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. revben
    Nov 12, 2011
    10
    Now this a great, great game. Do not listen to the negative words until you have played for at least 10 hours and not just visit the first hold. there are nine holds and most naysayers have been in only one
  2. Nautilus
    Dec 2, 2011
    0
    Copying the Oblivion mods is that all Skyrim is about. They cherry picked and stolen some great ideas of modders and implemented it into the game. Skyrim is more like an expansion pack to Oblivion. It is nothing but a heavily modded Oblivion, just like Fallout 3. The game engine is not different, Todd Howard is a liar. It's still based on Gamebryo Tech. Bethesda's policy is same asCopying the Oblivion mods is that all Skyrim is about. They cherry picked and stolen some great ideas of modders and implemented it into the game. Skyrim is more like an expansion pack to Oblivion. It is nothing but a heavily modded Oblivion, just like Fallout 3. The game engine is not different, Todd Howard is a liar. It's still based on Gamebryo Tech. Bethesda's policy is same as Infinity Ward's: "Why break it if it's working?" And like in every gamebryo based Bethesda game, texture quality makes me puke because it was designed for consoles in mind, consoles with tiny video memories... Skyrim lead animator Josh Jones is a worse liar than Todd, the animation system is not revamped or whatsoever. Animations still do suck. Go play some GTA IV, watch the guy strafing right&left while running and then you'll learn what animation is really all about. Not properly working controls give me a headache, mouse acceleration is an atrocity. User interface is designed for consoles in mind. Hard to use with keyboard+mouse combination, mouse does not work in 90% of menus. Game crashes to dektop every now and then, crapload of bugs making my quests break, flying items&creatures all around is a mess, dragons escaping ass backwards and don't give their souls sometimes. Yeah there are mods to solve most of these problems but modders are not Bethesda, i'm rating Bethesda here, not the modders. Don't know the console version but for PC, i give this game a solid "0" because this is all it deserves for backstabbing PC community again and again.… Expand
  3. andrek159
    Nov 11, 2011
    10
    In good ...

    This game has a very serious problem ... It is impossible to stop playing! I'm at level 22 and level 100 in conjuration and the more it evolves into something, the more you see that still has much in progress! It is a work of art, where the vaunted Nordic is from the soundtrack to the buildings and clothing. Who loves the Norse mythology, will delight every new place    In good ...

    This game has a very serious problem ...
    It is impossible to stop playing!

    I'm at level 22 and level 100 in conjuration and the more it evolves into something, the more you see that still has much in progress!

    It is a work of art, where the vaunted Nordic is from the soundtrack to the buildings and clothing.

    Who loves the Norse mythology, will delight every new place visited.

    For Odin ... I'm speechless ...    … Expand
  4. Alduin
    Nov 11, 2011
    10
    Soundtrack is brilliant. Visuals are outstanding. Engine Performance is beastly. Gameplay is quite fun. This is pretty much the best of the best of the entire Elder Scrolls series. Bethesda and their developers have learned so much from their previous BRILLIANT games. Unlike Battlefield 3's direction, it keeps the AMAZINGLY LARGE COMPLETELY OPEN terrain and an entire world to explore. It'sSoundtrack is brilliant. Visuals are outstanding. Engine Performance is beastly. Gameplay is quite fun. This is pretty much the best of the best of the entire Elder Scrolls series. Bethesda and their developers have learned so much from their previous BRILLIANT games. Unlike Battlefield 3's direction, it keeps the AMAZINGLY LARGE COMPLETELY OPEN terrain and an entire world to explore. It's land is like World of Warcraft with less world loading. It. Is. Amazing. Again, it keeps with the gameplay elements of previous games, HUNDREDS of quests, and how you can choose to do almost whatever you want. Want to kill everyone in the town you live in? Check. Buy a house and live in it? Check. Go and loot every dungeon in the game? Check. Amazing. Go get it.… Expand
  5. gas
    Nov 21, 2011
    8
    I have to update me review, my first score after 25 hours of gameplay was a 6/10, as primary the terrible menu/inventory/crafting system and secondary the engine/textures hard porting created me some issues to be very satisfied.
    Now after 70 hours of gameplay i can tell that even with those mentioned issues the game is more then good, also its really massive, i mean, there is really a lot    I have to update me review, my first score after 25 hours of gameplay was a 6/10, as primary the terrible menu/inventory/crafting system and secondary the engine/textures hard porting created me some issues to be very satisfied.
    Now after 70 hours of gameplay i can tell that even with those mentioned issues the game is more then good, also its really massive, i mean, there is really a lot to see and explore.
    Dungeons are getting more interesting and complex, and also the combat system even if not much better then Oblivion its fun, at least playing primary as ranged.
    The game runs also quite stable and ive not seen many bugs so far.
    Sadly it could have been a true masterpiece but the issues mentioned above are quite annoying.    … Expand
  6. Nickolia
    Nov 11, 2011
    10
    Gotta love the complete opposite theories on this game. It's either a 10 or a 0. So far through I'm on the 10 side as I am a fan of these completely open world games. There are many things that have stayed the same through oblivion yes but so much of it has been refined into a better game all around. Duel wielding and magic are currently my favorites of such improvements to the combatGotta love the complete opposite theories on this game. It's either a 10 or a 0. So far through I'm on the 10 side as I am a fan of these completely open world games. There are many things that have stayed the same through oblivion yes but so much of it has been refined into a better game all around. Duel wielding and magic are currently my favorites of such improvements to the combat system. Quests are abundant and feel fairly natural when accepting them. You'll always have something to do in Skyrim whether you are picking ingredients for potions or on your way to kill a dragon. All I can say is it's a very immersive, enjoyable game for me.

    The bad: I bought this on PC, the menu system was definitely made for a console. Good thing I have a usb controller I guess. Glitches are there and can mess up your feeling of being in this world but for me are tolerable. Graphics are beautiful and I'm not sure why everyone is saying it looks no better then oblivion. I've been playing battlefield 3 before this came out and I will say that I was much more impressed with the visual effects, such as smoke and fire lens glare etc, in that game but all around a good looking game for it's size.    … Expand
  7. Ajores
    Nov 12, 2011
    10
    NOT RUINED BY CONSOLE PORT!!! There, got that out of the way :P

    Skyrim, thus far, has been fantastic. The world is quite memorable, that include everything from the characters the monsters and the dungeons and cities... everything is a fantasy escapists dream. What Bethesda promised they delivered. That said, there are some technical bugs but honestly nothing game breaking. This is one of    NOT RUINED BY CONSOLE PORT!!! There, got that out of the way :P

    Skyrim, thus far, has been fantastic. The world is quite memorable, that include everything from the characters the monsters and the dungeons and cities... everything is a fantasy escapists dream. What Bethesda promised they delivered. That said, there are some technical bugs but honestly nothing game breaking. This is one of the smoothest releases Bethesda has had. While there was virtually no work done to the UI to take advantage of the PC version, there are only a few things I dislike about it really. For one, how about a means to change what the "menu" keys are (such as using SPACE rather than ENTER, which would seem easier to me)? Does that mean Bethesda spent no effort making it work? Hardly, it all works quite well and even smoother than one might anticipate with a little getting used to. Ah well, -1 point for a few silly bugs and SOME odd key assignments when navigating the UI, but I'm thoroughly enjoying this game and I haven't the heart to give it anything less than 10! Great work Bethesda, can't wait to see what's next for Skyrim :)    … Expand
  8. Yesname
    Nov 11, 2011
    10
    Do not believe warez users!! UI is perfect. You can easily use any menu or item with keys or MOUSE!
    Graphic is beautiful. It may need some in tweak to max out, but the landscape and dungeons are very-very immersive. Animations sometimes a little awkward, but I do not care about it.
  9. Clai
    Nov 15, 2011
    6
    Although Oblivion has amazing atmosphere, an engaging storyline and awesome world design, it fell short of basic industry standards in terms of pure gameplay. The combat, physics and animations were dated on release, and the proudly touted "Radiant AI" did not extend well beyond basic townsfolk interaction. Oblivion's successor, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim has reportedly set out to improveAlthough Oblivion has amazing atmosphere, an engaging storyline and awesome world design, it fell short of basic industry standards in terms of pure gameplay. The combat, physics and animations were dated on release, and the proudly touted "Radiant AI" did not extend well beyond basic townsfolk interaction. Oblivion's successor, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim has reportedly set out to improve on it's predecessors flaws.

    Who knew improvement was such a marginal process? Skyrim suffers from the same incredibly lacking combat system that Oblivion is well known for; there is little and often no indication of damage (outside of an HP drop) when attacking an enemy and there is no complex timing or visceral response during fights. Instead, players choose whatever weapon/spell combination most suited to the enemy in question and flail about until one of the combatants falls. The improvements made to the combat system that allow for easy dual wielding and equipment management are completely wasted on a system that maybe would've been accepted in a 2.5d game in the 90s. Is Daggerfall the cause of this?

    This archaic system is even further compounded by poor animations and very simple world physics, both of which work hard to pull you from the immersion presented by the amazing world. Skyrim introduces "death blow" animations that are nothing more than randomly occurring cosmetic distractions that are so poorly made and prone to glitching that it's a mystery as to why they were ever included. Third-person gameplay has been improved marginally, but the canned walking animations and glitchy keyframed attacking/rolling/jumping actions that often do not correctly flow into one another will have you switching back to first-person in no time, a shame considering the extensive character design system and excellently crafted armor sets.
    If that was not enough, a constant bevy of glitches and bugs will assault you at every turn. The game presents amazing scenes and story, only to promptly snatch the awe away with another glitching background model or a man butting into to a conversation about the safety of the city with a mention of his fruit prices.

    But it's an RPG, right? Combat and presentation should come second fiddle to the freedom and variety of open-world gameplay, right? There sure are a lot of stats missing in this "Apple-inspired" UI, no quick way to check on equipped items and their individual stats, no indication of the worn location of an item until selected, whereby a simple armor rating comparison is made and nothing else. No equipment degradation, simplified stats, and the quick-switch/hot-key wheel has been replaced with a time-stopping favourites menu. Whilst a fight in Oblivion could be played out in real-time, Skyrim has the player pausing the game with each swap of equipment. Outside the Magic and Items menu (both of which draw from the same inspiration), the Skills and Map menus are both functional and simple.

    What Skyrim does best is present an amazing world full of life and motion, something Bethesda shows mastery in time and time again. Wind blows trees and bushes; Water flows down streams, crashing against rocks as salmon jump upstream; Rain and snow falls, sometimes softly, sometimes ferociously. This game has a ridiculous amount of atmosphere and style, and Bethesda's attention to detail shines in every nook and cranny. The opportunity to get lost in one of the in game books or listen in on the conversations of bandits rewards the player with a rich fantasy story with uncountable facets. The new quest system allows some quest items and objectives to be approached in different locations depending on where the player has already been, meaning dull excursions are rare in an already breathtaking world.

