killed a chicken outside in this small town. After that, I entered the house which is kind of your starting home base. A man inside attacked me because I hit the chicken (which he didn't see). I fought back and killed him, his wife and then started fighting my companion. The companion went to zero health which forced him on his knees, I kept attacking him with my sword but he wouldn't die, he then stood up with full health and kept attacking me. After realizing that this guy is immortal I had to flee the village...

    A few negatives: even though the graphics look bad, my video card was still stressing and heated up to 75 degrees in certain areas. My card normally stays below 70 degrees even on much better looking games. The combat system is also a joke, doesn't feel like you're even hitting your opponents.    … Expand
  60. Yatagan
    Nov 12, 2011
    10
    This game is everything I thought it would be and then some. It has amazing gameplay, far improved from Oblivions hack and slash/rinse repeat tactics. Magic is actually fun now, the people no longer look cartoonish. The world feels so real and alive. Radiant story randomizes quests. Me and my friend discussed our travels to the same area, and we had very different experiences. WonderfulThis game is everything I thought it would be and then some. It has amazing gameplay, far improved from Oblivions hack and slash/rinse repeat tactics. Magic is actually fun now, the people no longer look cartoonish. The world feels so real and alive. Radiant story randomizes quests. Me and my friend discussed our travels to the same area, and we had very different experiences. Wonderful combat. Plenty of quests. Not the best graphics in the world, but definitely good enough to give some amazing looking landscapes. There are quite a few bugs, but BGS is kind of known for this. Luckily, they are also known for patching and fixing all of those bugs. Within a week, I see this game running smooth as butter. You can fish, smith armor, tan hides, cook, make potions and poisons, enchant things, help out random townspeople, catch butterflies, hunt game, and kill dragons. You can do anything. 10/10 Oblivion was my favorite game before this, and just as I expected this has blown past and is now in 1st by a long shot.… Expand
  61. xefmel
    Nov 12, 2011
    10
    Game plays well. Combat feels solid. A few minor animation glitches here and there but does nothing to harm the experience followers of the series have come to expect. The visuals are stunning and if you are playing on PC and have a high powered machine they are even better. The audio is well done and the voice acting is better than it was in Oblivion. The main storyline is engaging andGame plays well. Combat feels solid. A few minor animation glitches here and there but does nothing to harm the experience followers of the series have come to expect. The visuals are stunning and if you are playing on PC and have a high powered machine they are even better. The audio is well done and the voice acting is better than it was in Oblivion. The main storyline is engaging and there are a lot of side quests to do. Just like the previous entries in the series, Skyrim is more than a game, it is an immersive experience. It is impressive and the best game of its ilk since Oblivion.… Expand
  62. keefbaker
    Nov 12, 2011
    10
    If you didn't like Morrowind, Oblivion, Fallout 3 or Fallout New Vegas because that whole "exploring thing" was just too much bother then don;t go anywhere near this. If you want something that manages to take the best from all of those games and furnish them together in a massive, stunning package then yes, this is for you. I'm 20 hours in and it's only been out 2 days. In fact the onlyIf you didn't like Morrowind, Oblivion, Fallout 3 or Fallout New Vegas because that whole "exploring thing" was just too much bother then don;t go anywhere near this. If you want something that manages to take the best from all of those games and furnish them together in a massive, stunning package then yes, this is for you. I'm 20 hours in and it's only been out 2 days. In fact the only true worry i have about this game is that i may end up being more familiar with the world of skyrim than my own city.… Expand
  63. TotalPirate
    Nov 12, 2011
    10
    00** I agree with what this guy said - > People either give around 10 points, or 0 points (to compensate the others valuation probably)... I am giving also 10 points. Why? The answer: because if you can overcome those few issues that happen during the game (e.g. Battlefield 3 looks better, BUT IT IS FULLY SCRIPTED AND TOTALLY DETERMINISTIC in contrary to Skyrim, WHICH IS NEARLY TOTALLY00** I agree with what this guy said - > People either give around 10 points, or 0 points (to compensate the others valuation probably)... I am giving also 10 points. Why? The answer: because if you can overcome those few issues that happen during the game (e.g. Battlefield 3 looks better, BUT IT IS FULLY SCRIPTED AND TOTALLY DETERMINISTIC in contrary to Skyrim, WHICH IS NEARLY TOTALLY FREE!!!); if you can configure/tweak (as I did in 1-2-3 hours) the game to work smoothly on your PC; if you try to adapt to the mouse-less, mostly keyboard-driven menu-system (which can become much-much faster and convenient: TAB, W, A, S, D, E, R, Q + mouse-roll = thats it, you can do EVERYTHING in seconds!!) ...and you enjoy the free world, tons of quests, wonderful dialogue, TOTALLY DYNAMIC WORLD, THEN YOU WILL MOST PROBABLY ENJOY THIS GAME VERY-VERY MUCH. Think about this, please! ...and enjoy as I do (after the first, bit disappointing impression, taking a breath, being patient, and DISCOVERING THE TRUE VALUE OF THIS STUFF:… Expand
  64. ramha
    Nov 12, 2011
    10
    Excellent and wonderful adventure! Oblivion was expecting, but received no less than Morrowind! Graphics nice, gameplay is perfect! the first 10 hours simply could not tear myself away from 3 o'clock which was engaged in hunting and fishing!
  65. Ajores
    Nov 12, 2011
    10
    NOT RUINED BY CONSOLE PORT!!! There, got that out of the way :P

