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. ZetignaGaming
    May 9, 2012
    7
    This is one beautiful game. Its hard to argue that the graphics are dull or uninspiring, because you would be lying. However, even though The Elder Scrolls series are hard to beat and even harder to come by on epicness, I will say that this one disappointed. Clearly, they spent a lot of time trying to make a beautiful game, but its depth is about a deep as a puddle of water. If I am thisThis is one beautiful game. Its hard to argue that the graphics are dull or uninspiring, because you would be lying. However, even though The Elder Scrolls series are hard to beat and even harder to come by on epicness, I will say that this one disappointed. Clearly, they spent a lot of time trying to make a beautiful game, but its depth is about a deep as a puddle of water. If I am this all powerful, god like warrior, I should be treated like one. You will find that you will complete missions, save an entire town or city from complete doom and your reward is that you get to buy a house in the town. Hell if I didn't save it you wouldn't have one. I should be KING! The scale in which your importance in this world feels just wrong. You spend most of the time taking on much of the world by yourself and doing what most armies can't. The rewards for being so amazing are something that should have more meaning. Being a puppet when I could clearly kill the quest giver is none to pleasing. Best example I can give is also a spoiler. If you help the stormcloaks win the war and take over Skyrim all you get is a cheap sword that does Nothing! Nuff said....… Expand
  2. Paraeon
    May 2, 2015
    10
    Update: thanks Valve and Bethesda for removing paid mods. :)
    Skyrim is one of the best RPGs ever made (when mods are used). Cannot wait for the next TES game.
  3. DogFacedGod
    Mar 16, 2013
    7
    The series improved the melee combat system but retained lots of the flaws from oblivion. Using magic is no fun in this game, the main story isnt just that interesting, stealth feels broken because of dumb npc's, your actions dont have that much influence in the game world. Interface is an insult to PC gamers. Every dungeon looks the same and many more flaws.

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

    It still is a fun sandbox-RPG world to explore with splendid visuals, and a more raw, realistic feeling environment. And the mod support is incredible.    … Expand
  4. Ramanujan
    Feb 19, 2012
    6
    Pretty much the first thing I did after getting to Riverwood was the Bleak Falls Barrow quest. I did it all in one go and, very sadly, it was by far the most entertaining dungeon I did in the whole game. I had to scavenge for healing potions, I had to use my special power quite a lot (Redguard) , had to kill a few Draugr by leading them through traps and had to reload the final fight inPretty much the first thing I did after getting to Riverwood was the Bleak Falls Barrow quest. I did it all in one go and, very sadly, it was by far the most entertaining dungeon I did in the whole game. I had to scavenge for healing potions, I had to use my special power quite a lot (Redguard) , had to kill a few Draugr by leading them through traps and had to reload the final fight in there a couple of times. Good stuff. Then I got into crafting (good) and alchemy (same old thing but more boring) . Did a few quests which I would describe as moderately hard. After that it was all too easy. Still, there were plenty of places to visit and people to see or were they the same 6 people? The same 6 that had just quaffed a very potent elixir of drain personality? Eventually it felt like Bethesda had forced a potion of damage motivation on me. Why should I keep going? To spend hours in a huge dark cavern looking for plants? No thanks. To scour repetitive dungeons and houses looking for unusual gems. I'll give it a miss. To do virtually the same quests over and over again? NO. Wait, I can get some better alchemy equipment. No. Better gear? No, you're level 35 and you won't find any better stuff. I can rise through the ranks of the theives' guild and steal some outrageous things. Errr.......no. Maybe I could have an amusing chance encounter? Maybe not. Maybe the giants have some other purpose rather than to get my armour skill up and I can find out what it is? Don't think so. Well, there's that high level perk for such and such skill that will really help me when I want to do such and such. Yes, and that would be which one exactly?
    Seriously I have never played a game that left me so bereft of motivation in such a short space of time. The final battle of the main quest was over before it began and afterwards I swapped from two-handed and heavy armour to one-handed and light armour. Even then, with no perks in either, I still could take out the toughest enemies without any trouble. Just took a bit longer and I chugged a couple of healing potions in the process. Right, I've even become demotivated writing about this game. It delivers on a few superficial levels, but deep down it's very shallow indeed. I'm left wondering if it is even possible to make the whole Elder Scrolls experience more bland and anodyne than this. Let's hope not.    … Expand
  5. Baenlynn
    Feb 28, 2012
    6
    You can look but you can't touch...

