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
Buy Now
Buy on

Review this game

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
view
per page
  1. MikeyMo
    Nov 18, 2011
    7
    The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is a great game in some aspects, but only a good game in others. I will start by saying that I'm not sure you can call this an RPG - or at least - a classical RPG. I believe TES V is among a new breed of 'modern' RPG games. I am perfectly fine with this. It is just not my preference, that is all. I say this for a number of reasons. For example, there aren'tThe Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is a great game in some aspects, but only a good game in others. I will start by saying that I'm not sure you can call this an RPG - or at least - a classical RPG. I believe TES V is among a new breed of 'modern' RPG games. I am perfectly fine with this. It is just not my preference, that is all. I say this for a number of reasons. For example, there aren't stats. To level up a skill such as 'Two-Handed Weapons', you have to constantly use that ability. For every bit of leveling up in a skill, it will contribute to an overall level where in a traditional RPG you would boots stats here, but in TES V, you gain a perk beneficial to a particular skill. Also, there are no stat boosts to weapons or armour based on character stats. It is things like these that make TES V very very shallow compared to other RPG games such as Dark Souls. The UI could be better. I do not like that you cannot compare stats of your items, there is only a triangle showing your best item. This brings me to another complaint. There are only three aspects to an item. A weapon for example: Damage, Weight, and Value. Again VERY shallow for an RPG. The combat is very dated, this goes for both melee and magic, the archery is actually fairly good. To compare again to Dark Souls or The Witcher 2, both have perfect combat, which includes melee, magic and archery. Then to play TES V where there is regenerating health, many breaks in gameplay to pause and take potions and simply spamming destruction spells is a let down. ONTO WHAT IS GOOD. The world is very large. Often large scale games can get lazy. Skyrim is not lazy. Bethesda knew they wanted a very wilderness heavy, Nordic stylized game. Then achieved this. It is not my favourite style, but the fact they accomplished that detail exactly the way they wanted it is simply incredible. There is also many unique combat areas in the game. There are apparently 200 plus unique dungeons/caves. I have found some to be similar but no two the same so far. With that being said, I still have yet to find one Inn or Mill that looks any different from another. There are MANY MANY quests. So many you don't have to even touch the main storyline from the get go. I personally am twelve hours in and haven't played the main story past the tutorial. The voice acting is very good, but there is a problem that has nothing to do with the actors talent, but the frequency of the voices. The same actor can voice up to I estimate over 15 characters. I begins to get bothersome very early on. If you can look past this then you shouldn't be too annoyed. All in all, there is A LOT to do in TES V: Skyrim, but if you are looking for a traditional RPG this isn't it. HOWEVER, if you like to explore a seemingly never ending beautiful wilderness discovering something new to do almost every few minutes, then Skyrim is your game. I GIVE A 7.5/10. A GOOD/GREAT GAME.… Expand
  2. barbie
    Mar 12, 2012
    8
    love the new interface, love the streamlined perks system, love the graphics, even love the combat mechanics, what i hate though is the plot, it doesnt feel focused enough, and all the sidequests are rather boring. also i wish you could form deep relationships in the game like in Dragon age origins, make u sorta feel more attached to the wonderfully huge and impressive world. overalllove the new interface, love the streamlined perks system, love the graphics, even love the combat mechanics, what i hate though is the plot, it doesnt feel focused enough, and all the sidequests are rather boring. also i wish you could form deep relationships in the game like in Dragon age origins, make u sorta feel more attached to the wonderfully huge and impressive world. overall though i loved it, got a good solid 30 hours out of it before boredom kicked in.… Expand
  3. 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
  4. 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
  5. frast
    Dec 19, 2011
    9
    The game really great. It reminds of old times rpg'ów with a huge world and a large number of races, monsters, enemies, weapons, equipment. For this wonderful cool climate and as far as storyline and nice graphics. Very good game but not perfect by me and are annoying bugs in it that u are not really players can occur frequently (for example, you can see videos on youtube.) MyThe game really great. It reminds of old times rpg'ów with a huge world and a large number of races, monsters, enemies, weapons, equipment. For this wonderful cool climate and as far as storyline and nice graphics. Very good game but not perfect by me and are annoying bugs in it that u are not really players can occur frequently (for example, you can see videos on youtube.) My rating -8.5 / 10… Expand
  6. 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
  7. 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