    It's a shame then, that the world alone is not enough to remedy Skyrim's flaws. It appears that Bethesda has learned nothing from their previous projects on the Gamebryo engine; Skyrim suffers from many of the flaws present in it's predecessors. At the core of the issue, it seems both Bethesda and their fans are unaware of the ageing gameplay, numerous bugs and lacking presentation aspects that plague the otherwise amazing world of The Elder Scrolls. It remains to be seen if many of these problems are patched or modded away (either by Bethesda or it's enthusiastic modding community), but in it's current state, Skyrim is an old game wearing new clothes.    … Expand
  10. Fr0s7y
    Nov 11, 2011
    9
    At its core, this game is absolutely fantastic. The amount of content available to the player is staggering, I'm about 11 hours in and feel like I haven't even began to scratch the surface of what the game has to offer. The only thing stopping me from giving this game a perfect 10 is that the graphics notably suffer from having to accommodate consoles, most noticeably in the characterAt its core, this game is absolutely fantastic. The amount of content available to the player is staggering, I'm about 11 hours in and feel like I haven't even began to scratch the surface of what the game has to offer. The only thing stopping me from giving this game a perfect 10 is that the graphics notably suffer from having to accommodate consoles, most noticeably in the character shadows (which appear very pixelated up close, even on ultra-high settings). The way the menu is set up reeks of lazy console port as well, but it's easy enough to get used to after awhile.… Expand
  11. Skjuludde
    Nov 12, 2011
    10
    I've been reading through a few reviews, mostly the negative ones, and most reasons I've found has been from either their own hardware problem or hellbent determination to complain on anything that's not PC-exclusively developed or catered to the PC-group of customers. Personally I've not had any problem with the graphics. I've had one glitch and that was that a decently important dialogueI've been reading through a few reviews, mostly the negative ones, and most reasons I've found has been from either their own hardware problem or hellbent determination to complain on anything that's not PC-exclusively developed or catered to the PC-group of customers. Personally I've not had any problem with the graphics. I've had one glitch and that was that a decently important dialogue went silent. The UI, I agree, feels consoly. Though I can't find any wrong with it. The only thing would be that I can't sort items based on value or weight. There's a reason that few games are specifically designed for the PC anymore, piracy. And even if piracy isn't as serious as before the reputation of the PC is ruined and won't recover for many years. The only thing I've noted so far from "PC-gamers" is that they are entirely incapable of adapting. Apart from the sorting part I find the UI to be clean and well thought through. I immediately did in Skyrim as I did in Morrowind, Oblivion and Fallout, ran away as soon as I was done with the introduction. Thus far, 13 hours in, the world has not disappointed me. Been ambushed by bandits, crushed by giants, torn to pieces by sabre cats, took some poor mans armor while he was sleeping etc. My High Elf mage/archer who at times duel wield short swords, haven't had any issues with either the diffculty, which btw got 5 levels that you can change, nor with clunky stale combat. Being a mage has never been more fun. The AI is sub-par, I have to agree on. My mage could win a brawl vs an orc chief simply since the chief didn't seem to care I was fighting with one hand and healing with the other. Anyway, I forgot where I was going with this.… Expand
  12. starsh3ro
    Nov 12, 2011
    7
    i wanted to call it game of the year,
    what i like is that the game difficulty is not set too low and that the enivorment is very detailed, the sounds and the music are nice as well all together a impressive atmosphere. its very small, the download only has a size of 5,8GB.
    on the other hand, the graphics engine itself is looks very old, when you get closer to anything, all you see is    i wanted to call it game of the year,
    what i like is that the game difficulty is not set too low and that the enivorment is very detailed, the sounds and the music are nice as well all together a impressive atmosphere. its very small, the download only has a size of 5,8GB.

    on the other hand, the graphics engine itself is looks very old, when you get closer to anything, all you see is edges, little texture bugs... reminds me on RAGE; same problem.
    the controls of the game are a disaster. SERIOUSLY.

    the npc/ai players block your way , the enemy ai gets stuck at random objects.

    the mainquest is done very fast, (lvl 11 was enough to finish it) i think i took double the time for oblivion, at the end its just, travel - fight dragon - travel - fight dragon again. AND again... uuuh so creative.
    the secondary quests are fun, also its fun to just ride arround with the horse and let it fall down from high mountains.

    its not worth the 49â    … Expand
  13. ripplechip
    Nov 13, 2011
    10
    Everything I could ever want in an RPG. Absolutely stunning visuals, great combat, amazing voice acting and story. This game is the complete package, and a must-buy for any fan of Bethesda RPG's.
  14. jonbravo2
    Nov 23, 2011
    5
    This game was fun. Graphics, interaction, and just the way you could do things is amazing, but I got bored of it really fast. This would be one of those games that I love for the awesome game play. I think the only thing I absolutely hated about this game was the unbearably dull main story. I played through it once and thought, "I'm not wasting my time on that again." I also did not likeThis game was fun. Graphics, interaction, and just the way you could do things is amazing, but I got bored of it really fast. This would be one of those games that I love for the awesome game play. I think the only thing I absolutely hated about this game was the unbearably dull main story. I played through it once and thought, "I'm not wasting my time on that again." I also did not like the fact of random quest being added by just walking around the streets. I would be walking through a town, and have 10 new quests activated right before my eyes. It was a pain in the butt to get a house too, in order to buy a house, you have to beat half of the main storyline. I think it is a game worth getting, but don't be suprised if you find yourself bored of it within 3 days of beating it.… Expand
  15. Galf506
    Nov 30, 2011
    4
    Skyrim doesn't deliver. It's the fifth game in the elder scrolls series, and it still carries almost all the flaws Morrowind and Oblivion had, adding some others on top of them, getting a bit closer to Morrowind in overall quality, but still way far from what we used to experience and what was expected from this game.
    On the technical side, the game is a massive disappointment, with a    Skyrim doesn't deliver. It's the fifth game in the elder scrolls series, and it still carries almost all the flaws Morrowind and Oblivion had, adding some others on top of them, getting a bit closer to Morrowind in overall quality, but still way far from what we used to experience and what was expected from this game.
    On the technical side, the game is a massive disappointment, with a trainwreck of low res textures and only minor overall improvements on the effects. No one wanted Battlefield 3 quaity, but there's no excuse for the messy squashed low res textures Bethesda put in this game. Everything is blurry and under a green tint. And landscape still looks bad from a distance, like Oblivion. They still haven't managed a good low detail LOD for distant objects - which is ridiculous, after what the modders did with Oblivion. Face models and some animations are better, but not very good.
    The user interface is the worst I've EVER experienced, even the worst console ports are better than this, it cannot be described. Huge areas of wasted space, the inventory has pretty much no filters and everything is vertical with zero horizontal space used.
    Stat system has been streamlined to hell and back, you get to choose between health magicka and stamina, there's a reduced numer of skills and each one has perks, that would have been a good feature if introduced in some other way, but as they are now, they're just the only way to make skills useful since they botched up the skill system: for example, shield blocking is completely useless until you farm the perks for it.
    Equipment, streamlined too. You can only wear one ring, the enchantment system is awful (you learn enchantments by destroying items, then you're restricted to only certain enchantments depending on the item - for example torso pieces of heavy armor can't be enchanted for elemental resists) there are no more upper body and lower body armor (one piece now) no pauldrons, no polearms, no crossbows and all the melee weapons feel the same, you can't even decide to cut,pierce or smash - the attack animation is random and automatic, dealing always the same kind of damage.
    Melee combat is horrible. Two handed users pretty much cannot defend, Sword and shield users move incredibly slow and block no magic damage until you are of high level and managed to farm through the perks. Armor rating under 300 is basically useless. Awkward "finisher" animations pop up at every fight AND YOU CANNOT DODGE HITS! And no mounted combat, again.
    Sneaking is the same as it was in oblivion. Meh.
    Ranged combat is actually useful now, but it still needs mods to make it good.
    But where Skyrim really falls short is in the true RPG component, something that mods cannot fix: it's not a true RPG. There's some VERY RARE good writing, but most of it is pretty subpar and boring. Almost all quests have no choices or neutral paths, you are forced to do things that you do not want to do or to witness events that could be easily avoided and the game pretty much invites you to be a "master of all trades" character, killing the immersion.
    The only area where Skyrim can be considered a good game, is the exploration. There's a lot of content to experience by just exploring - provided you're ready to accept the lack of choices and the mostly average writing.
    Not worth buying.    … Expand
  16. richarmadrid
    Dec 11, 2011
    0
    This game don't deserve a 0, but not even a 10. The score must be a 7 so my 0 goes to lower it's score to where it must be if it wasn't for all the hype, fanboys and mindless reviewers.
    What can you find in Skyrim? Ok, it's a better game that oblivion but that's not too much considering oblivion was an absolutely piece of **** Anyway you can find the same crappy combat system (that is, a    This game don't deserve a 0, but not even a 10. The score must be a 7 so my 0 goes to lower it's score to where it must be if it wasn't for all the hype, fanboys and mindless reviewers.
    What can you find in Skyrim? Ok, it's a better game that oblivion but that's not too much considering oblivion was an absolutely piece of **** Anyway you can find the same crappy combat system (that is, a broken combat system where you can only smash your button waiting for some final movement to appear)
    You can find too the same linear quest as always, when someone says in a review that you have total freedom and that **** they don't tell you that no, you don't have any freedom to make quests. You have freedom to explore, freedom to make the quest at anytime but when you choose to make a quest it must be done in one way (lucky if you have two ways to do one quest). I would prefect to have 100 quest instead of 500 if that 1000 quest had diferent ways to solve them.
    You can find boring NPC too. Npc without any personality that seem more like a quest container than a real character.
    You can find a console menu too. Yes, a console menu in a PC game, with all the funny things of useless navigation and frustating mouse movement.
    You can find a total cliche of story where you are a chosen one because bla, bla, and bla. "chosen one of many" like the bard's tale song says.
    You can find shadows too. No, wait, you can't. Graphics are a joke. I don't care too much graphics in this kind of game but it is funny to read the suposed "good graphisc" of this game where you can light a torch that don't make any shadows or the general shadow of your character seems like a mess of pixels. Not good graphic for the system requirement it needs.
    In one word, it not a bad game, if you liked oblivion this will be the best game ever. But of course, this is not the GOTY.    … Expand
  17. Ashton2571
    Jan 21, 2012
    10
    Before playing Skyrim you must accept the fact that Elder Scrolls games... or Bethesda RPG's in general have tendencies to be terribly glitchy and well un-organised. Skyrim, reasons you are so great: Great graphics/models/views/effects, great combat (decapitating people casually), great array of weapons armour and crafting, great bunch of characters, a good adventurer experience.
  18. UserExperienceS
    Nov 12, 2011
    8
    If you're having issues with the game crashing:

