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. kevinhooks
    Jan 19, 2013
    9
    The game is not perfect, by any means. Glitches and bugs exist all over the longer you play it. However, the graphical design of the game is amazing, especially in HD. The game play mechanics have improved greatly over it's predecessor, and the quests seem to be more engaging. That's enough to invest more than 200 hours sitting and playing on your sofa.
  2. hannibalektr
    Jan 15, 2013
    10
    Simply put, the best game ever made. I've spent over 800 hours enjoying this game including using the creation kit to build my own mod's for it. The instructions to do so are pretty good. The graphics are the best hands down. I say that because it's a sandbox yet no loss to the detail. My only one negative is that it is lacking objects, like chairs, carpets, cups, drapes etc.. Oblivion didSimply put, the best game ever made. I've spent over 800 hours enjoying this game including using the creation kit to build my own mod's for it. The instructions to do so are pretty good. The graphics are the best hands down. I say that because it's a sandbox yet no loss to the detail. My only one negative is that it is lacking objects, like chairs, carpets, cups, drapes etc.. Oblivion did a better job providing a plethera of objects for better immersion. The dungeons and castles reuse alot of the same objects and textures such as "walls". The world is so big I can see why, but still the world can be drab and boring due to these facts. I'm still rating this game a solid 10. Bethesda is the last gaming company who puts creativity ahead of ripping off their customers. Until they get bought out by vivendi or some other giant that is. And I guarentee that will happen and that will be the end of this wonderful trilogy of top notch games as it is now progressing. After a merger all the parties that made the game what it is walk away with huge chunks of cash. I've seen it many times. Sad but true. I'd also like to add that this game has spoiled me rotten, I can't play other substandard games just to kill time anymore, skyrim is all I play anymore.… Expand
  3. Pantheon
    Jan 13, 2013
    8
    As is usually the case, those giving this game a 1 or a 2 are just hating and those giving it a 10 are ignoring some real issues. Overall I can surely recommend the game, it's fun. The main story line is entertaining as are a number of the other quests --- special mention to the Dark Brotherhood line and thieves guild, just for the sneaking around. However, there are still way too manyAs is usually the case, those giving this game a 1 or a 2 are just hating and those giving it a 10 are ignoring some real issues. Overall I can surely recommend the game, it's fun. The main story line is entertaining as are a number of the other quests --- special mention to the Dark Brotherhood line and thieves guild, just for the sneaking around. However, there are still way too many repetitive boring quests. Furthermore, the game is just too easy. After getting barely acclimated there was no real issue with just maxing out the difficulty and rarely finding yourself in danger of actually dying. The Dragons themselves, after the shock of fighting the first one, are way too weak. The crafting systems are completely broken --- Smithing, enchanting and alchemy are very easy to advance ... and once advanced, you're pretty much invincible.

    I have to also agree with the criticism regarding many of the characters. For the most part they all seem oblivious to your character's great accomplishments. They mouth the same lines all throughout the game. It's a wonder more time and effort couldn't have been spent in adding lines and in having npc's recognize your character's level and major accomplishments. After a while you will notice the same actor doing the same voice for different nps's --- I mean the actor couldn't use another voice for the different npc's? That doesn't speak well for the actor's abilities, nor for Bethesda's attention to detail.

