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. Desdicado
    Jan 23, 2012
    8
    Ok first thing to tell you is that I have finished this game, all the major quest lines and am starting my second play thru, this time as a mage, rather than melee shield combo. This is a very good game, with some pretty major irritants. Ok, what's good, the main quest lines are well done, the world is huge and looks pretty good (thanks to mods) it has that "just one more quest" feelingOk first thing to tell you is that I have finished this game, all the major quest lines and am starting my second play thru, this time as a mage, rather than melee shield combo. This is a very good game, with some pretty major irritants. Ok, what's good, the main quest lines are well done, the world is huge and looks pretty good (thanks to mods) it has that "just one more quest" feeling that will keep you up to 2am and mods add to it all the time, lightsabres? yes please. Ok, so what is not good, too many draughar, are those the only enemies? it seems like it too often. Too many bandits, I would have liked much more enemy variety. Loot, any stuff you find is generally only useful at low levels, even the Daedric artifacts and unique items are no good, you can craft better items yourself. You basically collect money to no good purpose as all I ever bought were crafting supplies. The townsfolk, bethesda seem to have hired 4 voice actors for the whole game, James Hetfield, another guy, a norwegian female and another woman, that's it. And they all spout the same line again and again "EVERYTHING'S for sale!" etc
    People don't look great but mods help this. I also HATED that they'd dumbed down the RPG element of the game by removing stats and streamlining skills. Anyway, I will probably play it thru again, so it must be good, but it could have been better!    … Expand
  2. sc0TTi
    Dec 27, 2011
    8
    some great stuff, but not polished. dragon fights are terrible, and that includes boss fights. not enough tough single enemies to really get into a technical duel with. graphics are 360 level. great quests though, and great npcs
  3. jocksson
    Nov 11, 2011
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This game is awesome! Played about 8 hours now, what impressed me the most though was when i were doing a random quest then got a note from a courrier with a black hand that said "WE KNOW". Then when i had rested i woke up at an old shack. And had to execute a random person, that was insane, apparently i got to join the dark brotherhood. The story so far i great, the sound is a 9/10, amazing. Graphics could be better though (will blame consoles). Also the landscape is visually amazing and very creative.10/10, this game is a masterpiece.… Expand
  4. Artomoz
    Dec 31, 2011
    8
    While The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim does not revolutionize the RPG genre it sure does bring fresh new content to the table. From epic scenery to ferocious dragon battles. The world of Skyrim left more to desire though, wishing for a more ambient and interactive world to explore. Don't get me wrong the world itself and detail of design of this game is amongst the best I've ever seen theseWhile The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim does not revolutionize the RPG genre it sure does bring fresh new content to the table. From epic scenery to ferocious dragon battles. The world of Skyrim left more to desire though, wishing for a more ambient and interactive world to explore. Don't get me wrong the world itself and detail of design of this game is amongst the best I've ever seen these past years. That's the main reason why I did not give this game a 10/10. Lost 1 point for lack of ambiance amongst the world. Exploring the world itself can take time and not to mention playing on "Master" difficulty will add plenty of hours to main quests and side quests. Whilst playing on anything below "Master" will definitely leave you wanting for more since the main quest is a bit short but can be elongated if the difficulty setting is changed. Then again, there are plenty of other quests the game provides you that will keep you busy through months, that is if you're the perfectionist or adventurer type. There are plenty of crafts to master from smithing to enchanting weaponry. I took another point off due to the basic level up system Skyrim has, while there are a variety of options there's not enough to say it is a true RPG leveling system. It follows more of the likes of Dragon Age, which is simplistic and does not really leave room to create unique characters from pures to hybrids. The giants are stronger than dragons debate I can say it is the difficulty level you're playing and the dragon you're fighting. A regular dragon is amongst the easiest, whilst a frost dragon can 1 hit KO the character. Most of these people complaining about the length obviously didn't take the time to change the difficulty setting of the game and just basically rushed through the main story instead of allowing themselves to enjoy this game. There's tons of books scattered around to collect that provide knowledge of certain areas, characters, history, organizations, and ect that can keep you busy reading if you're the person who enjoys expanding you're knowledge about Skyrim. I have to agree with some people stating some side quests left more to desire and that's another reason why I'm not giving this game a 10/10. About glitches and bugs found in Skyrim, we have to understand this is an open world sand box game so expect plenty of bugs and glitches. There's really nothing game breaking other than some words cannot be learned due to a bug on the game but does not necessarily impair you from completing quests.Overall this game is worth the $60.00 for players who are RPG fans. Many people claim this game is repetitive but which game isn't? FPS games = shoot/mission over/ cinematic/ infiltrate shoot/ mission over/ cinematic. That debate loses plenty of credibility fast as this game provides plenty of other options to keep yourself busy and away from monotonous dungeon clearing.… Expand
  5. ApfelGanja
    Dec 12, 2011
    8
    Skyrim is a great game, with a massive world, hundreds of side quests, and enough gameplay to keep you in front of your rig for a couple hundred hours at least! But I can't give this game a 10 or even a 9 due to the technical issues. The game is filled with bugs to the brim (and the occasional crash, although rare) and although Bethesda have promised us a patch, i haven't seen any patches.Skyrim is a great game, with a massive world, hundreds of side quests, and enough gameplay to keep you in front of your rig for a couple hundred hours at least! But I can't give this game a 10 or even a 9 due to the technical issues. The game is filled with bugs to the brim (and the occasional crash, although rare) and although Bethesda have promised us a patch, i haven't seen any patches. The menu is a console port, even an idiot can see that, and the gameplay does have some glitches and combat does get repetitive sometimes. But overall, I'm really enjoying this! I'm only level 27, but I've been to every town or city there is, and there's always plenty to do!… Expand
  6. Yllems
    Dec 14, 2011
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Truly, a joy to play. Skyrim has a lot of great points and bad points that just can't be ignored. The Great. At first, the leveling and skill tree changes kind of bothered me, but I grew to like the changes, it's a little bit more simplified over oblivion for the leveling, moving to just magicka/health/stamina but the skill trees give a lot of room for diversification. There is a ton to do, so much so, it's hard to know for sure if you've done everything in an area. I particularly like the choices that are presented in some of the quests, for example, when joining the brotherhood. I liked the addition of the shouts in the game, gave a lot of the casting abilities for those who choose not to be a mage. I thought it was a cool idea to move the stars from what you were born under to the stones and I loved how they got rid of the greater and lesser skills and can level everything equally. I loved the enchants, as overpowered as they are, there's still a certain joy in completely destroying your enemy with gear that you've made.

