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. Sephet
    Mar 24, 2014
    5
    One of the most compelling RPGs I've played in a long time, Skyrim presents players with all they could ask in this genre: good story, wonderful graphics and ambience, immersive and non-repetitive quests, beautiful and diversified environments, attractive game mechanics (casting spells has never been so fun) and a highly appealing theme (vikings and dragons can't go wrong). I must admitOne of the most compelling RPGs I've played in a long time, Skyrim presents players with all they could ask in this genre: good story, wonderful graphics and ambience, immersive and non-repetitive quests, beautiful and diversified environments, attractive game mechanics (casting spells has never been so fun) and a highly appealing theme (vikings and dragons can't go wrong). I must admit it's hard to stop playing, even after completing the whole game twice. BUT, there's the feeling that something is missing. What could it be? Well, once you get past the distractions, you will realize how utterly broken this game is; it's highly unbalanced in every possible aspect, and it favors exploiting the game's leveling mechanics instead of actually playing in order to level up your skills. If you choose to be a wizard, you will soon realize that magic is pretty weak once you reach a certain point in the game or select a higher difficulty, because the only way to increase magic damage is picking two perks that will (together) boost it by 50%, and that's it. As for the weapons, skill value and perks will increase it's damage by 215% or more (depending on the weapon), and it can be improved with smithing to give over 800% it's initial damage, without cheating. This can be achieved by using your alchemy skill to make potions that increase enchanting, then drink it and enchant your equipment to boost alchemy, repeat the process several times until you have the best possible enchantment potions, then use it to enchant armors which will boost your smithing skill, wear it, drink a smithing potion made with your best alchemy boosting equipment, and, finally, improve your weapon at the grinstone. Then you drink another potion to boost your enchanting and put enchantments on your armor that will increase damage output from weapons. This is the formula for power in Skyrim. I know, it sounds crazy. Anyway, while a Mage will start the game dealing 8 damage with initial spells and improve to a maximum of 80 damage with the top spells and perks, a Warrior or Archer will begin dealing about the same ammount of damage with inferior weapons and skills, but will have his damage improved to over 650 with top enchantments and weapons. And this is only a small example of how unbalanced and exploitable Skyrim is. Once you have your enchanted equipment, all other items you find in the game are just useless and inferior. Skyrim allows the player to save/load at any time, another exploit that takes the fun out of the game; what's the point of having the thrill of being caught pickpocketing when everyone saves the game before such actions to prevent failure? You will save before doing anything in this game to assure your success, because the game allows it. I can't give Skyrim a higher score because, even though it is awesome, it was not tested and balanced before it's release nor patched later, it is broken and will always be.… Expand
  2. foxes
    Jan 7, 2012
    10
    Has passed all for 150 hours, there was a pair of not working quests, and desire to find still something interesting, especially wasn't picked much. Despite that what to complete it it is possible indefinitely, game beautiful enough and thought over.
  3. ChemicalBR0
    Jan 18, 2012
    8
    with 212 hours spent on this game (2 playthroughs) its gonna be pretty obvious that I love it.
    (i'm playing with a 360 controller) I agree with the people who say the pc control system is terrible.
    I tried keyboard and mouse for the first hour or so and it was a chore to say the least. bethesda should be ashamed. it was pc gamers who put them where they are today yet they fail to do any    with 212 hours spent on this game (2 playthroughs) its gonna be pretty obvious that I love it.
    (i'm playing with a 360 controller) I agree with the people who say the pc control system is terrible.
    I tried keyboard and mouse for the first hour or so and it was a chore to say the least.

    bethesda should be ashamed. it was pc gamers who put them where they are today yet they fail to do any optimization of the interface for us loyal pc gamers. however it is a fantastic game, there is so much you can do. the fact that you can level yourself up and make weapons and armour that are better than what you can find in the game is a BIG bonus if you ask me and not as others have stated a flaw. you get a great sense of achievement when you wipe out a team of enemies with weapons you have crafted yourself.

