The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

 PlayStation 3
User Score
6.7

Mixed or average reviews- based on 2852 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,781 out of 2852
  2. Mixed: 302 out of 2852
  3. Negative: 769 out of 2852
Buy Now
Buy on

Review this game

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
view
per page
  1. Funkymonk
    Mar 11, 2012
    7
    I think enough has been written about the bugs and glitches. I you still arn't aware of the controversy then just have a quick scan through the many comments before mine. The thing is, aside from a little bit of slowdown i havn't actually experienced any gamebreaking problems of that kind. Plus, in many ways this is exactly the game i hoped it would be - Massive and beautiful open worldI think enough has been written about the bugs and glitches. I you still arn't aware of the controversy then just have a quick scan through the many comments before mine. The thing is, aside from a little bit of slowdown i havn't actually experienced any gamebreaking problems of that kind. Plus, in many ways this is exactly the game i hoped it would be - Massive and beautiful open world with incredible freedom of choice to go anywhere, do anything and be anyone you want to be. So why only a 7? Well the problem is when you start to realise that the actual quests arn't that interesting or memorable. Most are just basic fetch quests eg go to a cave to retrive an item and it all just starts to lack imagination and surprise after the first 20 hours or so. That great feeling of dicovery and exploration which was a big part of Fallout 3s charm and should have been central to Skyrims success (especially considering it's made by the same people) is lost. So you see, even without the bugs Skyrim is a still one of this generations biggest let downs.… Expand
  2. Zeph
    Feb 19, 2012
    7
    My old review was a 9. This was before my save file reached the point where the lag occurred, and before the patch that fixed it. The lag glitch was terrible, and I would have dropped my score to yellow/red had I thought about it. However, that is all over. What is the current build of Skyrim is still fun, and still an Oblivion/Fallout crossover that finally works. However, for allMy old review was a 9. This was before my save file reached the point where the lag occurred, and before the patch that fixed it. The lag glitch was terrible, and I would have dropped my score to yellow/red had I thought about it. However, that is all over. What is the current build of Skyrim is still fun, and still an Oblivion/Fallout crossover that finally works. However, for all the fun it has, the main quest storyline is short, and combat is starting to get to the point where it seems to be jarring. When it came out, Skyrim sounded like an awesome game, but after time, and after exposing a lot of the repetitiveness, the glitches, and some serious combat balance issues, things aren't looking as awesome as it used to for Skyrim. For example, say I trained my Cooking, Alchemy, and Sneak skills up, that raises my overall level, and in turn, raises the levels of my enemies. That means, I may never be able to beat a number of enemies in the future without an extreme amount of luck or effort. Not good. Overall, Skyrim is a GOOD GAME. It just isn't the best game in the world. The PS3 version of this game (which I may add, this review applies to ONLY), is broken out of the box without patches. If you have no method of patching this game, realize that Skyrim is a broken game after about 6MB in your save file. Skyrim is worth your attention irregardless, however, for all the pomp that video game reviewers gave it, I want to say that some of it is quite bloated.… Expand
  3. DustyDragon11
    Dec 19, 2011
    7
    Revised Review: After submitting my original review I have been able to play 2 weeks without ANY major bugs even though my save file is now at 12 Meg (No slow down, and no freezing, etc) I'm not sure what happened, but I'm now a very happy gamer. Even though my original experience with this game was tainted, I still love this game. (please see other reviews about gameplay, graphics, etc.)Revised Review: After submitting my original review I have been able to play 2 weeks without ANY major bugs even though my save file is now at 12 Meg (No slow down, and no freezing, etc) I'm not sure what happened, but I'm now a very happy gamer. Even though my original experience with this game was tainted, I still love this game. (please see other reviews about gameplay, graphics, etc.) A warning for those who want all achievements: you may want to check ahead of time to see what quests are for the Daedic Artifacts. There are a few quests where your choices will not allow you to get the achievement.… Expand
  4. halo_on
    Nov 11, 2011
    7
    If you like rinse & repeat RPGs, Skyrim is for you. This is basically just a larger version of Oblivion with a different storyline. The graphics are terrible. The combat, compared to something like Dark Souls, is childish to say the least. But I can't deny how fun it is to just wander around and find things. That is the beauty of a game like Skyrim. There's just so much to explore! ButIf you like rinse & repeat RPGs, Skyrim is for you. This is basically just a larger version of Oblivion with a different storyline. The graphics are terrible. The combat, compared to something like Dark Souls, is childish to say the least. But I can't deny how fun it is to just wander around and find things. That is the beauty of a game like Skyrim. There's just so much to explore! But after playing Dark Souls and both games coming out within a month or so of each other, I can't give it more than a 7.… Expand
  5. cgilmore2000
    Nov 12, 2011
    7
    Over all I have put about 6 hours into the game is its falling a bit short of what I was hoping it would be. This is just a well done re-skining of Oblivion. People look about the same, world looks about the same. The thing I don't like the most is that you can feel that this is a console port. The controls are just not well thought out and kind of messy. The fighting stile is ok butOver all I have put about 6 hours into the game is its falling a bit short of what I was hoping it would be. This is just a well done re-skining of Oblivion. People look about the same, world looks about the same. The thing I don't like the most is that you can feel that this is a console port. The controls are just not well thought out and kind of messy. The fighting stile is ok but not very good. The game play its self is very good, story is very good, missions and quests are well thought out and well put together. I give it a 7 just because of how bad the console to PC port is and the lack of updated graphics is a let down. I paid $60 F***ing dollars for this game and it feels like a game from 2005.… Expand
  6. ZeroEightNine
    Dec 12, 2011
    7
    Skyrim is a Great Game! But it suffers from Random Frame Rate drops & Possibly will freeze on you. But It's not a Deal breaker. Game is great i recommend it but can't give it higher then a 7
  7. Wendigo2064
    Dec 3, 2011
    7
    It actually pains me to give "Skyrim" a higher score than "Dark Souls," particularly after being one of those snorty know-it-alls dismissing "The Elder Scrolls" and other Bethesda RPGs as bland excuses for a game. But I can't deny how INVOLVING this bland excuse for a game can be! Yes, the battle system is godawful compared to that wonderfully intricate hack-slash-block-dodge system inIt actually pains me to give "Skyrim" a higher score than "Dark Souls," particularly after being one of those snorty know-it-alls dismissing "The Elder Scrolls" and other Bethesda RPGs as bland excuses for a game. But I can't deny how INVOLVING this bland excuse for a game can be! Yes, the battle system is godawful compared to that wonderfully intricate hack-slash-block-dodge system in "Dark Souls." (Would it kill Bethesda to add a lock-on system so the fights don't feel like a floaty slap-fest somewhere three feet ahead of my player?) And yes, this game is as glitchy, if not more so, than "Dark Souls." (My personal favorite was a fight with a dragon who decided to fly right through a cliffside and kill some villagers on the other side like a sandworm.) Now here's what they did right with this game- they filled it, and I mean really filled it, with stuff to do. Confession - I've never been able to play more than five hours of a Bethesda/Elder Scrolls game before. Even "Fallout 3," one of the most critically acclaimed games of this generation, just felt like a whole lot of walking through the desert, talking to people who don't have anything interesting to say. In Skyrim, not only does every character have a hundred neat little quests to take on, they're actually DIFFERENT from each other. I got a fetch quest early on and had a sinking feeling I'd be collecting wolf pelt from respawning enemies WOW style for the rest of my life. But no. They really vary it up. And Skyrim,though large, is simply packed with unique moments. You can't walk for more than a minute before some new adventure begins. Admittedly, the game starts to gloss over after your 40th hour, but for once I can honestly say that my loss of attention was because of too much stuff to do, as opposed to samey grinding. I'm not giving it a higher review than 7, because the glitches really do ruin some of the immersion, and the battle system could do with a lot of work. But, unlike Dark Souls, none of the glitches felt game breaking. This is probably because it's practically impossible to do something wrong with your character, but hey. It's an adventure. You won't be challenged by this game, only immersed in it like a grand painting. And that's really not so bad.… Expand
  8. Mollari
    Dec 5, 2011
    7
    It's tought to rate Skyrim in a fair way. All these 10 points (or 100 percent) reviews implicate that Skyrim is THE perfect game. It is far away from being a perfect game. On the other hand the 0 point review indicte that Skyrim is a terrible game but again: It's also far away from being a complete malfunction. So, here are my 2 cents: Skyrim makes fun, lots of fun, and has a huge )ingame)It's tought to rate Skyrim in a fair way. All these 10 points (or 100 percent) reviews implicate that Skyrim is THE perfect game. It is far away from being a perfect game. On the other hand the 0 point review indicte that Skyrim is a terrible game but again: It's also far away from being a complete malfunction. So, here are my 2 cents: Skyrim makes fun, lots of fun, and has a huge )ingame) world but it also has some problems. First of all there are - of course - the problem nearly every Bethesda RPG has. Lags and Freezes. It's unbearable what Bethesda does to the PS3 community every time they release a RPG. It's nearly a fraud that they get our money with games that a obviously just ported to the PS3 without much work for the actual PS3 version. But besides technical issues the gameplay also has some flaws. The Smithing & Enchanting skills are way too overpowered. With Smithing & Enchanting at 100 each, you easily get the best weapons and armor in the game. It's pointless to play Quests (which often involve boring tasks like "FInd item x", "Kill enemy Y" or "Bring item Z to person A") and get an item as a reward if your own crafted weapons are waaaay better. At least Bethesda knew beforehand knew that this could lead to problems. That's why they introduced for example an armor cap at an armor rating of 567. Brilliant idea, Bethesda.... now, tell me why I should use a Heavy Armor if I already an reach the cap with a Light Armor? The Light Armor adds less weight to your inventory and it needs less stamina and you're able to move faster. Why should I use a Heavy Armor with an armor rating of 1170 if only 567 armor rating are getting calculated in fights? That's strange....