    Still though, the graphics are definitely better than in prior TES and I'll still give the game an 8 overall for its scope and breath the FIRST time through. I can't say I'm game for another play through, as I'm not sure there's anything left to discover nor will different choices create different outcomes. Think I'll just sit and wait for the next DLC.    … Expand
  4. Wills661
    Jan 12, 2013
    10
    I agree. i have played all editions of this series and loved every minute of them.Oblivion,Morrowwind and now i am partway thru Skyrim. Skyrim has better graphics and characters in the world of Skyrim . I would recommend this game on all platforms,PC,XBox Buy an enjoy.
  5. Zael
    Jan 9, 2013
    8
    Skyrim is fun. That's just an understatement. But, Skyrim is great graphics-wise and the gameplay is beautiful: scenery, combat, etc.. The thing I don't like about Skyrim is how short the storyline was. After I finished it, I was just doing some other "main quests". Honestly, a player can finish the game before level 30 if they focused mainly on combat and the main storyline. Me, I did aSkyrim is fun. That's just an understatement. But, Skyrim is great graphics-wise and the gameplay is beautiful: scenery, combat, etc.. The thing I don't like about Skyrim is how short the storyline was. After I finished it, I was just doing some other "main quests". Honestly, a player can finish the game before level 30 if they focused mainly on combat and the main storyline. Me, I did a lot of smithing and non-combat things. I especially love the lore about the Dwarves (Dwemer) and I like the Dwemer cities. But after a while, I just stopped playing. I have yet to do the Imperial/Stormcloak questline because I'm so torn between the two groups. Conclusion: Skyrim is fun, interactive and has many things to do.… Expand
  6. xZippy
    Jan 5, 2013
    9
    I can't see a reason why any sane gamer could not like Skyrim. As of now, it's the mother of all RPG games. Once again, the Elder Scrolls gives us that great storytelling, character development and good combat. The AI gets some serious upgrades compared to Oblivion. The leveling up system no longer horribly sucks. The amount of things you can do in this game is unspeakable. Now onto theI can't see a reason why any sane gamer could not like Skyrim. As of now, it's the mother of all RPG games. Once again, the Elder Scrolls gives us that great storytelling, character development and good combat. The AI gets some serious upgrades compared to Oblivion. The leveling up system no longer horribly sucks. The amount of things you can do in this game is unspeakable. Now onto the downsides... The AI is better, but can still be pretty stupid at times. You can steal from shops just by placing buckets over people's heads. Enemies struck with arrows will say "It's just my imagination" after trying to find you for 8 seconds. The PC version is stuck with permanent vertical sync, so enjoy having your mouse movements delayed. Turning off vertical sync via graphics card options will break the game. Overall, this might be the best RPG game you'll ever play in your life.… Expand
  7. GBowles
    Jan 5, 2013
    8
    This game is a treat to play for the most part. At least 40 hours of exciting and involving gameplay, a beautiful world, interesting characters, open-ended quests and much more. Sadly, with this comes plenty of glitches and bugs, some minor gameplay issues and an absolutely appauling finale. I have around 90 hours of play time and after recently returning to Skyrim with a new character IThis game is a treat to play for the most part. At least 40 hours of exciting and involving gameplay, a beautiful world, interesting characters, open-ended quests and much more. Sadly, with this comes plenty of glitches and bugs, some minor gameplay issues and an absolutely appauling finale. I have around 90 hours of play time and after recently returning to Skyrim with a new character I felt the game had lost all of its fun. I'm likely to stay away from this game from now on. Great play time for the money but not the 'greatest RPG ever' some people name it.… Expand
  8. s1mo
    Jan 5, 2013
    10
    Best game That i have ever played. Perfect graphics, AI, Realism and very detailed items. I recommend to purchase also DLC Hearthfire and Dawnguard. With hearthfire you will be able to build a house and adopt a child. You will have minecraft-like skyrim.
  9. Zonzai
    Jan 4, 2013
    9
    Story: 9 --- Though there are many interesting quests in Skyrim the main overarching story suffers for it. Still, the game is way longer than most of its ilk so it scores extra points for that. --- Visuals: 10 --- The default Skyrim is great and the modded Skyrim is absolutely breathtaking. --- Sound: 7 --- Skyrim has a pretty good range of very good music and most of the voice actingStory: 9 --- Though there are many interesting quests in Skyrim the main overarching story suffers for it. Still, the game is way longer than most of its ilk so it scores extra points for that. --- Visuals: 10 --- The default Skyrim is great and the modded Skyrim is absolutely breathtaking. --- Sound: 7 --- Skyrim has a pretty good range of very good music and most of the voice acting is pretty good. But there are only a half dozen actors and you will recognize them all immediately. --- Combat: 8 --- If you've played more than a few video games and don't hate FPS games, Skyrim plays very well. I wish other game makers could do this as well. That said, the enemy AI is stone stupid and easy to manipulate. Which is a big disappointment in a game like this. Even dragons quickly become easy to defeat. --- Fun Factor: 10 --- This is a very fun game. One of the most enjoyable RPG's since um Oblivion... --- Unmodded Overall: 8 --- This is my review of the unmodded version of Skyrim. The major points keeping it from being excellent are the VO and poor enemy AI. --- Modded overall: 10 --- Add in mods and you instantly turn every score up by at least one point. If you aren't modding Skyrim, you are missing out on one of the best RPG gaming experiences of all time. My suggestion, improve the AI, turn up the visual juice (if your PC can take it) download a new music pack and get a skill overhaul. If you do those things you will have an unparalleled gaming experience. --- Overall Overall: 9: -- In the end, making this game go from very good to amazing you have to mod it. So I choose the easy middle-ground. Though I really do need to reiterate that you should buy Skyrim and download some mods from the Skyrim Nexus site it for a 10 star gaming experience.… Expand
  10. breezy808
    Jan 4, 2013
    4
    This is based on roughly 40 hours of experience, the price, and I am no long addicted to this game, I lost all interest in it. I will probably never play this game again. I bought this game because of all the hype, the story is cool the type of enemies are really cool, the story is fascinating, exploring is amazing!!! Why did I rate this game so low? Because of the weaponry, armor sets,This is based on roughly 40 hours of experience, the price, and I am no long addicted to this game, I lost all interest in it. I will probably never play this game again. I bought this game because of all the hype, the story is cool the type of enemies are really cool, the story is fascinating, exploring is amazing!!! Why did I rate this game so low? Because of the weaponry, armor sets, (melee) combat, bugs, and it's butchering of loot. I don't even know why people praised this game, the new RPG standard in games is A LOT OF LOOT!!! This game will NOT give you that, it's system is terrible, predictable and unlike other Bethesda games(fallout for example) You aren't rewarded for exploring much, if you do find an upgrade it's not an "AWESOME" Moment it's "DUH, I knew I'd get something like that". I play A LOT of RPG's, dead island, kingdoms or amalur, Fallout, the list goes on. They give you satisfaction when you loot, it's like you stare at it for a good 20+ seconds, it's fun! This game, nah. Basically :