    The Bad: Holy bugs batman... I've been running the game on a top of the line system and get game crashes about every 30min-1hr and get weird graphical gliches as well (which seem to go hand in hand most of the time). I had a companion quest bug out on me because I had cleared out the dungeon while exploring that they were gonna send me to and had to use console commands to fix it after waiting a month in game. Also had a similar story trying to get the house in windhelm, had to use console commands for that one too (who knew you couldn't do brotherhood quests first?). While I like the skill trees, It's doesn't take long to figure out that most of the skills in those trees are worthless (anyone else notice how light armor fully perked is completely worthless when held up against heavy armor fully perked?) and I was surprised and disappointed how many of the top tier perks fell into the worthless category. I was a bit bothered that mages can run around in heavy armor without any penalties, truly, it makes no sense why the mages at the college are all wearing cloth. Playing through on master difficulty is still too easy with the crafting skills as they are, especially enchanting, which can and does completely invalidate magicka altogether (sucks to find that out halfway into the game as a mage after power leveling your magicka). I REALLY wanted at least one item, just one, to be better than something I could make myself. (wth is the point of doing all those shrines if they're all gonna be worse than what you've got?)

    All in all, I know it sounds like I didn't like the game, but after putting in over 240 hrs, I just can't say that I didn't love it. The reply value is high, the entertainment value is high, the story is riveting, I just ended up having to gimp myself and not use certain skills to make it harder. (Currently playing through only using thief stone skills +1hd on master)    … Expand
  7. Ormik
    Nov 18, 2011
    8
    I have one piece of advice for those considering this game on the PC. Find a decent UI mod, or get an xbox 360 controller hooked upto your PC and play it that way.

    Almost all of the menu screens DO NOT use a mouse interface, and simply have you arrow left or right to select items. This is insane. Anyone who has played these games knows that you don't have a hand anywhere near your arrow    I have one piece of advice for those considering this game on the PC. Find a decent UI mod, or get an xbox 360 controller hooked upto your PC and play it that way.