    Skyrim, thus far, has been fantastic. The world is quite memorable, that include everything from the characters the monsters and the dungeons and cities... everything is a fantasy escapists dream. What Bethesda promised they delivered. That said, there are some technical bugs but honestly nothing game breaking. This is one of    NOT RUINED BY CONSOLE PORT!!! There, got that out of the way :P

    Skyrim, thus far, has been fantastic. The world is quite memorable, that include everything from the characters the monsters and the dungeons and cities... everything is a fantasy escapists dream. What Bethesda promised they delivered. That said, there are some technical bugs but honestly nothing game breaking. This is one of the smoothest releases Bethesda has had. While there was virtually no work done to the UI to take advantage of the PC version, there are only a few things I dislike about it really. For one, how about a means to change what the "menu" keys are (such as using SPACE rather than ENTER, which would seem easier to me)? Does that mean Bethesda spent no effort making it work? Hardly, it all works quite well and even smoother than one might anticipate with a little getting used to. Ah well, -1 point for a few silly bugs and SOME odd key assignments when navigating the UI, but I'm thoroughly enjoying this game and I haven't the heart to give it anything less than 10! Great work Bethesda, can't wait to see what's next for Skyrim :)    … Expand
  66. CptTroll
    Nov 12, 2011
    10
    Skyrim is heavily dependent on the player, however there is so much in this game that it's hard not to enjoy it. Yes the graphics aren't up to 2011 high standards but if you buy a game purely for the graphics then you need to sort out your priorities. The game-play is so vast that it's hard to summarise. I can only recommend that you play Skyrim, explore Skyrim and enjoy Skyrim for what itSkyrim is heavily dependent on the player, however there is so much in this game that it's hard not to enjoy it. Yes the graphics aren't up to 2011 high standards but if you buy a game purely for the graphics then you need to sort out your priorities. The game-play is so vast that it's hard to summarise. I can only recommend that you play Skyrim, explore Skyrim and enjoy Skyrim for what it is, instead of criticising it for lacking a few odds and ends.… Expand
  67. 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
  68. themerote
    Nov 12, 2011
    10
    Too many MW3 lovers putting down Skyrim at the moment, face it, Skyrim rules, MW3 sucks and for those who complain this is broken on PC, get a good PC and stop complaining, you can't blame a game for owning a **** PC. Skyrim is everything and more, the mods are already rolling and I've used about 10 and it looks awsome. A huge step up from Oblivion, basically what I wanted Oblivion to be and more.
  69. zupergozer
    Nov 12, 2011
    10
    there are no words to describe this game epicness. they fixed everything that was wrong with oblivion and added some new things, the game has a couple of annoying bugs but they will be fixed soon I think. overall this game is damn damn damn fun to play
  70. thebrunfail
    Nov 12, 2011
    10
    I'm 17 hours into Skyrim, and more than anything, there is only one problem I have with it. The more I play, the better it gets, and the better it gets, the more I play. If you have any respect for Video Games, or Fantasy in general, you need to play this game. It's unquestionably the best game I have ever played - so much depth, an impressive world, that feels very much alive, and someI'm 17 hours into Skyrim, and more than anything, there is only one problem I have with it. The more I play, the better it gets, and the better it gets, the more I play. If you have any respect for Video Games, or Fantasy in general, you need to play this game. It's unquestionably the best game I have ever played - so much depth, an impressive world, that feels very much alive, and some of the best combat in a first person RPG to date. Just Play it. Sure, the PC port isn't the greatest, and the User Interface takes some getting used too, but these are minor issues when you look at how much Skyrim has to offer.… Expand
  71. NedStark
    Nov 12, 2011
    10
    The hype was justified. This isn't just the game of the year, but one of the best gaming experiences ever. Fantastic world and quite possibly the best soundtrack in a game I've ever heard. Do yourself a favour and buy this game. There is one negative thing though; your social life will suffer. Can't have everything.
  72. 3quilibrium
    Nov 12, 2011
    8
    With a game this big it's impossible to keep everyone happy. There are the people who want freedom in an open world setting who then moan because they don't know what to do or feel that "there isn't a story" amongst all the lore that has been shoe-horned in to the game. Perhaps they need the main story in capital letters to make it more obvious...
    Others complain and give it zero out of    With a game this big it's impossible to keep everyone happy. There are the people who want freedom in an open world setting who then moan because they don't know what to do or feel that "there isn't a story" amongst all the lore that has been shoe-horned in to the game. Perhaps they need the main story in capital letters to make it more obvious...
    Others complain and give it zero out of ten because they think that it looks crap since there are a few blurry textures or nothing happens at times or even that the odd bug pops up. Guess what people - it's a massive open world game. The sheer amount of detail more than makes up for a slightly blurry patch of rock or grass and the size of the map dictates that you need to travel large distances so at times the action takes a back seat to exploring or talking to the many locals. Anyone who thinks that a game as complex as this can be without bugs (many of which I admit were in the last couple of Bethesda games) is deluding themselves.