    1. Set your audio to 24 bit, 44.1Hz
    2. Be sure you have the latest graphics card drivers
    3. On the main menu, go to Data Files and turn on "Load Loose Files".
  19. Tipjar
    Nov 14, 2011
    10
    Since it was first announced I was very pessimistic about Skyrim after the dry taste Oblivion left in my mouth, having to return to Morrowind to make myself feel good again about the state of the Elder Scrolls. Since then I avoided all media and news related to it, besides the negative rumours such as it still using Gamebryo, etc. I got suckered into getting it with a friend and afterSince it was first announced I was very pessimistic about Skyrim after the dry taste Oblivion left in my mouth, having to return to Morrowind to make myself feel good again about the state of the Elder Scrolls. Since then I avoided all media and news related to it, besides the negative rumours such as it still using Gamebryo, etc. I got suckered into getting it with a friend and after grudgingly starting it, I realized it was early morning and I had put aside nearly all my work for that day. I was blown away by literally everything that I saw, it felt like a return to my favourite Morrowind and more. I lost myself in the landscape and sounds of Skyrim, while thinking to myself if this was actually a real game. I've only done the very intro quests to the main storyline and since then I have spent about 16 hours only in and around the area of Whiterun and Riften. I'm so glad that Bethesda got past the trend it was having with Oblivion and Fallout 3, I'm very confident that I will be playing Skyrim for a long time especially when mods show up. I was also completely blown away by the game's low size and requirements for such a full and gorgeous game.… Expand
  20. worldcitizen19
    Nov 25, 2011
    10
    10/10. Terrific graphics!! Terrific gameplay!! Terrific Puzzles and story!! No crashes!! Movement as smooth as silk. Amazing that such a huge game with so much data and information can play so well. Feel like looking everywhere and searching everything. This is a CLASSIC. This is a Game of the Year without competition. I'm using an Intel i72600k@3.8ghz, Zotac GTX 580 AMP, Gskill 8gb memory10/10. Terrific graphics!! Terrific gameplay!! Terrific Puzzles and story!! No crashes!! Movement as smooth as silk. Amazing that such a huge game with so much data and information can play so well. Feel like looking everywhere and searching everything. This is a CLASSIC. This is a Game of the Year without competition. I'm using an Intel i72600k@3.8ghz, Zotac GTX 580 AMP, Gskill 8gb memory and an Asus Republic of gamers MB and it was worth getting this new PC just for this game which of course I didn't but it does it justice.… Expand
  21. Asmodias
    Nov 13, 2011
    10
    Many here will compain about features that don't even seem to be negative, the combat functions brilliantly, the visuals aren't incredible, but they are still attractive. Compared to most Bethesda games I found relatively few bugs. This game is borderline perfection, it's not without it's flaws and inbalances; but it's a sandbox game, and it's recently released, it'll get better.
  22. 3quilibrium
    Nov 12, 2011
    8
    With a game this big it's impossible to keep everyone happy. There are the people who want freedom in an open world setting who then moan because they don't know what to do or feel that "there isn't a story" amongst all the lore that has been shoe-horned in to the game. Perhaps they need the main story in capital letters to make it more obvious...
    Others complain and give it zero out of    With a game this big it's impossible to keep everyone happy. There are the people who want freedom in an open world setting who then moan because they don't know what to do or feel that "there isn't a story" amongst all the lore that has been shoe-horned in to the game. Perhaps they need the main story in capital letters to make it more obvious...
    Others complain and give it zero out of ten because they think that it looks crap since there are a few blurry textures or nothing happens at times or even that the odd bug pops up. Guess what people - it's a massive open world game. The sheer amount of detail more than makes up for a slightly blurry patch of rock or grass and the size of the map dictates that you need to travel large distances so at times the action takes a back seat to exploring or talking to the many locals. Anyone who thinks that a game as complex as this can be without bugs (many of which I admit were in the last couple of Bethesda games) is deluding themselves.
    If you get bored easily because you might have to read a book to get information on a quest or thought that you were getting a dragon-fest hack and slash game then more fool you. Go play Call Of Duty and let the big boys have a game that has depth and value for money.
    I feel I've only just scratched the surface of this game and yet it surpasses Oblivion in every way so far. It looks great, sounds great and plays like a dream with better combat and more options on how to approach quests than before. Especially in the dungeons.
    My only real issue with the game is a fairly big one though. The menu system has yet again been designed for console and has not been sufficiently changed to fit in with PC gaming. The favourites idea for the quick changes of many weapons is a good idea but in practice has been implemented atrociously, as have some of the menus. Being forced to press enter at times, even though you clicked on something similar just before with your mouse is sloppy and stops the menu system ever feeling fluid.
    Bethesda have taken a lot of notice of their fans from Oblivion and implemented some neat touches and of course, as I said, are never going to keep everybody happy, but I must give it points off for the terrible menus. Even so, it's a great game so far with plenty of hours of gameplay and well worth anyone's cash.
    On a final note - people are even comparing this game to The Witcher 2 and saying the graphics of Skyrim are terrible compared to it. The Witcher 2 (a game that I love incidentally) is broken into small areas that have to be loaded into memory each time you move from one place to another so of course they can get more graphical fidelity in those areas. You would need a super computer to run Skyrim at the same graphical quality given the size of the lands and the draw distance involved.
    So there you go...not quite in a nut-shell but if I have offended you with my opinions you should see the ones I keep to myself. :)    … Expand
  23. smitysmit
    Nov 12, 2011
    10
    Very good game, haven't found any major bugs yet ad i use a Xbox controller so the controls are fine. The graphics are great if your pc is powerful enough. if you like fallout or any of the old elder scrolls games this is a must buy.
  24. halldors78
    Nov 11, 2011
    10
    great game and i thought it wouldn't work so good on my laptop because Whitcer 2 didnt work so great, but Skyrim works great even on ultra, and takes little space too compared to many games and im very happy i didnt have to buy new computer just to play it. and the graphics are very good, maybe better in some games but so what?? it works great and i havent gotten into any bugs yet, but igreat game and i thought it wouldn't work so good on my laptop because Whitcer 2 didnt work so great, but Skyrim works great even on ultra, and takes little space too compared to many games and im very happy i didnt have to buy new computer just to play it. and the graphics are very good, maybe better in some games but so what?? it works great and i havent gotten into any bugs yet, but i have to say i would have liked it to be better set up for mouse and keyboard but i have xbox 360 gamepad for pc, but still i wanna play it with mouse and keyboard. it just seems to me that the players who are giving it low have crappy computers or are just trying to be cool by saying its a bad game, its probably the best game i have ever played.… Expand
  25. gamer2020
    Nov 11, 2011
    9
    This game is magnificent, maybe one of the only games that actually worth the 60$ price.
    it is a well made sequel ,enough time has passed from the previous incarnation, which only make it more worthwhile (as opposed to an yearly product "updates" COD, Sports games sims and such).
    Its quite different from elder scrols 4, the surroundings are a bit more alive, more npcs interactions u    This game is magnificent, maybe one of the only games that actually worth the 60$ price.
    it is a well made sequel ,enough time has passed from the previous incarnation, which only make it more worthwhile (as opposed to an yearly product "updates" COD, Sports games sims and such).

    Its quite different from elder scrols 4, the surroundings are a bit more alive, more npcs interactions u can also use various tools to make ur own weapons and potions.
    This is one of the most realistic recreations of a fantasy world in a game(even more than the witcher) , and the combat is much friendlier to shooter fans (as opposed to witcher one button hit), witcher also have its qualities but its areas that are too small to explore ,alot of backtrackings and its unstablens and crashes hampers it more than anything.
    It does have it strong points though.

    well back to skyrim, this game is really recommended it seems to had so much soul poured into it. alot of the recent aaa highly marketed titles seem to lack this, they seem to have factory quality. COD Gears of war halo and the like are like a hollywod popcorn movie and no more.

    About the pc "port" the controls are ok a bit mixed up in the menu but ok. In comparison to an mmos this and the witcher and fallout (although i prefer skyrim) are on a league of their own mmos are strapping the rpg genre of all its merits (talking to u wow) in return give u endless grind with the worst social environment u can find.

    If u like rpgs and shooters this is for u, it also have magics and puzzles in it which makes it feel a bit like bioshock as well.

    it is also such a refreshement after all those titles that "walk u by the hand" (COD and sadly BF3 , one of the best multi shooters, shame on u for implemnting those "interactive" cutscenes, not everything needs interaction).

    Oh if u dont have alot of time dont even start it :) it is that good. if there ever going to be a virtual reality machine this is the first on the line for it. elder scrolls 10 Hologram Edition :).    … Expand
  26. jdaerthe
    Nov 11, 2011
    10
    it has the feel of oblivion but few of the flaws. amazing game.
  27. Pecheckler
    Nov 12, 2011
    10
    If you want to enjoy this game on the PC than buy an Xbox 360 wireless control with USB receiver and hook your pc up to your TV. It is obvious the interface was designed for consoles. The mouse & keyboard controls are fine but feel odd because the interface wasn't designed for it.
  28. Chimpwn
    Nov 12, 2011
    7
    First off, I want to say I'm having tons of fun with this game. But I'm only giving it a seven because the developers promised so much more and came short on everything. They promised that the combat would be skill based and not a button mashing combat system. That was a lie. You click till they're dead. I've been using 2 handed weapons that supposedly do 3 times the damage of theFirst off, I want to say I'm having tons of fun with this game. But I'm only giving it a seven because the developers promised so much more and came short on everything. They promised that the combat would be skill based and not a button mashing combat system. That was a lie. You click till they're dead. I've been using 2 handed weapons that supposedly do 3 times the damage of the single handed weapons I have. And the 1 handed weapons seem to do about 1-2 damage less. It's so stupid. Also, they said the animations would be better, they are and they aren't. The animations by themselves are fine. But none of them interact with each other. Also, there's STILL no diagonal run animation. It's 2011 Bethesda, please move forward at a normal pace. And don't try to get by doing the same stuff you did last time. Update the engine with every release, and by that I mean make big changes that make a difference and not adding "slo-mo" and making the same washed out textures for all the games they make. And by that I mean the game kind of looks like ass. But that's to be expected out of a game they explicitly said would have the 360 as the lead platform. Oh and, the UI is total ass. The worst from any game I've ever played.… Expand
  29. ivnelsif
    Nov 13, 2011
    10
    This game is fun, it's pretty much they took everything that made Oblivion fun and made another game with better graphics. There is also a lot less class customization required at the start, for someone who finds it hard to pick the perfect class this was icing on the cake.
  30. upi
    Dec 24, 2013
    0
    This is not really a "review", more like a warning label. Please regard it as such.
    For anyone downloading this game and expecting to play: don't. I did, and was rewarded by having to sit on a carriage for 14 minutes listening to an infodump-style exposition with name after name after name. I was unable to move. Then I was treated to watching an execution. Then I was told to climb some    This is not really a "review", more like a warning label. Please regard it as such.
    For anyone downloading this game and expecting to play: don't. I did, and was rewarded by having to sit on a carriage for 14 minutes listening to an infodump-style exposition with name after name after name. I was unable to move. Then I was treated to watching an execution. Then I was told to climb some stairs and found that my character could not do that.
    I'm sure there are those who say that this was a rewarding experience, or that I should wait to earn actually playing. Good for you. For those who are like me and want a game that one can actually play from the start: forget Skyrim. Score ZERO.    … Expand
  31. rapidrack
    Sep 25, 2012
    3
    Well, I've never been a PC RPG or an Elder Scrolls fan, so there's no way this gets a high score from me. What I don't get is how everyone heralds games like this as appealing to everyone. They certainly don't. They should be seen relative to other games in the same genre. As it stands though, everyone is insisting that the game is the game to end all games, so that's how it's going toWell, I've never been a PC RPG or an Elder Scrolls fan, so there's no way this gets a high score from me. What I don't get is how everyone heralds games like this as appealing to everyone. They certainly don't. They should be seen relative to other games in the same genre. As it stands though, everyone is insisting that the game is the game to end all games, so that's how it's going to be reviewed. I've played every ES game since Arena. Morrowind was my favorite, the rest aren't worth playing. Skyrim is not an amazing revolution. It's simply the next game for fans of the series. It's the same cavalcade of terrible acting, terrible dialogue, pointless quests, shallow combat, and vast open landscapes where nothing happens. The landscapes are hand made and nice to look at, but so what, that's not what makes a great game.… Expand
  32. Helias
    Jan 27, 2015
    10
    I just keep coming back to this game. It came out in 2011 but is still unsurpassed. An extraordinary beautiful, open world with many, many missions and chararcters. For the scope and length of the game there are surprisingly few bugs. Not only the best RPG made, the best game period. I hope something of this quality will come around this year.
  33. Smilingcookie
    Mar 26, 2015
    10
    This game is pure escapism. I'd rate this a 9.6/10. The reason is there are almost no other games that were more fun playing for that many hours (300 +). Graphics are amazing for such an open world. Art design is beautiful. There is no other game that offers better exploration in an interactive world. The engine and animations are a credible (a lot better than Morrowind).

    It's true    This game is pure escapism. I'd rate this a 9.6/10. The reason is there are almost no other games that were more fun playing for that many hours (300 +). Graphics are amazing for such an open world. Art design is beautiful. There is no other game that offers better exploration in an interactive world. The engine and animations are a credible (a lot better than Morrowind).

