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. HarveyBirdman
    Jan 4, 2012
    5
    How can a game with so much to do feel so empty? Regardless of what you do, it never feels like you've impacted the game world in any meaningful way. Or forged an meaningful relationships. Or even had meaningful conversations. Let me get this straight: Skyrim's people --who supposedly thought dragons were a myth, like Godzilla-- find themslves in the midst of a FULL-FLEDGED DRAGONHow can a game with so much to do feel so empty? Regardless of what you do, it never feels like you've impacted the game world in any meaningful way. Or forged an meaningful relationships. Or even had meaningful conversations. Let me get this straight: Skyrim's people --who supposedly thought dragons were a myth, like Godzilla-- find themslves in the midst of a FULL-FLEDGED DRAGON INVASION, and it ranks maybe 5th on their conversational priority list, after the civil war, their lost amulet, the fact that you're wearing light armor, and the weather. And when you singlehandedly stop said invasion, what do you get? A few comments from guards to the effect of, "Hey, stopping that dragon crisis was awesome, bro." Then it's back to "I took an arrow in the knee." The faction quests, with the possible exception of the Thieves' Guild, are similarly uninspiring. Oh, and my wife in I have a sham marriage , in which I show up every week and she gives me gold. I'd like to converse with her, but she can only say four lines of dialogue. Bottom line: maybe this is the price of a truly open world -- i.e., it's miles wide and an inch deep. And to be fair, there's plenty of mindless fun to be had. But I'd trade most all of these random dungeons and dragon/troll/mammoth battle royales for some sense that what I'm doing matters. If it's an RPG, Bethesda, I want to play a role, not just be a roving bringer of destruction and taker of loot.… Expand
  2. Kietz91
    May 14, 2012
    6
    Unbalanced, unpolished, uninspired, and shallow.

    If I were to define Skyrim in only four words, that is about what you could expect from me. For as interesting a world Skyrim is to look at, the developers seemed fine filling it with repetitious, "uninspired" quests, given to you by countless amounts of npcs', none of which in possession of what I would call an actual personality. The    Unbalanced, unpolished, uninspired, and shallow.

    If I were to define Skyrim in only four words, that is about what you could expect from me. For as interesting a world Skyrim is to look at, the developers seemed fine filling it with repetitious, "uninspired" quests, given to you by countless amounts of npcs', none of which in possession of what I would call an actual personality. The gameplay, while serviceable, is rather unpolished and doesn't meet up to the standards set by other action games of today. Character development, not only weak, is rather unbalanced. The game rewards you for boosting skills you may have no interest in using, and the whole point of actually leveling your character seems trivial, being that enemies scale with you. Long story short, this is a rather flat experience. Sure, if you set your standards low, the sheer amount of content, as lackluster as the majority of it is, should last you a long, long while. Anyone looking for something thought-provoking and memorable, however, should look elsewhere. The game is a nice looking, yet very generic hack 'n' slash loot fest. If that is something that interests you, you will probably love this game. If you are looking for something more, this game should be avoided.    … Expand
  3. Oukoiki
    Nov 12, 2011
    5
    So disappointed! I will go straight to the point
    -Low resolution texture from 2006
    -Awkward quick menu to get the right weapon/spell in few moves -Never-ending loading time -Can't casts spells/ uses weapon while mounted -Stupid AI Oblivion was even more fun! After all, that game was not ready at all for release. I think they were forced to release it for the famous date of 11/11/11.    So disappointed! I will go straight to the point
    -Low resolution texture from 2006
    -Awkward quick menu to get the right weapon/spell in few moves
    -Never-ending loading time
    -Can't casts spells/ uses weapon while mounted
    -Stupid AI

    Oblivion was even more fun!

    After all, that game was not ready at all for release. I think they were forced to release it for the famous date of 11/11/11.
    (sorry for my English)    … Expand
  4. Acquiredempire
    Dec 13, 2011
    7
    Fun but main story is way too short and NPCs had little to no personality. Never felt any strong emotion or bond to any faction or character. Ending was non eventful. When I beat the main story quests I didn't even realize it. To me it felt like is should have been the half way point. The world itself is very well done and fun to explore. Fighting is the best it has ever been in the ElderFun but main story is way too short and NPCs had little to no personality. Never felt any strong emotion or bond to any faction or character. Ending was non eventful. When I beat the main story quests I didn't even realize it. To me it felt like is should have been the half way point. The world itself is very well done and fun to explore. Fighting is the best it has ever been in the Elder scrolls series. Not too many bugs and glitchs as previous installments. Just wish it had more memorable NPCs and a deeper story but the game is very well made otherwise.… Expand
  5. Davidlmw
    Sep 4, 2012
    6
    Having played Skyrim and the DLC I must continue to ask both Bethesda and the user's who gave it a 10 to look at what the definition/definitions of a true RPG game are. (Wikipedia has some good one's) In the end there are consequences for the choices you make in the conversation wheel or in your choice of actions or inactions in the gameplay itself in a true RPG.