  8. 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
  9. russellsw
    Nov 17, 2011
    10
    This game is a masterpiece, its the game that we have been waiting for in 2011, (Most titles this year have been bad to say the least) My total score for this game would be a 10
  10. Machinegon
    Nov 17, 2011
    7
    Not perfect but not bad either. I'm playing the game on xbox and I like the modifications they did for the inventory management. I can't believe its the exact same thing for PC thought because you just can't play a game on pc like you play a game on console. There's a couple of things that are annoying me, the fact that I can kill a dragon in like 4 blows but sometimes I will just run intoNot perfect but not bad either. I'm playing the game on xbox and I like the modifications they did for the inventory management. I can't believe its the exact same thing for PC thought because you just can't play a game on pc like you play a game on console. There's a couple of things that are annoying me, the fact that I can kill a dragon in like 4 blows but sometimes I will just run into a **** saber tooth cat that will one shot me or either a no-were mercenary equipped with some piece of **** that I can't get a quarter of his life backstabbing him with a 30x 17 damages blow. Good work with difficulty scaling. Some random glitches in AI here and there, like the time I tried killed a chicken in a town and everyone jumped on me. The fact that the guards are still extremely overpower. In fact, I think the town guards are the hardest mobs to kill in the entire game. Positives facts, I like the main quest scenario, its better than in oblivion. I also like the critical blows that triggers an animation its really fun. Alot of graphical improvements on the xbox if I compare to oblivion, they really managed to exploit the old console, its annoying for loading times tough but not to bad. Overall a good game, alot of content has always, I would recommend it.… Expand
  11. C-BAT
    Nov 17, 2011
    8
    Skyrim stays in the wave of Oblivion.... and that makes a masterpiece that deserve his price. Graphics are good enough to be convice by the world . Some people says that textures aren't very beautiful for 2011 but for me the gameplay and the open word are more important in this kind of game, and these parts are a great success. You are free to do what you want....and that's the spirit !Skyrim stays in the wave of Oblivion.... and that makes a masterpiece that deserve his price. Graphics are good enough to be convice by the world . Some people says that textures aren't very beautiful for 2011 but for me the gameplay and the open word are more important in this kind of game, and these parts are a great success. You are free to do what you want....and that's the spirit ! It's a game with huge potential. I was just dissapointed about the interface at first but you get used to it.… Expand
  12. zon21
    Nov 18, 2011
    10
    This game three times and expands the content of Oblivion or fallout. Immense and sublime ambience, I think is the best buy of the year. I give a 10 :)
  13. phoenixfire82
    Nov 18, 2011
    9
    Game of the year. I've played over 50 hours now and am nearing the soft cap of level 50 yet I just keep coming back for more. I feel like I've barely scratched the surface of the game. There's just so much to do, it can feel daunting at times. The story is well done, not only the main line but many of the side quests have a life of their own. This beautifully rendered world pulls youGame of the year. I've played over 50 hours now and am nearing the soft cap of level 50 yet I just keep coming back for more. I feel like I've barely scratched the surface of the game. There's just so much to do, it can feel daunting at times. The story is well done, not only the main line but many of the side quests have a life of their own. This beautifully rendered world pulls you in and doesn't let go. This is the title you want to soak up and savor, never rush or skip a dialogue or you'll be doing yourself a disservice. I rated Skyrim a 9/10 because it is a blatant console port with an awful PC interface to show for it; -0.5 points. The character models are unattractive and the game's textures close up leave something to be desired; -0.5 points. Do not be fooled though, the game as a whole is beautiful and can give my gtx 580 a workout on ultra settings. Sometimes I just stop and take in the scenery. Amazing game. If you get one single player game this year, get Skyrim.… Expand
  14. qwasm
    Nov 19, 2011
    8
    Great open world goodness with at least 100 hours of gameplay. My only complaints are:
    - Terrible UI. Its a shame to release a game in 2011 with such a **** UI.
    - Bad companion AI. They always get in your way and block the doors, or rush into dozens of enemies and die. You have almost zero control over them.
    - Spiders. I hate them.
  15. Charodei
    Nov 19, 2011
    10
    TES - is a world, which create a ethernal hope in our souls. Soundtrack, gameplay - all of this - perfecetally, devotion thing! All of fans of TES - this is our game.
  16. dardalen
    Nov 19, 2011
    10
    Thus far I have found this too be a great game that lives up too, even goes beyond what I expect from the Elder Scrolls. It is still the #1 single player rpg series out there.
  17. Jamai36
    Nov 19, 2011
    9
    I've sunk about 35 hours into the game so far. I wanted to play it for quite awhile before I attempted a review so I could be at least somewhat accurate about my claims.

