The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

 Xbox 360
User Score
8.6

Generally favorable reviews- based on 4435 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3,744 out of 4435
  2. Mixed: 344 out of 4435
  3. Negative: 347 out of 4435
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  1. Crimson9
    Dec 24, 2022
    5
    Skyrim is a big mess of a game. On the one hand, Bethesda's game design sucks. The combat is really bad. RPG choice making is borderline nonexistent. Character progression has been excessively streamlined. Level scaling makes it feel like you arent getting stronger. There is an over abundance of loot. There are tons of immersion breaking things happening in the world.

    On the other hand,    Skyrim is a big mess of a game. On the one hand, Bethesda's game design sucks. The combat is really bad. RPG choice making is borderline nonexistent. Character progression has been excessively streamlined. Level scaling makes it feel like you arent getting stronger. There is an over abundance of loot. There are tons of immersion breaking things happening in the world.

    On the other hand, content is king. Skyrim has a ton of content. Not all of it is great, most of it isnt even good. But there's quite a lot, dozens of hours worth, of great content. So I have to give it props for that.

    But to get to that content you have to slog through some horrific gameplay. And its not like the main story saves that. Mods, do, however, save this game and can make it an 8/10 game. But vanilla is a 5 at best.    … Expand
  2. lewisHolloway21
    Aug 11, 2022
    7
    it is a game that I have always enjoyed my score is mixed because simply it is such a big game I never finished it which is always a shame. the graphics in the game are fantastic for the time and I can see why it is so popular. the customisable content in the game was something astonishing of the time and the story part of the game made it new amazing experience honestly when it came toit is a game that I have always enjoyed my score is mixed because simply it is such a big game I never finished it which is always a shame. the graphics in the game are fantastic for the time and I can see why it is so popular. the customisable content in the game was something astonishing of the time and the story part of the game made it new amazing experience honestly when it came to the challenges they were perfect they were challenging but also not so challenging that it takes away from the game absolutely perfect balance for a game.… Expand
  3. CurlyCian
    Feb 28, 2022
    5
    Overrated, weak story, boring lazy side quests, lack of RPG elements to appeal to the masses
  4. Broyax
    Feb 12, 2022
    5
    L’Aîné et ses vieux rouleaux crados est en sensible progrès malgré ses vieux tics et ses vieilles manies : pour ce 5ème épisode, il a su faire preuve d’une fraîcheur certaine en s’arqueboutant d’une part sur une histoire ma foi pas trop mal ficelée de dragons et d’autre part sur un paradigme de cris, d’âmes et de pouvoirs bien développé, faisant de notre personnage très vide un enfant deL’Aîné et ses vieux rouleaux crados est en sensible progrès malgré ses vieux tics et ses vieilles manies : pour ce 5ème épisode, il a su faire preuve d’une fraîcheur certaine en s’arqueboutant d’une part sur une histoire ma foi pas trop mal ficelée de dragons et d’autre part sur un paradigme de cris, d’âmes et de pouvoirs bien développé, faisant de notre personnage très vide un enfant de dragon choisi par le destin !

    Cependant, ce n’est sans doute qu’une impression mais le monde dépeint ici sous nos yeux se révèle au fil des nombreuses heures aussi générique et banal que le précédent Oblivion même si à dire vrai, on reste suffisamment intéressé jusqu’à terminer l’aventure principale contrairement à Oblivion qi finit assez vite aux oubliettes… Skyrim ne se rattrape pas non plus en tout cas par sa touche artistique de mauvais aloi en dépit d’une technique à peu près correcte sur 360 (malgré des ralentissements lorsque plusieurs clampins se mettent sur la gueule !).

    On a ici plus de grandiloquence -en raison du thème abordé qui s’y prête forcément- mais une mise en scène toujours aussi limitée, pour ne pas dire carrément absente : le jeu reste en effet vissé en vue subjective et les animations sont toujours aussi coincées.