    The only consequences    Having played Skyrim and the DLC I must continue to ask both Bethesda and the user's who gave it a 10 to look at what the definition/definitions of a true RPG game are. (Wikipedia has some good one's) In the end there are consequences for the choices you make in the conversation wheel or in your choice of actions or inactions in the gameplay itself in a true RPG.

    The only consequences that can be placed in an RPG role are what happens if you choose to pay a bounty or not or steal from someone in Skyrim or choose to do a quest or not which is not an RPG.

    As many users have noted there are far to many bugs, freezes and QA issues that could have been dealt with prior to release.

    The storylines are mediocore at best and the NPC involvement or lack thereof allows for no relationship building and consequences for your actions or inactions which an RPG by definition does allow.

    And as many users have remarked, the interfaces in combat situations are mediocore at best.

    Should Bethesda decide to develop a true open world game and an RPG I would suggest they gather the right mix of talent on the development team. It is clearly obvious that the artistic side was well represented. However, the RPG and UI was not; as well as QA. In Oblivion the menu system was tedious at best; and Skyrim was not that much better. For the obvious artistic representation I wish Bethesda would have devoted as much time on the RPG and UI side. If so, they would have developed a true classic. If one goes back and looks at Fallout 3 you can see that there are consequences for your choices, especially if you are not at the right skill level in areas like health and speech.

    Lastly, diversification is key in such an open world. If you take the time to explore the cave systems and Nord sites you will come to find that in the end it all looks the same with very little diversification and reward for completing any of them.

    I wish great game developers like Bethesda would not fold to the pressure of the "almighty dollar" and take the time to consider the consumer who does spend a great deal of money on these games and the hardware that supports them. BTW if you are going to sell a game as an RPG, by it's true definition, perhaps you might want to look at the definitons of an RPG first before you market it as an RPG to the consumer.    … Expand
  6. 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
  7. EJA
    Jul 29, 2013
    7
    I wanna give this a 9 or a 10 but the loading times get RIDICULOUS after playing for a while. I mean they just get longer and longer. And this game has tons of places where it needs to load so there might be 100 plus hours of gameplay but you will spend 100 plus hours in loading screens.

    What a shame because the scope of the game is huge. It is a tad shallow in terms of character    I wanna give this a 9 or a 10 but the loading times get RIDICULOUS after playing for a while. I mean they just get longer and longer. And this game has tons of places where it needs to load so there might be 100 plus hours of gameplay but you will spend 100 plus hours in loading screens.

    What a shame because the scope of the game is huge. It is a tad shallow in terms of character development but exploration is the name of the game here. The visuals vary, the dungeons are individually unique, and the terrain is grandiose.