    I will get this out of the way right now: Skyrim is an awesome game with a breathtaking scope and an ambitious storyline with a few foreshadowing elements in its main plot (perhaps Bethesda is working up to throwing ITS lit match at WoW?) However in many respects, Skyrim doesn't actually understand that it is a GAME, or even that it is telling a story.    You can look but you can't touch...

    I will get this out of the way right now: Skyrim is an awesome game with a breathtaking scope and an ambitious storyline with a few foreshadowing elements in its main plot (perhaps Bethesda is working up to throwing ITS lit match at WoW?)

    However in many respects, Skyrim doesn't actually understand that it is a GAME, or even that it is telling a story. To be fair however, Bethesda have always suffered from this disease to varying degrees but this is possibly the most-jarring instance of it that I've seen from them.

    To clarify what I'm talking about: in your average game (and 99% of the memorable, engaging stories in the world) there is a sense of arc, of progression, as the plot unfolds. Characters evolve, personalities and relationships change, and at the end of the story, the state of things is changed (however subtle). With Skyrim however one gets the sense that the world is simply a matte painting into which the plot elements are tacked on. The dynamism of that place is completely invulnerable to our presence as the protagonist which makes all those positives about plot and characters and depth ring hollow. One gets the sense that the game doesn't need us and that robs even the supposedly most engaging moments of the game of any sense of reality. For example: The main side-quest in Markarth.

    After a while, when the shine has worn off the game, that's all Skyrim has left to offer: An uncomfortable sense that it is tolerating your presence even though it feels you are sullying its pristine vision of Tamriel.    … Expand
  6. moholdt
    Dec 2, 2011
    10
    I'd never imagine myself enjoying a 1st person role-playing game but with all the hype I decided to give it a shot. From the very start I got completely hooked. I haven't finished it yet, and I got the feeling I'm not even close and I've spent 100 hours (I take my precious time enjoying every pixel of every scenery).

    I've been reading some complaints though about bugs and things not    I'd never imagine myself enjoying a 1st person role-playing game but with all the hype I decided to give it a shot. From the very start I got completely hooked. I haven't finished it yet, and I got the feeling I'm not even close and I've spent 100 hours (I take my precious time enjoying every pixel of every scenery).

    I've been reading some complaints though about bugs and things not working and I'm really curious about what these bugs might be that make people so angry. The bugs I've encountered are minor and the fact that this game is so immensly huge I really don't care about them. I'd rather have a huge world to explore with some random bugs than a tiny little excuse of a "Story Mode" which is flawless.

    Recently alot of new exciting games have been released but so far none can match the gametime, depth and experience Skyrim can offer. I have no idea when I'm gonna complete the game but I don't think it will be any time soon. And after I do finish the game, I'm gonna have another go at it. This time playing another role.