    Almost all of the menu screens DO NOT use a mouse interface, and simply have you arrow left or right to select items. This is insane. Anyone who has played these games knows that you don't have a hand anywhere near your arrow keys, do you? No. Mouse and WASD.

    That said, I was planning to play with a 360 controller anyway, and only fired up the game originally (sans controller) so see how it looked. I was happy to see that after plugging in the controller it instantly recognized it and mapped all of the buttons to the exact same layout as playing it on the xbox. This made life easier, but the default PC UI is still quite a disappointment.

    Other than that, it is an addictive game with a beautifully crafted world that sparks far more intrigue in me than the general plains/hills of TES: Oblivion.    … Expand
  8. elfelixg
    Nov 14, 2011
    8
    Out of 10:
    Graphics: 8 - not the very best, at times I feel they could have done better, I have a high end PC and even though it looks nice I wanted a longer draw distance. Sometimes up on the top of the mountains the surrounding lower areas go grey.
    Sound: 8 - music is superb. Overall sound is good. There are a few sound failures such as a dog just feet away from you sounding like its on    Out of 10:
    Graphics: 8 - not the very best, at times I feel they could have done better, I have a high end PC and even though it looks nice I wanted a longer draw distance. Sometimes up on the top of the mountains the surrounding lower areas go grey.

    Sound: 8 - music is superb. Overall sound is good. There are a few sound failures such as a dog just feet away from you sounding like its on the other side of a hill. Things like that take away from the overall experience which is still good. Some of the voice acting is fantastic, some others not.

    gameplay: 8 Free roaming is great, the 1 v 1 is ok. Glad you can get a 3rd person perspective sometimes. I wish blocking were a bit faster on the reaction time. By the time you see a swing starting on your enemy it is usually to late to react. Swinging any weapon has little else to do other than clicking the mouse button over and over. Animations of certain special kills are nice.

    Lasting appeal: 8.5 It is a single player game, but so far, I have been playing the hell out of it and I still have a ton more to do. Game feels like it will take a month to finish.    … Expand
  9. Picklez
    Nov 21, 2011
    8
    This is comming from someone whos played like 3 hours of the game. Although I can safely say ill will be playing at least another 10 without getting bored. Graphics look well maybe not astonishing, its no crysis although the effects for weather are quite nice to look at. If im gonna be honest character creation is good enough for me at least some more body shape and hairstyle options couldThis is comming from someone whos played like 3 hours of the game. Although I can safely say ill will be playing at least another 10 without getting bored. Graphics look well maybe not astonishing, its no crysis although the effects for weather are quite nice to look at. If im gonna be honest character creation is good enough for me at least some more body shape and hairstyle options could be lovely although i cannot ask for allot more. The gameplay itself is good fun. Walking tends to get annoying but its not too extreme and wont really throw you off. I wish the choice of weoponry was a little bit more broad (im talking about the first couple of hours) Gave it an 8 instead of a nine as it reminded me too much of Fallout.… Expand
  10. charl13dontsurf
    Nov 11, 2011
    8
    First the game is gorgeous, love the atmosphere of another TES game. However... my impressions are mixed between the love for the series and the potential - and how they mangled the menus and interface for the PC.