    + Insane amount of content. + Though dated, the graphics are still awesome. I just love the skies but everything is a little nicer. + Addictive and fun as all Elder Scrolls, maybe even moreso in some regards. - I've    I've sunk about 35 hours into the game so far. I wanted to play it for quite awhile before I attempted a review so I could be at least somewhat accurate about my claims.

    + Insane amount of content.
    + Though dated, the graphics are still awesome. I just love the skies but everything is a little nicer.
    + Addictive and fun as all Elder Scrolls, maybe even moreso in some regards.

    - I've had 3 crashes, a few glitches that messed up saves and a couple of quests broke for unknown reasons in really strange ways.
    - Console port hurts a bit, traitors! There are some UI inefficiencies like you have to use a keyboard to press ESC but then click to select say quests. Also in alchemy you are forced to use the mouse a bit when you should be able to just press Enter as everything else uses the keyboard. Stuff like that.
    - In the end it's really just a modded oblivion.

    Still, in the end I can't warrant anything less than a 9, as I've played this game more than most and it is still a truly magical experience in the end.
    -    … Expand
  18. Paraphis
    Nov 19, 2011
    10
    I only ever got to level 25 in Oblivion before I got bored, including the expansions. I've already far surpassed that and am still feeling as immersed as ever. It's absolutely stunning landscapes and diverse flora and fauna alone can leave you gasping in awe, wishing you could just stand there for hours and just watch. The quests are a colossal improvement on the last games; as well as theI only ever got to level 25 in Oblivion before I got bored, including the expansions. I've already far surpassed that and am still feeling as immersed as ever. It's absolutely stunning landscapes and diverse flora and fauna alone can leave you gasping in awe, wishing you could just stand there for hours and just watch. The quests are a colossal improvement on the last games; as well as the levelling up system; crafting; combat; main storyline; AI; just about everything. I have to say, having an open world with seemingly endless, different things to do popping up on a constant basis keeps you excited and enthralled. I could roll on for hours, what matters is that this is easily the best game I've ever played. My only complaint is how console-based the inventory is. 10/10, once they work out the bugs.… Expand
  19. TruthfulReview
    Dec 11, 2011
    9
    Firstly, I'm not going to lie and say this is the best game of all time, because it isn't. However, it is a bloody good one with its outstanding graphics and phenominal storyline. However it does have some of its issues like any other game.

    I first was encouraged by friends to buy this game, even though I was some-what against the game by it's previous game which I have not been a massive    Firstly, I'm not going to lie and say this is the best game of all time, because it isn't. However, it is a bloody good one with its outstanding graphics and phenominal storyline. However it does have some of its issues like any other game.

    I first was encouraged by friends to buy this game, even though I was some-what against the game by it's previous game which I have not been a massive fan of. However, I have to say that me buying this game was one of the best decisions I have made in quite a while. This game kept me entertained for a very long time and its phenominally high graphics just fuelled my lust for this game.

    The game has some of the most advanced graphics I have seen throughout my 7 years of gaming experience, from its small scale detail to the massive mountains in the background, which is not just a picture but an actual place you can go without it changing detail ( If you get what I mean ). The fighting, whether it be from the melee or magic side is simply magical. The detail, the sound, the movement, the characters, all add a realness to it and thus, I shall be playing this game for a very long time revealing all of its advantages and secrets there is to offer...but even then I would only dent but a fraction of what this game has to offer.

    You can choose different races, genders and types of characters with a wide range of choice, which is what I value in the game...choice. As you play through the game, every single decision you make will affect the game; by slaughtering a village to deciding which way you wish to go, it will have an impact on your gameplay, which therefore makes this game impossible to finish.