    the game is not without its flaws. the wooden npc's spouting the same lines over and over becomes a bit annoying, the fact that you can't craft an amazing bow but you can't make arrows to go with it, the sometimes dodgy animation. the swordplay isn't that great either, but seeing as i tend to play as a sneaky archer it doesn't really bother me.

    it won't be a game for everybody, if you like your action thick and fast stay away as there is a lot of exploring to be done where not much happens other than the odd bear or wolf attacking you.
    in this day and age of the average game lasting 8-10 hours and you ending up feeling ripped off, skyrim has the depth to keep you entertained for hundreds of hours
    you need to invest a lot of time in skyrim to get the best from it.
    you get a hell of a lot of game for your money.    … Expand
  4. BrokenPipe
    Jan 21, 2012
    7
    Skyrim is the best RPG game of 2011 year. If you like RPG games you should play it. However it is "best" not because it is perfect, but mostly because there are no alternatives (not much RPG games in 2011 year). What's GOOD: Huge world to explore, nice graphics. What's BAD: Combat system, main character development, game physics, AI, ambient sound, minimal player's influence on game world.Skyrim is the best RPG game of 2011 year. If you like RPG games you should play it. However it is "best" not because it is perfect, but mostly because there are no alternatives (not much RPG games in 2011 year). What's GOOD: Huge world to explore, nice graphics. What's BAD: Combat system, main character development, game physics, AI, ambient sound, minimal player's influence on game world. The game fails in the RPG's core principle - character development. Take for example Diablo 2, I had to start playing Diablo 2 from scratch like 10 times, because at some point I was unable to progress further because my character build - suck.Or take as example WOW, where your build and equipment is crucial for game success. This is not the case for Skyrim. Combat system and physics are very disappointing, for example you are holding a huge heavy mace, and swing at your opponent with it, what you would probably expect is something like Sauron from Lord of the rings when he kicks ass with his mace, and enemies flying miles away, in Skyrim however your enemy will stand like it was, it will not fall, nor it will show any sign that you hit him. In general the game lacks physics, except for collision detection, and gravity, and even it fails often. The game AI is dumb, enemies will simply attack you (run to you or do range attacks(bow, magic)), Don't expect NPCs to attack in groups, heal each other, retreat. Your influence on the game world, is very limited. You can exterminate whole city, no one cares, nothing will change. Due to those facts the game reminds a world viewer application, and most likely you will become quickly bored after 40-60 hours of wandering and admiring nature. And still you should play this game to mark a check box that you did it, and forget about it for an year, then give it a try again ("maybe it's not so bad and I can find something worth in it") play it for 2-3 days and tell yourself "Nah it's a boring crap", throw it away and go play some fun MMORPG with your friends.… Expand
  5. tamazetram
    Feb 17, 2012
    8
    part of me hates the game now but after 300 hours i guess i would be getting bored of almost anything!some great missions,especially with the side quests,main story is pretty bland but never really been an elder scrolls strong point anyway,it is very easy unfortunately which is why i am deducting 2 points,i have had to restart several times-all because once you've levelled up a bit it'spart of me hates the game now but after 300 hours i guess i would be getting bored of almost anything!some great missions,especially with the side quests,main story is pretty bland but never really been an elder scrolls strong point anyway,it is very easy unfortunately which is why i am deducting 2 points,i have had to restart several times-all because once you've levelled up a bit it's far too easy.even on master difficulty i found around level 30(you can level to 81)you are fairly invincible,apart from against mages for some reason.all in all a great game let down by lack of difficulty… Expand
  6. wood431
    Mar 29, 2012
    8
    I have never played an RPG before this game. The concept put me off. However, this game has provided me with an immersive world that is beautifully created. The quests are diverse and fun at the same time, and the mods available on the Steam workshop create a fully customisable game that I have taken full advantage of. The only downside is sometimes I may get a little bored and frustratedI have never played an RPG before this game. The concept put me off. However, this game has provided me with an immersive world that is beautifully created. The quests are diverse and fun at the same time, and the mods available on the Steam workshop create a fully customisable game that I have taken full advantage of. The only downside is sometimes I may get a little bored and frustrated with some of the NPC's predictable quests, and there are a lot of bugs (although that's to be expected for such a huge world.) I'm giving this an eight because it is not the perfect game, but it is a well deserved eight at that.… Expand
  7. bombrero
    Apr 30, 2015
    7
    This game is one if not the holy grail of the RPG Action Sandbox. The freedom of choice is pretty ample in most aspect, such as the construction of your characters being able to chose between different combat styles along with varying approaches such as stealth, ranged, ranged stealth, shield and one handed, two handed, dual wielding, etc.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    This game would be a 9, but after damaging the community by acting selfishly it is not the same.    … Expand
  8. Rodnix
    May 17, 2012
    9
    Its a mixed feeling really, the game graphics and physics, terrain access, the lighting and shadows!! It truly remarkable... You can see the amount of work put into making this game. But, somehow when you start the game, you feel let down, by the console like transfers/selection, you wanted a prehistoric book like feel and it wasn't there... and as you level up you somehow feel that youIts a mixed feeling really, the game graphics and physics, terrain access, the lighting and shadows!! It truly remarkable... You can see the amount of work put into making this game. But, somehow when you start the game, you feel let down, by the console like transfers/selection, you wanted a prehistoric book like feel and it wasn't there... and as you level up you somehow feel that you can't make that tiny variation in your skills, without the attributes that you normally have in all Elder Scroll Games prior to Skyrim... And the popular saying is, "its been dumbed down".