    It's true Skyrim has his shortcomings. Choices in game (i.e. guild membership) are not mutually exclusive. There's not enough variety in how to finish a quest. If you want to role play however, you can always define your character's personality, alignment and activities yourself and stick to them. You always have the freedom not to help someone or not to complete a given quest. In my opinion that's the best way of playing this game.

    On the level of pure enjoyment it's very difficult to beat Skyrim. In the end, for me that's what games are about.    … Expand
  34. camb198
    Nov 18, 2011
    10
    In the week I have had this game I have played over 30 hours! I still haven't completed the main quest and I am loving it. The new leveling system is really nice and all the perks seem to "perk" my interest. Even the skills I wasn't going to level up, I want to level up due to the cool perks! I know the graphics are not ultra crazy but I am happy with the gameplay and to me that's whatIn the week I have had this game I have played over 30 hours! I still haven't completed the main quest and I am loving it. The new leveling system is really nice and all the perks seem to "perk" my interest. Even the skills I wasn't going to level up, I want to level up due to the cool perks! I know the graphics are not ultra crazy but I am happy with the gameplay and to me that's what count's. Especially when modders can "upgrade" the graphics with the addition of the Creation Kit. This will consume most of my free time for a long long long time! I can't wait for MERP! Middle Earth Roleplay Project! Everyone check out this mod they are porting to Skyrim! 10/10! Long live Skyrim ;-)… Expand
  35. Fuzz
    Nov 26, 2011
    10
    Finally a game I've been anticipating for a long time doesn't disappoint me and, in fact, surpasses my initial expectations. Incredible game, a TON of content, engaging story and amazing gameplay choices. WARNING: Will cause sleep deprivation.
  36. Siegfriedm
    Dec 9, 2011
    9
    Bethesda, as always, make a great game with many bugs. It's so strange that a game with so many bugs is also so great! Honestly, I never had many bugs with the game, maybe I was lucky. Now with patch 1.3 things are also better.
    I suggest to everyone to make this experience! This game is infinite. You have realy many many things to do and the main story is much better than that of    Bethesda, as always, make a great game with many bugs. It's so strange that a game with so many bugs is also so great! Honestly, I never had many bugs with the game, maybe I was lucky. Now with patch 1.3 things are also better.
    I suggest to everyone to make this experience! This game is infinite. You have realy many many things to do and the main story is much better than that of Oblivion.
    After the disappointment of Dragon Age 2, I was feared that also this could disappoint me, but I was happily wrong :) Buy it!    … Expand
  37. ihatt
    Nov 20, 2011
    10
    One of the best RPG games ever, it's nice that Bethesda really made it so awesome! Obviously, Skyrim is the game of the year. I wish, BioWare will ever make such masterpiece
  38. Fortune
    Nov 15, 2011
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Pretty good game, if you like hack 'n slash or dungeon crawlers but don't like in-depth character customization or RPG elements. The storyline is good, the combat is great, and everything is simple.

    Unfortunately, the game is really easy (even on master, I hit a wall around level 20-25, but once I got past that I haven't found anything really challenging and can solo named dragons without trouble).

    *spoiler*The guild quests are way too simple and streamlined. One "entry" quest that takes 5 minutes to do and requires little to no effort, then you're in and everyone trusts you.The mage college quest was literally two quest lines, then you're the arch-mage.*/spoiler*

    If you're looking for a fun action-RPG with a decent storyline, this is the game for you. If you want an in-depth RPG with a lot of customization and great side-quests, hundreds of hours of play, etc., you may want to look elsewhere.

    All in all, Skyrim is to Oblivion what Oblivion was to Morrowind. Streamlined, features taken out, nothing really added except a new storyline, and turned easy. Still very fun for what it is, but don't buy it thinking that it's something else.    … Expand
  39. Matseb2611
    Sep 1, 2012
    10
    Perhaps the most hyped game of 2011, and in my opinion quite deservingly so. Bethesda have truly done wonders with this game. I found Oblivion to be incredible, but Skyrim manages to surpass even that. There are many outstanding features about Skyrim, and I
  40. TheBank
    Dec 27, 2011
    8
    This game has so much inside of it. You get your money's worth. My only grief is that out of (apparently) no where the game will lag to an unplayable level. This can be fixed the first time by fast travelling to another location (or going to a load screen). After the first time it becomes more frequent until you have to restart the game. Apparently this issue has been recognized byThis game has so much inside of it. You get your money's worth. My only grief is that out of (apparently) no where the game will lag to an unplayable level. This can be fixed the first time by fast travelling to another location (or going to a load screen). After the first time it becomes more frequent until you have to restart the game. Apparently this issue has been recognized by bethesda and they are working on it. Setting my graphics lower increases the amount of time it takes for this glitch to appear again. I would recommend waiting to buy this game until it's on sale (I got it on a steam holiday sale). When everything is smooth I will enjoy this game all the more. I am very pleased with this game, I would recommend getting the nexus mod manager and getting some of the top mods for this notably "acceleration layer." Check out skyrim nexus for more details.… Expand
  41. evilhippo
    Nov 16, 2011
    7
    This is a good game and in some ways, a great game: sweeping vistas, epic music and sound-scape, coherent storyline and the scope of the game, the sheer immersion and *size* of it all, is truly staggering. Items that are eye candy clutter in other games... cooking pots, whetstones, mills, smelters, furnaces, are actually functional in Skyrim! This represents a significant advance overThis is a good game and in some ways, a great game: sweeping vistas, epic music and sound-scape, coherent storyline and the scope of the game, the sheer immersion and *size* of it all, is truly staggering. Items that are eye candy clutter in other games... cooking pots, whetstones, mills, smelters, furnaces, are actually functional in Skyrim! This represents a significant advance over other Bethesda games like the earlier Eldar Scrolls series or ever the sprawling Fallout 3 and Fallout New Vegas. Kudos for that.......

    ...The gameplay is very good. Not great, but I can live with very good. Combat in The Witcher 2, for example, is far more sophisticated and visceral whereas Skyrim's combat mechanics are a bit ordinary. Not bad, just ordinary......

    ...However there is one aspect which is a major step back: companions in Skyrim are characterless cyphers. little more that cannon fodder for carrying your stuff around, whose names you will have difficulty remembering. Unlike Fallout 3 or New Vegas, there are no real character quests, nothing more that generic personality and, most inexplicable, more clunky controls than the character wheel used by Bethesda in Fallout New Vegas. Oh the the AI is *horrible*... they run in front of you when you take a bow shot, they are hard to push out of the way when they trap you in a corner or block a doorway and the accursed dog 'companion' pushes against you constantly and nudged me off a cliff once. I am sure mod makes will make *vastly* better companions than the vanilla ones but in such a detailed, immersion intensive game, this trivialisation of NPC companions is a strange design decision.......

    ...So I like this game and, yes, it *is* buggy, but with anything this big that is inevitable. Bethesda will fix it eventually and compared to Fallout 3/NV, it seems a bit less bug riddled. That said, I suddenly CTD with no error message at least once an hour. Oh well.......

    ...7/10... would be 8/10 is companions were not so completely uninteresting.    … Expand
  42. veraceszk
    Apr 6, 2012
    4
    It has some interesting concepts, but it's absolutely overhyped. Its bugs that prohibit gameplay keep it from being more than a 4/10. Bethesda has a long track record of bugs, and Skyrim is absolutely no exception. This is, in no way, worth $60 for a short game that offers little replayability, and very little enjoyment due to bugs and glitches.
  43. KillerAlfa
    Nov 19, 2011
    10
    This is the best RPG game I have ever played. The world is really alive, 100+ unique quests and locations, amazing graphics... This is Game Of The Year
  44. thenthomwaslike
    Nov 20, 2011
    9
    the environments are incredible and truly organic, the characters... well they're better than the ones in oblivion hahaha but the gameplay is much more refined this time around, the weather effects are great and the world is massive and varied. i would recommend it to anyone
  45. Zherneboh
    Nov 23, 2011
    9
    Skyrim is a rich world filled to the brim with content to explore. At first I felt guilty to fast travel, walking around and checking out the sites was awesome. The graphics aren't over the top, but the atmosphere immerses you into a living, breathing world. The quests are enjoyable, I don't want to put down any potential spoilers, but I'm already deciding how I would like to play throughSkyrim is a rich world filled to the brim with content to explore. At first I felt guilty to fast travel, walking around and checking out the sites was awesome. The graphics aren't over the top, but the atmosphere immerses you into a living, breathing world. The quests are enjoyable, I don't want to put down any potential spoilers, but I'm already deciding how I would like to play through the next time I play through it.

    Now for the reasons I won't rate this game a 10. The menus feel uninspired, like they were designed to be more streamlined but it gets annoying to scroll through a list that can only be sorted alphabetically. There is much potential with companion AI, but as it stands it feels pretty outdated. Having some tactical options would be nice. There are a few game breaking bugs that are ridiculous. The worst one I've encountered is the shield perk "Quick Reflexes" would put the game into slow motion, but would never get back to normal speed, the only solution that worked for me was removing the perk with a console command. As big as Skyrim is, it's kind of a shame how shallow certain features are like cooking and home decorating. I know I'm not expecting Animal Crossing here, but it would be nice to choose what I want in my house instead of stuffing hundreds of dragon bones in an end table and my pile of un-enchanted weapons in a burlap sack. The crafting is alright. I kinda wish there was something you'd do other than click create to make things though. It also makes you feel unaccomplished crafting a few hundred iron daggers and getting smithing leveled to 100 for it, that's just too easy.

    The bugs, at least the major game breaking ones, will most likely be fixed rather soon. Unfortunately the other stuff is most likely left to the modders. Still, I think a game boils right down to how fun it is, and this surely does not disappoint.    … Expand
  46. jeffreybar
    Nov 13, 2011
    10
    This game definitely has its flaws: magic that doesn't scale well, a clumsy UI (use a 360 controller if you have one -- it's much better), and its fair share of bugs, to name a few. But it is also, without doubt, the most ambitious, beautiful, and detailed game I've ever played. By comparison, Oblivion is downright bland. The world is full of hidden nooks and crannies and quests andThis game definitely has its flaws: magic that doesn't scale well, a clumsy UI (use a 360 controller if you have one -- it's much better), and its fair share of bugs, to name a few. But it is also, without doubt, the most ambitious, beautiful, and detailed game I've ever played. By comparison, Oblivion is downright bland. The world is full of hidden nooks and crannies and quests and fun things to discover. It's honestly overwhelming. It's hard to imagine how even a large team could have created something like this in 3 years...and it's hard to imagine that Bethesda will manage to ever top this. I don't disagree that there are nits to pick here, but if you're focusing on nitpicking rather than killing dragons, picking flowers, catching butterflies, delving into dwemer ruins, hunting elk, and checking out the aurora over Whiterun, you have no soul.… Expand
  47. xan781
    Nov 14, 2011
    10
    I have played all of the previous elder scrolls, and Skyrim if a fine addition. One of the most engrossing games, I've ever played, the combat feels fresh. I'm always busy, and drowned with quests. Never do i stop. Sitting here, and writing this review, only makes me want to get back in Skyrim. Environments are beautiful, and the skies looks gorgeous. Characters are vivid, and monstersI have played all of the previous elder scrolls, and Skyrim if a fine addition. One of the most engrossing games, I've ever played, the combat feels fresh. I'm always busy, and drowned with quests. Never do i stop. Sitting here, and writing this review, only makes me want to get back in Skyrim. Environments are beautiful, and the skies looks gorgeous. Characters are vivid, and monsters fights are tense. I've experienced few glitches, but it doesn't detract anything from the game. Rarely does a game such as this come by, a MUST PLAY.… Expand
  48. Popertuyi
    Nov 20, 2011
    10
    YOU know what happen when you fell in love with a game? Its when you keep playing it even when you cant anymore. So good is this game, I just fell in love with this game, and I usually don't do that.
    The few games that made so much impact on me was half life 1-2, portal 1-2, Dota2, and this game
  49. Strewthard
    Nov 21, 2011
    9
    Gameplay: 9 - Amazing. The Spell system and ability to quickly change weapons through the press of a single button allow the combat of Skyrim to be extremely satisfying. Enemies are tough, taking a great deal of hits before going down, making the moment when you kill that troll or dragon all the better. The conversation system is also engrossing. Being able to influence characters'Gameplay: 9 - Amazing. The Spell system and ability to quickly change weapons through the press of a single button allow the combat of Skyrim to be extremely satisfying. Enemies are tough, taking a great deal of hits before going down, making the moment when you kill that troll or dragon all the better. The conversation system is also engrossing. Being able to influence characters' opinions of you through dialogue makes the world of Skyrim feel more real.
    Story: 8 - Great. Skyrim's story is interesting, yet fairly simple. Dragons are back, you need to stop them. Only you can stop them, because you are the Dragonborn. You kill a lot of monsters and people to save the world. Even so, you care about certain characters, and many points in the story are interesting and entertaining.
    Graphics: 10 - Perfect. Skyrim looks amazing. The world looks real, and even the mystical becomes possible. The level of detail available in the Character Creation is impressive (you have more options than the Sims), allowing you to choose the level of dirt on your character's face, along with the expected nose options. Since this system is also used on the NPCs, no two characters looks alike, and every character looks alive.
    Sound: 9 - Amazing. The theme is stirring, it prepares you for battle. Every level is accompanied by warrior chants. The background music is rare, but this serves only to allow deeper immersion.
    Overall: 9 - Amazing. With great combat and intriguing dialogue, this is a contender for Game of the Year, but is held back by its many bugs.    … Expand
  50. gravothermal
    Nov 23, 2011
    7
    My main gripe, just like in every other Bethesda game I've played, is the low quality of NPC facial expressions and character development. All the NPCs just stare at you as if they're zombies as they talk.