    On the other hand, with this game you have to be careful what you do, like if you kill a woman 'Hildy' for example, in the first village you encounter she will not respawn...she is dead for good ( to my knowledge ). However, some may argue that this is to add realism and many value this as a good aspect of gaming.

    Furthermore, the range of enemies you encounter is far more than the decisions you make! From giant spiders to enemies of all races, you can slay almost anyone - even your allies!

    To tell you the truth, this game is almost faultless and you gain a real achievement from completing the game which takes you hours, if not weeks to complete. Unlike other games, you are guaranteed what you pay for with this game. A very enjoyable experience indeed.    … Expand
  20. colin_jack
    Dec 15, 2011
    9
    Excellent and huge game. Sure its buggy, very very buggy, but given the size and scope the bugs aren't a big deal. I'm also hopeful that there'll be DLC for it, but even if there isn't there's more than enough content to keep you happy.
  21. Runic12
    Dec 12, 2011
    8
    A pretty solid game but I feel it was lacking somewhat when compared to Oblivion in a few respects, first of it seemed a lot less complex in regard to levelling, there were fewer skill trees with some of my favourites missing such as unarmed combat. This is probably due to Bethesda trying to market the game to a wider audience but it just feels a bit dumbed down. Otherwise the graphicsA pretty solid game but I feel it was lacking somewhat when compared to Oblivion in a few respects, first of it seemed a lot less complex in regard to levelling, there were fewer skill trees with some of my favourites missing such as unarmed combat. This is probably due to Bethesda trying to market the game to a wider audience but it just feels a bit dumbed down. Otherwise the graphics were a vast improvement and the horrible Bethesda face has finally been removed from speech. It has been made more accessible and streamlined and the world felt a lot bigger. There is a lot to do and find and the freedom is immense like every elder scrolls, I'm still eagerly awaiting the DLC.… Expand
  22. Skilvalance
    Dec 14, 2011
    10
    I don't usually leave a review on a game, but in Skyrim's case it just has to be said. I've been gaming for nearly 27 years and RPGs are my favored type of genre. Skyrim takes everything that was incredible from Morrowind and the beauty and vastness of Oblivion and put's it together to create the most compelling and captivating game that i have ever played in all my days(seriously). NearlyI don't usually leave a review on a game, but in Skyrim's case it just has to be said. I've been gaming for nearly 27 years and RPGs are my favored type of genre. Skyrim takes everything that was incredible from Morrowind and the beauty and vastness of Oblivion and put's it together to create the most compelling and captivating game that i have ever played in all my days(seriously). Nearly 130 hrs later and i am still putting off the main quest as Skyrim take's me all over the land to the gorgeous city's then down into the ancient dwemer strongholds!. Theirs more content in this game that even an MMO would would have problems keeping up with. I do understand that some people will give it a low score, but due to content alone, Skyrim is well worth your money. if you play this game for even 10 hrs then that's more than you can squeeze from any other game made this year. my point is time/money with any game and in this case £39.99 is a frickin bargain ! One last point to make. The shear attention to detail this game delivers is awesome! If every company made their games with this much love and commitment like Bethesda has achieved then everybody on the planet would be Gamers by now. keep up the good work Beth, i take my slightly dented helmet off to you ;)… Expand
  23. Hirorir
    Dec 20, 2011
    10
    Skyrim is more or less, ridiculously fun. It is well worth the $60 I pre-ordered it with, and is a vast improvement over ES4:Oblivion. Taking the graphics side by side, Skyrim most definitely has a thousand times better and more beautiful picture.
    Although the game started out with some pretty weird bugs and issues, they are meant to be fixed, like any other game's issues. I have yet to    Skyrim is more or less, ridiculously fun. It is well worth the $60 I pre-ordered it with, and is a vast improvement over ES4:Oblivion. Taking the graphics side by side, Skyrim most definitely has a thousand times better and more beautiful picture.
    Although the game started out with some pretty weird bugs and issues, they are meant to be fixed, like any other game's issues. I have yet to wait for the hi-res textures and the crash fixes; but aside from so, the game is amazing.
    I would rate this a 9.5 (minus 1 point for unfixed bugs), round up 10 due to the ugly faces that Bethesda has decided to have the elves succumb to (the 0.5 pts).    … Expand
  24. rpmcritic