    On a toujours le choix d’aller travailler pour quelques confréries ou guildes dont les vilains assassins ou les fourbes voleurs qui proposent chacun leur propre histoire, étonnamment réussie. Et bien sûr cette liberté de voler ou de tuer presque tout le monde, de s’évader de prison, de jouer un gros con de bourrin à la hache ou une ombre maîtresse de la furtivité…

    Ce qui nous amène aux combats toujours aussi peu convaincants mais sans être totalement mauvais non plus : on s’y fait à la longue même si on est pas aidé par l’interface (et l’inventaire) rapidement bordélique à souhait : sur ce point, on est en net retrait de ce que proposait Oblivion sans parler des Fallout !

    En tout cas, la campagne de Skyrim se repose un peu trop souvent sur l’exploration de donjons et de grottes… malgré un effort de diversité, une grotte reste une grotte surtout lorsque Bethesda s’échine à les tarabiscoter et les meubler avec des petites énigmes pour ouvrir la prochaine porte…! ça fatigue et ça lasse.

    Notons pour finir sur une bonne note, la musique majestueuse et très inspirée de Jeremy Soule qui donne du souffle au combat et des ambiances variées à l’exploration sans jamais prendre la tête. La VF quant à elle est de belle qualité, dommage que trop de voix se répètent…

    Skyrim n’est donc pas encore l’Elder Scrolls de la maturité mais en prend lentement le chemin sans doute… mais comparé aux Fallout du même studio, il fait encore bien pâle figure.    … Expand
  5. KTheSlayer
    Jun 18, 2021
    7
    Awesome world, lore and atmosphere, but the gameplay gets boring at some point
  6. gareththestuff
    Apr 26, 2021
    7
    Better than Obilivan, worse than Morrowind. Its okay, but not one of "the best games of all time."
  7. Ridleymain
    Dec 20, 2020
    6
    I think this game is overrated to be honest. It's fine, but after a while combat gets boring and its just who has better numbers and how many pieces of cheese do you have. Some quests are pretty interesting, while others are boring, and sometimes even frustrating. Overall, the game is fine, but I don't think it's as good as it's reputation makes it seem.
  8. FapAliceGoodwin
    Oct 10, 2020
    6
    Skyrim is lauded far and wide as somehow being the ultimate RPG, but it always felt like a fair to middling game to me. On the positive side, the faces in this game are much improved over Oblivion's potato people. And whilst it was a shame to lose yet more stats and abilities, the progression system worked well.

    I didn't much care for the setting. Cyrodiil had swamps and mountains and    Skyrim is lauded far and wide as somehow being the ultimate RPG, but it always felt like a fair to middling game to me. On the positive side, the faces in this game are much improved over Oblivion's potato people. And whilst it was a shame to lose yet more stats and abilities, the progression system worked well.

    I didn't much care for the setting. Cyrodiil had swamps and mountains and ports like Anvil. Skyrim's environments are pretty dull. It was disappointing lore-wise too. Instead of the fantasy ice land of endless mountain ranges we got a retconned pseudo-Scandinavia full of pseudo Scandinavians, full of things popular culture thinks are 'Viking' but in reality aren't.

    Annoyingly, Bethesda saw fit to model Whiterun on Peter Jackson's version of Edoras in his Lord of the Rings movies, even though Tolkien's Rohirrim are in no way, shape or form linked to or inspired by Vikings, pseudo-Vikings or Scandinavians.