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

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

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

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

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

    In my opinion though, menus are pretty easy to change. The actually game plays well and the story captured my interest immediately. The crafting, harvesting and other elements are pretty well done. This is only a first impressions rating. I might have to buy it for PS3 or just hookup my PS3 controller to the PC in order for me to get beyond the cumbersome menu systems though. Looking forward to playing it more this weekend!    … Expand
  11. TinyTurdlet
    Nov 11, 2011
    8
    I am very happy with the outcome of this game. I can't say that it doesn't have issues that is why I gave it an 8 instead of a 9 or 10. The Visuals look quite good on my PC. Someone had said how it eats up their 8800 gtx. That's cause that is like 5 generations old video hardware. The game feels like a new experience. The dual-wielding is a concept that I've wanted to see and definatelyI am very happy with the outcome of this game. I can't say that it doesn't have issues that is why I gave it an 8 instead of a 9 or 10. The Visuals look quite good on my PC. Someone had said how it eats up their 8800 gtx. That's cause that is like 5 generations old video hardware. The game feels like a new experience. The dual-wielding is a concept that I've wanted to see and definately adds for a different dynamic.. The scenery is appropriate and pretty. I haven't run into any off-putting bugs at this time. The voice acting is quite the step up from Oblivion (70+ voice actors compared to TES IV's 12). The only major problem I have is that it is optimized for consoles. The interface, inventory, favorite items vs quick keys all felt cumbersome at first. I'm getting used to it, but I shouldn't be required to conform to what I can do with 5 buttons. The Elder Scrolls have previously been PC first games which made them incredibly enveloping when they came out. I've certainly had a couple Ooohh's and Ahhhh's in this but I can only imagine what it could have been if it were designed with the PC in mind first.… Expand
  12. Elsingo
    Nov 11, 2011
    8
    This game deserves an 8, it has good graphics, voice acting can now and then be realy horrible imo. Cant judge on the whole story but from what ive seen so far it has a solid story and fun combat.
  13. ineffable
    Nov 12, 2011
    8
    Perhaps it's a bit early for me to be writing a review (only played about 4 hours), but I'm gonna go ahead and call it - this game is really good. I'm not a huge Elder Scrolls fan - I found Oblivion to be boring. The landscape, the story, everything about it seemed like some half-assed Tolkien ripoff. This game displays more personality, has a landscape that is interesting and pretty (notPerhaps it's a bit early for me to be writing a review (only played about 4 hours), but I'm gonna go ahead and call it - this game is really good. I'm not a huge Elder Scrolls fan - I found Oblivion to be boring. The landscape, the story, everything about it seemed like some half-assed Tolkien ripoff. This game displays more personality, has a landscape that is interesting and pretty (not cut-and-paste woodlands), and shows improvement in almost all ways. It has flaws. The combat is a bit better than Oblivion (especially archery) but still feels stiff. The voice acting can be pretty wooden, and some (very little) of the dialogue has made me cringe. But it's well worth the money.

    And as for the people talking about what a buggy mess it is... well, it has a patch out. I patched it before playing and I have not had any graphical bugs or crashes. It's worked perfectly.    … Expand
  14. 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
  15. Verdan
    Apr 26, 2012
    8
    After i got this overhyped game, i had very high expectations. For me the graphics were very good, i was hoping the character i play to talk aswell and more choses in dialog´s. Story wise the game was letdown. General idea was awesome, but it took too long to get the general idea what is going on and side missions (Factions) gave cryptic ideals about their goals and how youAfter i got this overhyped game, i had very high expectations. For me the graphics were very good, i was hoping the character i play to talk aswell and more choses in dialog´s. Story wise the game was letdown. General idea was awesome, but it took too long to get the general idea what is going on and side missions (Factions) gave cryptic ideals about their goals and how you fit in em. Exploring the world and quick travels did make it simple, but you had feeling you are part of something huge. Sadly the main storyline was over pretty quickly and i lost interest doing side mission that led nowhere. Dragon fights were funny for a while, but then you are stuck just hoping the thing lands so you can keep going somewhere. Overall good game with awesome graphics (My standards).… Expand
  16. 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
  17. 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
  18. 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
  19. Zeusbot48
    Nov 14, 2011
    8
    A solid title offering beautiful, if inconsistent, graphics, tons and tons of content, a surprisingly fun combat system and fantastic storyline(s). However, the game is plagued by bugs and terrible AI. NPCs will walk into walls, get stuck, get in your way, and clip on stairs and terrain. The quest and item mangement interfaces could use some work too. You get one category for all theA solid title offering beautiful, if inconsistent, graphics, tons and tons of content, a surprisingly fun combat system and fantastic storyline(s). However, the game is plagued by bugs and terrible AI. NPCs will walk into walls, get stuck, get in your way, and clip on stairs and terrain. The quest and item mangement interfaces could use some work too. You get one category for all the quests that aren't part of the main storyline, and it will fill up with a daunting list of dozens of mix and match objectives, but very little useful info on where to go to complete them. If you zone out for a second during the dialogue (easy to do as you usually have to listen to someone drivel on for 5 minutes until they tell you where to go next) you are going to have to google it and pray. As for items, they are broken up into categories in your inventory, but when you put them in the storage chest in your house, they are no longer split up by category. Get used to scrolling through hundreds of items to find the Tiger Balls you need for that potion. The graphics are mostly magnificent, but I did find myself underwhelmed at times by areas that weren't as well polished. The game generally plays like Fallout 3, but with a much more satisfying and amusing combat system. Overall: if you can look past the bugs and minor quibbles (and you probably will) a magnificent RPG that will provide many many hours of entertainment.… Expand
  20. Arvelayne
    Nov 14, 2011
    8
    For reference I've played 22 hours this weekend, and am level 17.