    Mar 4, 2012
    8
    Bethesda has done an incredible job at recreating the elder scrolls, the Havok game engine creates the huge and extraordinary world of which is Skyrim. The endless Items and beautiful graphics and textures gives the game an extraordinary feel. Improvements to the game could be an MMO on the PC version and patches on some glitches within the game. Overall a Great story line and plenty ofBethesda has done an incredible job at recreating the elder scrolls, the Havok game engine creates the huge and extraordinary world of which is Skyrim. The endless Items and beautiful graphics and textures gives the game an extraordinary feel. Improvements to the game could be an MMO on the PC version and patches on some glitches within the game. Overall a Great story line and plenty of creatures to battle. I'm happy to see that the developers have kept the same game play as the Fallout series, yet tweaked it a little to fit the medieval theme... I hope the developers make a sequel to this brilliant series.… Expand
  25. Rufsian
    Mar 6, 2012
    9
    Great videogame. Small dislikes but overall a true videogame experience. Sit back and let Bethesda make you feel rewarded for the money you spent on it.
  26. Atraiyu47
    Mar 6, 2012
    9
    The sheer scale of this game is overwhelming. The world is breath-taking and feels alive. My only complaint lies in a general lack of character development. But this game doesn't live and die purely on the quality of story telling like a Bioware game. The freedom to explore such a massive world with seemingly endless things to do is a welcome break from the railroading we get in nearlyThe sheer scale of this game is overwhelming. The world is breath-taking and feels alive. My only complaint lies in a general lack of character development. But this game doesn't live and die purely on the quality of story telling like a Bioware game. The freedom to explore such a massive world with seemingly endless things to do is a welcome break from the railroading we get in nearly every other title.… Expand
  27. ed103
    Mar 6, 2012
    9
    Superb game. Huge world where you can do whatever you feel like. Great story and fun combat (could be a bit better here). Skills and the tie with leveling is pretty cool. This is one of those games where you start playing, look up thinking 20 minutes passed but 4 hours really did. Very immersive.
  28. CMASC
    Mar 7, 2012
    9
    Yet another great installment of the Elder Scrolls series, Skyrim improves all the great things we loved about Oblivion but yet it doesn't come close to Morrowind in storytelling and narrative, the main quest is rather short but the side quests makes it up for it, they are quite detailed and sometimes more interesting than the main quest itself, exploration is one of the greatest thingYet another great installment of the Elder Scrolls series, Skyrim improves all the great things we loved about Oblivion but yet it doesn't come close to Morrowind in storytelling and narrative, the main quest is rather short but the side quests makes it up for it, they are quite detailed and sometimes more interesting than the main quest itself, exploration is one of the greatest thing about Skyrim, having breathtaking scenery and locations makes it one of the best looking game today without mentioning there are games with better textures and graphical details out there, the score is yet once again written by one of my favorites composers of all times Jeremy Soule, jumping to the gameplay section the combat is an improvement over oblivion, rpg elements are simplified but it has been added more depth with the perks, to end my review I have to say it's quite hard to find something wrong with Skyrim, Maybe the interface isn't really good at the PC platform but still... this is one game that benefits from community mods, if you're planning to buy this game don't stop to think it's worth every penny and you won't be disappointed.… Expand
  29. TheInquisitor
    Mar 8, 2012
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I think when talking about Skyrim we need to temper expectations with the reality of the gaming industry today. Gone are the days where the ACTUAL goal of the industry was to make really good games. The purpose now is to make money, so if we happen to get a really great game along the way, we should take the opportunity with both hands and let the industry know that's what we like. I think we've missed an opportunity with Skyrim, but at the other end of the spectrum. Nowhere near enough effort was put into the PC version (if the choice were up to me, I'd shaft the console versions completely and develop future TES games SOLELY for PC), as is shown by the terrible menus. The SkyUI mod looks much better and as soon as I finish this review I'm installing it myself. The menus on the PC version wreak of console and as a PC gamer I am offended by the utter contempt shown towards me in the way the menu system was essentially ignored.