    It's in the same vein as Oblivion and Morrowind so if you like those you will love this. Morrowind is still the best but this is way better than Oblivion.    … Expand
  8. binaryweapon
    Nov 21, 2011
    7
    Although the game is growing on me, I must say that for something from such an established production company like Besthesda it sure does have its detractions. As has been said countless times already, the textures are stunningly low quality, the combat mechanics are dull, and the menu system is annoying at best. If the time put forth here had been put into Fallout 4 instead, that gameAlthough the game is growing on me, I must say that for something from such an established production company like Besthesda it sure does have its detractions. As has been said countless times already, the textures are stunningly low quality, the combat mechanics are dull, and the menu system is annoying at best. If the time put forth here had been put into Fallout 4 instead, that game would be life-changing. Instead, we get this.… Expand
  9. GentlemanRick
    Nov 17, 2011
    7
    Lets just say this is a definet upgrade from Oblivion. Graphics are way better, offers more goodies than before like creating and upgrading armor, and just overall addicting. This right here will be most likely game of the year ladies and gentlemen.
  10. vDevilEnd
    Nov 24, 2011
    7
    Let's start with the bad, the game has many glitches & bugs which at some points can make the game unplayable. The voice acting is not the best and is repeated so much that it can become boring. The game play such as combat or interacting with npc's seems a bit off at times, and the graphics are very limited for console especially without using a mod on PC version to improve them much moreLet's start with the bad, the game has many glitches & bugs which at some points can make the game unplayable. The voice acting is not the best and is repeated so much that it can become boring. The game play such as combat or interacting with npc's seems a bit off at times, and the graphics are very limited for console especially without using a mod on PC version to improve them much more which tells me the devs were very lazy.The difficulty of the game I find is not very challenging at all either What is good about this game? It has a lot of fun rpg elements to it, it can be addicting to play despite it's flaws. Vast amount of areas quests, and stories to explore. If you love RPG this game is a must but it's far from a masterpiece claim it to be.… Expand
  11. Upgrayedd69
    Mar 7, 2012
    7
    Definitely not as good as people say. It has frozen many times on me. I don't see how it is a "masterpiece". Felt just like Oblivion with better graphics. I think the hype was so high that people actually just started to believe it was as good as people were hoping.
  12. DFCooks
    Nov 21, 2011
    7
    I rented this game since i normally don't spend $60 on a solo game. From what i've played up to now (lvl 25). I've decided that in my opinion, the inventory needs to be worked on (sort items based on weight/value/armor/damage). Quests often got thrown on the back burner while trying to accomplish a task. for example, i had to travel to a place to retrieve an item, and on the way i pickedI rented this game since i normally don't spend $60 on a solo game. From what i've played up to now (lvl 25). I've decided that in my opinion, the inventory needs to be worked on (sort items based on weight/value/armor/damage). Quests often got thrown on the back burner while trying to accomplish a task. for example, i had to travel to a place to retrieve an item, and on the way i picked up 3 different quests which then became more important to me since they were 1) closer to my current location. 2) easier than my original task, and more rewarding.… Expand
  13. xipher
    Feb 6, 2012
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. There is lots and lots of stuff to do in skyrim from hundreds of quests to just walking though the forest, but after putting a lot of time into this game it all kind've feels empty and unsatisfying. I will admit they did an excellent job creating the world and the feel of the game. The music nature sounds and scope truly feel epic when your exploring above ground. The problem is that 75 to 80 percent of the game takes place in caves, underground ruins and castles. And aside from the occasional dwarven ruin almost all the dungeons and castles are just dark boring caves filled with weak annoying skeletons and crappy loot that you don't need. In fact the horrible loot system and lack of satisfying exploration are the biggest things holding this game back. For a game as big as skyrim the limited variety of armor and weapons to find is just sad. There is almost no point exploring for loot as the weapons and armor you can make and enchant yourself are better than anything you will find. The perk system also leaves much to be desired as most the perks simply buff what you can already do or give some little ability that barely makes a difference. It doesn't help that aside from the story quests and a few guild quests (mainly thieves guild) most of the quests are boring and unmemorable. Throw in some bad voice acting, wooden character animations, and annoying dragons and thats skyrim. Im disapointed that so many users posted 10/10 scores after barely playing the game. It looks amazing at first but the substance just isn't there. I played for around 230 hours before posting this.… Expand
  14. classicaldon
    Jul 1, 2012
    6
    Skyrim has a lot of good stuff, but it misses something very important: characters and story. The characters don't have anything to say, they're shallow, even the important ones. And the story, well.. it simply isn't that engaging. The game gets repetitive and boring after a while.
  15. Ben69xd
    May 21, 2012
    5
    This game removes everything that a RPG is/was Classes, GONE! If you are going to buy this game, make sure that you are an Argonian (why? because of here http://elderscrolls.wikia.com/wiki/Argonian_(Skyrim) ), get married, beat every story, don't deny a quest, level everything to 100, get every achievement, and then go back to playing morrowind. the gameplay is alright, but you have toThis game removes everything that a RPG is/was Classes, GONE! If you are going to buy this game, make sure that you are an Argonian (why? because of here http://elderscrolls.wikia.com/wiki/Argonian_(Skyrim) ), get married, beat every story, don't deny a quest, level everything to 100, get every achievement, and then go back to playing morrowind. the gameplay is alright, but you have to force yourself not to use the fast traveling system if you want to wander. Pluse this game is 10x more ugly than oblivion and the voice acting is just a little bit better than oblivion but not buy much.… Expand
  16. Chuck_Woolery
    Nov 2, 2012
    7
    Weird thing about Skyrim, I LOOOVED Oblivion, but Skyrim was just was lackluster for me. That didn't stop me from playing out almost every quest, but I think it didn't improve enough on Oblivion and the Oblivion DLC for me. Also, I found it very easy... was pretty easy to create an unstoppable character.