    Nevertheless, I spent 94 hours in Skyrim so far and I didn't even finish most of the side quests and even with its lags, freezes, overpowered weapons, a bugged patch and the stupid AI (you'd come to the conclusion that every second room in Skyrim was designed intentionally the way so that your AI companions are able to block the doorway) it's still a fun game.    … Expand
  9. Crazzy349
    Dec 23, 2011
    7
    Lets start with the bad. the lag kicks in around 40 hours in, gets worse from there, but it is not to the point to where it breaks the game, i'm in around 80 hours, beat the main story (kinda short by the way), done at least 50 side quests, And explored most of skyrim. The lag seems to spike at a point or two between every 2-4 hours or when you enter a city. When there are many thingsLets start with the bad. the lag kicks in around 40 hours in, gets worse from there, but it is not to the point to where it breaks the game, i'm in around 80 hours, beat the main story (kinda short by the way), done at least 50 side quests, And explored most of skyrim. The lag seems to spike at a point or two between every 2-4 hours or when you enter a city. When there are many things popping up around the same time, the lag might, but usually will, kick in. When you are attacked by a dragon the game may lag again. sometimes when i entered a cave or a dungeon the game would lag. The lag spikes can last from a few seconds to three mins. Its very annoying, but if you can get past that, then you can deal with the game bugs which hopefully will be patched in time. sometimes I found myself falling though the ground and dying, sometimes the dragons fly backwards (Freaking hilarious), and many more problems. IF you can get past ALL of that then you have I really fun game with Lots of stuff to do. Basically though, It's just Oblivion with a Graphics upgrade, More stuff to do, Dragons, and Marriage. And that is good if you liked Oblivion, Which I did, And they really do need to Patch this though.… Expand
  10. Laffybug
    Jan 3, 2012
    7
    Revised: Really buggy. There are a bunch of missions I can't finish because of bugs. These missions wont prompt you to do anything further and allow you to move on. These are minor side-missions however so the bulk of the game is still awesome. Although, the bogging down/fame rate issue on PS3 is really frustrating. My advice would be to buy this game on Xbox if you have the option.Revised: Really buggy. There are a bunch of missions I can't finish because of bugs. These missions wont prompt you to do anything further and allow you to move on. These are minor side-missions however so the bulk of the game is still awesome. Although, the bogging down/fame rate issue on PS3 is really frustrating. My advice would be to buy this game on Xbox if you have the option. My score went from a 9 to a 7 because of some of the mission crippling bugs.… Expand
  11. Snootington
    Nov 14, 2011
    7
    First off. The setting. It evokes classic Tolkien literature... and also Star Wars. I will get to that in a minute. Beautiful, with just a hint of mourning, of... shattered glass as it were, reflecting the blood of fallen men, men who sacrificed much for very little. It seeps into you, but alas, this world is... provocative, in an almost childish, demeaning way. I brought up Star Wars. TheFirst off. The setting. It evokes classic Tolkien literature... and also Star Wars. I will get to that in a minute. Beautiful, with just a hint of mourning, of... shattered glass as it were, reflecting the blood of fallen men, men who sacrificed much for very little. It seeps into you, but alas, this world is... provocative, in an almost childish, demeaning way. I brought up Star Wars. The reason is thus- the game is... spacey, for lack of a better word. As the combat take place in zero-g, you are reminded of weightlessness... the kind Luke Skywalker must have felt when he became Darth Vader. The swords also glow, reminiscent of the glowing beams of the revered franchise. This lack of originality is simply stunning. On to combat. As my (many) fencing lessons have taught me, sword-fighting is an art, an art that this game fails to adequately replicate. It lacks... the feel, the- dare I say- sensual nature of clanging metal and dented armor. There is no "Riposte", no "Taliae", no "Pos Wershe" as it were. Instead we are left without the proper... tools, as it were to properly execute a more daring style of fighting. Graphics now. Chop, chop. They are pretty, but only insofar as a beautiful, but aged woman is while gazing into her rippling reflection on a cloudy summer evening. Much like this game, she pauses to reflect, as the game pauses with lag. Her movements are stilted, like the movements of NPCs in the game. She also takes up a lot of space... All in all, I dare say... this game is like a martini, without the olive, or the umbrella... a travesty, as it were. A beautiful travesty.… Expand
  12. EvillivE
    Feb 12, 2012
    7
    This game is dull. There I said it! I walked away from this game and have yet to put it back in after I played for several days. I put it down to play some Bioshock and Demon's Souls and haven't picked it back up in almost a month. I will comend Bethesda for making such a huge open world for me to explore but that's all they did. The made a huge world with a bunch of things to do, butThis game is dull. There I said it! I walked away from this game and have yet to put it back in after I played for several days. I put it down to play some Bioshock and Demon's Souls and haven't picked it back up in almost a month. I will comend Bethesda for making such a huge open world for me to explore but that's all they did. The made a huge world with a bunch of things to do, but none of them have anything outstanding to offer. Its and issue of quality over quantity, and this game is defenately going for quantity. Sidequests are so numerous that it is hard for me to care about any one of them, because I just wanted the reward. Even the overall story is bogged down by a lack of immediacy. I didn't give a $#!+ about the story, I was too busy doing missions for the Companions Guild (Which for the record is the only set of events that I cared for). Switching gears for a second I will the say that the scenery is great eye-candy... if you're far away. Up close a lot of the rock textures look pretty lazy and remind me of an old PS2 game. It can be forgiven because of how big this game is, but it still needs to be said. Then there's the combat. Sweet Jesus, what is this crap! There is no skill when talking about the combat in this game, (Unless your using arrows, but even then that's pushing it) everything is stat based. All you do is swing your sword around like a moron until your enemy's dead. No dodge mechanics, a block that only works if your stats are high enough, and enemies that take 25 swings to kill when they can kill you in 3 hits. There were multiple occasions in which the I had exploit the enemy's A.I. to win, and that's never fun. What is fun though are the dragons, though repeditive, are loads more fun to kill than some of the other enemies. I love the enchantment, blackmithing, and alchemy systems in the game and make me feel like I'm actually making progress and getting better at something as opposed to just swinging my sword like a moron. I also love the dungeon crawling aspect and looking for new caves and mines to steel various articles of clothing off of the recently deceased. Ultimately, would I recomend this game? Yes. Is it a good game? Yes. Is it one of the greatest games of all time? No. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to play more Bioshock.… Expand
  13. Bloodtau
    Nov 17, 2011
    7
    I gave it a 7 mostly based on the PC version. Save your money and avoid the console port over crap and get it for the platform it was meant for, which is the PC. I'm not even sure why people get games like this for a console, worse graphics, dumbed down control's, no chance of modding and a HIGHER overall price.
  14. Naron5
    Nov 20, 2011
    7
    I am going to veer away from the technical bugs that this game contains as I have come across only a few and quite honestly, I expect that Bethesda will always ship games carrying a slew of bugs. We keep buying the games though so I am going to write this review with the assumption that there are a lot of bugs that will eventually be ironed out by downloading loads of patches that willI am going to veer away from the technical bugs that this game contains as I have come across only a few and quite honestly, I expect that Bethesda will always ship games carrying a slew of bugs. We keep buying the games though so I am going to write this review with the assumption that there are a lot of bugs that will eventually be ironed out by downloading loads of patches that will chew up much of my internet usage in the next 6 months.