    I put around 350 hours into Oblivion and its expansions. I put Skyrim down after around 15 and I've never felt the need to pick it up since.    … Expand
  9. rtp4994
    Jul 24, 2020
    6
    I literally spat on my computer screen when I saw “BigPond GameArena” refer to it as the best rpg of all time. Really. Really. Well I guess I’ll actually say what the games about. It’s okay I guess. It a very expansive game and is easy to get lost in. Most of the games aspects fall into mediocre to above average. The combat is ok, the world design is good, the writing is mediocre, just toI literally spat on my computer screen when I saw “BigPond GameArena” refer to it as the best rpg of all time. Really. Really. Well I guess I’ll actually say what the games about. It’s okay I guess. It a very expansive game and is easy to get lost in. Most of the games aspects fall into mediocre to above average. The combat is ok, the world design is good, the writing is mediocre, just to name a few. There are good, and bad parts. It’s a buggy mess. I remember waiting literal hours just for the game to start up. That’s ridiculous. Even when I got into the game, as with all of Bethesda’s releases, it was a horridly buggy mess. Even the core game, that of which should have been exceptional, was mediocre.
    It disgust me, to refer to Skyrim, as the greatest rpg of all time. 6/10 because despite all of the critical acclaim, Skyrim, on xbox 360, is an average, rushed game, with many flaws, proving the
    incompetence of the game journalists at the time. I’m not joking I spat on my computer screen when I saw it.    … Expand
  10. BrettSiebenhaar
    Aug 10, 2018
    7
    Skyrim was and still is a good, fun game. The graphics were fantastic, and the recently released version on the Switch looks good to. I still find myself sneaking back to playing Oblivion. There was something about that game that kept me going back. Once I beat Skyrim, meh, I was done with the game.
  11. Wizelf402
    Mar 19, 2017
    7
    This game may be good, but we can't ignore certain things like the tons of glitches. I had a fairly good time playing it, but there are glaring issues. I give it a seven out of ten.
  12. CoolDadTx
    Dec 21, 2016
    7
    Buggy beyond belief. Froze system countless times, generally while loading area. Glitched graphics and sound as well. At least the pc got patches.

    Boring story with large area to explore but no reason to do so. While I agree with the leveling concept, it makes any sort of combat, quests or exploration purposeless. Why search for new areas or complete quests when I get no reward?    Buggy beyond belief. Froze system countless times, generally while loading area. Glitched graphics and sound as well. At least the pc got patches.

    Boring story with large area to explore but no reason to do so. While I agree with the leveling concept, it makes any sort of combat, quests or exploration purposeless. Why search for new areas or complete quests when I get no reward?

    Game was artificially extended just to waste time. Could have told the same stories in half the time. DLCs are the only saving grace of this game. Worst scrolls to date.    … Expand
  13. Breakitblake
    Jun 22, 2015
    7
    Sombody ask the skyrim makers to add free multiplayer and coop. It make it 1000 times more better.....................................................
  14. brightestabyss
    Jun 15, 2015
    7
    Potentially a great game but to me. It collapses under its own weight due to the number of bugs and problems lying in it. Most of the features are basic and functional but there wasn't really 1 individual exceptional feature in the game. More like, A whole load of features put together into a giant project.

    The graphics are beautiful and maybe to medieval RPG fans this would be    Potentially a great game but to me. It collapses under its own weight due to the number of bugs and problems lying in it. Most of the features are basic and functional but there wasn't really 1 individual exceptional feature in the game. More like, A whole load of features put together into a giant project.

    The graphics are beautiful and maybe to medieval RPG fans this would be exceptionally good but as someone who doesn't like too many Medieval Games. I cant exactly recommend it and I didn't enjoy it either.