    But then you play for 5 hours... And you get used to it! Slowly you start liking the sheer amount of content! And with the creation kit launched... The variations with the number of people willing to put in dedicated amount of work hours to take the game to a whole new level! I guess its something like reading LOTR, you start with the dreary old patterns, where all the descriptions really gets to you. until it sticks to you! And then you will be in the virtual world for a lot more time that you actually thought you would spend. And you will end up like me, when i was adamant that i would not rate it more than 7... i've already marked it to 9. The more you play the more you want to play. three cheers to the Modders though! 9 on 10    … Expand
  9. ColombiaGames
    Jan 20, 2013
    5
    There are many great games , and I understand that Skyrim is called one of the best games , the graphics are great no doubt , but I find it a complicated and extreme long game.
    BUt the Elder Scrolls are a CLASSIC!
  10. LordRaijin
    May 26, 2013
    1
    Skyrim would've been a great game if it was in the rightful set of hands that truly had the compassion for the Elders Scrolls series. The concept of Skyrim is great, but was very poorly executed. The A.I is terrible. I thought I was in a world where I was surrounded by people who were lobotomized. The animations were poorly done. The followers are useless. Instead of them helping me out ISkyrim would've been a great game if it was in the rightful set of hands that truly had the compassion for the Elders Scrolls series. The concept of Skyrim is great, but was very poorly executed. The A.I is terrible. I thought I was in a world where I was surrounded by people who were lobotomized. The animations were poorly done. The followers are useless. Instead of them helping me out I found myself helping them out because they were being slaughtered by the enemies. Theirs simply not enough control over them. The bugs and glitches are migraine creators, and some can impact quests to which you're unable to complete. Don't bother to ask how to fix it on Bethesda's official help forums because the staffs are way to busy on other things rather than to help you with your technical support needs. On April 15, 2013 Bethesda announced that they're no longer releasing DLCs therefor leaving us with unanswered questions.. Who's the next ruler of Skyrim? What is the deal with the Thalmor? those two are the main ones that needs to be answered. Skyrim needs a well deserve ending, not to be shafted. The Storyline was OK, but not great. I know kids who can create a better story then what was presented to us. The price of this game was outrageous. NOT worth it IMO. Skyrim is an incomplete beta project that should've never been release to the public. Without mods this game would be terrible. The menu's were designed for Xbox users, not PC. Without mods this game would be unbearable to play. I'm very concern for the next Elders scrolls game under Bethesda control.… Expand
  11. Mudgee
    Nov 20, 2014
    10
    Quite possibly the greatest game of all time. Well, it's definitely up there for me. Every single thing about this game is outstanding, and continues to grow via PC still to this day with more mods then sense. Buggy, yes. A true Bethesda quality when it comes to ES games. One flaw aside, I cannot fathom how much time I put into this game and still do. 3 years on and still discoveringQuite possibly the greatest game of all time. Well, it's definitely up there for me. Every single thing about this game is outstanding, and continues to grow via PC still to this day with more mods then sense. Buggy, yes. A true Bethesda quality when it comes to ES games. One flaw aside, I cannot fathom how much time I put into this game and still do. 3 years on and still discovering quests. When you get a perfect round the board score like this in every category, it's difficult to critique. 10/10
    I've never been more involved and immersed in a such a top quality masterpiece.    … Expand
  12. demondred79
    Dec 6, 2014
    10
    I never give a 10 score out but this one is deserving. After 400 hours of play and a constant urge to replay over and over again.....what's not to like. There are too many reviews to waste my time adding a 5000 character review so I'll jump to what matters:
    Bethesda.....please make an inventory system that doesn't suck. Make SkyUI part of your future games. Your welcome!
  13. Veev
    Sep 29, 2013
    1
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. A poorly thought out and written main story is the thing that killed this game for me. Kill a dragon get a point for voice stuff and only voice stuff....... Read a scroll for the storyline and get a point or have someone teach it to you......
    Overall a game that could have been good if they had invested in hiring a decent writer.....    … Expand
  14. Fishy45
    Apr 27, 2015
    0
    Paid mods are absolutely horrible, it is right up there with day-one dlc, early access, microtransactions, and preorders. Valve and Bethesda want to take other peoples work, sell it, and only give the modder 25%. The modding community has been going strong for years and modded because they wanted to not because of the money.
  15. eialici
    Sep 12, 2015
    9
    Skyrim has a level of immersion to it not seen in many games that came before it. The map is huge as are the places to visit and the characters to interact with. Thanks to a huge community you can mod virtually anything and everything about the game. You think of it and someone made a mod for it.