    Still its a significant achievement and it was enjoyable all the way through, so    Weird thing about Skyrim, I LOOOVED Oblivion, but Skyrim was just was lackluster for me. That didn't stop me from playing out almost every quest, but I think it didn't improve enough on Oblivion and the Oblivion DLC for me. Also, I found it very easy... was pretty easy to create an unstoppable character.

    Still its a significant achievement and it was enjoyable all the way through, so it's hard to give less than 7 for me.    … Expand
  17. Soopy
    Jun 3, 2012
    5
    Average game at best. Makes grand attempts and falls flat on all of them. None of the game mechanics seem to compliment another. The combat is blehh. The World is well designed, the views are stunning. But there's not much of anything of value in it. The story is poor, and the ending to the main quest just bad. The sense of progression and achievement is non existent and the characterAverage game at best. Makes grand attempts and falls flat on all of them. None of the game mechanics seem to compliment another. The combat is blehh. The World is well designed, the views are stunning. But there's not much of anything of value in it. The story is poor, and the ending to the main quest just bad. The sense of progression and achievement is non existent and the character development pointless.… Expand
  18. Dingi
    Aug 15, 2012
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I love the Elder Scrolls Series, especially Oblivion. Skyrim, to me, was fun. But, it slowly dissolved into repetitiveness. I thought the Oblivion story-line was far more interesting, if a tad cliche. Sure, the graphics and leveling system are better than in Oblivion, but Skyrim just feels so...empty. I also thought that Oblivion was a tad harder (although the difficulty could easily be adjusted). Also, I like how Oblivion just dumped you off in the middle of a sewer and after you got out you were free to roam and the game just basically said "do whatever the heck you want". I don't think Skyrim gave me that chance because after the dragon attack, the game basically TOLD me to go and warn them. I mean sure, you were free to roam but it just didn't feel...right.
    Anyways, there's my two cents.    … Expand
  19. Jacksonsteel200
    Aug 27, 2012
    7
    This game was fun, the atmosphere was great at times depending on the environment. The main storyline of the dragonborn was interesting enough and the civil war side quest was as well. Once finishing those I lost interest in continuing the game, for many reasons. The combat isn't that good, hit detection is off and the animations are not impressive at all. Fighting Dragons isn't veryThis game was fun, the atmosphere was great at times depending on the environment. The main storyline of the dragonborn was interesting enough and the civil war side quest was as well. Once finishing those I lost interest in continuing the game, for many reasons. The combat isn't that good, hit detection is off and the animations are not impressive at all. Fighting Dragons isn't very exciting. While the many villages and towns you visit are filled with people, they all say the same lines over and over whenever you pass. It doesn't help that a majority of the voice overs sound the same. One of the most disappointing things about this game besides the combat, which is very important in a game that ask for so much of your time, is your character. It is cool you can choose your own race and all that but your character is pretty lifeless. The same emotionless stare is seen on your character's face throughout the game. It also doesn't help that there are no voice overs for your character. Another issue are your companions whenever you end up paired with one or two. They take forever to catch up to you and they are mostly useless in a fight. This game offers a lot of freedom but it comes at a price, while Bethesda may have fixed certain things by now, the fact that if you didn't do certain quests before others the game may not allow you to progress further is pathetic. Last but not least, are the bugs, I understand bugs pop up in many games but they should not be overlooked just because a game offers so much freedom and all that. Bethesda shouldn't still be releasing games this buggy after all this time. Bugs that freeze the game or slow it down to the point where it takes 10 seconds to swing a sword or quests get locked out. Bethesda delivered a huge game with a ton of content which is impressive but in my opinion more effort needs to go into combat, artificial intelligence and better animations. A little less quantity and a lot more quality.… Expand