    I Payed 30 dollars for skyrim(50% sale) Thank god I didn't pay the 60! This game is great, if you enjoy graphics(Character graphics/animations are kind of terrible) Reading books, not much more benefits I can say other than that. Comparing to other RPG's of the same company, or just in general. This game has more quantity, than quality when it comes to submersing you into it. I'd recommend fallout:new vegas over skyrim. 10,20$? For New vegas, New vegas has much more bugs, however telling you from 250 hours of experience(and still haven't beaten the game) Exploring is so much more enjoyable! I Spent most of the time and story line exploring instead of questing. Skyrim all you really buy this game for is to reading books, not really much more. This is my first taste of elder scrolls and I will never go back to it.    … Expand
  11. Benoit529
    Jan 4, 2013
    8
    This review is for those who haven't played the previous series and simply want a great RPG to play. Skyrim delivers in most aspects of it - the main quest line is intuitive and fascinating, and thoroughly challenging, and you can detach yourself from it at any time to explore the rest of Skyrim or do side quests. The world of Skyrim itself is absolutely massive and extremely well createdThis review is for those who haven't played the previous series and simply want a great RPG to play. Skyrim delivers in most aspects of it - the main quest line is intuitive and fascinating, and thoroughly challenging, and you can detach yourself from it at any time to explore the rest of Skyrim or do side quests. The world of Skyrim itself is absolutely massive and extremely well created - what I especially admire is how no two details, no two trees, are replicated anywhere else in the world. It shows a genuine desire to please consumers on Bethesda's part. The orchestral music that makes up the soundtrack somehow fits both the medieval lifestyle and ambient open air, all at once, which enhances the feeling of open-ended gameplay. What I especially love about this game is that the PC version allows you to make use of the command prompt and mod allocation should the current style of gameplay not suit your needs. You can use it to manually raise difficulty, create unique quest lines, or add your own textures. It's also Bethesda's way of tackling bugs - if you can't complete a quest because of a bug then all it needs is the command prompt to fix the bug for you. Some might say it's lazy of Bethesda's testing team and doesn't openly tackle the needs of consumers, but I think this can please everybody in each way they wish to play. I do have a couple of gripes though - the only word to describe the combat system is boring! You can't target your swings or pull off special tactics, it's simply click, click, maybe hold down click if you're a warrior, hold down click while moving backwards if you're a mage, stand far away and hold click if you're a bowman. There is almost no variety in any of the monsters, with the possible exception of trolls (I did have to employ tactics to bring down one of those behemoths!) Also, there is quite an evident issue that if you spend too long on the side quests you can over-level, in which case the main quest becomes a cinch, so it really could have done with some level adjustment on the wildlife AI's part. But once everything is summed up and rolled into this title, I can conclude that it is very much worth getting. Be wary of the (small) chance of disappointment because you'll be splashing out quite a lot of money for it.… Expand
  12. WhataTwist
    Jan 3, 2013
    10
    Even more than a year later I'm still enjoying Skyrim tremendously. However; without the mind blowing mod support, I would have stopped playing a very long time ago.
  13. Speed4Runs
    Jan 2, 2013
    3
    The game features nice graphics, good sound, bad gameplay and very good longevity. When you play this game, you will get bored very soon: the gameplay doesn't have a point, a competition. You just play it for relaxing. You go and get some special object, but the game isn't competitive. It doesn't have a point. Very extended world, good graphics, but poor performance, and the game is fullThe game features nice graphics, good sound, bad gameplay and very good longevity. When you play this game, you will get bored very soon: the gameplay doesn't have a point, a competition. You just play it for relaxing. You go and get some special object, but the game isn't competitive. It doesn't have a point. Very extended world, good graphics, but poor performance, and the game is full of bugs. Good plot. Gameplay 2/10 Graphics/Performance 2/10 Plot 5/10 Longevity 6.25/10 Average: 3.81 OVERALL SCORE: 3/10 (not an average)… Expand
  14. wlyyy
    Jan 2, 2013
    4
    I really tried this game, a lot. But i simple can't play it, it's boring as hell. But the worst problem is the graphic engine, when u play at 3rd person you will see your character "floating" on the ground instead of walking. You really don't feel the movements, they are very awkward and this problem is reflected on the combat, which is bad, very bad. I think it's the worst combat system iI really tried this game, a lot. But i simple can't play it, it's boring as hell. But the worst problem is the graphic engine, when u play at 3rd person you will see your character "floating" on the ground instead of walking. You really don't feel the movements, they are very awkward and this problem is reflected on the combat, which is bad, very bad. I think it's the worst combat system i ever seen, i prefer the 16-bits turn based system s rather than this.… Expand
  15. UntoTheBreach
    Jan 1, 2013
    2
    The best thing I can say about Skyrim is that it makes a decent action game; even then there's much better to be had. Simply put, Skyrim pulls the "RPG" out of "action/RPG." RPGs are defined by the role-playing aspect that gives the genre its name. In a rather startling disconnect from previous Elder Scrolls installments and the Fallout series, very little about Skyrim actuallyThe best thing I can say about Skyrim is that it makes a decent action game; even then there's much better to be had. Simply put, Skyrim pulls the "RPG" out of "action/RPG." RPGs are defined by the role-playing aspect that gives the genre its name. In a rather startling disconnect from previous Elder Scrolls installments and the Fallout series, very little about Skyrim actually fosters a sense of immersion and attachment. Sure, you play the role of a hero or thief or whatever you decide Character creation, and its importance to most RPGs that feature this mechanic, is essentially written off as a minor hurdle in the beginning of the game; nothing about the process informs hardly anything save some inconsequential lines of dialogue. A given race has some minor initial bonuses in certain skills, but nothing a half hour of playing doesn't disrupt. Classes and specializations are nonexistent and skills are threadbare in an effort to make the game more "accessible" but instead serves to simplify the game to an insulting extent. You can roleplay as a given "class" only by choosing not to use other skills available and adhering to a certain gameplay style; ironic that a so-called RPG