    I actually created an account on metacritic just to write this review because I think Bethesda deserves the feedback. If this is the new standard for how future game should be like, then we do indeed have a bright future ahead of us. I can only imagine the amount of hours and efforts put into making such a huge universe. If anyone praticipating in creating this game is reading this review, well I would like to say thank you so much for making me feel there's still hope in the gaming industry.    … Expand
  7. HappyWolfie
    Dec 15, 2011
    5
    Skyrim is not really an RPG game. It is adventure-quest game. RPG system is so simplified event retarded children can master it. When i played the game, character race were mentioned only once or twice, and had absolutely no effect on gameplay. Story is nice but most quests very linear and lack choices.
  8. mikhaila
    Dec 18, 2011
    6
    I enjoyed the game and completed a lot of quests but it just lost that great feeling after about 3 hours. I will still play it and enjoy it for many weeks to come but it's just not the same anymore and seems to be worse then Fallout 3. I think Fallout 3 was better.
  9. PrincessSunny
    Dec 26, 2011
    6
    As somebody who didn't really play Oblivion, this game started out as very impressive. However, after having put a lot of time into the game, the flaws start to build up. The graphics are indeed very impressive and detailed. Facial expressions are somewhat limited but this is more than made up by the beautiful scenery. Voice acting is relatively high quality though not in abundance - itsAs somebody who didn't really play Oblivion, this game started out as very impressive. However, after having put a lot of time into the game, the flaws start to build up. The graphics are indeed very impressive and detailed. Facial expressions are somewhat limited but this is more than made up by the beautiful scenery. Voice acting is relatively high quality though not in abundance - its kind of annoying talking to someone with the exact same voice as somebody in the last town. Combat is fun though it doesn't have much depth. I enjoyed it as far as hack-and-slack goes but due to the 2-ability only gameplay, and the clunky way to change your active abilities, I found that spells and strategy became a bit pointless. Additionally, the game is relatively easy and no strategy other than 'hit them hard' was really needed. In any of the more difficult fights you simply paused the game and spammed healing potions... While the game was immersive graphically-wise and the storyline is fine in most places, the quests are typically boring. I found the thieves guild extremely fun, but otherwise I found that you just went somewhere to kill someone or get an item from the back of a cannon-fodder filled cave (with exceptions of course). I did not find the atmosphere or characters to be deep, comparing it with games like Dragon Age, the characters were often very NPC-like with little back story or personality. While big cities were usually fine the smaller ones lacked characters and for example, there is virtually no one in the smaller inns except a bard and an innkeeper. Lastly, there are, as stated often, quite a few bugs with the game. Throughout my whole playthrough I found myself without a companion because my first one had bugged and nobody else would join me because the game seemed to think I still had my first one. Not that most games are without their bugs, all of these issues seem to ring loudly because of how over-hyped the game has been. While this review does seem critical, the game is definately fairly good and gave me a lot of hours of gameplay.… Expand
  10. Pootah
    Jun 26, 2012
    7
    Certainly a step up from a Oblivion; Skyrim fixes a lot of the problems of its predecessor. Menus and other UI elements have been streamlined; stats have been removed and replaced with perks, allowing for greater control over your character's progression. Level scaling has been reduced to be more like Fallout 3's, so levelling up is actually useful, where in Oblivion it only made the gameCertainly a step up from a Oblivion; Skyrim fixes a lot of the problems of its predecessor. Menus and other UI elements have been streamlined; stats have been removed and replaced with perks, allowing for greater control over your character's progression. Level scaling has been reduced to be more like Fallout 3's, so levelling up is actually useful, where in Oblivion it only made the game harder. Graphics are inevitably superior, although remain mediocre comparative to other games of recent years. As with every Bethesda game, Skyrim can be lot of fun so long as you don't think about it too hard; after a while you start wondering those niggling little questions like "how are these torches still burning when this dungeon has apparently remained untouched for thousands of years?" Or "how can I make a 30-pound suit of armour out of 5 1-pound metal ingots?" or "How the hell did so many bugs slip past QA? Seriously, there's a pile of rubble just floating 2 feet off the floor there." Skyrim's map is also slightly larger than Oblivion's, but it suffers from exactly the same problems: while the scale of the game may be impressive, quality is more important than quantity. I don't care about having virtually infinite quests to complete spread across more dungeons than you can count when nearly all of them are boring fetch quests or similar and every dungeon is just copy+paste of one of four other dungeons. Having dozens of towns sounds impressive, up until you realise that the alleged capital of Skyrim literally only has 9 houses in it. The most disappointing failure of scale is the characters: there must be thousands of them, but there's not one personality between them (and only maybe 20 VAs as well). The main narrative is unimaginably bland; centreing around a civil war in the eponymous province. Predictably, the player can choose which faction to join, but joining either side results in identical quests with the names switched round. Combat is similarly broken: since increasing your magic skill only reduces the amount of mana used (and you can't make your own spells any more), fights consist of either one-shotting enemies with sneak attacks with a bow or mashing the attack button in melee until the red bar is empty (the block skill is even more worthless than it was in Oblivion). As previously mentioned, even after a slew of official patches, bugs are a constant feature, whether it's quests failing to activate or merely items falling through the shelves they've been placed on, leaving modders to actually complete the game.… Expand
  11. Nikkistix686
    Mar 17, 2012
    6
    The game looks great, plays amazing. But we've already done all these same things before. I wanted to get a new RPG that played like something completely new, not just Oblivion with new maps, I just expected much more things to be added in. Mounted combat ect... Other hand, If you want a new game to spam mods for this might be for you.
  12. AlfaCorax
    Jun 15, 2012
    5
    I will describe Skyrim as "a world full of nothing".
    I love the landscape and I like the artistic direction of the "game", but it kind of stops there.
    After many many hours in the world of Skyrim I have given up. I have realized that it will not get more meaningful further on. Everything I do in the game feels pointless and effects the world almost nothing. That the game shipped as a    I will describe Skyrim as "a world full of nothing".
    I love the landscape and I like the artistic direction of the "game", but it kind of stops there.
    After many many hours in the world of Skyrim I have given up. I have realized that it will not get more meaningful further on. Everything I do in the game feels pointless and effects the world almost nothing. That the game shipped as a console port with all the limitations that brings is one thing that have been made better with mods, but even that cannot change the empty feeling I get from this extremely shallow game.    … Expand
  13. Mareus
    Aug 7, 2014
    4
    With the recent news of layoffs and restructuring, the big sites such as IGN are now officially in trouble and they have only themselves to blame. With games like Skyrim getting an average of 94 (a near perfect score), one has to wonder about the quality of journalism on these sites. Do not get me wrong, there is a lot to like about Skyrim and the game certainly does not deserve a 0/10,With the recent news of layoffs and restructuring, the big sites such as IGN are now officially in trouble and they have only themselves to blame. With games like Skyrim getting an average of 94 (a near perfect score), one has to wonder about the quality of journalism on these sites. Do not get me wrong, there is a lot to like about Skyrim and the game certainly does not deserve a 0/10, but there is also a lot to complain about and thus equally people that give the game 10/10 are devoid of critical thought and even the most basic understanding of good game design.