    the game is 4 years old now but due to its community hold its own against todays graphic    Skyrim has a level of immersion to it not seen in many games that came before it. The map is huge as are the places to visit and the characters to interact with. Thanks to a huge community you can mod virtually anything and everything about the game. You think of it and someone made a mod for it.

    the game is 4 years old now but due to its community hold its own against todays graphic standards.

    Overall a great game.    … Expand
  16. hmmurdock
    Apr 28, 2014
    1
    I just met Skyrim really good and my verdict is .... awful. Storyline ... where is storyline ? If Bethesda think story like " Dragons ! go kill them all , you are dragon killer like Kickapoo (I don't care) chosen by gods and you have skill to kill dragons blah blah blah blah "
    and that's all ? really ? Another bad thing is stupid skill tree where goes Strange , dexterity ? I can't see    I just met Skyrim really good and my verdict is .... awful. Storyline ... where is storyline ? If Bethesda think story like " Dragons ! go kill them all , you are dragon killer like Kickapoo (I don't care) chosen by gods and you have skill to kill dragons blah blah blah blah "
    and that's all ? really ? Another bad thing is stupid skill tree where goes Strange , dexterity ? I can't see them. Bugs ? lot's of bugs. Graphic looks like .... really bad (u can place .... here any bad word).
    Even if i install bunch of mods and DLC - Yes DLC 8 GB of textures ! and what ? nothing change in graphic ! Well Done Bethesda ! Also best way to make Game Of The Year is using oldest game like Fallout 3 add some Swords remove fire weapons and add new world plus a little better graphic and it's done ! GOTY ! At end it's funny but it's true The Elder Scrolls : Skyrim have DLC ... yep DLC not expansion pack just DLC it's funny. Im bored of playing in Skyrim Copy and Past i want my money refund but it's not possible :/ .    … Expand
  17. SkyrimGuy935
    Dec 7, 2014
    10
    As you can tell by my username, I freaking love this game. It's arguably my favorite game ever. I'm not even in to RPGs that much, but this game is just incredible. To explain why would take WAY more than what a metacritic review allows, but I'll try to get a few reasons. The hack-and-slash gameplay is downright fun and definitely addicting, and character leveling works perfectly, andAs you can tell by my username, I freaking love this game. It's arguably my favorite game ever. I'm not even in to RPGs that much, but this game is just incredible. To explain why would take WAY more than what a metacritic review allows, but I'll try to get a few reasons. The hack-and-slash gameplay is downright fun and definitely addicting, and character leveling works perfectly, and the story, while it may seem somewhat unoriginal, is still intriguing. However, you may not even get to playing the main story considering there are HUNDREDS of well thought-out side quests. Just be sure to get the definitive version on PC, where with the help of mods, this game becomes a truly timeless classic.… Expand
  18. jelikey
    Sep 10, 2015
    8
    Deep, with a fascinating Lore, immense world to explore and amazing graphics for his era, it's not one of the best rpg games, but of all time. Go deep in Skyrim, you will not be regretful!
  19. Odogreviews
    Dec 6, 2014
    10
    Skyrim is the best game ever. The graphics are beautiful and so is the soundtrack. The combat system allows you to play what ever play style fits you best. You can shoot fire out of your left hand and attack with your sword on your right. This is a must buy game. BUY IT!!!!