    To the game, I have to say I think this is one of the poorer games that Bethesda has released of late for content. It is a massive open world but there seems to be too little to do in it. I tried really hard for the first uncountable hours to get loads of quests to do and what happened? I managed to get only two that were really side quests alone. Most of the quests in the game seem tied to the main plot line in so much as I went cold calling (travelling around looking for random dungeons etc.) I found several dungeons, cleared them out, only to find that they were areas the main quest needed you to clear out...

    And the dragons. Well, all the talk I have heard about fighting dragons and how cool it will be and how good they would look... So wrong. The first real dragon fight was like going on a picnic with a grumpy aunt and her children. We killed the dragon, who was less than awe inspiring in terms of AI, and there were no cheers or ecstatic reactions. The remaining soldiers just walked calmly around as if mulling around a water cooler trying to grab an extra minute away from the desk at work. The dragon animation was also atrocious. I sat on the watch tower and looked for the patterns, all ready to admire the animation of the huge fantasy beast. In a word... "unnatural" leapt to mid. The whole central theme to the game and it looked very average. When compared to Dragon Age 2 animation (and yes, a different style of game, but has dragons) Bethesda's dragons look rank amateur.

    What the game does have going for it though is a big improvement on Oblivion in the same area. First, the generic graphics (for example a dungeon) is filled with colour and beauty. The first dungeon I entered had me stop for a minute just to take in how much of a change had taken place. In Oblivion everything was same, same, same where everywhere you go in this world has points of difference and are essentially beautiful, engaging places. Complex layers of image and sound make this thoroughly engrossing. So much so that I am actually enjoying chasing alchemical ingredients for the very first time!

    Also, variety of creatures are really good now. In Oblivion you seemed to fight an endless stream of the same foes over and over through your levels, simply with adjustments being made to the stats of the creatures to make the fight more worthy. In Skyrim there are a wide variety of creatures now, that are all rendered really well and make for engaging battles. I especially love the giants who, when you come near your territory try to frighten you away rather than a direct attack. In fact the first time I came across this I kept approaching because I thought that if they did not attack immediately and just threatened perhaps I could parley and solve some of their problems for a while. What I found was that when I finally reached the giant area that they made kitty cat (as I am playing a Khajit) pancakes with their clubs in one well placed blow...

    Finally, the character development is greatly improved. Be who you want to be and specialise how you want to. You are not bound by class, only by skills that increase as you use them over time. Additionally, when you level up you choose either health, magika or stamina to increase and then can purchase a perk for your skills that give you a bit of variety when using the skill and makes your character a lot more useful. The interface for this is simple, but can be annoying if you want to move back to look at a different perk can take some getting used to. Apart from this, it makes the game complex when balancing perks, but less confusing for those who thought classes were so restrictive.