    Of course people have different tastes and they use 1 to 10 scale differently, but even a complete imbecile can see the flaws Skyrim has. The game is buggy, unoptimised with annoying graphical and gameplay glitches, horrible AI and even worse UI. But I won't even go into the technical stuff, because even if the game was as smooth as heaven itself, it still manages to fall short just based on game design decisions from Bethesda.

    1. The story is lackluster and unoriginal. You are the chosen one and have to kill the big evil monster that wants to destroy the world. Yawn.. how original.
    2. The dialogues are horrible. Most NPCs have 2 or 3 lines with some important characters a few lines more. But my main gripe is that these characters are completely devoid of any personality or uniqueness - the fact which is even more obvious due to horrible voice acting where a couple of voice actors use the same voice for hundreds of different NPCs - thus completely breaking the immersion which Skyrim clearly strives for. Beyond a couple of jokes here and there, some vary basic background to their character, there is literally nothing memorable about any of them.
    3. Quests are linear and boring. This is probably my biggest problem with Skyrim. Vast, vast majority of quests are MMO quality. For those of you who never played any MMO, MMO quality of quests boils down to this simple formula: go to X, talk to or kill Y, fetch Z and come back or deliver it to some other character, which will send you on another quest with the exactly same formula. Occasionally you will have an escort quest, or a "big battle", but that is pretty much it. This fact is even more painful due to annoying and lazy quest markers which literally hand hold you to every place, every item, every NPC that you are supposed to find, so there is nothing for you to work out for yourself.
    4. Level scaling. Although level scaling is not as horrible as it was in Oblivion, it is still there, leaving the player feeling like the whole world is turning around him and resulting in the diminished sense of progression.
    5. Loot scaling is a horrible idea. There is no sense of progression when the loot is scaled to your level. No matter where you go, you will never experience that magical moment when you find an amazing piece of equipment.
    6. Geographical design is horrible. Its just too easy to navigate even if you install a mod to remove the quest marker. Forget about feeling lost in a huge world. The design is so simple even a 6 year old can find his way around. Basically you have 1 big town in the middle, and then a road that goes around it connecting other towns. Everything is close to that road and that makes the world feel much smaller than it could have been.