  20. Ouzbel
    Apr 27, 2015
    0
    With the monitization of mods, I can not recommend this game. In Bethseda's defense, taking 1.5 times more than a service that hosts your software to download makes sense. However, since Valve takes 30%, it leaves creators with only 25% from each sale, and they demand that modders must make $100 USD before receiving any money at all. That means for a modder to see any money, they haveWith the monitization of mods, I can not recommend this game. In Bethseda's defense, taking 1.5 times more than a service that hosts your software to download makes sense. However, since Valve takes 30%, it leaves creators with only 25% from each sale, and they demand that modders must make $100 USD before receiving any money at all. That means for a modder to see any money, they have to sell $400 worth of mods before even seeing a dime.

    The current paid mod workplace is filled with cash for gold, overpowered weapons and armor, stolen content, and various mods designed to break your game to force you to reinstall.

    Overnight, Valve has destroyed a community that was driven not by "money as information" but goodwill and user feedback. Bravo.    … Expand
  21. gggjimmy
    Jul 1, 2015
    7
    Nice game.Beautiful graphics,awesome ambientation,and an enormous world filled with consistent side quests.But difficulty is casual,the combat is boring (just approach enemies and click on them,no tactic,no strategy.Unless you are a mage),and the plot is absolutely ridiculous.But overall it's fun and very extensive.If you don't mind the casual combat and poor story,it can please you forNice game.Beautiful graphics,awesome ambientation,and an enormous world filled with consistent side quests.But difficulty is casual,the combat is boring (just approach enemies and click on them,no tactic,no strategy.Unless you are a mage),and the plot is absolutely ridiculous.But overall it's fun and very extensive.If you don't mind the casual combat and poor story,it can please you for literally hundreds of hours.But it was not my case.… Expand
  22. renogza
    Jan 31, 2016
    5
    How to play Skyrim: Accept a quest, fast travel to an area, do one of three things (kill someone, talk to someone, get an item), return to the quest-giver, and get a leveled item and another quest. Repeat.

    A nice followup to Oblivion. Fun, but nothing innovative or special.
  23. asfj
    Apr 18, 2014
    2
    Out of date graphics back to 2005 level, no engaging plot, emotionless NPC, so boring gameplay. I tried this POS on my brother's PC for one night, so I am glad I got the fact that this is just a super hyped POS. But I really heard of the fun from mod. Sadly, I am totally not interested in mod. I feel this game is at most just a sandbox for players to add endless mods... roaming and enjoyOut of date graphics back to 2005 level, no engaging plot, emotionless NPC, so boring gameplay. I tried this POS on my brother's PC for one night, so I am glad I got the fact that this is just a super hyped POS. But I really heard of the fun from mod. Sadly, I am totally not interested in mod. I feel this game is at most just a sandbox for players to add endless mods... roaming and enjoy in their creatures. How brainless...… Expand
  24. marc5477
    Dec 23, 2014
    7
    Despite my complaints, Skyrim is easily the best game on the shelf until you fast forward 3 years to get Divinity Original Sin. Like previous Elder Scrolls games, the world is gargantuan and the graphics really look great albeit that does not drive my score. Voice acting is good. Story is acceptable and combat is tolerable albeit still not great.