    I will play this game a lot. But I also know that the desolation of quests currently is probably to allow for much expansion with downloadable content (the quest for more money). Worth the money I paid for it? Probably not, but the game is beautifully rendered and solves some of the clunkiness of other games in the genre.    … Expand
  15. iBash
    Jan 12, 2012
    7
    The game is terribly bugged. You will not have to encounter each and every possible bug, but they are there. And I'm only talking about quest bugs, not including all the other technical issues especially the PS3 versions seems to be plagued with. Thankfully, other than the game freezing during the loading screen now and then, I have been spared by these, but to "make up" for it, I seem toThe game is terribly bugged. You will not have to encounter each and every possible bug, but they are there. And I'm only talking about quest bugs, not including all the other technical issues especially the PS3 versions seems to be plagued with. Thankfully, other than the game freezing during the loading screen now and then, I have been spared by these, but to "make up" for it, I seem to have run into every single quest bug. And there's a trophy bug, too, that prevents everyone with a non-english version of this game from obtaining a particular trophy due to an translation error. Proudly, the developers have announced they won't even look into these content related bugs because they want to fix the technical issues first. Now, two months and a few updates later, the game still doesn't run on all consoles and the quest bugs ect. are still left untouched. It's up to you whether you want to buy such a game, my review will only deal with the game itself, but I will take off one point of the final score. So what do I not like? Mostly how few choices you get and how little impact those have on the game world and the story. Even the civil war in which you COULD choose one side and lead it to victory doesn't really make a big difference. In the smaller quests, mostly one approach is forced upon you and you can only choose between "Yes, I'll do it" or having the quest open in the journal for the rest of the game. (Well, "rest" ... it's open ended, actually.) The main quest is very short, shallow and overall a disappointment, full with hollow characters who are nothing but quest vessels. At least the lore behind everything is nice and there's one good idea about Alduin and why/how he returned. Most guild questlines are very short, too, and mostly kind of uninteresting and even when you could think of a dozen of really natural solutions, the game won't let you, which is especially annoying when you play a good guy and the game "forces" you to do evil stuff. Sure, you don't have to do the quest, but that doesn't change the fact the restrictions feel artificial and silly, reminding you of this being just a game with designed paths and outcomes. Another thing I really hate are the dragons, originally like THE point of the game, but their implementation is so aweful, I have avoided to start the main quest with all my characters after the second one in order to prevent the dragons from appearing in the game. The few ones you meet during the main quest are okay, probably because they are somewhat scripted, but the rest ... Most annoyingly, they appear all. The. Time. You cannot go anywhere without a dragon dropping from the sky and yes, they respawn. What should've been something special and exciting soon becomes tedious. They're also way too easy to defeat, basically just another enemy, and their AI is terrible, without getting into too much detail, but let's just say oftentimes, the challenge is to engage the dragon in a proper battle instead of it flying to and fro around you just because there is some goat on the mountain on the other side of the valley. What do I like? The game world, Skyrim, is simply awesome. Sure, not photorealistic, but it just looks great and is also great to play in. So much detail and love put into all the areas, it never gets boring to wander around the scenery. Cities could've been a bit larger, but that's pretty much the most negative I could say about that aspect. There's so much to do, so much to discover and see, it's phenomenal, and that's not just "oh another dungeon", no, much more to it, like finding a hut with an old woman who seems nice, but you can check her cellar ... ;) Stuff like that everywhere, nice details ect. This game is huge and fills it. I also love the diversity you can have in the playstyle. I have ...hm, seven? Seven, I guess, different characters now and they all play differently. Thanks to the perk and leveling system, you should concentrate on a few abilities and master them. Jack-Of-All-Trades is possible, I guess, but I don't think it'd be all that rewarding. Another plus is that even when you are at high levels, there are certain enemy types, of course, also depending on your style, who will pose a threat and you'lll think twice about confronting them. A squishy mage will have to run from a sabertooth tiger and the heavy warrior type will fear some of the more magical beings, but it's never unfair. (Playing on Normal.) Level scaling is still there, but it works well this time, I hated it in Oblivion. Well, these were my biggest gripes and likes. There are more details and points on both sides I could get into, but this is not the place for it and the limit here is coming to an end anways, so I'll just state that this game is great, but with serious issues. 8/10 for me and as I said, -1 for bugs. (Seriously, the game should've never been released like that, but, you know, "11/11/11" ...)… Expand
  16. bigred2st
    Nov 21, 2011
    7
    not a rpg but tried it nonetheles not a bad game just not for me and anyone with a like jk just said that piss people off but seriously just not for me and i dont see what all the hype is about
  17. Thrashtera88
    Nov 29, 2011
    7
    This game is great it is huge and there soo many things for you to do that it can even overwhelming at times. However the major flaw in this game for this console is the frame rate. I do not remember oblivion having frame rate issues, and they are in actuality the same size. They have released the 1.02 patch that has improved the frame rate issues but has not eliminated them entirely. iThis game is great it is huge and there soo many things for you to do that it can even overwhelming at times. However the major flaw in this game for this console is the frame rate. I do not remember oblivion having frame rate issues, and they are in actuality the same size. They have released the 1.02 patch that has improved the frame rate issues but has not eliminated them entirely. i can tell you though that it is not nearly as bad as it was, and if Bethesda keeps working at it then I'm happy I guess. Although they really should of fixed this before releasing it, and none of the critic reviews ever mentioned frame rate issues which really pisses me off. Makes you think that some shady business is going on there.… Expand
  18. MWesthoff
    Dec 1, 2011
    7
    Not a very ambitious game. There is nothing really clever or original about it. It's better than Oblivion but worse than Morrowind. The hand combat is really bad with annoying camera angles and the hit boxes for walls, rocks and hills often interfere with seemingly clear archery shots. The hot keys are clunky and will kill you more often than the difficulty of the game...especiallyNot a very ambitious game. There is nothing really clever or original about it. It's better than Oblivion but worse than Morrowind. The hand combat is really bad with annoying camera angles and the hit boxes for walls, rocks and hills often interfere with seemingly clear archery shots. The hot keys are clunky and will kill you more often than the difficulty of the game...especially with duel wielding. Most of the side quests seem like filler and will inevitably sent you through several doors with annoying load times, each load time for an entrance is about 15-30 seconds each way. Be prepared to spent about 10 hours looking at load screens if you plan on finishing the game and selling the loot along the way. The load screen flavor text gets stale real quick, after reading about trolls being weak to fire fifty times, I found myself pondering how and why some games get GotY awards and others don't. Also the game glitches out and freezes or flashes silver artifacts unless the machine is shut down about every 3-4 hours. I don't have internet at the moment and didn't really expect to download a patch for a game that doesn't even belong online. Thankfully it's not the best RPG that came out this year so maybe we won't have to put up with the mediocrity trend much longer. Long time MUD and UO gamer.… Expand