    I played the game because people were basically yelling at me to play this game and said if I didn't like those kinds of games I'd still enjoy it. I clearly didnt    … Expand
  15. LazyGamer
    Jun 6, 2015
    7
    Basically Fallout 3 in a fantasy Elder Scrolls world. Boring story, Uninteresting characters (NPCs) and poor combat. Still a massive open world with lots stuff to do. The thing that saves the is modding without mods this is totally an uninteresting game to play. Nowhere near Morrowwind
  16. prestonchris016
    Apr 20, 2015
    5
    Skyrim is not the greatest thing ever is a average game because of the load times and glitches but if you can get past the load times and bugs its a polished game I recommend the pc version or oblivion GOTY if you don't have a pc that can run skyrim
  17. ManemanFTW
    Apr 18, 2015
    5
    i dont know why people like this game. I mean, it is beautifull and "deep" but the actual gameplay is so slow. The swords feel like they are made of a 1 ton metal or something. The pasing of the game is slow too. You will find yourself more time in loading screens that actually playing. All the caves are the same and all the swords feel the same. Oh and there is no actual challenge, youi dont know why people like this game. I mean, it is beautifull and "deep" but the actual gameplay is so slow. The swords feel like they are made of a 1 ton metal or something. The pasing of the game is slow too. You will find yourself more time in loading screens that actually playing. All the caves are the same and all the swords feel the same. Oh and there is no actual challenge, you can literary complete the game with one hand. the spells are for the most part the same. There is no actual plot to the game. and the "decitions" u make doesnt matter at all.… Expand
  18. the_blueprint
    Dec 18, 2014
    5
    The big problem with Skyrim is that while it does contain a lot of hours of gameplay, that gameplay isn't very interesting. No story or characters to care about and all the quests are just fetch quests. Quests just for the purpose of quests isn't my idea of fun. The combat is extremely repetitive for a game that you're supposed to play for hours and hours and hours. There is some fun to beThe big problem with Skyrim is that while it does contain a lot of hours of gameplay, that gameplay isn't very interesting. No story or characters to care about and all the quests are just fetch quests. Quests just for the purpose of quests isn't my idea of fun. The combat is extremely repetitive for a game that you're supposed to play for hours and hours and hours. There is some fun to be had exploring the world and upgrading your character BUT then the longer you play the more bugs start to surface. The one bug that is the worst is the more you play, the more you alter the world, the bigger the save game gets, and the more the game freezes. So even though the world is very big and you have a lot to explore, you can't do it! By the time you explore everything you're savegame is so big that the game keeps freezing and crashing. I played the legendary edition so by now all the updates should have fixed this.… Expand
  19. flametail23
    Oct 30, 2014
    7
    I find this game overrated. How can a game get so many 10 out of 10s when there are so many glitches? I have been stuck in walls and other annoying stuff like that.
    7/10
  20. WinkOrDie
    Jun 26, 2014
    6
    Good game, just good. Nothing more, nothing less.

    It does not do anything specifically amazing... or great... just good. Especially compared to the prior games in the series. Oblivion and Morrowind had impeccable writing, design, presentation, and sound. Skyrim relies on its predecessors to make it look good and thats how critics reviewed it. If it did not have Elder Scrolls in its    Good game, just good. Nothing more, nothing less.

    It does not do anything specifically amazing... or great... just good. Especially compared to the prior games in the series.

    Oblivion and Morrowind had impeccable writing, design, presentation, and sound. Skyrim relies on its predecessors to make it look good and thats how critics reviewed it. If it did not have Elder Scrolls in its title, it would not have been received so well.

    The storylines in each of the guilds is very predictable. It was basically, "Which one of the guild members is corrupted and will eventually turn on the guild?"

    The sound is not anything to brag about, just recycled songs from previously and what is original is forgettable.

    I have ragged on the game quite a bit it still offers a lot of interesting things and some of the quests are quite unique. The daedric quests in particular are really interesting and offer great rewards. The game also has a few interesting characters such as Cicero, a jester in the Dark Brotherhood.

    Is it worth buying? Yes, because it offers some good moments and a lot of hours of gameplay however some of those hours feel wasted due to fetch quests. It was not worth $60 however, you could pick up the Legendary Edition now with all the DLC for $30.    … Expand
  21. TwillyFSniper
    May 2, 2014
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I honestly don't know why this game is praised this highly. Not at all. In fact, this game really makes me wonder what people look for in a game today.

    Good graphics? I agree.

    The game-play, though, is already stale enough. It's way too difficult (I swear there has to be some sort of glitch... That stupid Frost Troll insta-kills me every time.)
    The story? Bland, meh, average, overused.
    Characters? Nothing interesting here.

    I don't see the point of buying this unless you're freaking Chuck Norris on steroids epic at games. This game is popular because of what? Perhaps the stupidest power in the game? Arrow to the knee? Another reasonless meme.

    But I'll give it this: it's the best of a terrible series of games. Well done Bethesda. I buy my first Elder Scrolls game. I instantly lose the respect I had for you after playing Fallout.