forces this to be the case. Combat is a bore; it basically revolves entirely around jumping to avoid attacks (or sometimes blocking, y'know, just to raise the skill to level up quicker) and pressing the attack button. Virtually no restrictions are in place in terms of gameplay: you can spend 30 hours playing as a warrior wielding greatswords then immediately begin your new life as a thief or mage with a little grinding (or if you're feeling lazy, exploitation of the level up system). This may appeal to some but those who enjoy depth of experience rather than breadth of content will probably be disappointed. This emphasis on amount of content over quality of experience spills over into the core game as well. The main quest is always there (without any sense of urgency behind it, by the way) but most of your time will likely be spent slogging through inconsequential fetch quests and contract killings that you can pick up barely interacting with anything, or by following the slightly more interesting yet still lackluster guild questlines. These are where the majority of the game's depth comes in, however little it is. Two days out of jail you can be the master of every faction and have singlehandedly won the war that ravaged the land. Two more aspects of RPGs Skryrim mostly abandoned, character and story development, are also one of its greatest offenses. I can count on one hand how many characters actually had a semblance of depth to them. Companion characters--more accurately called followers--do just that and not much else besides attack what you attack and haul your inventory. The importance of dialogue is negligible; you can learn everything about your active quest in the journal screen without having to hear the same recycled voice actors tell you. No choices with any narrative weight exist; the only choices I even noticed are ones that actually deprive you of achievements if you pick the wrong action (without the game even hinting to you of the consequence) and force you to reload a save or even replay the game to obtain them. Any fun there is to be had seems to be on the PC version if you install some cool mods, and even those can't fix what's already broken. With such a large world and so much to do in it, Skyrim tricks you into thinking it has scale where it counts, when in fact, it is nothing more than an expanse of content with the depth of a wheelchair ramp. I wasn't immersed; I wasn't entertained; but, as a fan of the RPG, I certainly did feel more than a little cheated.… Expand
  16. N1ghtshade3
    Jan 1, 2013
    9
    This is honestly the most epic game I've ever played. I went into this without having ever played an Elder Scrolls game, or even any 3D RPG outside WoW. Needless to say, I was more than impressed by its graphics, gameplay, character customization, and the fact that, true to their advertisements, what you do in the game actually does have an impact on the storyline. Like most people, IThis is honestly the most epic game I've ever played. I went into this without having ever played an Elder Scrolls game, or even any 3D RPG outside WoW. Needless to say, I was more than impressed by its graphics, gameplay, character customization, and the fact that, true to their advertisements, what you do in the game actually does have an impact on the storyline. Like most people, I dislike the weight limit thing, but you can easily get around that but making your companion pick up everything (when done this way rather than through trading, they have an unlimited storage capacity). The only other thing that really kind of bothered me was the way enemies level up when you do. I know this is to keep the game challenging, but it also means you can't really experiment. For example, if you increase your one-handed weapon, archery, and magic skills by 10 each, the enemies will level up as if you had specialized in one skill and had gotten it up by 30. Being balanced in this game is a disadvantage, so if you're reading this and haven't played yet, pick a class that offers high bonuses in one area (I went with a dark elf because they have a good balance between melee and magic, but I now sincerely wish I'd gone with either Nord (melee) or High Elf (magic)). I personally have never used crafting or blacksmithing to enhance or make weapons, although I hear it's a pain to level that up. I've also only experience a few bugs, only one that was major (a quest where a guy was supposed to follow you, but wouldn't, so every 10 seconds you had to talk to him so he'd start following you again) but in a game of this magnitude, I'd take a whole nest of bugs if it meant playing this game. Overall, 9/10, though that's just because I've never found a perfect game. This, however is indeed the best I've played.… Expand
  17. krushak
    Dec 30, 2012
    6
    definitely a good game but with many weak parts
    i love the whole world (nice design - winter-landscapes) and the mod-friendly part of this game. now the negative parts: story=0, music to fall asleep, combat system to easy at master (the ki is really bad and the same at very easy) very unbalanced skilltrees and overpowered professions (blacksmith, enchanting and alchemy)
  18. RobbinL
    Dec 30, 2012
    9
    This truly is a masterpiece, one of the greatest games in existence! Wonderful atmosphere!
    If you´re at all into RPG's you need to play and experience this.
  19. Jezza
    Dec 29, 2012
    2
    If your fun of a game is spoiled by glitches, do not get this game. I experience a bug/glitch ~every 5 minutes of playing, from crashing to killed NPCs falling through floors. The game is sometimes unplayable due to glitches and there are just so many of them. It is so close to being an amazing game! but it's ruined due to it feeling broken, rushed and unpolished.
  20. LethalThreat
    Dec 29, 2012
    10
    Skyrim, I love this game. I only wish my computer would be able to run this on high settings so it isn't laggy, but I'm not lowering my score because I can't play on good settings. The quest, the atmosphere, the people.. everything is great I have nothing bad to say about this game I haven't even come across a bug yet. There is defiantly more than enough places to explore I don't evenSkyrim, I love this game. I only wish my computer would be able to run this on high settings so it isn't laggy, but I'm not lowering my score because I can't play on good settings. The quest, the atmosphere, the people.. everything is great I have nothing bad to say about this game I haven't even come across a bug yet. There is defiantly more than enough places to explore I don't even think I explored half of them, seriously. Mods also make this game better, even though there isn't much more to add to make it better!… Expand
  21. auroraborealis
    Dec 27, 2012
    10
    Skyrim is probably the best game I've played to date. Allowing for almost endless hours of exploration, it caters to the explorer in everyone. The storyline? Well, for everyone who complains about it, I counter that there isn't just the one storyline. Sure, the main questline isn't perfect, but it's very well done. As for the other questlines, they will keep you busy for many hours pastSkyrim is probably the best game I've played to date. Allowing for almost endless hours of exploration, it caters to the explorer in everyone. The storyline? Well, for everyone who complains about it, I counter that there isn't just the one storyline. Sure, the main questline isn't perfect, but it's very well done. As for the other questlines, they will keep you busy for many hours past when you finish the main one, even if it's not the first one you complete.