    If you get bored easily because you might have to read a book to get information on a quest or thought that you were getting a dragon-fest hack and slash game then more fool you. Go play Call Of Duty and let the big boys have a game that has depth and value for money.
    I feel I've only just scratched the surface of this game and yet it surpasses Oblivion in every way so far. It looks great, sounds great and plays like a dream with better combat and more options on how to approach quests than before. Especially in the dungeons.
    My only real issue with the game is a fairly big one though. The menu system has yet again been designed for console and has not been sufficiently changed to fit in with PC gaming. The favourites idea for the quick changes of many weapons is a good idea but in practice has been implemented atrociously, as have some of the menus. Being forced to press enter at times, even though you clicked on something similar just before with your mouse is sloppy and stops the menu system ever feeling fluid.
    Bethesda have taken a lot of notice of their fans from Oblivion and implemented some neat touches and of course, as I said, are never going to keep everybody happy, but I must give it points off for the terrible menus. Even so, it's a great game so far with plenty of hours of gameplay and well worth anyone's cash.
    On a final note - people are even comparing this game to The Witcher 2 and saying the graphics of Skyrim are terrible compared to it. The Witcher 2 (a game that I love incidentally) is broken into small areas that have to be loaded into memory each time you move from one place to another so of course they can get more graphical fidelity in those areas. You would need a super computer to run Skyrim at the same graphical quality given the size of the lands and the draw distance involved.
    So there you go...not quite in a nut-shell but if I have offended you with my opinions you should see the ones I keep to myself. :)    … Expand
  73. coffee
    Nov 12, 2011
    8
    Yes it's a console port so the graphics are garbage and the menus are worse. Those two things are the games biggest downfall. After you get over that it's all good. To all the people who say there are no hotkeys I say, BULL@#*% ! Learn to play, fools. To all the people who are giving this great game 0s, 1', 2s etc because it's a console port I say, welcome to the future of gaming. NearlyYes it's a console port so the graphics are garbage and the menus are worse. Those two things are the games biggest downfall. After you get over that it's all good. To all the people who say there are no hotkeys I say, BULL@#*% ! Learn to play, fools. To all the people who are giving this great game 0s, 1', 2s etc because it's a console port I say, welcome to the future of gaming. Nearly EVERYTHING is a console port these days and unfortunately it's only going to get worse. This is an Elder Scrolls game through and through, nothing more and nothing less. The atmosphere is better this time round, as are a few other things but it's still just an Elder Scrolls game. It's not a 10 but it certainly isn't a 5 either. People should learn how to review a game before they jump on here sprouting their bull#@*$ scores.… Expand
  74. ConallKeat
    Nov 12, 2011
    9
    An amazing new installment in the Elder Scrolls series. The beginning of your adventure could be daunting, with an incredibly open world and a sub-par journal system. But when you start understanding how the game works, it is an awesome world you can explore as much or little as you'd like. If you've ever enjoyed open world fantasy games, this is definitely a game to really consider. Is itAn amazing new installment in the Elder Scrolls series. The beginning of your adventure could be daunting, with an incredibly open world and a sub-par journal system. But when you start understanding how the game works, it is an awesome world you can explore as much or little as you'd like. If you've ever enjoyed open world fantasy games, this is definitely a game to really consider. Is it worth $60+? That's up to you. But I'd say it'd be money well spent.… Expand
  75. boomoperator
    Nov 12, 2011
    5
    sorry to say this but after 5 h i must say that skyrim is average. take a look on, as some mentioned too, easy combat, or the small map, or the boring generic bandit events. the lore, the music, the graphics are nice (except of character and face animations), but everything else seems uninspired, bad written and random. it is a generic hero story with dragons. i'm disappointed.
  76. DrLlama
    Nov 12, 2011
    8
    As usual, there're many polarised reviews here. This game deserves neither a 10 nor a 0. The game is definitely an improvement on Oblivion ("game of the year" nonsense notwithstanding, many people found it dull or unplayable), and things such as dual weilding and lack of classes are very welcome. The environments and music are wonderful and models are fantastic, too. The major thing for meAs usual, there're many polarised reviews here. This game deserves neither a 10 nor a 0. The game is definitely an improvement on Oblivion ("game of the year" nonsense notwithstanding, many people found it dull or unplayable), and things such as dual weilding and lack of classes are very welcome. The environments and music are wonderful and models are fantastic, too. The major thing for me is that combat feels much better, and that makes a huge difference!