  19. Supermann
    Dec 2, 2011
    7
    The game's great, though it's really pretty bogged down by a load of glitches like flying mammoths and everything, and combat feels awkward and a little repetitive. But I guess it can be excused considering the game's size. The spells and everything add a cool touch and dragon encounters are FUN.
  20. Sinan45
    Dec 29, 2011
    7
    Ok now this is my opinion. Guys don't read the website critics... the userscores are true. Well... it's a good game but... it's like the cheap version of Skyrim.. you know... Battlefield 3 had the same problem. The PC version is the best version. Let's start from the graphics. Mother **** cheap graphics OK. Spiky trees and mud like stones and mountains. There are no need of this kind ofOk now this is my opinion. Guys don't read the website critics... the userscores are true. Well... it's a good game but... it's like the cheap version of Skyrim.. you know... Battlefield 3 had the same problem. The PC version is the best version. Let's start from the graphics. Mother **** cheap graphics OK. Spiky trees and mud like stones and mountains. There are no need of this kind of huge maps jf most of the places reminds about each other. Very cheap graphic on PS3. Gameplay now... every AI feel like they are robots without feelings. They look at you with no emotions when they are giving you quest and all that stuff. And you always do the same thing. Go there and get that for me and kill that man. There are simply no emotions in this game. But the soundtracks are amazing. There are VERY few weapons and spells. You can only get spells like fire, ice and thunder. Then restoration and summon spells. That's all. But at the end I would still give it 8 even if it about a 7 worth. I enjoyed the first 7 hours alot! But that was because it felt realistic. But after knowing the true experience of this game it looked VERY cheap. But still I recommend it even though it's going to be ... borin a little because of the cheap graphic styles and lack of emotions on Ai's. But sitll this is... you know it could be much better. There are some things that this game is good at and some things it's VERY bad at. It's actually a good game. But it's doing some stupid things which it isn't supposed to do. They should never release this game on PS3 and Xbox 360, but still I won't say I didn't enjoy it. Everyone should try this game out. It's maybe not the best game, but you still have to try it out somehow.… Expand
  21. Lloy2
    Feb 5, 2012
    7
    Skyrim is a gorgeous production that truly does justice to the words "roleplaying game." It doesn't just tell us a story, it gives us the chance to tell a story of our own. At its best, that's what an interactive art form should be all about. The gamer in everyone will launch Skyrim in their PS3 and sit in awe at the masterpiece Bethesda Game Studios has created. Cons? I love this game, ISkyrim is a gorgeous production that truly does justice to the words "roleplaying game." It doesn't just tell us a story, it gives us the chance to tell a story of our own. At its best, that's what an interactive art form should be all about. The gamer in everyone will launch Skyrim in their PS3 and sit in awe at the masterpiece Bethesda Game Studios has created. Cons? I love this game, I really do, but I can't give it the score I want in its current state. That would be unfair to anyone spending £40 for a something that might work. It might not. The most amazing game of the year is in there somewhere. I really hope Bethesda can get it out. I am a huge fan of Bethesda games and must say this game gave me my expectations and much more. The game is overflowing with content either side quests or just rummaging around for treasure it really does the series justice. The controls are simple and easy to use making combat so much better and the landsape itself is sooo well detailed. Now here are some more downsides. The character creation is good but not really good. A big improvement from Oblivion's but it just doesn't feel like I can make the character I want. The story isn't as good as what Oblivion's is, it's a good setup and characters are ok, but not great. There are glitches and bugs in the game that bring it down such as broken quests, texture slowdowns and so on and so on. Nevertheless with so many interesting quests and places, you'll spend so much hours into the game. But you should always expect bugs with a game this size. However, the bugs here are absolutely game-breaking. Lag so bad, if your save reaches over 10mb, you probably won't be able to fight anything. Quest bugs that make finishing the game impossible. The game's big hype, dragons, will fly backwards and won't fight you. It could be GOTY, if they just took time to iron out the game breaking bugs before release.… Expand
  22. Simochi
    Mar 2, 2012
    7
    First of all, I like this game. It has the best graphic so far and the best game play. Interaction with NPCs and monsters are great! It should be rated as 10 so far, but there is a big minus from several minuses including glitches. It would be the story line. It is basically about to seek the truth about the dragons and it can be sorta lame. There is no dramatic moment. (Yes! Drama canFirst of all, I like this game. It has the best graphic so far and the best game play. Interaction with NPCs and monsters are great! It should be rated as 10 so far, but there is a big minus from several minuses including glitches. It would be the story line. It is basically about to seek the truth about the dragons and it can be sorta lame. There is no dramatic moment. (Yes! Drama can make the game better!) The fighting can be dramatic, thou. It would be better to include more information on racial stat on character creation page. If you expect a fine story line, then do not buy it. The most interesting thing is that you can kill anyone and anything. Side quests can make gameplay much better. There are infinitely many things you can do or try. Therefore if you look for the best gameplay, buy it!!… Expand
  23. Beefycougar
    Mar 19, 2012
    7
    The gameplay is alright, though it feels like while it is a vast improvement, maybe an RPG shouldn't really be played from his perspective. Luckily, there is a pretty solid plot along with a nice set of bumps along the way. What I'm worried about is the slow stripping down of RPG elements of this franchise, as they stripped away having ANY kind of stat. The quests are very similar,The gameplay is alright, though it feels like while it is a vast improvement, maybe an RPG shouldn't really be played from his perspective. Luckily, there is a pretty solid plot along with a nice set of bumps along the way. What I'm worried about is the slow stripping down of RPG elements of this franchise, as they stripped away having ANY kind of stat. The quests are very similar, typically a fetch quest of some kind. These repetitive quests are helped out by each one having a decently thought out back story to make you WANT to find these things. But well, bugs CRUSH the experience of the game. I really wish they spent more time into making sure their game could just work properly. Wait until the DLC comes out, then buy this.… Expand
  24. Vorch
    May 2, 2012
    7
    Skyrim should have gotten a 9 or a 10 from me. I'm STILL playing it right now. However, the PS3 version was unacceptably flawed at release. It's making me reconsider ever pre-ordering from Bethesda again, which is a shame because now that the bugs are fixed, Skyrim is probably the best RPG I have every played.
  25. gordito
    May 15, 2012
    7
    Battle was clunky at best, just too many bugs for me to give it a better score. Exploring the huge map lost its appeal far too quickly. And I am a huge fan of the hack and slash genre.
  26. HeadofTOBSwiki
    Sep 28, 2012
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Meta Critic Review for The Elders scrolls of Skyrim:

    The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim Scrolls V: Skyrim (Mostly called Skyrim) is an action/role playing open world video game developed by Bethesda Game Studios and published by Bethesda Softworks. It is the fifth installment in The Elder Scrolls action role-playing video game series, following The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion. Skyrim was released on November 11, 2011 for Microsoft Windows, PS3 and Xbox 360. Skyrim's main story revolves around the player character's efforts to defeat Alduin, the firstborn of Tamriel's primary deity Akatosh. Alduin is prophesied to destroy the world. Set two hundred years after Oblivion, the game takes place in the fictional province of Skyrim, upon the continent of Tamriel, and the planet of Nirn. Skyrim is in the midst of a civil war after the High King fell in a duel against the leader of the Stormcloaks rebel group. The open world game play of the Elder Scrolls series returns in Skyrim; the player can explore the land at will and ignore or postpone the main quest indefinitely.
    The nonlinear game play traditional in the Elder Scrolls series is incorporated in Skyrim. The player can explore the open world of Skyrim on foot or on horse and fast-travel to cities, towns, and dungeons after they have been discovered. Quests are given to the player by non-player characters (NPCs) in the world, and through the Radiant Story system, the quests can be dynamically altered to accommodate for player actions which may influence the quest's characters and objectives. The Radiant Story then further directs the player's interaction with the world by setting unexplored dungeons as quest locations. When not completing quests, the player can interact with NPCs through conversation, and they may request favors or training in skills from the player. In addition to scripted quests certain ones will be dynamically generated, providing a limitless number to the player. Some NPCs can become companions to the player to aid in combat. The player may choose to join factions, which are organized groups of NPCs such as the Dark Brotherhood, a band of assassins. Each of the factions has a headquarters, and they have their own quest paths which the player can progress through. The economy of cities and towns can be stimulated by completing jobs such as Skyrim on the Elder Scrolls map farming and mining, or spending large amounts of gold in the stores. Alternatively, the economy may be harmed by forging business ledgers and robbing the safes of stores. When exploring the game world, the player may encounter wildlife. Many wilderness monsters are immediately hostile towards the player and thus can be slain. The inclusion of Dragons in Skyrim affords a major influence on both story and game play.