    The graphics are definitely dated by PC standards (though the easily pleased console gamers will think it looks amazing). By now, however, the myriad mods available through either the Steam Workshop or the Skyrim Nexus will make the game look almost as good as many of the DX11 games out there.

    Everything is so thoroughly completed that it achieves what few games do: genuine immersion. Definitely check it out!    … Expand
  22. joeybear
    Dec 27, 2012
    9
    An excellent effort. Skyrim presents an interesting, beautiful world that's a joy to explore. This installment is a league above Oblivion, which I felt wasted its potential. The only drawback here, comes not from the game's design itself, but from the developer's need to placate console gamers which ultimately ultimately hinders any open world game. You have to wonder what an EDS game orAn excellent effort. Skyrim presents an interesting, beautiful world that's a joy to explore. This installment is a league above Oblivion, which I felt wasted its potential. The only drawback here, comes not from the game's design itself, but from the developer's need to placate console gamers which ultimately ultimately hinders any open world game. You have to wonder what an EDS game or Fallout game would look like if devs didn't have to cater to the aging technology found in consoles.… Expand
  23. Doctortony
    Dec 26, 2012
    10
    I'm gonna keep this simple: BUY IT. As a lover of medieval RPGs, including Runescape and Dungeon Siege, I felt that I'd never be able to relive the beauty and freedom in games again. Until Skyrim came along. This game is absolutely beautiful, incredibly expansive, and is like no other game I have played. It is absolutely everything you would want in a free-to-roam middle earth-esqueI'm gonna keep this simple: BUY IT. As a lover of medieval RPGs, including Runescape and Dungeon Siege, I felt that I'd never be able to relive the beauty and freedom in games again. Until Skyrim came along. This game is absolutely beautiful, incredibly expansive, and is like no other game I have played. It is absolutely everything you would want in a free-to-roam middle earth-esque hack-and-slash game. There are so many characters you can interact with, and so many quests. And it is true that later in the game it becomes a little repetitive, but by then you'll have wasted 100+ hours on the main quest and exploring the map. Most of the negative ratings come from a glitchy past, but with the most recent editions, you will very rarely find any . Stop being hesitant and buy this incredibly underrated game.… Expand
  24. KasperIsager
    Dec 25, 2012
    10
    Like always, the Elder Scrolls franchise doesn't fail to impress with it's vast lore and well-crafted universe. The fifth installment is indeed a master piece and so far I've spent well over 200 hours immersing myself into the world of Skyrim. Kudos!
  25. captainthrall
    Dec 24, 2012
    3
    how does this game have a 94 rating?
    it's horribly boring. i struggled to play for 12 hours, and was honestly bored out of my mind from hours 2-12. The only time that i really enjoyed skyrim was the first 15 minutes while i was creating my character.
    the combat is clunky and horribly out-dated. you aim with your mouse and left-click to swing your sword. in 1997 i played a game with    how does this game have a 94 rating?
    it's horribly boring. i struggled to play for 12 hours, and was honestly bored out of my mind from hours 2-12. The only time that i really enjoyed skyrim was the first 15 minutes while i was creating my character.