    I could go on with dumb AI of your followers, unkillable NPCs, dumb down puzzles which all boil down to matching symbols that lie right in front of your face, etc... but this will suffice. Skyrim is a below average RPG in everything but its size. Combat is decent, graphic, sound and music are very good, the game a has good and interesting lore, and dragons look and act like real dragons (even though they are a bit too easy to kill).    … Expand
  14. iansarmy1
    Jul 8, 2014
    6
    Skyrim is a great game that I have spent countless hours in. Bethesda succeeded in crafting the most beautiful and vibrant open world ever, with rich and varied settings and a deep lore. However they took 2 steps forward and one back compared to Oblivion and Fallout 3/New Vegas. Quest lines are linear, offer absolutely no choices and involve mostly talking to NPC A, going to dungeon B,Skyrim is a great game that I have spent countless hours in. Bethesda succeeded in crafting the most beautiful and vibrant open world ever, with rich and varied settings and a deep lore. However they took 2 steps forward and one back compared to Oblivion and Fallout 3/New Vegas. Quest lines are linear, offer absolutely no choices and involve mostly talking to NPC A, going to dungeon B, killing everything inside, retrieving item C and then going back to NPC A. The game is also littered with bland and static characters who are never influenced by or acknowledge your actions. Most are only good for one of two lines of dialogue. There are very few if any memorable characters, just legions of AI controlled cut outs going about there business. The story falls flat because you never feel connected to the world or that anything is particular at stake. Its a shame because technically Skyrim far outshines its predecessors, and its story and character problems could have been easily solved with some additional writing and voice acting.… Expand
  15. foresterLV
    Jan 1, 2012
    5
    They said combat system will be imroved but it is still years behind games like WoW. It is very unpolished and retarded, especially if you try using magic and dual-weild. You need to constantly open equipment or favirotes menu to switch between weapons and spells because hotkeys are FUBAR. Stupid blocking animations (adding delays to weapon switching etc) make situation even worse.

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

    I was not able to get good feeling of Nords (there are MMO games with better atmosphere and music), random dungeons are still copy & paste (and waste of time, don't do dungeons!), quests seems to be weak and flat (nothing like New Vegas), and why they introduced random or repeatable quests in single player game is beyond my understanding! Like someone will do stupid repeatable quests in single player game for the pure sake of 700 gold, LOL! I would recommend New Vegas much more then this.    … Expand
  16. TheFPSage
    Dec 20, 2011
    8
    I thoroughly enjoyed the game, despite any flaws it has. The biggest problems were the lack of diversity when playing as different races (ie, Altmer not treated any differently than an Orc, other than being called "Orc" rather than "Elf" by NPCs). Another problem was the repetition in the questions, which seemed to be mostly made up of Got to X Cave, retrieve/slay Y. Additionally, the mainI thoroughly enjoyed the game, despite any flaws it has. The biggest problems were the lack of diversity when playing as different races (ie, Altmer not treated any differently than an Orc, other than being called "Orc" rather than "Elf" by NPCs). Another problem was the repetition in the questions, which seemed to be mostly made up of Got to X Cave, retrieve/slay Y. Additionally, the main quest seems to be halfarsed towards the end and you will be disappointed by the ending. By this point in the series, I expect this sort of stuff, though it would have been nice if they had gone a bit beyond.… Expand
  17. f0lly
    Dec 2, 2011
    10
    GOTY...no doubt. So much to see and do. Engaging quests. Well polished game on release, with only the most minor of glitches (compare this to TW2 and the abomination that was Rage). I am 37 hours in and feel like I have only scratched the surface; I reckon I'll get an easy 200 hrs of quality gaming out of this. I will say it again; GOTY without a doubt.
  18. Scipiiouse
    Apr 27, 2015
    0
    So Bethesda and Valve get together around a table.

    They realise that Bethesda games are decent, but they're not amazing. They see that what makes their games so popular are the mods. Not content to celebrate the contributions modders have made Skyrim's incredibly long life (it's four years old and it's still one of Steam's most popular games), they decide to make a swift buck.    So Bethesda and Valve get together around a table.

    They realise that Bethesda games are decent, but they're not amazing. They see that what makes their games so popular are the mods.

    Not content to celebrate the contributions modders have made Skyrim's incredibly long life (it's four years old and it's still one of Steam's most popular games), they decide to make a swift buck.

    Nobody should be in support of paid mods.

    The modders get a terrible deal and the players get a terrible deal.