    Graphics In some ways they are better then Oblivion (although I haven't finished my little comparison screenshot project yet), but I side with those who say that Bethseda have slacked here. I think the modelling is better, but the textures are somewhat lacking. I also think the spell effects look cracking. Sound    For reference I've played 22 hours this weekend, and am level 17.

    Graphics In some ways they are better then Oblivion (although I haven't finished my little comparison screenshot project yet), but I side with those who say that Bethseda have slacked here. I think the modelling is better, but the textures are somewhat lacking.

    I also think the spell effects look cracking.

    Sound and Music

    Because sound is so important in a game like this, I deliberately went out and bought myself new speakers (a set of Creative T10s). This is was a damn good move, and it made a huge difference.

    The music I've heard so far is good. There are, however, some issues with characters talking over one another during conversations.

    The voice acting is fine, although some accents are a bit comical. Because of the scale of the game it is impossible to have every single character individually voiced, but it's certainly a lot better than Oblivion.

    Interface

    I actually like the new system. It's certainly a lot more usable than Oblivion, although very buggy. Container crash anyone? I like the favourites system, but I still haven't worked on number key bindings yet. Bethseda have slacked and should have opened up keymapping so that people could go the whole hog though.

    One thing I would also like to see is the ability to create sets of items, which could be named and accessed from favourites.

    Levelling, Skills and Perks

    I like the new system for levelling. I tried playing Oblivion three times (yes THREE), always got lost trying to min/max my stats. Simple is better in this case.

    The perks system is straightforward, and the reduction in the number of skills helps.

    Combat

    Again better than Oblivion, although I do get lost easily in close melee. Strafing is god where you can get space, as is line of sight, especially against hard/multiple opponents. I agree that it feels a bit detached at times though.

    Some mobs are ridiculously OP in melee, and can one or two shot you no matter what you try. It means that you have to adjust your play style, and run away or sneak more. It's just annoying to have to bounce back to the last save.

    In the end if you really want to kill something that's hard, turn the difficulty down.

    Magic

    The magic system is the same sort of thing as before, a tried an tested formula, although I disagree that a lack of custom spells is a bad thing. It makes you think about what you're doing, rather than power levelling (see later).

    I haven't gotten to the more complex spells so it does all seem a little samey right now, but I suspect things will improve.

    Also someone complained about the simplicity of the spells in another review. What were you expecting? Magic rabbits firing rainbows at unicorns? Or a Summon Bridge spell? Crafting/Enchanting

    Seems like a good system, although I haven't had much experience of it. I like that you have to destroy items to get enchants, which is fairer than the spellcasting based Oblivion system.

    Quests

    In general it's the normal type of thing. You're usually sent to the far side of the map from where you are (at least for main quests), but then that just allows you more reason to explore. I haven't had any experience of the new random quest system yet, but in general no complaints.