    However: this is still elder scrolls, and let's be honest here, these games are all more or less the same. There is just more emphasis on breadth than depth, and so the game won't be for everybody. Flaws? The interface leaves a *lot* to be desired, voice acting is a mixed bag as usual, graphics technology is dated (despite being pulled off well anyway), AI is awful. Ultimately, a well-refined albeit unoriginal game with a lot to enjoy, as well as some flaws. It's certainly worth a try, I think most people will genuinely enjoy this - if you don't, that's OK too, just don't give it so much hate which it doesn't deserve.    … Expand
  77. Crimson_Air
    Nov 12, 2011
    0
    My friends and I(7 of us altogether) went out yesterday to pick up our CE pre orders for Skyrim. 3 hours only 1 of us was able to get the game running past load up simply because they were running on an older version of windows. Blatant console port with terrible mouse acceleration in menues, derpy animations for EVERYTHING, physics is retarded because they haven't made any improvementsMy friends and I(7 of us altogether) went out yesterday to pick up our CE pre orders for Skyrim. 3 hours only 1 of us was able to get the game running past load up simply because they were running on an older version of windows. Blatant console port with terrible mouse acceleration in menues, derpy animations for EVERYTHING, physics is retarded because they haven't made any improvements since Oblivion, buggy and boring combat and an ok story but even that's generic. Skyrim on PC gets a zero because the game doesn't like loading up and I've already exchanged it for the PS3 version. And I doubt Bethesda will do anything for the numerous bugs in the game, instead they'll once again, let the community do their work… Expand
  78. ColdBrew
    Nov 12, 2011
    10
    It could be the best game of all time. I need to finish it first and I'm sure that is going to take a LONG time. But it takes all of the great changes from Fallout 3 and updates them to make a master piece for the Elder Scroll Series. The story seems to work better that all the previous Elder games.

    It is a shame there are so many great games coming out at the same time, but this one will    It could be the best game of all time. I need to finish it first and I'm sure that is going to take a LONG time. But it takes all of the great changes from Fallout 3 and updates them to make a master piece for the Elder Scroll Series. The story seems to work better that all the previous Elder games.

    It is a shame there are so many great games coming out at the same time, but this one will be played more than the rest.