    The only people making real money here are Valve and Bethesda.    … Expand
  19. 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
  20. Legitopinion
    Nov 14, 2011
    10
    A lot of these reviews contain complaints about the UI. Don't get stuck on small issues like this. Ya its built for consoles but despite that, this game is great. The graphics are not the best, especially after we all played BF3, however the actual world is stunning and beautiful. I like all the new combat mechanics seen in this game. I don't think I will ever get tired of sneaking up onA lot of these reviews contain complaints about the UI. Don't get stuck on small issues like this. Ya its built for consoles but despite that, this game is great. The graphics are not the best, especially after we all played BF3, however the actual world is stunning and beautiful. I like all the new combat mechanics seen in this game. I don't think I will ever get tired of sneaking up on someone and slitting their throat. The quest literally go on forever. The world is huge. You have complete power on how you experience this game. That is why skyrim is a great game. Yes there are some glitches but I don't those into account when reviewing games anymore unless they are game breaking. What release doesn't have glitches anyway? All in all if you like rpg's and you like to play the game your own way then buy this game! The content is massive, the detail is nothing short of amazing, and the experiences are just plain fun. Definitely my choice for game of the year.… Expand
  21. YellowBelly
    Nov 15, 2011
    10
    In my opinion this is the best game of the series of scrolls. Graphics up to date. Huge options for the main character. I hope for large-scale additions.
  22. Mal81
    Nov 18, 2011
    10
    This is the first Elder Scroll game I have played, and I regret that I haven't dipped in before. I have been in love with this game since the moment i walked into it's beautiful world. I have no past bias, no delusions that this game doesn't have rough edges. There are bugs, some funny, some ugly, but the sheer wonder and joy inherent in the game are excellent. After years of playingThis is the first Elder Scroll game I have played, and I regret that I haven't dipped in before. I have been in love with this game since the moment i walked into it's beautiful world. I have no past bias, no delusions that this game doesn't have rough edges. There are bugs, some funny, some ugly, but the sheer wonder and joy inherent in the game are excellent. After years of playing MMOs and Linear storyline type games, this open ended rpg has won a special place in my heart.… Expand
  23. Strange_New_Day
    Nov 18, 2011
    10
    More and more modern games sacrifice content for graphics, Betheseda's Skyrim is fortunately not one of them. Skyrim is a massive, multifaceted world that really pushes the strengths of previous Elder Scrolls games. The quests are a step above what we have seen before, the world aesthetics are beautiful though the graphics do bennifit from the latest mods that are available. TheMore and more modern games sacrifice content for graphics, Betheseda's Skyrim is fortunately not one of them. Skyrim is a massive, multifaceted world that really pushes the strengths of previous Elder Scrolls games. The quests are a step above what we have seen before, the world aesthetics are beautiful though the graphics do bennifit from the latest mods that are available. The ambient noises blend well with the over arching music themes and character noises. The lighting and sound mesh together in dungeons to really give the gamer a feeling of danger. Whilst Skyrim offers an unprecedented sandbox style fantasy world rpg, possibly unrivaled in the modern genre it isn't all a bed of rose petals. The interface for the PC is atrocious. Bugs abound all over the game. The game is pathetically easy and whilst the world is stunning and the cities gorgeous, the larger cities feel like they consist of a handful of houses consisting of barely a handful of people. The writing fails at times and could of used a bit more work. This is an excellent game but through silly mistakes, glitches and the heavy handed UI console port I cannot see how it could be rated above an 8 out of 10. Skyrim is desperately in need of the upcoming mods the PC community will put together.… Expand
  24. Mohobie
    Nov 18, 2011
    10
    Open world, free to be explored with many hidden "gems" to find. The story is both engaging and direct for those seeking a more linier path to "completing" this game. However for most of us the game will literally have no ending. It has the bonus of an unending(litteraly) supply of quests for those who want them. It's vast, and it's options are even more so. Anyone who gives this gameOpen world, free to be explored with many hidden "gems" to find. The story is both engaging and direct for those seeking a more linier path to "completing" this game. However for most of us the game will literally have no ending. It has the bonus of an unending(litteraly) supply of quests for those who want them. It's vast, and it's options are even more so. Anyone who gives this game a low rating would likely be doing so because the game is not an MMO. It is a single player game plain and simple. Impressive grafix and a mostly intuative control system allow users to jump right in and begin their journey. This game becomes what you want of it. Desire a life of bravery and justice for all... you can make it so... Want to pinch the pocket of every noble you can find...go ahead.
    There really is no wrong way to play skyrim other then to not play it at all ;) If you want todo it then you can. Ok spent to much time here... I'm going back to being the archmage! ;)    … Expand
  25. misfireRM
    Nov 19, 2011
    10
    Game of the Year for the next few years -- this game is simply outstanding. As for the 100+ negative reviews... even if my wife divorced me, my kids hated me, I got fired from work and my dog peed on my laptop, I could not imagine being in such a deranged state of mind to as to give this game a "0" rating. For those of you who have experienced the issue of flickering shadows/sunlight,Game of the Year for the next few years -- this game is simply outstanding. As for the 100+ negative reviews... even if my wife divorced me, my kids hated me, I got fired from work and my dog peed on my laptop, I could not imagine being in such a deranged state of mind to as to give this game a "0" rating. For those of you who have experienced the issue of flickering shadows/sunlight, upgrading to the latest version of graphics drivers (nvidia) did the trick for me.… Expand
  26. Renkoku
    Nov 21, 2011
    8
    The latest installment of the The Elder Scrolls saga is amazing. I have already clocked in over 80 hours in the game, and I have enjoyed every second of it. Well, mostly.