    In conclusion, not worth your money. Probably lower 50's/100.    … Expand
  22. jdizzy
    Apr 16, 2014
    6
    The game's a bit over-hyped. "Oooh, I can kill dragons simply with my voice" is basically half of what these reviews are saying. The combat is awful, you just stand there, not trying to dodge or anything. You just stand there, swinging or casting away while the enemies feebly try to fight back. The quests are one-in-the-same, kill that, fetch that, and go here are what makes most of theseThe game's a bit over-hyped. "Oooh, I can kill dragons simply with my voice" is basically half of what these reviews are saying. The combat is awful, you just stand there, not trying to dodge or anything. You just stand there, swinging or casting away while the enemies feebly try to fight back. The quests are one-in-the-same, kill that, fetch that, and go here are what makes most of these quests. Daedric items suck if you're high-level and Combat with dragons is unbalanced at high-levels. They just fly, doing tons of damage while you shoot at them with a meekly bow. The graphics look awful and the guilds are not that original. It barely alludes choice, just by making you choose what to say. No matter what, the same outcome happens either way. Even with all the patches, it's a chuttering mess.… Expand
  23. mcrancidrugburn
    Apr 13, 2014
    5
    I like how the world of Skyrim looks as your character is exploring the huge icy wastelands. I played as a Bosmer with illusion and necromancer skills. Then I leveled up my pickpocket skills that it allowed me to steal armor from the guards and unsuspecting enemies. I also liked the music as my character explored but I never liked the fight music. It never felt inspiring like the actionI like how the world of Skyrim looks as your character is exploring the huge icy wastelands. I played as a Bosmer with illusion and necromancer skills. Then I leveled up my pickpocket skills that it allowed me to steal armor from the guards and unsuspecting enemies. I also liked the music as my character explored but I never liked the fight music. It never felt inspiring like the action music in Mass Effect. The main story was not interesting at all compared to Oblivion. I never felt like what side I choose in the beginning of the game mattered. The guild missions were too short and boring. The voice acting was terrible. The dual spell casting was good it seemed like that was borrowed from the Bioshock games. I liked Skyrim but I liked the Fallout games and Oblivion:The Elder Scrolls better they have more deeper stories and a better worlds to explore.… Expand
  24. lryderz1998
    Apr 12, 2014
    7
    Personally, I thoroughly enjoyed the game that much i still play it today, combat is amazing, armor and weapons are amazing, so is shouts. i give this game 10/10 because it was an amazing experience.
  25. Poppeloppiluss
    Mar 6, 2014
    6
    The game has it's positive sides and have really nice graphics and all, absolutely, but we can't go around and judge a game for only it's graphics. Today it feels like most game developers focus on graphics and doesn't think to much about the content itself. This game made me very disappointed because, sure, as I said the graphics are nice but the game has extremely many bugs and glitchesThe game has it's positive sides and have really nice graphics and all, absolutely, but we can't go around and judge a game for only it's graphics. Today it feels like most game developers focus on graphics and doesn't think to much about the content itself. This game made me very disappointed because, sure, as I said the graphics are nice but the game has extremely many bugs and glitches in it and the builds of the classes doesn't have a good balance. The game simply doesn't feel "done". I've played extremely many RPG games and when i heard my friends speaking so well about Skyrim then I felt that I had to play it. But this game wouldn't even hit my top 10 list of RPGs. If it wouldn't have been for the visual graphics and the detailed environment then i bet this game wouldn't have been so popular. There is so many other RPGs out there which is so much better in every way and i can seriously not understand how people can still choose to play this crap. It's sad to see how many "graphic whores" there is out there.… Expand
  26. Ways
    Jan 17, 2014
    7
    A big, expansive open world RPG with lots to do and nice graphics, let down by the forgettable plot and dated combat system.

    I did all main Qs plus all but a couple of sides and clocked about 60 hours which is a big plus. Some 'AAA' games only manage 5 or 6 hours of single player. Like all Elder Scrolls games, get used to caves. You'll be seeing a lot of them. Plot is tired 'you are    A big, expansive open world RPG with lots to do and nice graphics, let down by the forgettable plot and dated combat system.