    For those of you that like Bethesda RPG's, this is the best one of them all. Get it.    … Expand
  79. SuriVuk
    Nov 12, 2011
    9
    It's here! The Elder Scrolls are back, the dragons have returned, and it's time to take your sword and head into another captivating adventure of the Elder Scrolls series. Now, I won't claim this game is perfect. Far from it, actually. But what this game is... it is captivating, it is huge, it's utterly epic. Unfortunately, living up to the huge hype that followed this title seems to be anIt's here! The Elder Scrolls are back, the dragons have returned, and it's time to take your sword and head into another captivating adventure of the Elder Scrolls series. Now, I won't claim this game is perfect. Far from it, actually. But what this game is... it is captivating, it is huge, it's utterly epic. Unfortunately, living up to the huge hype that followed this title seems to be an impossible task to uphold. First of all, the menus and controls seem to be made for a joypad, rather than the mouse&keyboard combo, which is a shame, because in some situations, when you're facing a horde of enemies, it can be somewhat painful, if not fatal, to change between the various spells, weapons and abilities your character might come in possession of. Secondly, bugs and glitches are ever present, but seeing the scope and the size of the game, they feel petty and unimportant, but then we come across huge bugs that just frustrate you. Also, the small amount of space the game requires on the Hard Drive and its relatively small system requirements have taken a toll in form of low-res textures. Nevertheless, the game still looks gorgeous, even on Medium and High settings, but, also, while animations are better than Oblivions, there's still room for improvement. Animations, however, won't stop you from enjoying the rugged landscapes of Skyrim, as they are stunning and gorgeous, and exploration never gets boring, as there is always something to do, one more cave to explore, one more ruin to clear. Gameplay has undergone some improvements, but, also, one huge drawback: removal of attributes, still, the game is enjoyable, and has depth, as combat has been somewhat improved, the magic system is fantastic and the dragon shouts are useful tools. The crafting system is by far the best in any TES game, and brings memories to the crafting of the Gothic series. So, to conclude: Bethesda has delivered one of the best games of this year. Although it doesn't quite live up to the hype, this game is a very good piece of software, sure, it has its flaws, and many PC gamers may feel disappointed and disgruntled by some of them, but, for the rest of us, with a bit higher level of tolerance, TES 5 is an enjoyable, fun game to play, that will provide a great many hours of entertainment.… Expand
  80. Da0n
    Nov 12, 2011
    10
    In one word Brilliant! If you like stealth/ combat/ magic/ crating and selling stuff/ quests this is your game. Sure the ui is horrible for the pc and there are still glitches but the sheer scale of the game outweighs these issues. Honestly this game should not be reviewed by anyone who has played the game for less than 10 hours because the sheer scope of Skyrim is one of it's many many pluses.
  81. smitysmit
    Nov 12, 2011
    10
    Very good game, haven't found any major bugs yet ad i use a Xbox controller so the controls are fine. The graphics are great if your pc is powerful enough. if you like fallout or any of the old elder scrolls games this is a must buy.
  82. czerro
    Nov 12, 2011
    8
    Game looks spectacular. It's not as rewarding as Oblivion or Morrowind. Every quest requires that you trek across the map to one point to progress...only to have to trek to the furthest point on the map from that position to get to the next quest point. This is annoying for two reasons: 1.) Blockades ala Fallout 3 prevent you from shortcutting. Mountains will block your progress atGame looks spectacular. It's not as rewarding as Oblivion or Morrowind. Every quest requires that you trek across the map to one point to progress...only to have to trek to the furthest point on the map from that position to get to the next quest point. This is annoying for two reasons: 1.) Blockades ala Fallout 3 prevent you from shortcutting. Mountains will block your progress at every turn. 2.) Anticipate a lot of boring walking and getting dead-ended by cliffs.

    Two other gripes. The writing is well below Morrowind and Oblivion. Oddly the books you will find are 10 times bigger...of 10x poorer writing. The voice acting is all over the place, and most of the characters talk in a very slow, ponderous style. It takes forever to get through these character's monologues....just to discover you have to trek all the way to the other side of skyrim to progress in the quest. The characters say almost nothing of interest. For instance asking the Greybeards about the dragonborn, results in an almost 3 minute monologue that ends with, "we don't really know why some are dragonborn, but they come in a time of need." Wow thanks! That was rewarding!

    The speech options are weird. Over half of them are sarcastic and off-putting. You can either ask questions, or give d-bag responses. Really messes with the atmosphere of the game.

    Game looks like a million bucks. Questing is harder than Oblivion and Morrowind, in that they are harder to stumble upon. NPC's will talk your ear off...with no pay off. While I like the fact the books have been expanded...the writing is very poor. Quests essentially work like this: Go to place that is furthest possible from quest giver. After completing some minor task, trek all the way to the furthest possible place from that point in the quest. Complete some minor task. It just seems like they are stretching the play hours.

    The game looks and runs great. It's not Oblivion or Morrowind. This may be good or bad depending on how you like these games. Expect to get your ear talked off about a lot of unimportant information. Expect to criss-cross the map for quests designed to lengthen the game experience. This game is probably much shorter than Oblivion or Morrowind. Also, as great as the game looks, Morrowind and Cyrodill had more interesting architecture and environments.    … Expand
  83. Mystril
    Nov 12, 2011
    10
    I want to write something here, but that means taking the time to do so... So I will just say this: Buy the game yesterday, play it, and see what the rest of us sees aswell. This game is amazing.
  84. Felicrux
    Nov 12, 2011
    10
    Well, there goes my life for the next few months. Skyrim has taken the good elements of the Elder Scrolls series and refined it, removing the bad or unnecessary parts. This game is the pinnacle of what a game can be, simply by working hard and releasing a good product. Menus are streamlined, with the extra, non-essential information being separated from the important elements.