    The game starts off very strong, and yet slow. I did not like being unable to control anything with my character for a while. But after you get control, the game really picks up. The game definitely shows a    The latest installment of the The Elder Scrolls saga is amazing. I have already clocked in over 80 hours in the game, and I have enjoyed every second of it. Well, mostly.

    The game starts off very strong, and yet slow. I did not like being unable to control anything with my character for a while. But after you get control, the game really picks up. The game definitely shows a collaboration of everything Bethesda has implemented into their other releases over the years. Some of these things improve the game, yet some hinder it. The shear amount of player choice is amazing. I feel like I've barely scratched the surface of the game, even after completing several guilds and most of the main story.

    However, I feel like the guild quest chains are too short. While most of the quests were fun, I didn't feel as accomplished with the guild's completion as I had in Oblivion. And the minor objectives given at the end of a guild feel repetitive.

    The game looks great. The more neutral color tones work well with the rest of the game. Though, there have been several times where my frame rate suddenly drops and lags, or various textures don't render correctly and I'm left looking at a shiny variation or a pure white base model. Not to mention the countless times that the game shuts itself off on me. I am hoping that those issues are fixed in the upcoming patch.

    I have fun with this game. It is a good way to waste away hours in a blink of an eye. Although I love the game to death right now, I don't feel like it's worth a 10 rating. It's great, but not the overall best. Hopefully once more of the bugs have been fixed or the expansions and modding community add more to the game, it will become a game that deserves a perfect score.    … Expand
  27. Kirsteek
    Nov 24, 2011
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I play a lot of RPG games and this had to be the best of them all. You start the game and within 5 minutes, a dragon appears. The story line is brilliant. The amount of quests you can do without storyline is immaculate. The map size is incredible and the expanse of places you can explore is unbelievable. I've started my second save to explore the other side of Skyrim. For anyone thinking of buying this game, do it and enjoy.… Expand
  28. nowandever29
    Nov 25, 2011
    10
    Skyim, put simply, is a fantastic game, worthy of the undivided attention of any fan of role playing games. It is deep, well written and acted, well designed and beautiful. The game does have the occasional bug, and the characters still look fairly creepy, but those are quibbles - this is the best video game this year, and continually surprises. Honestly. thank you, Bethesda!
  29. Mcad
    Nov 26, 2011
    10
    Simply great game, can't fault it. Graphics look great, it plays well and the story is interesting and follows on from the 2 previous great games. Don't think bethsda has made a bad game yet.
  30. Grimloon
    Nov 27, 2011
    9
    It's not Oblivion, it certainly isn't Morrowind. Good fun though! This game is probably the most approachable Elder Scrolls game so far but it has to make sacrifices to be that. [Insert generic anti console rant here]. It's made anti RPG players pure fanatics for the genre by restricting the options. The ones that are left are glorious, just not as great as some of us are used to.
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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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