    So the next game in the series was released nearly a year ago, so where does it stand in the ratings currently, well in my opinion it should stay at 75/100 just for PS3. Yes Bethesda has managed to fix most of its bugs but where is the DLC for it? Dawnguard has been on X-box and pc for more than 4 months now and all Bethesda can say is     … Expand
  27. TactiMilkshake
    Dec 27, 2012
    7
    This game was fun to start out with, but not great in the long run. You go through in this amazing, expansive world, collecting gear, doing various quest lines, and then you realize: This game is too big. I mean seriously, it is fun, but if you do not have insane amounts of time on your hands, you will not have an amazing experience. Don't get me wrong... the game is great, but Bethesda'sThis game was fun to start out with, but not great in the long run. You go through in this amazing, expansive world, collecting gear, doing various quest lines, and then you realize: This game is too big. I mean seriously, it is fun, but if you do not have insane amounts of time on your hands, you will not have an amazing experience. Don't get me wrong... the game is great, but Bethesda's issue of not fixing bugs that they know exist are yet another reason to not love this game. Dungeons get repetitive, etc.… Expand
  28. Vanpire73
    Aug 22, 2014
    7
    I bought this after the patch came out that fixed the save issues for the PS3 version. I will only shave 1 point off the final score for that. It would probably have been more, but I had no issues other than having to wait forever to play it. The game itself is as good as it has always been. It doesn't really add much to what was already done in Oblivion. A few minor tweaks here andI bought this after the patch came out that fixed the save issues for the PS3 version. I will only shave 1 point off the final score for that. It would probably have been more, but I had no issues other than having to wait forever to play it. The game itself is as good as it has always been. It doesn't really add much to what was already done in Oblivion. A few minor tweaks here and there, but that is about it. The complaints I have- Killing dragons by hitting them in the leg because they were dumb enough to land was pretty ill-conceived, Every NPC in the local taverns are all voice-acted by the same dude or broad, and none of the other minor annoyances too numerous to mention haven't really been addressed. Essentially it's an Oblivion HD remake or something along those lines.… Expand
  29. InsanityBus
    Jan 27, 2013
    7
    Skyrim was fun for the first 10 or so hours but after that, I was bored. And that's bad for an 100+ hour game. The story is pretty good, however it's not the best or near it. The combat is really boring as all you are doing is pressing 1 or 2 buttons and doing the exact same thing, the entire time, eg. slash, slash, block, slash, drink healing potion, slash, slash etc... But the game isSkyrim was fun for the first 10 or so hours but after that, I was bored. And that's bad for an 100+ hour game. The story is pretty good, however it's not the best or near it. The combat is really boring as all you are doing is pressing 1 or 2 buttons and doing the exact same thing, the entire time, eg. slash, slash, block, slash, drink healing potion, slash, slash etc... But the game is above average considering the quality content (large world for exploration, variety of enemies and equipment, amount of missions and side quests, character development and leveling up, marriage, joining guilds etc..) And for those first 10- 20 hours, the game is pretty damn fun. So if your at home with a lot of time to spare, Skyrim's your game.… Expand
  30. Bahazbz
    Mar 5, 2015
    7
    Three words: Glitchy, Broken, AMAZING.