    The world    Well, there goes my life for the next few months. Skyrim has taken the good elements of the Elder Scrolls series and refined it, removing the bad or unnecessary parts. This game is the pinnacle of what a game can be, simply by working hard and releasing a good product. Menus are streamlined, with the extra, non-essential information being separated from the important elements.

    The world is beautiful, and is an excellent merge of real world fauna and fictional creatures to make it quite immersive. It is quite easy to lose yourself in this game, regardless of previous RPG experience. It is also quite obvious that Bethesda learned from their experience with the Fallout franchise to add and change some things. No longer will over-encumbrance be as much a burden on the enterprising adventurer, as the Fallout system was implemented. Sprinting is also a welcome addition; a good tangent from walking to riding a horse.

    All in all, this is the best Bethesda game to date. I fear for the future of the company, because I highly doubt they'll be able to top this anytime soon. 10/10    … Expand
  85. knifeinabox
    Nov 12, 2011
    10
    This game is a truly wonderful game. The world of Skyrim is absolutely beautiful. The graphics look amazing. The combat is very good too. I've had a blast playing this game. Really the only thing I don't like about Skyrim is the interface. It's decent but it could of been a lot better. With a better interface this game would of gotten a 10/10 but a 9/10 will suffice. So overall, I highlyThis game is a truly wonderful game. The world of Skyrim is absolutely beautiful. The graphics look amazing. The combat is very good too. I've had a blast playing this game. Really the only thing I don't like about Skyrim is the interface. It's decent but it could of been a lot better. With a better interface this game would of gotten a 10/10 but a 9/10 will suffice. So overall, I highly recommend this game. Bethesda really did a great job developing this game.… Expand
  86. osoichan
    Nov 12, 2011
    6
    It feels like, sounds like and looks like little pimped oblivion mixed with morrowind. Graphics are not that good as i excepted. If i compare them to withcher 2 the result is miserable
  87. Extremo
    Nov 12, 2011
    10
    Just a beautiful, much more polished game than Oblivion. A joy to play that gives the feeling of great freedom. Really makes you want to explore everything and all the character possiblities. Magic is much more entertaining and appealing now. Thanks Bethesda for creating a timeless game once again. I can´t imagine how good it is going to be once the modders start doing their thing.
  88. deuxieme
    Nov 12, 2011
    10
    *Foreword*: I must observe that those other User Reviews which are denigrating Skyrim mostly consist of complaints as to the game's supposed inoperability or bugginess: To those poorly-worded souls I wish a fortunate encounter with basic PC maintenance knowledge. / This game is an achievement in both richness of narrative and environmental ambience. The Elder Scrolls franchise comes*Foreword*: I must observe that those other User Reviews which are denigrating Skyrim mostly consist of complaints as to the game's supposed inoperability or bugginess: To those poorly-worded souls I wish a fortunate encounter with basic PC maintenance knowledge. / This game is an achievement in both richness of narrative and environmental ambience. The Elder Scrolls franchise comes complete with a 4 Era back-story, and Skyrim takes full advantage of it, providing a truly immersive first person experience. The story is fluid enough that a player can wander into sidequests freely, and yet with an engaging momentum which means you'll soon be back at it. Without giving too much away, the player is Dovahkiin, Dragonborne, with the special ability to weild The Voice of dragons. It feels exhaustive to repeat the praise that the Internet has been declaring for days now, so I'll let's move on to the tech. I've had the fortune to avoid any such problems with playing the game on my PC, except in its functionality with Steam-- Steam's screenshot function seems to crash the game during execution animations (which by the way, are quite lifelike). Even the XBOX 360 version, said to have lower resolution in-game textures, looks great. And all at a neat 5.5GB Harddrive space. I think I've stated my case, so I'll close in saying that if you want to play, you ought to pay. Cash, folks, Bethesda has earned yours.… Expand
  89. TheBlackMachine
    Nov 12, 2011
    9
    This game is fantastic but it is not without it's flaws. But I feel they do not affect the game too much, as a great deal of them are very minor and will probably be patched or mods from the fantastic community will come along in week one.

    This game improves alot of mechanics of Oblivion, combat generally feels the same, although slightly more fluid for some reason, probably due to the    This game is fantastic but it is not without it's flaws. But I feel they do not affect the game too much, as a great deal of them are very minor and will probably be patched or mods from the fantastic community will come along in week one.

    This game improves alot of mechanics of Oblivion, combat generally feels the same, although slightly more fluid for some reason, probably due to the fact that you now have killing blows, dual wielding and the ability to use your shield as a weapon.

    The favourites thing is a fantastic idea, but it feels awkward and poorly executed, but it generally works out once you get used to it.