    I did all main Qs plus all but a couple of sides and clocked about 60 hours which is a big plus. Some 'AAA' games only manage 5 or 6 hours of single player.

    Like all Elder Scrolls games, get used to caves. You'll be seeing a lot of them. Plot is tired 'you are the chosen one ' as always with TES. Dull colours, forgettable NPCs. A result of having such a large game world? Obsidian did OK with New Vegas.

    That aside (and I can forgive all that), my major gripe is the dated combat TES has had since way back. No active dodge, no target lock. Blocking seems pointless, dodging means you move slowly backwards or to the side and hope you don't get hit. Or just charge in with power attacks and potions; you'll be fine. Magic has been simplified to the point of having little use beyond healing spells.

    And of course, dragons; less would mean more. Towards the end of the game I just ran away because I was so bored of them.

    Another Elder scrolls game that sticks to the generic fantasy formula but has a lot of value for money. If Bethesda had taken a chance on some changes to that formula, this game could have really deserved all that hype.    … Expand
  27. PartyTurtle
    Jan 13, 2014
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. skyrim is an amazing game with all the dragons and freewill in the world. its a big game so there are bound to be a few bugs like people on your team attacking u for no sudden reason and sometimes mouths moving when no one is talking. but overall its a rpg game which I love and has hundreds of hours sticking to the main missions, but overall amazing game.… Expand
  28. icky101
    Dec 23, 2013
    7
    A little bit of a disappointment. Oblivion was my favorite game so I expected a lot from Skyrim. It feels a lot dumbed down for casual Call of Duty type gamers. Don't get me wrong it's a good game, but the quests aren't unique, the plot is simple and short, and there is little to no true rpg aspects about this game. Your actions have the most minimal consequences possible unlike the gamesA little bit of a disappointment. Oblivion was my favorite game so I expected a lot from Skyrim. It feels a lot dumbed down for casual Call of Duty type gamers. Don't get me wrong it's a good game, but the quests aren't unique, the plot is simple and short, and there is little to no true rpg aspects about this game. Your actions have the most minimal consequences possible unlike the games predecessors. All that being said, the game runs smoothly, has nice gameplay, and has fixed a few of the kinks in Oblivion.… Expand
  29. ChunkYCh33s3
    Oct 28, 2013
    6
    I found trying to love skyrim very difficult. Not only is this game overrated but it is nowhere near the game i thought it would be. I find walking for a long time to get to certain quests boring. The combat is average. Graphics are very good as a whole. This is not a bad game. I just didnt find it my cup of tea. Exploring the caves was a chore. Puzzles, more bad guys. However, theI found trying to love skyrim very difficult. Not only is this game overrated but it is nowhere near the game i thought it would be. I find walking for a long time to get to certain quests boring. The combat is average. Graphics are very good as a whole. This is not a bad game. I just didnt find it my cup of tea. Exploring the caves was a chore. Puzzles, more bad guys. However, the missions on land were better. There are some good things. Its not a BAD game. Its just not interesting or fun to play. Most things feel stiff… Expand
  30. DrBoochie
    Sep 23, 2013
    6
    Before I get bombarded by fanboys, I need to make it clear that, unlike many of these reviews, I have had 2 years to formulate this review, of which I have spent a lot of time debating with myself how good this game is. I hope you will take that into consideration before reading this review.

    Overall I think Skyrim is a good game and an enjoyable experience for a period of time. However,    Before I get bombarded by fanboys, I need to make it clear that, unlike many of these reviews, I have had 2 years to formulate this review, of which I have spent a lot of time debating with myself how good this game is. I hope you will take that into consideration before reading this review.

    Overall I think Skyrim is a good game and an enjoyable experience for a period of time. However, I think the game has a lot of shortcomings. I'll try to highlight both the pros and cons.

    First things first, this isn't a Role Playing Game in the true sense of the phrase. A lack of solid class system means people can be the spellsword/tank/thief jack of all trades (and master of all, to boot). While this isn't a necessarily bad thing for a game, allowing flexibility in character development, it seems to take the 'role playing' out of the equation and leaving in the action, perhaps "dumbing down" this aspect predominant in the series.