    This is a simple case of an expertly crafted experience, ruined on more than one platform by horrendous quality assurance. I couldn't tell you how many times my horse fell through a mountain, how many times I got stuck in terrain and had to reload, How many times I just died from literally nothing or my PS3 turned off completely while playing!    Three words: Glitchy, Broken, AMAZING.

    This is a simple case of an expertly crafted experience, ruined on more than one platform by horrendous quality assurance.
    I couldn't tell you how many times my horse fell through a mountain, how many times I got stuck in terrain and had to reload, How many times I just died from literally nothing or my PS3 turned off completely while playing! Glitches like not being able to finish a quest for no real reason or a spellbook becoming forever unattainable because an NPC refuses to sell it (like they should) run rampant in this fantasy masterpiece. It's a shame too as it quickly became one of may favorite (and most frustrating) experiences on the platform to this day.

    With technical aspects aside, I'm glad to admit this game is beautiful, in both scenery and character, and the world is deep, BIG, and diverse. Character interactions are mostly enjoyable(though writing is not always perfect). And of course, the enemy verity and combat scenarios placed in front of the played are varied and offer thousands of ways to take them on. The leveling trees, perk systems, and combat are endlessly satisfying; making this one of the best RPGs money can buy. Though, running it a 12fps in combat and 2fps (Yes it gets that bad) in glitchy areas constantly threatens to kill the entire experience.

    This product is broken all around, but nowhere does it have as bad of QA as on the PS3. Honestly if there weren't going to test the product they should never have released it for this platform. If you have literally any other option of where and how to play this game, DON'T buy it on PS3! It is so broken it will break you! Long story short this is a wonderful and lengthy experience that offers up a ton of fun if you can put up with an equal weight in ****
    7.2/10    … Expand
prev
Page:

Awards & Rankings

4
#4 Best PS3 Game of 2011
3
#3 Most Discussed PS3 Game of 2011
5
#5 Most Shared PS3 Game of 2011

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
92

Universal acclaim - based on 16 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 15 out of 16
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 16
  3. Negative: 0 out of 16
  1. Official PlayStation Magazine Benelux
    Jan 2, 2012
    97
    This is a game full of emotions for gamers who are willing to embrace it. A beautiful fantasy land that makes loading times a thing of the past and is full of surprises. Not only do you get a lot of variety in the locations, the gameplay offers a lot of different experiences as well. [December 2011, p.66]
  2. TotalPlayStation
    Dec 28, 2011
    90
    I enjoyed Skyrim and I look forward to the DLC that we know is inevitably coming. If we looked at this honestly, though, this game probably should have been pushed back a month or so for more polish. It needed it and it still does.
    Read full review
  3. Playstation: The Official Magazine (US)
    Dec 17, 2011
    100
    Skyrim is a gorgeous production that truly does justice to the words "roleplaying game." It doesn't just tell us a story, it gives us the chance to tell a story of our own. At its best, that's what an interactive art form should be all about. [Jan 2011, p.73]
See all critic reviews »