    What I liked: + Exploration. Best    Despite my complaints, Skyrim is easily the best game on the shelf until you fast forward 3 years to get Divinity Original Sin. Like previous Elder Scrolls games, the world is gargantuan and the graphics really look great albeit that does not drive my score. Voice acting is good. Story is acceptable and combat is tolerable albeit still not great.

    What I liked:

    + Exploration. Best open world game since Morrowind and you can do a lot of things from stealing everything to owning most of every town.

    + I love finding unique items and displaying them in my home. They are my trophies.

    + As stated above, voice acting was good. People need to get a perspective and compare it to most games in the genre and previous games. Have you people actually played console jRPGs? They are a travesty in comparison and they are all considered 'ok,' by many reviewers.

    + Spells are still fun despite lack in variety. I like blowing things up.

    There are a few things I do not like about Skyrim:

    - Shameless dumbing down of what used to be awesome (Morrowind)... fewer spells, less enchanting options (and easier to get high level enchants), and fewer types of weapons and armor. Less variety = less fun. Yes it makes the game easier to balance, but who cares in a single player game? I dont. I want to play the way I want. Its an open world game right?

    - I hate the inventory system. Its slow, and cumbersome. Clearly it is a console downgrade for people who use a pad. The lack of respect for the PC platform that popularized the series is really disheartening.

    - AI is still as bad as previous games. Enemies keep getting stuck and you can easily defeat them by hopping onto a rock and then off... hilarious for the 1st hour, very disappointing after that.

    - Combat is still disappointingly shallow. They can really take a lesson from Witcher here, not that it is a work of genius, but it is much better than combat here. This has been an ongoing problem with all ES games.

    - Economy... lol what economy? You basically own the world in this game. Very dull and was also a weakness in previous ES games. It still has not been addressed and I am very disappointed.

    - Claw puzzles... are lame. These are not really puzzles. No brain required.    … Expand
  25. barzozwierz
    Nov 20, 2015
    2
    + huge world
    + nice graphics
    - random, one-dimensional quests with binary choice (take it/don't take it) - forgettable NPCs - i remember only jarl of Whiterun (guess why), but no idea what was his name - bugs, crashes, glitches - aesthetics and functionality of UI (KB&M user PoV) - "perk" trees - gamebreaking items (+100 sneak) - short and unispired storyline - trashcanning ES    + huge world
    + nice graphics

    - random, one-dimensional quests with binary choice (take it/don't take it)
    - forgettable NPCs - i remember only jarl of Whiterun (guess why), but no idea what was his name
    - bugs, crashes, glitches
    - aesthetics and functionality of UI (KB&M user PoV)
    - "perk" trees
    - gamebreaking items (+100 sneak)
    - short and unispired storyline
    - trashcanning ES lore simply to introduce the most generic creature ever - a dragon

    I don't get sandboxes. I really don't. It's boring, grindy hack'n'slash. Burn it with fire.    … Expand
  26. 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
  27. seandewar5
    Jan 14, 2012
    8
    The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, what an amazing game!

    Skyrim offers an amazingly large free-to-roam world in which many items, quests, monsters and dragons can be found. The game's impressive story-line, life-like characters and action-packed quests definitely make it one of the best games of 2011 - 2012. The only flaws I could see with the game is the fact that the dragon battles can get    The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, what an amazing game!

    Skyrim offers an amazingly large free-to-roam world in which many items, quests, monsters and dragons can be found. The game's impressive story-line, life-like characters and action-packed quests definitely make it one of the best games of 2011 - 2012.

    The only flaws I could see with the game is the fact that the dragon battles can get repetitive, as they tend to repeat the same actions over again and that a lot of glitches are present in this game, which may actually prevent the player from completing a quest, or may just be minor.