    the combat is clunky and horribly out-dated. you aim with your mouse and left-click to swing your sword. in 1997 i played a game with the exact same controls. the physics are horrible. you cant interact with, smash, push, pull, or break anything. while walking around you spontaneously stumble off of 3 centimeter hills and fall to your death while simultaneously being able to ride your horse up 90 degree slopes. how can a 2011 game not have multiplayer? the game is like pamela anderson: beautiful on the outside, but full of hepatitis, plastic, and other unmentionable things on the inside.    … Expand
  26. Khitchary
    Dec 24, 2012
    6
    This game mostly just made me miss Morrowind. If you play a heavily modded skyrim I believe its a lot more fun,but I never bothered with that, as it is a fair amount of work to go to just to play a game. My flatmate has spent nearly as much time trying to force the game to work with a massive string of mods as actually playing. The stories for the various guilds/factions and even theThis game mostly just made me miss Morrowind. If you play a heavily modded skyrim I believe its a lot more fun,but I never bothered with that, as it is a fair amount of work to go to just to play a game. My flatmate has spent nearly as much time trying to force the game to work with a massive string of mods as actually playing. The stories for the various guilds/factions and even the main storyline are really quite sub-par in my opinion. Main good points would be better levelling system than oblivion I guess. I honestly cannot think of anything else nice to say. Only for the easily amused.… Expand
  27. D4rkAByss
    Dec 24, 2012
    10
    Amazing game. I have played nearly all of Bethesda's free roam games, all of them with mods and all of them good. Skyrim alone (without mods) is an amazing game, always something to do, huge amounts of quests, and Bethesda has made it Modder friendly by releasing the Creation Kit, so now easy to make mods, with Steam Workshop, easy to upload and download mods. Overall, a game worthAmazing game. I have played nearly all of Bethesda's free roam games, all of them with mods and all of them good. Skyrim alone (without mods) is an amazing game, always something to do, huge amounts of quests, and Bethesda has made it Modder friendly by releasing the Creation Kit, so now easy to make mods, with Steam Workshop, easy to upload and download mods. Overall, a game worth getting, a game worth playing.… Expand
  28. itwasthatguy
    Dec 23, 2012
    4
    Skyrim is a very ambitious game, just like the other Elder Scrolls games. Once again, I'm amazed by the main concepts of the game. The combat system is a very nice concept. The ability to wander the world and do whatever you feel like is another amazing concept. The item creation and enchanting are great concepts.