  20. magee
    Apr 7, 2013
    7
    i got this game at release date. i played it for like 10 days straight with a playtime of 70h I was so excited about this game and in the end i had a lot of fun this 10 days, while i finished all the side quest brotherhood. thief and so on i never finished the main story line because it was just very boring to me. dark brotherhood kinda dissapointed me the quest line was very short andi got this game at release date. i played it for like 10 days straight with a playtime of 70h I was so excited about this game and in the end i had a lot of fun this 10 days, while i finished all the side quest brotherhood. thief and so on i never finished the main story line because it was just very boring to me. dark brotherhood kinda dissapointed me the quest line was very short and not unique well tbh all the companion quests were pretty bad in comparison to the older titles. i played tes games since morrowind. if you like exploring in games this game is amazing but i feel like there arent really big rewards for it. a lot of mechanics got dumbed down sadly. crafting is good but you can craft such powerful armors that you oneshot every monster in the entire game and if you get that armor you will be bored pretty soon cause there will be no rewards for your actions. to sum up my 2 main cons are, first of all the combat system is very very bad it just gets old very quick you basically just click the hit button....thats it...they should really change something about it cause its like 50% of the game. the second thing is the main story and quests.. the main story is poor its not exciting at all and i wish they will made your character talk. while there are some quality quests the majority is pretty bad go there and kill that quests. its still a good game i played straight 10 games like a crazy man and then never touched it again.… Expand
  21. XboxGamerGuy
    Nov 14, 2012
    7
    Amazing visuals, Epic sound track, great game play. Is it better than oblivion? No it's not! The main story is boring with little consequent, guild missions are no where near as good as oblivion. The game is amazing but so much effort into making it look good with so little time spent on making a epic story! On a side note "some" of the side missions are great...
  22. leon1212
    Jan 16, 2013
    6
    glitches up the ass but decent game overall so play it or die fffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffff
  23. imawsome722
    Jul 2, 2013
    5
    skyrim can be fun for a bit but then you start to notice all the bad's for the game
    pros:large word, great music, lots of quests and activities, 4 guilds dark brotherhood college of winterhold companions and thieves guild, FREAKING DRAGONS, epic master level destruction spells,
    cons: repetitive quests (go here kill this get this talk to him every time), main story is less than 4 hours,    skyrim can be fun for a bit but then you start to notice all the bad's for the game
    pros:large word, great music, lots of quests and activities, 4 guilds dark brotherhood college of winterhold companions and thieves guild, FREAKING DRAGONS, epic master level destruction spells,
    cons: repetitive quests (go here kill this get this talk to him every time), main story is less than 4 hours, world has barely any colour, you never feel important your the dragonborn head of all guilds and killed 50 dragons no one cares, usually the only enemies youll fight are bandits wolves and draugr,removed spell making, stealth is nearly impossible because enemies crowd up next to each other, the thieves guild is about fighting, story is mediocre its just dragons are invading you're the dragon born you have to stop them, npc's have no emotion, theres only like 13 voice actors, very buggy once a door was bugged so whenever i went through that door the game would crash and that was the only way out so i had to restart the game, combat is just hit each other with a weapon until one of you is dead, enemies never block, magic is weak and you run out of magicka fast,    … Expand
  24. 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.
  25. 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
  26. KillerGum
    Apr 24, 2012
    7
    Skyrim is, in a nutshell, a very disapointing game. Having not played the previous ES titles, I decided to pick this up because of the massive hype it recieved. It simply did not meet the hype it got.