    Exploring and Dungeons

    Lots to see, and I like the placing of stuff just in sight of something else (at least if you have a long view distance), so you're always running off to check something. Someone complained about the lack of mobs between places, but to be honest there are some that are just OP in melee (see above), so I'm glad of the rest. Dungeons are generally fine, and I like that you seemingly have to wait 30 days for them to respawn rather than 3, which is much more sensible than the 3 days in Oblivion. Summary and Fixes This is a good game. It's not perfect, and it needs some work to make it brilliant. Bethseda need to get the really big Bug Squasher (tm) out quickly to make sure that their audience gets the attention it deserves. Patch 1.2 had better be out by the end of the month at the very latest if they don't want to alienate people. That also goes for the graphics as well, although at least part of the blame should lie with AMD, who have slacked on getting Crossfire and performance drivers out. One up for NVidia, and a pity I don't have NVidia graphics cards. DLC is coming, but I don't know when. Right now I think Bethseda have at least till Xmas before people start to get gnarly, although you'll always have the hardcore that finish it in days. But then you could release new content every other day and they'd still be complaining about it not being fast enough. I believe that the overall score at present (8.5) is fair, as it would all kind of balance out. It would increase to a 9 or so if all the actually bad bits were fixed, or at least alleviated.    … Expand
  21. JimCorbett
    Jul 4, 2014
    8
    Although I don't think that Skyrim is worthy of the praise that most people bestow upon it, it certainly is one of the better RPGs that i've played. The sheer size and amount if content available is amazing. The gameplay is also fine, it's not great, but not bad either. Skyrim does however suffer from some serious problems. The way you level up is one of the biggest flaws I've found in theAlthough I don't think that Skyrim is worthy of the praise that most people bestow upon it, it certainly is one of the better RPGs that i've played. The sheer size and amount if content available is amazing. The gameplay is also fine, it's not great, but not bad either. Skyrim does however suffer from some serious problems. The way you level up is one of the biggest flaws I've found in the game. I get that they were trying to be unique and innovative, but it just doesn't work. You gain experience for your skills by using the thing associated it. For instance, you get levels in your One handed weapon skill tree by dealing damage with one handed weapons. Each time you level up with a skill, you get a little experience on the main counter. When this main counter fills, your character gains a level. This encourages you to use many different weapons and strategies but it's just not accurate nor fun. I've seen the game constantly described as "Story Rich" and as a fan of a good story, i was excited to try it out. Unfortunately the story and the story telling is just bad. There is absolutely nothing to get interested in and you won't care about the life of any of the NPCs at all (Other than your spouse and any adopted kids). There is also an insane amount of bugs and glitches still present in the game over 2 years later. It's a great game for RPG fans and medieval fans alike. Just don't expect the perfect game.… Expand
  22. BriTisH
    Nov 14, 2011
    8
    IM not a rpg guy got no were in oblivion but for some reason this game has me hooked , defiantly game of the year even with its random bugs pc performance is decent .
    grfxs are nice not amazing it has its good moments and its ehhh moments.
    Story .. i don't care i play games to do and see cool stuff skyrim delvers
  23. Rems
    Nov 16, 2011
    8
    Waited so long for this game, im happy to finaly have it. It looks too much like they made it out of fallout 3 but stil im glad to have it. Havent play much but im hoping for many hours of joy :)
  24. kjc001
    Nov 15, 2011
    8
    It's not perfect, but it's close. I'd actually go 8.5 even. I'd like to see more skills, I particularily miss acrobatics. Some staff melee couldn't hurt either. With all that you can interact with in the game, I was a little disappointed I couldn't use the boat to cross the lake as well. I'm over that, though. Maybe in the next title. ha
  25. UNOCK
    Nov 15, 2011
    8
    A great game by all standards, but struggling with allot of flaws. The Elder Scrolls universe only grows with Skyrim, and it's great storytelling. Like it's predecessors, there is so much more than the main storyline to experience. There's a world to explore, and something that is waiting to happen around every bend, and over every hill. However, the game struggles in some areas.A great game by all standards, but struggling with allot of flaws. The Elder Scrolls universe only grows with Skyrim, and it's great storytelling. Like it's predecessors, there is so much more than the main storyline to experience. There's a world to explore, and something that is waiting to happen around every bend, and over every hill. However, the game struggles in some areas. Explanations for how certain stories got to end up in skyrim are lacking, and feels like they were put there for a convenient link to the past games, rather than as a new and thrilling story for you. The game also struggles from several techincall problems. Quests that can't be completed, and things flying left and right because you brushed past them. Still, this game is definitely the RPG of the year, and after 30 hours of gameplay, I've barely scratched the surface of the games full potential. Some patches, and this game will be a solid game, that can be enjoyed for years yet.… Expand
  26. randombanana
    Nov 15, 2011
    8