    Other than that, this game is amazing! 8!    … Expand
  28. Ultan
    Nov 16, 2011
    9
    First impression was very good, game did not crash for 10 hours playing and was stable. After the next day the game started to get crashes to desktop and lag issues. For this reason i give it a 9. The game has improved alot from the other games, graphics and story wise and the fun factor in combat. Alot of detail in the melee department, able to chop of heads and stab mobs inFirst impression was very good, game did not crash for 10 hours playing and was stable. After the next day the game started to get crashes to desktop and lag issues. For this reason i give it a 9. The game has improved alot from the other games, graphics and story wise and the fun factor in combat. Alot of detail in the melee department, able to chop of heads and stab mobs in fun/interesting ways. Some extra fun with casters on how magic is used, able to duel wield and combine magic with interesting magical effects. The world itself is just breath taking, from the night sky to the lush trees and grass you walk on. Very well done in this area. Dungeon traps are fun and make you jump unexpectedly and add a twist of fear when exploring them. Characters models did improve from the last game and from reading the reviews with some people here, i think they just expect alot more or too much now days.… Expand
  29. DoctorFox
    Nov 14, 2011
    9
    An overwhelmingly wonderful installment to the Elder Scrolls series. While playing, the player will delve into stunning graphics, engaging quests and relationships, incredible architecture, and a refined combat system built to impress. This is not to say that there were no issues, as there were. NPCs move strangely, voices don't always line up with mouth movements, and crashes to desktopAn overwhelmingly wonderful installment to the Elder Scrolls series. While playing, the player will delve into stunning graphics, engaging quests and relationships, incredible architecture, and a refined combat system built to impress. This is not to say that there were no issues, as there were. NPCs move strangely, voices don't always line up with mouth movements, and crashes to desktop happen. As it has become the industry norm to release unrefined games, Skyrim is no exception. However, it is one of the best unrefined games released to date. 9/10… Expand
  30. Naiboss
    Nov 15, 2011
    9
    Having racked up hundreds of hours of gameplay in both Morrowind and Oblivion I was looking forward to the release of a new Elder Scrolls game. However, as the release date got closer and they still weren't really talking about the PC version of the game, I started to get a little nervous. When the game turned up, I found that the result was mostly good...

    The game itself, is fantastic.    Having racked up hundreds of hours of gameplay in both Morrowind and Oblivion I was looking forward to the release of a new Elder Scrolls game. However, as the release date got closer and they still weren't really talking about the PC version of the game, I started to get a little nervous. When the game turned up, I found that the result was mostly good...

    The game itself, is fantastic. The world is huge and amazingly detailed. And, while you still get a fair amount of repeated dialogue from passing NPCs, it's not nearly as bad as Oblivion. The locations are quite varied and the levels of the enemies are far more balanced... you'll still run into the odd low level bandit in the higher levels while giants will continue to squish you for looking at them funny from level 1 till quite a way into the game (they're tougher than dragons!).

    This is probably the first Elder Scrolls game, since Daggerfall, that I've actually WANTED to do more of the main quest! I've played Oblivion for over 200 hours and still haven't got round to doing the main quest. In fact the choices of quests can sometimes be a little overwhelming. This is certainly a game that intends to give you value for money.

    Sadly, the PC version doesn't really take advantage of the platform. It's still a DirectX 9 game, so no advanced graphics features and it's still restricted to using 2Gb of RAM (although this can be 'fixed' with a mod). The UI is less that perfect, requiring a lot of necessary scrolling and clicking to find out some of the most basic information (although I rather liked the new skill page... I know a lot of people don't). It doesn't help that mouse location and clicks within the menu tend to be a little hit and miss as well. Is it something that will stop be recommending the game? No, definitely not, but it needs mentioning. Also.... press to exit out of containers (or click on the very left of the screen)... a somewhat annoying 'feature' that seems to have caught a few people out. No idea why they didn't allow to be used as well.

    Already the mod scene is hard at work creating even better textures and improvements to Skyrim. Hopefully, once Bethesda release a couple of patches (and maybe a DirectX 11 update to really take advantage of the PC) it'll be worth 10 out of 10. Either way... buy it!    … 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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