    Keeping in the vein of mechanics, the quest system is boring and holds your hand. A pointer takes you directly where to go, kissing goodbye the investigative nature of Morrowind. It's a shame, since Morrowind (and even Oblivion, to an extent) was so strong due to this. Again, dumbing down is present. In terms of narrative, the quests in the basegame, bar a few exceptions, are mindless, unimaginative and tedious. The Daedric Quests are the only ones with any real depth to them, and the main storyline is more or less trash.

    The strengths of Skyrim lie in the well-overdue overhaul of Bethesda's game engine. The gamebryo engine, which seriously restricted Oblivion and Fallout 3, has been exchanged for the Creation Engine, which does Skyrim justice more can be done in terms of animation and design making Skyrim more immersive. However, the promises to improve combat in Skyrim seems superficial the only real additions to melee combat were dual-wielding and some (seriously artifacted) finishing moves, but otherwise the combat is as immersion-breaking as in Oblivion. However, the magic system is considerably improved in terms of mechanics, while the range of spells is disappointing. Archery (or marksmanship or whatever) is the true beneficiary of Skyrim, as the bows feel more weighty and is much more rewarding, so credit is due there. The stealth mechanics haven't improved noticeably since Oblivion, but it is serviceable and enjoyable enough. Overall, I'd give the general mechanics around 7/10, with some disappointments and steps back from Oblivion in places, with the interface feeling pretty clunky both on Xbox 360 and on PC.

    The graphics are where this title really saddens me. Even when the game came out, I thought it looked HIDEOUS. While there was some really nice shading and decent landscaping, the artstyle is drab. The huge colour palette of Oblivion is replaced for grey, white, black and more grey in the lands of Skyrim. While I appreciate that it fits the cold, northern setting of Skyrim, it feels as though the (clear) graphical improvements that Bethesda have made is wasted somewhat. Furthermore, the NPCs look downright creepy, with dead eyes that made me think of Polar Express some real uncanny valley stuff right there (look it up).

    My final point regards how many hours I put into the game before putting it down. I finished all of the main questlines and ALL of the considerable side quests in about 30 hours of play, over 2 characters. While there was initial wanderlust as I explored, the enjoyment trickled away over time until most of the game became a drag due to the aforementioned problems. If the game offered you more, then good for you! Nevertheless, 30 hours is a considerably quantity (while not compared to hundreds of hours spent in Oblivion and Fallout 3), but the quality wasn't entirely sound. While moments were truly epic (the first dragon appearance, for example), these were diamonds in the rough, with memorable parts too few and far between. This is disappointing in contrast to the myriad of other Bethesda titles, and while I have returned to Skyrim periodically since my initial playthrough(s), the visits were short and uninspired.

    Overall, I give this game a 6/10. It's better than average in most places, however there was potential for so much more. The combat was mostly unimproved, the quests were awful (both in mechanics and narrative) and the aesthetic was drab and poorly used. However, Skyrim has its merits in terms of its engine, and for this reason I do respect it somewhat.    … Expand
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Awards & Rankings

1
#1 Best Xbox 360 Game of 2011
2
#2 Most Discussed Xbox 360 Game of 2011
1
#1 Most Shared Xbox 360 Game of 2011

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
96

Universal acclaim - based on 89 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 89 out of 89
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 89
  3. Negative: 0 out of 89
  1. Gamer.no
    Feb 6, 2012
    100
    This epic role-playing game might be Bethesda's best game yet, and offers an unique and spectacular world filled with fun. The freedom ensures a great experience for both the casual and hardcore gamer, as you're free to play the game how you like.
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  2. GameFocus
    Dec 16, 2011
    97
    Skyrim is the largest, and most compelling work that I've had the opportunity to play this year. It's engaging, engrossing, and will take over your gaming life for many months to come. Not only is Skyrim among the best that 2011 has to offer, but for me, this is, without hesitation, the Game of the Year.
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  3. Cynamite
    Dec 16, 2011
    90
    Quotation forthcoming.
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