    The NPC personalities are wooden, one-dimensional, and there isn't any personal satisfaction to be gained from interacting with them. It's as if Bethesda hates writing, personal    My main gripe, just like in every other Bethesda game I've played, is the low quality of NPC facial expressions and character development. All the NPCs just stare at you as if they're zombies as they talk.

    The NPC personalities are wooden, one-dimensional, and there isn't any personal satisfaction to be gained from interacting with them. It's as if Bethesda hates writing, personal relationships, and drama---as if it was their C programmer that had to write the dialogue instead of an actual writer.

    Nevertheless, compared to the other Elder Scroll games, Skyrim has added features that make it possible to live with this fundamental Bethesda flaw. Chiefly: zoom out! I can finally play in true 3rd person mode almost the entire game. If I zoom out enough, the facial expressions are blurred out enough that if the voice acting is OK, my imagination can fill in the rest. So, for the first time for me, playing a Bethesda game is actually not revolting!

    At least on high settings, the world itself is beautiful (butterflies and beetles receive more loving graphics treatment than human faces), so I'm not sure what the others are complaining about as far as the environmental graphics. Technically, the engine is impressive in how fast it renders given the number of polygons here. Exploring the world genuinely is fun (otherwise the game would have gotten a 3/10 from me).

    It is true that melee combat feels like a 1990s Gold Box D&D game. But magic and archery are really well done. If you restrict yourself to magic and archery, you will have fun in combat.    … Expand
  51. Billick
    Feb 24, 2012
    9
    There's a lot to like in Skyrim. The world is huge and pretty, the music is fantastic, and there's a ton of content. The leveling and skill system is much improved from Oblivion. On the negative side, the game suffers from random glitches. Switching between items and skills is very clunky. Allowing hotkeys for switching would have made the game play a lot more smoothly. The combat isThere's a lot to like in Skyrim. The world is huge and pretty, the music is fantastic, and there's a ton of content. The leveling and skill system is much improved from Oblivion. On the negative side, the game suffers from random glitches. Switching between items and skills is very clunky. Allowing hotkeys for switching would have made the game play a lot more smoothly. The combat is only so-so, and not really improved from Oblivion. Overall, I feel like it's a good but flawed game.… Expand
  52. kabbi
    Dec 2, 2011
    5
    When I first started this game I was like **** 10/10... as I progressed through further, I started noticing lots of bugs, a sincere lack of momentum in plot (lots of forgettable gopher quests). About half way through the game I realized that none of the stats matter. The game is so damn easy anyone can beat any mission pretty much with any character set up. I found the AI challenge to beWhen I first started this game I was like **** 10/10... as I progressed through further, I started noticing lots of bugs, a sincere lack of momentum in plot (lots of forgettable gopher quests). About half way through the game I realized that none of the stats matter. The game is so damn easy anyone can beat any mission pretty much with any character set up. I found the AI challenge to be as rewarding as shooting fish in a barrel. If you turn up the difficulty your health drops so fast that you have to pause every 5 seconds and drink 8 health potions. Very little room for role-playing beyond deciding what cool armor you want to wear. Dialogue especially of wandering NPC's gets so annoyingly repetative the only thing they're missing is a pullstring when u walk by. Did I mention there's no story nor do your choices have any effect on the outcome? You're pretty much just killing mindless ragdolls and calling yourself the Dragonborn somehow imagining that quests you did/didn't do are going to make a difference. When you complete a quest NPC's go on talking about it over and over again til you want to **** kill everyone. This game sucks. Some of the reviews I've read on it are extremely questionable. But then again I was totally hot for it the first week so I'll shut up.… Expand
  53. Loco
    Jan 9, 2012
    5
    I love my PC version of Oblivion. It's modded to hell and back and still gets a lot of my time. However, there are niggling issues with that game that I hoped would be resolved in Skyrim. Alas, they haven't. ....... Combat is still clunky and unbalanced, dialogue is awful, the UI is appalling, quests are linear and forgetful, the game engine (Gamebryo not 'Creation'!) is as buggy and weakI love my PC version of Oblivion. It's modded to hell and back and still gets a lot of my time. However, there are niggling issues with that game that I hoped would be resolved in Skyrim. Alas, they haven't. ....... Combat is still clunky and unbalanced, dialogue is awful, the UI is appalling, quests are linear and forgetful, the game engine (Gamebryo not 'Creation'!) is as buggy and weak as ever, and the animations in the game are 2004-spec. What's more, this is a very weak port from X360, with very little effort made to optimise it for PC users (DX9? Really?)........ The music and sound, however, are VERY strong, the world is well realised (Bethesda actually had art direction this time!), and the allure of the big open gamespace is as strong as ever. Dragons are fun, if easy to kill and repetitive. Dragon-shouts differentiate the PC from the NPCs, which is important. These are the plus points, but there should really have been more........... Besthesda are not pushing themselves. Oblivion 1.5 is nice, but where's the innovation, guys? Deep inside i'll always know that this is not yet the RPG I know this dev can make.......... Next time- get a new engine (a REAL, new engine), redesign combat entirely, come up with decent stealth mechanics, hire new writers and build a better connection between the game world and the people that inhabit it (better AI, animations etc.). Because as much as I love the Elder Scrolls, I can't pretend forever that this isn't a bit of a mess. -Loco… Expand
  54. skeith
    Feb 25, 2012
    9
    Very good game, rich in gameplay, tons of dungeons, beautiful world. The only thing i can complain is the very very boring combat system, Bethesda could have done better next time. Also, a few stunning cinematic for the story is not bad too. =)
  55. ZEN369
    Jan 16, 2012
    10
    As expected, the developers are very densely filled with not very large map. The results are impressive. In the course of assignments we get dozens of temples, caves and castles, learn about the many characters, both important for the Dragon Reach, and with ordinary citizens. For performing tasks you do not get experience, but you will not the less valuable gold, jewelry, armor, orAs expected, the developers are very densely filled with not very large map. The results are impressive. In the course of assignments we get dozens of temples, caves and castles, learn about the many characters, both important for the Dragon Reach, and with ordinary citizens. For performing tasks you do not get experience, but you will not the less valuable gold, jewelry, armor, or weapons. Speaking of the latter: in the game a great set. Starting from the normal that a player can make himself, and the last registered.… Expand
  56. Jezza
    Dec 29, 2012
    2
    If your fun of a game is spoiled by glitches, do not get this game. I experience a bug/glitch ~every 5 minutes of playing, from crashing to killed NPCs falling through floors. The game is sometimes unplayable due to glitches and there are just so many of them. It is so close to being an amazing game! but it's ruined due to it feeling broken, rushed and unpolished.
  57. iaai0110
    Mar 21, 2012
    4
    How to rate a game like this? I have thousands of hours on Bethesda games since Morrowind. I'm about 2/3 - 3/4 through Skyrim; didn't buy it until patch 1.4 was out and the CK was supposed to be released. It is so difficult interacting with Steam for updates, patches, etc. I have over 3000 saves because of my experiences with FO3 and FNV, but no CTDs, which is absolutely amazing. Bad: 1.How to rate a game like this? I have thousands of hours on Bethesda games since Morrowind. I'm about 2/3 - 3/4 through Skyrim; didn't buy it until patch 1.4 was out and the CK was supposed to be released. It is so difficult interacting with Steam for updates, patches, etc. I have over 3000 saves because of my experiences with FO3 and FNV, but no CTDs, which is absolutely amazing. Bad: 1. Steam adds a lot of overhead.Wants to get in the game of mod provider but really buggy and poorly organized (impossible really). Can only subscribe to games - can't track them, downloads a title with an empty file (for weeks still empty). Uses different titles than the the actual file name. Nexus the other site (British ex post facto rules). If you get kicked, no place to go, no warnings (3 strikes BS) and no defense from some kid moderator. Every single reviewer here could be kicked without warning for being honest or true to his beliefs. Without the mods, the game is a 1 or less, because this is where it is fixed and made playable. This is where good ideas come from and many ideas get incorporated into future Bethesda games. 2. Some really interesting quests (mostly) but many are still broken. And some boring quests. But, I guess it would be amazing if not for your interests just being quashed by a broken quest.
    3. I can't believe that Bethesda is still working on MSoft ActiveX 9. The UI is pretty bad for the PC. 4. It's also amazing that the recommended hardware or PC setup was not supported. 5. Game play is not uniform. At L20 the game play was pretty fair. You had to play smart and then you run into a Boss who hits you with spells every couple of seconds that take 62 health/second and 62 stamina/second and 62 magicka/second AND they all stack. The only way to defeat this Boss is by an AI trick or bug. By L40, if you have a smart build, No NPC can damage you more than a few per cent. By level 50, you have basically become invincible -- gOD mode. Ex. One-handed sword: base damage 677 + 93 enchants x 6 or 7 (sneak). The UI is so bad that you have to dump all your gear into a chest (unsorted, not even alphabetical) to use the enchant or smith potion. You have 30 seconds (real time) to use the enchant, I can get one weapon without renaming it (so you can differentiate it from unenchanted ones) before time is up. So doing 3-4 thousand damage per hit is pretty cool, but what does that say for the game. Bethesda/Zenimax announced there MMO. Maybe this will keep them home and they can drop Steam (Tricks (Steam) are for kids). In the next room my son is having an absolutely wonderful time with ME3 on Origin with no frustrations because of patches, broken quests, UI or AI.
    I don't think a Steam-only game should get game of the year.    … Expand
  58. masterbezruk
    May 10, 2012
    10
    Beautiful graphics and gaming world. No RPG game genre can not be compared with it. After not the best Oblivion, I began to think that the show went downhill. Skyrim pleasantly surprised. Very interesting to read the book coming across. And the music is also commendable. While in any TES is good.
  59. sterlingwriter
    Jul 21, 2012
    7
    I have played Skyrim for 182 hours, and I'm probably finished with it for awhile. I never actually beat the main plot, because there's so much to do, I ended up being distracted by all the side quests and exploration, which seemed a lot more interesting to me than the main plot, and now I think I'm burned out on the game. Like all recent Bethesda games (like the Fallout series) the NPCsI have played Skyrim for 182 hours, and I'm probably finished with it for awhile. I never actually beat the main plot, because there's so much to do, I ended up being distracted by all the side quests and exploration, which seemed a lot more interesting to me than the main plot, and now I think I'm burned out on the game. Like all recent Bethesda games (like the Fallout series) the NPCs are horrible in this game -- they talk too much, get in the way too much, get killed too much, and are all the same unless you use mods. There are other annoying bugs in the game, but none were so terrible that my experience was ruined, I just wish they'd QA these things out before the game actually goes retail. The UI was a bit clunky, too, since things didn't always sort properly. What I enjoyed about Skyrim, was finally, the opportunity to play a ranged character without always having to kite or tank monsters. A stealth-archer can often crit one shot and/or kill things before they get into melee range, which is awesome. All the side quests, and the sheer amount of cool stuff you can find when exploring was my favorite part of the game. I was having tons of fun finding new towns, treasure in remote locations, and pursuing the artifact quests (without using any wikis, I got most of them). The graphics are amazing, and with the high-res texture pack, one of the best looking western RPGs I've ever played. The soundtrack is also amazing, but unfortunately the voice acting is terrible most of the time, due to overuse of certain voices, and the bards... well, let's just say I tended to interrupt them when they'd start singing, it was that bad. As far as crafting goes, Blacksmithing and Enchanting were fun, but Alchemy was a chore because of the way the vanilla game sorts potions, and the sheer number of different potions you can make (most of them being useless, so what's the point of having them). Overall, a fun game with room to improve. If you still don't have it, I recommend that you wait for a 50% off (or more) sale on Steam.… Expand
  60. Bobbo
    Jun 21, 2012
    7
    I never knew black and white video games existed until I played Skyrim. My eyes hunger for color. I was more interested in improving the AI from Oblivion, but that didn't happen.
  61. CorruptCamel
    Jun 5, 2012
    10
    There are so many different ways to play this game and it takes well over 100 hours to explore all of Skyrim. The attention to detail is unbelievable. Bethesda has created an incredible world to get lost in, so do yourself a favor and get lost.
  62. Bishop7
    Jul 4, 2012
    10
    This is well within the rights of being called the best game ever made.. After over 20 years of hardcore gaming, I think I have a pretty good idea of the genre. This game doesn't just beat everything else, it annihilates it..
    It so thoroughly explores so many facets of gaming and interfaces, that putting any other game next to it, is insulting to every other developer.. Bethesda didn't    This is well within the rights of being called the best game ever made.. After over 20 years of hardcore gaming, I think I have a pretty good idea of the genre. This game doesn't just beat everything else, it annihilates it..
    It so thoroughly explores so many facets of gaming and interfaces, that putting any other game next to it, is insulting to every other developer.. Bethesda didn't raise the bar this time.. They broke it over the head of every other game maker in the world..    … Expand
  63. zombieXgun
    Aug 3, 2012
    10
    I love this game. The battles, the victories, the adventures and the whole experience of this wonderful game just amazes me. The graphics are truly astounding, the detail of pretty much every single object and being in the game is fantastic! One of the best games of 2011, I recommend this game to all those who loved the previous elder scrolls, particularly Oblivion. Skyrim is such anI love this game. The battles, the victories, the adventures and the whole experience of this wonderful game just amazes me. The graphics are truly astounding, the detail of pretty much every single object and being in the game is fantastic! One of the best games of 2011, I recommend this game to all those who loved the previous elder scrolls, particularly Oblivion. Skyrim is such an improvement and I also recommend it to anyone who loves adventurous games such as Minecraft. This game gives you the sense of building your own self. Abilities, Strengths, Weaknesses and your future. I love this game and I have no doubt that the rest of the gaming world/community does too.… Expand
  64. dark001001
    Jan 23, 2013
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. It's a fantastic game,with some glitches,especially on window XP. The whole world is amazing, but in dungeons I always suffer fps drops. However it is still a good game , I like it !… Expand
  65. stokny
    Jun 28, 2013
    3
    First of all, huge fan of the Elder Scrolls series played Morrowind extensively and clocked 200+ hours on Oblivion. Despite all it's issues, I've still played Skyrim for 30ish hours so really it is a great game. This review is specific to the broken, terrible console port that is the PC version. Quests repeatedly fail and error messages are constant. I've had two instances where the gameFirst of all, huge fan of the Elder Scrolls series played Morrowind extensively and clocked 200+ hours on Oblivion. Despite all it's issues, I've still played Skyrim for 30ish hours so really it is a great game. This review is specific to the broken, terrible console port that is the PC version. Quests repeatedly fail and error messages are constant. I've had two instances where the game was literally stuck and I had to go in the console to reset quest status. After I got to a glitch in the Assassin's guild quest for which there was no known fix, I said no mas and moved on. It's really a shame too because at this point I've put enough time in where I don't want to start over on Xbox so basically this game is ruined for me.