    The voice acting is on a whole pretty damn good, but it is weak in some spots, but a far cry better than Oblivion, I got sick of hearing the same dozen voices all the time, now you have more than 4 dozen voices which is great. Soundtrack is fantastic, it just oozes epicness and has great rolling instrumentals and fantastic ambient music. Sound effects are also good, but nothing special.

    Textures are okay, hair isn't greatly detailed, amour details and reflections look great for the most part. But plants look like crap so I cannot wait for mods to clean them right up and make the environment ever more prettier than it already is. Animations are improved greatly over previous games, even NPC's have good idles, and they even perform duties which on a whole just bring the whole "live the world within the game" feel together.

    This game is also very stable, it's the first PC game I've bought in months that hasn't crashed every five minuets and just caused me hell, this game has only crashed on me once, but that was my Anti-Virus software that interfered with the game. But other than that no problems whatsoever, no slowdown or choppiness at all.

    My biggest gripe about this game is the menus, obviously designed for sticks, it is stupidly awkward and annoying. Trying to navigate the skill trees is tedious and just plain annoying. Also trying to pick dialogue options is annoying, Often I end up picking the wrong one and getting myself into trouble because of it, I often find myself using the arrow and enter keys. Also the default mapping of the menus is a little odd, and it takes a little time to get use to, but nothing too bad.

    Overall it a fantastic game with very small issues, but as I said these will be patched or the amazing modding scene will come to the rescue within weeks end and fix them right up. Probably one of the best RPG's I have played in a few good years. Recommended.    … Expand
  90. 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
  91. zero298
    Nov 12, 2011
    9
    Graphics look good, including animations. Voice acting is pretty good. The landscape, unless you're on top of a mountain looking down onto the flatter areas, is magnificent and a huge improvement over the copy and paste job from Oblivion. The crafting/enchanting systems are a welcome edition and add a new dimension for those who want to focus on the merchant end of the game. One of theGraphics look good, including animations. Voice acting is pretty good. The landscape, unless you're on top of a mountain looking down onto the flatter areas, is magnificent and a huge improvement over the copy and paste job from Oblivion. The crafting/enchanting systems are a welcome edition and add a new dimension for those who want to focus on the merchant end of the game. One of the big horrifying problems though is the obviously built for consoles user interface. It's like a nightmarish laggy iTunes inspired inventory where 5000 songs are spread over only 10 album/artists. Oh, and you can't switch to album view. The worst part is, I don't know if mod tools can fix it. I feel like the UI is a big part of a game since it's basically your window into all of your game interactions. Considering you're going to be using it throughout the ENTIRE game more effort ought to be put into it.

    Sure, there is some hotkey support such as pressing 'm' for the map, 'j' for the quest log and being able to pull up a favorites list with 'q'. But it all feels really tacked on. The mouse can pick items in the inventory as you'd expect but the way that the items are presented makes using the mouse feel like you're using one of those extendo-grabber-clow things to pick up a coke can. If a mod that basically presents row/columns of multiple items instead of just one GIANT screen hogging 3D render of an item and allows you to select them through that comes out, this game can be marked for finished.    … Expand
  92. Half-lifeer
    Nov 12, 2011
    10
    What can i say... This is the best Rpg game i have ever played and probably the Best in Gaming history.

    Buy it, you wont regret it, and if you do, your not sane.
  93. zugu
    Nov 12, 2011
    6
    Fallout 3 with dragons and swords. This is what this game is. I simply cannot understand the hype around this game.

    Level designers worked their asses off, because everything in the game is detailed, and each zone, and each house have a story to tell. But graphics are horrible. Everything has that bland, monochrome Fallout 3 look. Facial animations look like something from 2005, and the    Fallout 3 with dragons and swords. This is what this game is. I simply cannot understand the hype around this game.

    Level designers worked their asses off, because everything in the game is detailed, and each zone, and each house have a story to tell. But graphics are horrible. Everything has that bland, monochrome Fallout 3 look. Facial animations look like something from 2005, and the entire game feels like it was built on some game engine from the same era, that Bethesda continuously iterated upon until Skyrim. (Oh, wait, that actually happened. Bethesda could have learned something from Valve's Source engine, because that's what good iteration looks like.) The facial animations are so bad and ugly that, at times, I can't even understand what character is actually speaking.

    Voice acting is terrible, I was expecting much more from Skyrim. The UI is nothing to write home about.