    Unfortunately, that's about where Skyrim stops being amazing. When    Skyrim is a very ambitious game, just like the other Elder Scrolls games. Once again, I'm amazed by the main concepts of the game. The combat system is a very nice concept. The ability to wander the world and do whatever you feel like is another amazing concept. The item creation and enchanting are great concepts.

    Unfortunately, that's about where Skyrim stops being amazing. When the concepts become reality, everything falls apart. Overall, the game is incredibly buggy. Between the constant crashes, several broken/incompletable quests, some minor glitches, and game balance, the game is a complete wreck. I'm really impressed with the concepts of this game. The raw ideas for Skyrim are truly brilliant. The actual execution is so bad, I'm often physically sickened.

    Let's start with the glitches. First of all, the game won't stop crashing. Enough said. The menus are very unresponsive and overall poorly designed. Often, my character will say something despite the fact that I chose a different dialogue option. I've had several quests become impossible to finish due to bugs. Again, enough said. Enemies are often able to attack again while in mid-attack. They can also attack backwards now and then. This is just a very very small fraction of the bugs in Skyrim.

    Now let's get to game balance. The dungeons are a complete cakewalk until you get to the boss. Once you find the boss, you MUST exploit the game in some way to win. Otherwise, you simply lack the health and damage output to even have a chance of winning. An example of this would be a draugr boss which I was fighting. I would injure him to about 9/10ths of his health, and he would immediately heal himself back up to full health. An impossible fight. (I never ended up beating him, by the way). Basically, the enemies are either too easy or too hard. Most fights aren't even very fun. Even the dragon fights turn into cover based shooters, as dragons are often capable of 1-hit kills.

    Once again, I applaud whoever was smart enough to come up with the concepts of this game. That said, Skyrim didn't even touch its potential. It's such a shame how it turned out.    … Expand
  29. criticalwind
    Dec 19, 2012
    10
    I've always liked the Elderscrolls series and Skyrim was a fun and enjoyable game to play. I also have a love for modding video games so the Creation Kit adds an extra joy to the game by allowing me to create new content and customize the game to suit my play style.
  30. Sneetches
    Dec 19, 2012
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. TL;DR I would say that Skyrim IS better than Oblivion, but as soon as you begin, you realize its simply Oblivion with a cool looking cover on it.

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

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

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

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

    Overall, Skyrim seems to appear as though it would be Oblivion's big brother. Under close inspection, it is simply a prettier looking Oblivion, plagued with its own problems, built on hype, and marketed to the "casual" gamer. I guess you can say that some things can easily be fixed with a couple mods though, right?    … Expand
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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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