    I really don't know what else to say about this. If you want to enjoy this wonderful game, please do yourself a favor and buy the console copy.    … Expand
  66. Yakinrossa
    Jun 14, 2013
    9
    There are two ways for an RPG to become imminent..Plot and Exploration..Either will guarantee the success if you had reached the peak..TES 5 Skyrim absolutely took the second way, the way Bethesda specialize in..The content in Skyrim can definitely outweigh any of its rivals in this gen..but the flaws in plot prevent it from achieving perfect..However, we saw ambition and ability ofThere are two ways for an RPG to become imminent..Plot and Exploration..Either will guarantee the success if you had reached the peak..TES 5 Skyrim absolutely took the second way, the way Bethesda specialize in..The content in Skyrim can definitely outweigh any of its rivals in this gen..but the flaws in plot prevent it from achieving perfect..However, we saw ambition and ability of Bethesda..From Oblivion to Fallout 3 to Skyrim, they just kept progressing..… Expand
  67. J583
    Oct 20, 2013
    4
    Overall, a disappointing technological step forward from Oblivion. Your first impression, the graphics, are an underwhelming improvement but the environment design feels good, more varied and interesting than previous games. Human faces look bad and idol animations (such as when speaking) dont look natural. The dialogue is often awkward and contrived. AI sucks. Arrow in face, oh nevermind,Overall, a disappointing technological step forward from Oblivion. Your first impression, the graphics, are an underwhelming improvement but the environment design feels good, more varied and interesting than previous games. Human faces look bad and idol animations (such as when speaking) dont look natural. The dialogue is often awkward and contrived. AI sucks. Arrow in face, oh nevermind, just hearing things.

    Whilst the environment looks good, one of the largest downfalls of Skyrim is that, besides dragons (which are intersting and done quite well), theres nothing but dungeons which are repetitive and completely uninviting. The cities are completely BORING. Again, nothing in them. The guilds are only few in number and I could barely begin them before Im bored....Im baffled by it all. This was the nail in the coffin for me, cities are just bad.

    Combat is improved but still fails in the same fundamental ways as previous games. Swing swing block, swing swing block. Bows feel more powerful. Magic is the same as it used to be. New shout mechanic is interesting but essentially just magic.

    Story, um, I dont remember it lets put it that way. Characters? What are those?

    I cant be bothered explaining any more, Im tired of complaining. I honestly feel bad trashing the only game Ive ever pre-ordered. Exploring the land and finding new shouts was the only fun I had.    … Expand
  68. gui2310gBR
    May 17, 2015
    1
    If I I say this pro my friend they will kill me if I talk to hate the Skyrim Game controls are good and beautiful but boring and boredom **** **** .not think GOTY Game
  69. Zennousha
    Dec 20, 2011
    10
    The greatest challenge. Not making a full blown essay concerning The Elder Scrolls. Being a fan of TES since 96 with my first entry by Daggerfall, I have grown attached to each of the games for varying reasons. Daggerfall had unparalleled depth and customization with challenging dungeons paired with an atmospheric score. Morrowind had a truly engaging story and unique, interesting varietyThe greatest challenge. Not making a full blown essay concerning The Elder Scrolls. Being a fan of TES since 96 with my first entry by Daggerfall, I have grown attached to each of the games for varying reasons. Daggerfall had unparalleled depth and customization with challenging dungeons paired with an atmospheric score. Morrowind had a truly engaging story and unique, interesting variety of landscape. Oblivion had worked on the ARTS combat that Morrowind had failed to achieve, and gave us a look at next generation open world visuals.

    Now Skyrim comes along and takes a lot of the things I enjoy from each, and blends them together. While the product may be rather simplified, perhaps too many "ingredients" at this point may overflow the already heavy cup. That being said, I feel a lot of the steps are taken in the right direction despite my love for extreme complexity and depth. Skyrim somehow manages to make it work, and still attempt to please me with concepts of old, re-imagined through various systems, like the perk trees.

    Magic while a bit more skewed has really drawn the appropriate feeling of power, and combat while still a bit simple, feels far more refined and physical from Oblivion. Exploration feels varied, especially after Oblivion. The scenery is also truly gorgeous. I can hardly tell it's a DX9 game and multiplatform title at times, and it runs buttery smooth on my rig. Voice acting is a step up. Not quite there yet, but a considerable improvement from previous. The focus and attention to detail for all the little things is there, but remain subtle. Some things you might not even notice the first time around. It fleshes things out a bit more, and makes them feel more organic to the virtual world. Animations are also improved from previous titles. The score is outstanding as per usual, ranging from a powerful, sweeping choir to a soft, atmospheric melody. Then there's the Dragons. Their behaviour, their established language, their combat, their animations, etc. I could go on, but I digress.

    The game is not without its flaws however. A few CTDs here, a few minor bugs there (I have been fortunate in my play time, but it is hard to ignore the fact that issues do exist for others), and some things feel a bit lacking in content. However, it's not enough to detract from the gameplay in my case.

    Will it take place as my favourite TES game of all time? I still think Daggerfall may keep that place. Skyrim however takes a close second. Only time will tell how Bethesda will manage to one up Skyrim though. But until then, I await to see what the community will improve.    … Expand
  70. eulogy
    Nov 18, 2011
    9
    Even plagued with crashes, glitches, poor AI, crap UI, and in some specific cases, sub-par graphics, this game is so immersive and compelling that it keeps me playing. It's not the best it could've been, but it's damned good. Some of the landscape is awe-inspiring and stunning. The different ways you can improve your character are really satisfying - instead of being exceptionallyEven plagued with crashes, glitches, poor AI, crap UI, and in some specific cases, sub-par graphics, this game is so immersive and compelling that it keeps me playing. It's not the best it could've been, but it's damned good. Some of the landscape is awe-inspiring and stunning. The different ways you can improve your character are really satisfying - instead of being exceptionally skilled at combat, you could instead have above-average gear from crafting to make up for it. Almost any mixture of skills you want to focus on can be made into a successful and strong character, even if you want to be a jack of all trades.