    All these shortcomings, yet people rave about this game like it's the second coming of baby Jesus. What is this world coming to?    … Expand
  94. shiny313
    Nov 12, 2011
    10
    i worn u last time... do not this game.

    it`ll ruin u all u have and u r in,,,

    like family, job, school, and ur gf.

    just.. just take blue pill.. before u r late.
  95. dc42
    Nov 12, 2011
    10
    Most of the complaints people here are spouting out don't really seem to be justified (or accurate). Yes, Skyrim has some bugs but not nearly enough to take you out of the game experience. Due to the shear scope of games today, bugs are bound to happen but at least Bethesda will patch them and if not, the modding community is huge. It works perfectly on my PC and I've had very littleMost of the complaints people here are spouting out don't really seem to be justified (or accurate). Yes, Skyrim has some bugs but not nearly enough to take you out of the game experience. Due to the shear scope of games today, bugs are bound to happen but at least Bethesda will patch them and if not, the modding community is huge. It works perfectly on my PC and I've had very little issues in terms of game bugs. The graphics are good and the environment is great. After spending over 15 hours playing, I can safely say I spent my money wisely.… Expand
  96. NeronDarkiuss
    Nov 12, 2011
    1
    No STATS. No character doll. Stupid consolish interface. Outdated DirectX9 engine. Lot of low-res textures. Sometimes funny psychics. Combat is dull and simple. etc. etc.
  97. xcomonline
    Nov 12, 2011
    0
    Now now .... where to begin. The controls on the PC are just awful and no remapping(in 2011?) and when i say controls i dont only mean the combat oriented ones but the interface ones too . This is propably due to the fact that Bethesda could not take the time to "smoothen" that console port of a game. Combat is still as awful as it was in Oblivion withconstatly bugging animations and withNow now .... where to begin. The controls on the PC are just awful and no remapping(in 2011?) and when i say controls i dont only mean the combat oriented ones but the interface ones too . This is propably due to the fact that Bethesda could not take the time to "smoothen" that console port of a game. Combat is still as awful as it was in Oblivion withconstatly bugging animations and with no actual feel of the weapon or the incoming hits and ofc as simple skillwise as ever , I bet "shank" which is an action game can produce more moves and with better mouse/keyboard response.
    The graphics and audio are mediocre to say the least which is rather interesting since the elder scrolls series after morrowind used to be well known for their cutting edge video/audio making us tremple thinking the amount of moneuy it will take to witness the awesomeness.
    Even storywise Skyrim falls short to its heritage with detached and boring sidequests blinking lights and everything expressed in "easy" words directed ofc to your average console gamer. To be honest thought i can't really speak for the main plot since im not too far into it yet.
    So conclusion is that this is not a highly anticipated PC RPG game but a rather mediocre console action/rpg that just hapened to be ported to PC because of its heritage. Thank you bethesda for not giving me the heads up and i wasted my money.    … Expand
  98. nopistons420
    Nov 12, 2011
    8
    like the game; a fresh direction for the elder scrolls series; there is some stuff i miss, allot is different but its a fresh change of pace, a fun single player experience and overall seems a good game;

    the engine is pretty impressive to me; and i enjoy the scenery and the role playing aspects of the game;
    in my mind its one of the best games to be released this year!
  99. REDSIPERAS
    Nov 12, 2011
    10
    Best RPG of the year. Nuff' Said. This game will eat away your life; I couldn't even keep track of time while I was playing lol.
  100. marcelism
    Nov 12, 2011
    10
    Skyrim is an incredible game. It offers millions of choices in what you want to do, who you want your character to be, and where you want to go. Ive happily spent my first 5 hours breaking into many npc houses and stealing all their ware's. And ive been able to level up on just sneaking, lockpicking, and pick pocketing alone. It is very similar to oblivion in the sense that you get betterSkyrim is an incredible game. It offers millions of choices in what you want to do, who you want your character to be, and where you want to go. Ive happily spent my first 5 hours breaking into many npc houses and stealing all their ware's. And ive been able to level up on just sneaking, lockpicking, and pick pocketing alone. It is very similar to oblivion in the sense that you get better at what you want to do by doing it. You feel very in control of your character's strengths and weaknesses. No choosing a spec, if you want to be better at archery, then shoot some arrows at stuff. I have no problem whatsoever with the games visuals. Not quite witcher 2 but they look far better than oblivion did . Sure if i zoom in all the way i can see the textures are lowish. but as i move through the world the entire environment the grass, trees mountains and mist. the overall world is the most imersive and believable gaming world i have ever seen and runs at a steady 60fps. Skyrim was not a game i was really that excited for but it quickly became one of my favorite games ever.… 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

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Metascore
94

Universal acclaim - based on 32 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 32 out of 32
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 32
  3. Negative: 0 out of 32
  1. 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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