    I wish i could give this game the 10 it deservesl The problem is that an awesome concept is hold back by the same thing that hold back oblivion. And i refuse to give it more credit as its predecessor when it has not improved on these basic things. This is why i will take on all the bad parts first. I am talking about game breaking bugs (found at least 1 in the main quest), dragons flyingI wish i could give this game the 10 it deservesl The problem is that an awesome concept is hold back by the same thing that hold back oblivion. And i refuse to give it more credit as its predecessor when it has not improved on these basic things. This is why i will take on all the bad parts first. I am talking about game breaking bugs (found at least 1 in the main quest), dragons flying through solid mountains, NPC's floating around and way more. Then there also is the console designed menu thats horrendous on PC, slow loading textures and generally pretty bad texture work from up close. But now the good part. The game may have some bad textures from up close but the environment is beautifull, you will be stunned by all the amazing views this game has to offer. There is an insane amount of fun to be had while not even following the main story and i think this counterweights all the bad parts of this game. Dragonfighting is **** awesome and most of the times there will be some epic situation like finding a blood dragon attacking a village of enemies and another dragon joining in on the fun. I personally like the dragon shout system although i find it hard to find a good use for some of the shouts like frost breath that does allmost no damage but has a long cooldown. all in all good game but if you plan on buying it wait till it got some bug fixes by bethesda or the community.… Expand
  27. holtafd
    Nov 15, 2011
    8
    The PC version of Skyrim is no doubt on of the most beautiful and sprawling worlds ever imagined. The game is so open in class development and how the player can interact with the world. However there are many problems with the user interface that prevent this game from true greatness. This game, is perfect for any RPG fans as it has been in the past.
  28. TheSleeve
    Nov 15, 2011
    8
    There are several shortcomings in Skyrim that keep it from reaching its full potential. First, the UI... It is painfully obvious that this game was designed to target the X360, and the PC version suffers as a result with a clunky user interface. Second, AI issues... I have played through the intro sequence only twice, and the second time through, there was a serious bug where my ally frozeThere are several shortcomings in Skyrim that keep it from reaching its full potential. First, the UI... It is painfully obvious that this game was designed to target the X360, and the PC version suffers as a result with a clunky user interface. Second, AI issues... I have played through the intro sequence only twice, and the second time through, there was a serious bug where my ally froze in place and left me to fend for myself. Third, the controls... It seems that very little care or caution was put into the PC control scheme, with awkward keyboard-only navigation of some menus, and Y-axis mouse sensitivity that scales with frame rate. - [][] - These three shortcomings aside, Skyrim excels in just about every thing it sets out to do. The main plot line is NOT the main attraction here. Skyrim is truly the spiritual successor to earlier games in the series such as Daggerfall, in the sense that it lets you simply exist in another world. Bethesda has created a virtual space for us to explore, experiment with, and spend time in, and it excels at keeping us entertained. - [][] - The character advancement system is interesting to explore, and the perks you can obtain are very satisfying. This system allows you to craft a unique set of skills for your character, and prevents you from simply from becoming all-powerful. - [][] - The difficulty scaling is implemented far better than it was in Oblivion. Everywhere you go, you get a sense that there are real threats to your safety, which keeps you in a constant state of alert. The perks, on the other hand, still give you a satisfying feeling that your character is constantly progressing. As a result, there is absolutely no reason to feel the need to level grind. I recommend playing the game on the hardest difficulty for maximum satisfaction. It's kind of like Left 4 Dead in that regard... playing on anything less than Expert is just boring... - [][] - I would like to give Skyrim a higher rating, but its shortcomings are difficult to forgive, especially considering how long this game has been in development. A great game, yes, but I kind of feel like PC gamers got the shaft, big time. I will therefore give it an 8.… Expand
  29. OmeNu
    Nov 15, 2011
    8
    i dub thee 8 out of 10. why because it has so much greatness with no eyefinity/surround support. and glitches galore. but it sure is a darn fun game

    come on Bethesda works. even Oblivion worked well with triple monitor. on a side note. how much better would it of been if you added directX11 tessellation. them rocks and dragons would look INSANE!
  30. Hazard
    Nov 22, 2011
    8
    Skyrim is an excellent game and probably one of the best of the year. It has fun and addictive game play beautiful scenery and graphics fun and rewarding quest lines and it has improved in leaps and bounds upon its already legendary predecessors. 

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

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

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

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

    Overall I recommend the purchase of the game. If you can wait try to get it on discount and if you have a decent PC get it on that platform.  TES series has a wonderful modding community and I hope many of the issues I have raised will eventually get fixed in patches or by the modders.     … Expand
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Awards & Rankings

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

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
94

Universal acclaim - based on 32 Critic Reviews

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