    The combat mechanisms I can't really compare to any other TES because Skyrim is the first TES game I've played. What I can say is that if every blow dealt to, and by, the character was felt and had proper impacts then combat would just be annoying because as soon as you get hit, that's another second or two you're staggered and against more than one opponent it would simply infuriate most gamers, I suspect. As for people saying it's boring and bland...unless you want turn based strategic combat I think hack-and-slash is the best you're ever going to get.

    The tech tree are a bit of a worry as well because there are some I would simply never use. The alchemy tree, for instance, has been utterly useless to me. As has the Speech tree. On the magic side of things I've only used the Destruction and Restoration trees, but the other magic trees (Conjuration and Illusion) aren't in my sphere of playing interest so I can't comment on them. But destruction is well fun and blowing stuff up with Fireball or wiping out waves of Skeletons with Ice Storm is rather enjoyable. But Pickpocket and Lockpicking just seem like a waste of time in terms of spending perks on them when lockpicking only requires patience and pickpocketing only has to be done ONCE as a mandatory part of any quest in the whole game (as far as I know). The combat-based trees are pretty good I think and most of the perks are quite useful (not triggering pressure plates is a godsend in long dungeon crawls). Smithing and Enchanting, however are a problem. They are by far the most boring and costly to level up because of the sheer amount of raw materials needed to get your smithing to a high level. And enchanting items even purely as a means of increasing your enchanting level is time consuming and tedious. They should've been rescaled to allow much faster leveling than what is currently in place.

    The HUD (above and beyond the menu system) feels sluggish and slightly unresponsive to mouse movements ESPECIALLY in the menus and the world map. At times you can be just as prone to selecting the wrong fast travel destination as to selling the wrong weapon and finding yourself without your prized legendary-level Daedric bow.

    The difficulty levels in Skyrim seem to matter less and less as your character's strength increases. Currently as I play through on Adept difficulty, I might as well be playing on easiest for all the difficulty Trolls and Dragons are in the face of my Destruction magic but in earlier levels it does make a real difference in terms of whether you land that extra, and final, blow or whether you yourself get taken down by a finishing blow.

    As for the quests, I personally thoroughly enjoyed the main questline. I thought it was original, interesting, engaging and exciting, especially in some of the ruins. The main side-quests are also pretty good and were (and are) a lot of fun for me. The Dark Brotherhood and Thieves' Guild both return and equivalents of the Fighters' and Mages' Guilds also feature extended questlines. The complaints about most quests being "go here and kill this thing" or "go there and retrieve that thing" are unreasonable simply because it's not feasible to make a game where every side quest has a fleshed out plotline to it, especially in a game the size and scope of Skyrim. As for the lack of puzzles, I must admit that even I, a supreme fail at puzzle solving found so few puzzles to solve in this game that I was a little disappointed. Not only that, but all the puzzles were of the same type (more or less). On the topic of quests being linear, what else can they be? If they were totally open slather, giving free reign to players on finishing in whatever way they wanted, how would the game handle all the possible variables? I think linear dungeons is the ONLY way to make the game work.    … Expand
  30. Krell
    Mar 12, 2012
    9
    Skyrim is a great game, whether you're enjoying the great story to go alongside the main quest line, doing original, non-repetitive side quests, or just exploring the vast and wonderful world of Bethesda's creation. Flaws are few and far between within this game, but not nonexistent. Travel can be rather tedious, longer trips taking a good few play sessions. For PC gamers, lag exists evenSkyrim is a great game, whether you're enjoying the great story to go alongside the main quest line, doing original, non-repetitive side quests, or just exploring the vast and wonderful world of Bethesda's creation. Flaws are few and far between within this game, but not nonexistent. Travel can be rather tedious, longer trips taking a good few play sessions. For PC gamers, lag exists even in the very lowest possible graphics settings. Now that the problems have been gotten through, I'll list off a few positive features; There is an extreme amount of things to do other than the main storyline. You can even get married. the multiple groups available to join have a vast amount of sidequests, followers, and more to play around with. All around, this is a great game.… Expand
Page:

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.
    Read full review
  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.
    Read full review
  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]
See all critic reviews »