    Although the voice acting is superb, it feels like there's only one or two voices per sex that most NPCs use. It's easily overlooked because at least it's there, right?    … Expand
  71. Shardstride
    Jun 6, 2012
    10
    This is one of my personal favorites of the year; Even if the game is not set for Optimal settings, The graphics effect's with a 3-d Driver are outstanding! Be careful with the setting's & tweak guides; They vary for different P.C.'s. And make sure you have secure setting's,& low RSS feeds ; Or they will break a mods Synchronization, & Crash you to desktop!
  72. gvazdas
    May 6, 2012
    8
    A game that I really love even now.
    The graphics are great, there are more voice actors now and the animations are finally livelier and better.
    Some areas in the game fall flat for FPS drops and the AI can be extremely stupid sometimes. But it falls flat to the amazing customization and exploration in this game. Buy it and play it. You won't regret it (unless your PC is made out of plasteline).
  73. Seorl
    May 17, 2012
    9
    Skyrim is an amazing game that is true to its roots in the elder scrolls series. The game opens much like previous games with you being a prisoner and up for execution. From there the story opens up and you can literally do anything you want from then on out. The story is your very own. The graphics are amazing, the dragon fights are fun, the controls are exactly the same as before. ThereSkyrim is an amazing game that is true to its roots in the elder scrolls series. The game opens much like previous games with you being a prisoner and up for execution. From there the story opens up and you can literally do anything you want from then on out. The story is your very own. The graphics are amazing, the dragon fights are fun, the controls are exactly the same as before. There is a great diversity of skills, items, and locations to explore. You will get lost in this world.… Expand
  74. silentshade
    Mar 23, 2012
    10
    This is Skyrim, the best game ever in my opinion. I could go on and on about the different mechanics and quests and items and weapons and people and jobs and all of the other stuff in the game but to be honest, it would ruin the game. Skyrim is game you need to experience without previous inside knowledge on it, the simple fact is if you like Elder Scrolls or simply RPG's, no scratch that.This is Skyrim, the best game ever in my opinion. I could go on and on about the different mechanics and quests and items and weapons and people and jobs and all of the other stuff in the game but to be honest, it would ruin the game. Skyrim is game you need to experience without previous inside knowledge on it, the simple fact is if you like Elder Scrolls or simply RPG's, no scratch that. If you like amazing games then you must play Skyrim, experience the wonderful world of Tamriel.… Expand
  75. Vany
    Dec 13, 2011
    10
    Everything about this game is amazing. I run it on ultra settings on a geforce gtx 580 and its incredible. This game will go down as one of the best games created, period. Since i have the game through steam, i don't want to mod it so i can get the achievements. I'm not sure if there is a way to quick change weapons instead of going through the favorites menu. It would be wonderful ifEverything about this game is amazing. I run it on ultra settings on a geforce gtx 580 and its incredible. This game will go down as one of the best games created, period. Since i have the game through steam, i don't want to mod it so i can get the achievements. I'm not sure if there is a way to quick change weapons instead of going through the favorites menu. It would be wonderful if i could hit the "1" key and it would equip my sword and hit another for shield, etc.… Expand
  76. Ormik
    Nov 18, 2011
    8
    I have one piece of advice for those considering this game on the PC. Find a decent UI mod, or get an xbox 360 controller hooked upto your PC and play it that way.

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

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

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

    Other than that, it is an addictive game with a beautifully crafted world that sparks far more intrigue in me than the general plains/hills of TES: Oblivion.    … Expand
  77. Astrel
    Nov 14, 2011
    9
    Yes Skyrim has bugs. Yes Skyrim isn't everything everyone wanted. Yes the textures are a bit low res. Hang on its Bethesda! Oblivion had bugs, Fallout 3 had bugs, they all had crashes galore. People need to know that Bethesda is known for this and they fix a lot of them, plus if you want higher res textures wait for the modding community to get a rollin'. God damn.

    Now. The game is great    Yes Skyrim has bugs. Yes Skyrim isn't everything everyone wanted. Yes the textures are a bit low res. Hang on its Bethesda! Oblivion had bugs, Fallout 3 had bugs, they all had crashes galore. People need to know that Bethesda is known for this and they fix a lot of them, plus if you want higher res textures wait for the modding community to get a rollin'. God damn.

    Now. The game is great I love it, it deserves a 9/10. Would give it a 10 but it keeps crashing and I keep loosing my saves ):    … Expand
  78. lucipher
    Dec 22, 2011
    10
    Ignore the butthurt misanthropes who cry about every Bethesda game because it does not include the baby Jesus or something.

    Game of the year. Incredible immersive, runs on fairly low-end hardware. Voice acting quality really improved - uncanny valley of plastic people also mostly gone..feels really fleshed out and wondrous.

    Buy it! You will not be disappointed.
  79. EE061003
    Oct 14, 2015
    10
    Its almost 4 years and my obsession is never ending with this game. So haunting are the atmosphere and characters that it won't let go. Still i am discovering things in this masterpiece. There so much left to do in this game already. Witcher 3 is the only title that grabbed me as much as Skyrim, Suffice to say that SKYRIM is the very definition of an epic and legendary RPG genre. This oneIts almost 4 years and my obsession is never ending with this game. So haunting are the atmosphere and characters that it won't let go. Still i am discovering things in this masterpiece. There so much left to do in this game already. Witcher 3 is the only title that grabbed me as much as Skyrim, Suffice to say that SKYRIM is the very definition of an epic and legendary RPG genre. This one stands tall… Expand
  80. kjc001
    Nov 15, 2011
    8
    It's not perfect, but it's close. I'd actually go 8.5 even. I'd like to see more skills, I particularily miss acrobatics. Some staff melee couldn't hurt either. With all that you can interact with in the game, I was a little disappointed I couldn't use the boat to cross the lake as well. I'm over that, though. Maybe in the next title. ha
  81. Mortec
    Dec 21, 2011
    10
    Since I played Oblivion for 3 years straight, I got bored with this game quickly, as the actual gameplay for obvious reason stayed the same and needs to, I take it. But what they have done to this game and its features is still unmatched to any game I have ever seen. Bravo! This is by far THE best game up to date. While it may require a rather stronger performance pc, this game WILLSince I played Oblivion for 3 years straight, I got bored with this game quickly, as the actual gameplay for obvious reason stayed the same and needs to, I take it. But what they have done to this game and its features is still unmatched to any game I have ever seen. Bravo! This is by far THE best game up to date. While it may require a rather stronger performance pc, this game WILL justify your new graphics card expense, and it all becomes totally worth it. I am not at all a fan of the new quick button layout and functions, but even that can be forgiven once you get lost in all the possibilities In-game. With all this, I can not see myself deducting anything from this game as I guarantee those who like these type of games, WILL play Skyrim for a looooong time. Only other thing I would have loved is perhaps a multi player version, even if only available on a cloud. Steam- wink wink...… Expand
  82. hazy7687
    Nov 20, 2011
    9
    Skyrim blew me away. I had never played an Elder Scrolls game before Skyrim, and I wasn't particularly hyped for it by any means but in the week I've had it I've played over 80 hours. From a technical stand point Skyrim is very well done with only a few minor flaws, the graphics are very nice, and some of the best I've ever seen. The art design is really cool and more "serious" which ISkyrim blew me away. I had never played an Elder Scrolls game before Skyrim, and I wasn't particularly hyped for it by any means but in the week I've had it I've played over 80 hours. From a technical stand point Skyrim is very well done with only a few minor flaws, the graphics are very nice, and some of the best I've ever seen. The art design is really cool and more "serious" which I like. The controls are pretty standard but suffer a bit from the obvious porting from console. The menus are average at best and again suffer from their obvious console porting. The game world and story are where the game really shines, I was immediately sucked in. This game is going to be the new standard for fantasy open world RPGs. I love it and could go on about how awesome it is but truthfully I'm tired and need some sleep.… Expand
  83. Gantela
    Dec 13, 2011
    10
    The game is great in every sense, amazing graphics, complete freedom and it creates a great atmosphere. I interesting thing I noticed is that the name Skyrim comes from Middle-Earth and everything in the game looks very similar to it. Let me explain. "Sky" is the opposite of "Earth" and "Rim" (the edge) is opposite to "Middle". On more thing, is that the city Whiterun looks very much alikeThe game is great in every sense, amazing graphics, complete freedom and it creates a great atmosphere. I interesting thing I noticed is that the name Skyrim comes from Middle-Earth and everything in the game looks very similar to it. Let me explain. "Sky" is the opposite of "Earth" and "Rim" (the edge) is opposite to "Middle". On more thing, is that the city Whiterun looks very much alike to Rohan. So this game kind of copied LOTR, so I do not consider the game original. But nevertheless I had and I am still having an amazing experience playing this game. This game has some lags and glitches and some can be exploited, which kind of makes me lose my focus. If you read the other reviews, Skyrim does have some flaws, one which annoys me for example is NPC location. When I have a companion that follows me everywhere, sometimes I just lose him and he never comes back. They I have to go and hire him again. Very annoying. Another flaw are the animations. Some of them seem to be very buggy and often I find NPCs floating over the floor, instead of walking on it. But still, I cant understand how they packed a whole universe into 5.8GB of data. Anyways I would have given this a 9 or an 8, but I simply can't, because this game is going to be a legend and probably, all the bugs will be patched. Awesome work guys at producing the most entertaining game in the last 2 or 3 years. You deserve a medal!
    Great game! 10/10!

    PS: Shame on you, who torrent it. Please buy this game and contribute the developers, who did a great job!    … Expand
  84. shotterken
    Dec 19, 2011
    9
    Skyrim is an awesome game, everybody must go buy it! I love the fighting in the game. It's just so much fun playing it. The only thing I don't like is the landscape, because I don't like maps with many mountains (that's my taste). Because a game can't be perfect I'll give it a 9
  85. trublmaker
    Dec 22, 2011
    5
    Pros: Large open world, Strong modding community, An abundance of quest/game information available online. Cons: UI leaves much to be desired, Females are butt-ugly without mods, Washed out textures, Fails to hold interest.
  86. Quickfire
    Dec 20, 2011
    8
    Dehydrated review

    What an RPG should be. Takes best of past games and improves on it. Very few bugs, smooth gameplay, massive open world, one of the best modern games out there to play. This is a definite buy.
  87. D_Money
    Dec 20, 2011
    10
    Skyrim is likely the most beautiful world ever expressed by a video game. The $60 title will probably end up costing me six grand, as I've a sudden urge to vacation north of the Arctic Circle to see the aurora.

    I'm 130 hours in, and I feel like I've probably experienced 60-70% of the content. What a masterpiece! The only things I can criticize are overuse of a few voice actors and    Skyrim is likely the most beautiful world ever expressed by a video game. The $60 title will probably end up costing me six grand, as I've a sudden urge to vacation north of the Arctic Circle to see the aurora.

    I'm 130 hours in, and I feel like I've probably experienced 60-70% of the content. What a masterpiece! The only things I can criticize are overuse of a few voice actors and occasional Bethesda-flavored bugs and crashes (for instance, getting tangled up in a handcart and dying to repeated impacts. Unfortunate, but hilarious.) With complete stealth, magic, melee, archery and assassination mechanics- along with guilds and quests catered to each - this title feels like it already has three or four expansions built in.    … Expand
  88. requiamer
    Dec 21, 2011
    9
    Great game, the best rpg of these last years for sure. I enjoy every second i'm playing it, my kids that are too small to play it beg me to sit on my knees when i play, and ask me to go play it when i don't. I gave it a 9 only because there is no multiplayer possibilities. I know the solo aspect probably is what make this game what it is, but still, a modern game should have a multiplayerGreat game, the best rpg of these last years for sure. I enjoy every second i'm playing it, my kids that are too small to play it beg me to sit on my knees when i play, and ask me to go play it when i don't. I gave it a 9 only because there is no multiplayer possibilities. I know the solo aspect probably is what make this game what it is, but still, a modern game should have a multiplayer mode, i think it a must today.… Expand
  89. Dusty_Hayes
    May 20, 2012
    10
    A perfect sandbox RPG, with awesome graphics which make Skyrim look beautiful, there's lots to do in Skyrim and plays like Lionel Messi, if you love fantasy RPG games then this is a must in your collection.
  90. warpriest812
    Dec 22, 2011
    10
    I started the Elder Scrolls series with Morrowind. I have to say they keep getting better. Skyrim is leaps and bounds better than Oblivion, and that is saying much. The game runs smoother, combat is more fluid, and the graphics are very pleasing to the eyes. As always, the world & story are the best parts. If you like this genre, Skyrim is a must have.
  91. Gwelyan
    Dec 26, 2011
    8
    I had alot of expectations going into this game as I am sure alot of people did after playing oblivion. I felt most of the storylines was immersive and very nicely polished. The downside to this were that they were not long enough. After playing oblivion, my first thing I wanted to do was join the thieves and the assassins guild. The thieves guild lived up to my expectations and theI had alot of expectations going into this game as I am sure alot of people did after playing oblivion. I felt most of the storylines was immersive and very nicely polished. The downside to this were that they were not long enough. After playing oblivion, my first thing I wanted to do was join the thieves and the assassins guild. The thieves guild lived up to my expectations and the storyline was definitely one of the better ones. The assassins storyline on the other hand was very short and didn't feel very immersive at all. The combat next and again a big let down on what I was expecting, it got very repetitive very quick and was just basically a hack and slash for me with who emptied ones health bar first won. There is no real tactics for combat and is one of the biggest let downs in the game. Overall I must say that I enjoyed the game for the amount of time I put into it and would definitely recommend this game to anyone that loves the RPG fantasy genre.… Expand
  92. Faoeoa
    Jan 4, 2012
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. After 80 hours, I think it's time to review, i was impressed, Skyrim is a huge step up from oblivion in graphics and gameplay, There are 4 cities, 9 holds (sort of like countys or states, where bounties are tracked alone) First of all, the story, you are one of the 10 races, being executed when a dragon attacks Helgen & Destroys the entire town, you escape and you can join the Imperial (The Empire) or the Stormcloak Rebellion, but the main story is you're a dragonborn & you kill dragons and save the world.

    Main Story (Civil War Questline Inc.) 8/10 - The main story dragged on, the civil war was amazing.

    Now with the graphics, the graphics are amazing, VERY long draw distances, but on a GT 430 it won't go above med. on 1080p, but that's alright.

    Graphics - 9/10

    Stability however, is a HUGE drop, there are a few CTDs and a ton of bugs, involving horses and what not, many glitches can involve quests breaking, forcing the console to be put to use. Mods make this worse.

    Stability - 5/10

    Side Questing is a very fun activity, some are horrible quests, but the daedric quests are extremely fun, such as mehrunes' razor and more.

    Side Questing - 10/10

    Everything else, modability is amazing, i have 8 mods installed (Child mod, Deadly Dragons, Dragon Music changed, New Menu theme and a whole lot more), It'll be even better when the Creation kit comes this month

    Music is good too.

    My overall score is 9/10

    Other - 9/10    … Expand
  93. madskullcandy
    Jan 4, 2012
    9
    "is this the best game ever made?" ...... I am not a big rpg dragon slayer type fan, but after playing 30 mins of this game I was amazed and lost at the same time. If you did not buy a help book/ walk through, you may be lost in a big world of what to do. for help you can find youtube videos that will walk you along the way. it only gets boring if you do not know what to do. As an xbox/pc"is this the best game ever made?" ...... I am not a big rpg dragon slayer type fan, but after playing 30 mins of this game I was amazed and lost at the same time. If you did not buy a help book/ walk through, you may be lost in a big world of what to do. for help you can find youtube videos that will walk you along the way. it only gets boring if you do not know what to do. As an xbox/pc gamer the game works well on both systems. its even better when you can take the game with you on your pc. The pc copy of skyrim is not for windows live and you will have to download the game from steam. :) over all fun game for oblivion rpg fans. 9/10… Expand
  94. Chride2k8
    Jan 5, 2012
    10
    Really good game, so addictive, can't stop...
    Great story, great landscape, great game play great voice acting and good re-play value (I'm now on my fifth play trough). My point of view is that you can't review a game if you haven't done all there is to do in a game (or at least most of the stuff) and this game almost seems endless and I know I haven't done everything and I haven't seen    Really good game, so addictive, can't stop...
    Great story, great landscape, great game play great voice acting and good re-play value (I'm now on my fifth play trough). My point of view is that you can't review a game if you haven't done all there is to do in a game (or at least most of the stuff) and this game almost seems endless and I know I haven't done everything and I haven't seen all the sides of the story (yet) so that is also why I'm not yet able to do a complete review...anyhow, one thing is for sure, YOU HAVE TO TRY THIS GAME!

    P.S. The only bad thing there is to say about this game is that the texture resolution is poor but it's ok especially when you think about how big this game really is, and then also if the texture resolution would be higher then also the system requirements would be sky high.    … Expand
  95. Miheil
    Mar 14, 2012
    10
    If there is a game you want to spend some time on, this is the right game. It is very addictive and the beautiful world and graphics will drawn players in for weeks. While some of the side quests are repetitive and there are still many bugs to be fix, this game definitely deserves a high mark.
    Furthermore, with the new steam workshop implementation, Mods from other players make the game    If there is a game you want to spend some time on, this is the right game. It is very addictive and the beautiful world and graphics will drawn players in for weeks. While some of the side quests are repetitive and there are still many bugs to be fix, this game definitely deserves a high mark.
    Furthermore, with the new steam workshop implementation, Mods from other players make the game even mroe interesting. Many fixes to the bugs are also solved by player mods.
    This game is the best game released in 2011.    … Expand
  96. dartlan
    Feb 3, 2012
    9
    I've put in 206 hours into this game so far according to Steam and have loved every minute of it. The game isn't perfect, I admit... Finishing the Dark Brotherhood quest line too early will break the Butcher quest and prevent you from buying the Windhelm home for example. But bugs and all I love how open the world is and cannot wait to get the editor to make my own content when itI've put in 206 hours into this game so far according to Steam and have loved every minute of it. The game isn't perfect, I admit... Finishing the Dark Brotherhood quest line too early will break the Butcher quest and prevent you from buying the Windhelm home for example. But bugs and all I love how open the world is and cannot wait to get the editor to make my own content when it comes out Feb 7th!… Expand
  97. SpiderCVIII
    Feb 5, 2012
    8
    Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is an open-world WRPG with many weaknesses and only one real strength. The combat is uninspired and dissatisfying, the voice acting could use much more variety, the enemies could have been more diverse, and the main story could have had better presentation, but the one real strength about Skyrim is its longevity. The amount of quests in this game is enormous and theElder Scrolls V: Skyrim is an open-world WRPG with many weaknesses and only one real strength. The combat is uninspired and dissatisfying, the voice acting could use much more variety, the enemies could have been more diverse, and the main story could have had better presentation, but the one real strength about Skyrim is its longevity. The amount of quests in this game is enormous and the world is massive. There is always something to do in Skyrim during and well past the main quest line. Exploring the entire world of Skyrim is a great feat of its own, and clearing every quest in the game should easily net the determined player well over 200 hours. If you can get past Skyrimâ… Expand
  98. sickologist
    Feb 9, 2012
    8
    a beautiful and emmersive game, but crippling bugs and accidential ( yes, accidental) exploits make it infuriating. But once you can look over that, you find a game with beautiful scenery, innumerable ( but repetetive) quests, interesting enemies, npc's with varied personalities, and several items and enchantments. while I enjoyed a few of bethesda's other releases (ie- The Elder Scrollsa beautiful and emmersive game, but crippling bugs and accidential ( yes, accidental) exploits make it infuriating. But once you can look over that, you find a game with beautiful scenery, innumerable ( but repetetive) quests, interesting enemies, npc's with varied personalities, and several items and enchantments. while I enjoyed a few of bethesda's other releases (ie- The Elder Scrolls III- morrowind, and Fallout- New Vegas) more than skyrim, it's still enthralling and charming in it's own flashy, bloody way.… Expand
  99. Godsteel
    Feb 14, 2012
    7
    Alright, time for a review based on what I observed through one long playthrough.

    Overall, I like the game and I give credit to Bethesda. Many people seem to discredit them for keeping it similar in feel to Fallout 3. While it is nice to have totally unique games, using a winning formula for a game is also a good idea. The graphics are perhaps not cutting edge, but they are certainly    Alright, time for a review based on what I observed through one long playthrough.

    Overall, I like the game and I give credit to Bethesda. Many people seem to discredit them for keeping it similar in feel to Fallout 3. While it is nice to have totally unique games, using a winning formula for a game is also a good idea. The graphics are perhaps not cutting edge, but they are certainly good. The combat system is similar to practically any Bethesda game that has come out since at least Fallout 3. The storyline is creative and fairly good at continuing the continuity of previous Elder Scroll games. Exploration is the biggest part of the game, be it exploring caves, buildings or just the world of Skyrim in general.

    Of course, with the good comes the bad. The game tends to have issues with fitting the size of the television screen on Xbox systems, especially those of older model televisions. There are still "bugs" that need to be worked out, as any game of this size is likely to have. However, all bugs I have encountered are easily fixed by restarting the system. Combat is similar to Fallout, but tends to get dull and repetitive. At higher levels, the game becomes too easy. DLCs can remedy this in the future, but it seems to be a way to bait people to spend money on DLCs. The biggest flaw however imo is the characters and their seemingly lackluster responses to everything. They feel programmed to repeat the same things over and over again, and many of the same voice actors can be heard throughout multiple characters.

    Overall opinion: A good game with a good story that came out too early with too many familiarities to previous games. Worth a playthrough.    … Expand
  100. Mortensus
    Jul 15, 2012
    9
    I found the previous elder scolls games pretty impressive, but Skyrim for me beat them everywhere. I will not talk about graphics and gameplay, etc , which are flawless for me, they are exactly what I expect of good games in 2011-2012, nothing really revolutionary, but a true atmosphere.

    Where the game becomes really amazing, it's when we go on the meat of the game, the rpg aspect. It's    I found the previous elder scolls games pretty impressive, but Skyrim for me beat them everywhere. I will not talk about graphics and gameplay, etc , which are flawless for me, they are exactly what I expect of good games in 2011-2012, nothing really revolutionary, but a true atmosphere.

    Where the game becomes really amazing, it's when we go on the meat of the game, the rpg aspect. It's one of the first time (in my experience at least) on a video game that even if there is a main quest, the universe is so rich and the quests so well written, so many little details, stories in the stories, that you almost forget about this "main" quest! There are so many things to do... you are just from time to time remembered of the main quest when suddenly out of nowhere a dragon is flying over you, shouting, and landing right in your back... Well, the feeling is unique.

    Another important thing, is the modding community, bethesta seem to love the moders contrary to so many big recent releases, and there are so many good mods...

    And last but not least, they are not selling you countless useless dlc even before the release. You pay a good game, you get it the first time!

    If you love a good rpg, this game is definitely a must have.    … Expand
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Awards & Rankings

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

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
94

Universal acclaim - based on 32 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 32 out of 32
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 32
  3. Negative: 0 out of 32
  1. PC Master (Greece)
    Feb 29, 2012
    90
    Unfortunately, Skyrim trips and falls on its own (most probably, to make the cool-sounding deadline of 11-11-11) and just before it reaches perfection as the ultimate specimen of its genre, it self-destructs in a crucial aspect of game design: the interface and the peripheral components (inventory, journal, map, etc)... but that is not to say that Skyrim is anything but a truly majestic, epic RPG that will suck you right in its cosmos.
    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]
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