    Lets start off with the good. Pros: Huge open world to explore Many, many side quests Expansive culture Many things to forge Great level up system Pretty good graphics And here's    Skyrim is, in a nutshell, a very disapointing game. Having not played the previous ES titles, I decided to pick this up because of the massive hype it recieved. It simply did not meet the hype it got.

    Lets start off with the good.
    Pros:
    Huge open world to explore
    Many, many side quests
    Expansive culture
    Many things to forge
    Great level up system
    Pretty good graphics

    And here's the bad...
    Cons:
    A few bugs here and there
    EXTREMELY shallow combat system
    I had no incentive to explore the world
    World can sometimes feel "empty"
    Characters seemed very bland
    Shallow combat makes spells more useful, negating the "Play your style" approach

    A few of my Cons could be just the way i see things, but to me, this game is only "Pretty good" Obviously, if you are a fan of the ES series, you should pick this up. If you are a newcomer like me, I would be cautious when approaching this game, but also come at it with a positive attitude.    … Expand
  27. Mattheusheck
    Apr 20, 2012
    7
    Vast world, pretty graphics, nice music, quite interesting story, character development system better than Morrowind and Oblivion. Unfortunately, there is lack of something great, stunning and absorbing. I didn't end even the main quest. It contains also poor main characters, nothing distinctive. If you like sandboxes, you'll enjoy dungeon crawling. Otherwise, better think up purchase.Vast world, pretty graphics, nice music, quite interesting story, character development system better than Morrowind and Oblivion. Unfortunately, there is lack of something great, stunning and absorbing. I didn't end even the main quest. It contains also poor main characters, nothing distinctive. If you like sandboxes, you'll enjoy dungeon crawling. Otherwise, better think up purchase. Nevertheless, Skyrim is better than his older parts of The Elder Scrolls series.… Expand
  28. Kuzkula
    Nov 22, 2011
    7
    Not bad, really. I was skeptical when reading up on Skyrim in Game Informer and was reading the hype almost literally dripping off the pages. So, on a whim, I rented it from Redbox. Better to spend $2 and try it then $60 and either be stuck with it or have to make an unnecessary trip to GameStop. It got in my blood, and I HAD to buy it later.

    Graphics: Not seeing too much of an    Not bad, really. I was skeptical when reading up on Skyrim in Game Informer and was reading the hype almost literally dripping off the pages. So, on a whim, I rented it from Redbox. Better to spend $2 and try it then $60 and either be stuck with it or have to make an unnecessary trip to GameStop. It got in my blood, and I HAD to buy it later.

    Graphics: Not seeing too much of an improvement from Oblivion, but it's still noticeable. I'm enjoying the weather effect and night-time hunting. The water is pretty, as well. Wish I had an o2 sensor or bar or something, as I got caught by surprise in the depths of a large lake. Skins and textures for things are a bit crisper, fire is damn beautiful, and things just feel a bit better. Lighting and shading effects are in full force, as is HDR. Sound: A problem for me. Good sound effects, environment echoes or grass being stepped on; all sounds beautiful. All of a sudden- DRAGON! Now the fun begins, y'know? Roaring, breathing, flying, breathing fire. Sounds damn good. Then we go back into town and I hear the same person. Everyone is the same. Almost. Most middle aged Nords are the same guy, almost all women are the same. There are TEN, 10, X, voice actors for the entire game. Bethesda decided to go the cheap route and use voice altering software to change tone/pitch, but you hear the same damn guy or woman. I myself am a voice actor and I just notice these things. It bothers me to no end.

    Gameplay: Combat is both different and the same. Backpedaling while spamming right-trigger is not a viable option due to the slower speed. Dual-wielding spells or spell/weapon combo is new to the series, but you can't help but feel like you're doing the same old song and dance. With swords. But yeah, familiar. AI for melee fighting has been improved. They know how to block for sure, and when they come at you, you know it. Sometimes they seem to get confused though. I've had multiple witches just run directly into me spraying me with fire or ice while I smash their face in with my war-hammer. It's like they're either fleeing from you for dear life or trying to make out with you. I've hardly found a happy medium in the fights. Still kinda annoying to switch to 3rd after seeing your weapon in your face, only to see you're carrying it down and to the side. Not a big deal, but noticeable.

    UI: Love the new UI. Who cares if you can't see what you look like-- Does it even matter? You can go to 3rd person and see it! Yeesh. I love the quick menu for swapping from my war-hammer to my bow in a pinch, healing, readying different shouts, everything. The new perks system and way of leveling up simplifies everything and helps you customize your character to more of your liking. If you want to be a crafty sneaky little pickpocket, but need that extra bit to make sure you're fully inconspicuous, there'll be a perk or two you can sink some levels into. It's simple and effective, but makes you really work and practice to become a master.

    Overall: Love it. I can say this with complete honesty and if you remove the glamor and glitz from your eyes and see the truth, you'll agree:
    Skyrim is Oblivion with dragons, new world, polished/updated UI, new items, and just as addictive. A good game and fun, but not at all what was hyped. Doesn't mean you can't still enjoy it, just go in with a clear/neutral head. And most importantly, have fun!    … Expand
  29. TundraFreeze
    Aug 19, 2013
    6
    I thought this game would be much more exciting than that it actually is, especially since all professional reviewers claimed it as a must-have. The gameplay is slow and dare-I-say tedious. The storyline is thin and absent from much of the game, in fact you can't really tell the difference between a main quest and a side-quest. So the main storyline is not that engaging, it does not standI thought this game would be much more exciting than that it actually is, especially since all professional reviewers claimed it as a must-have. The gameplay is slow and dare-I-say tedious. The storyline is thin and absent from much of the game, in fact you can't really tell the difference between a main quest and a side-quest. So the main storyline is not that engaging, it does not stand out from the other quests you do. Likewise the characters in the game are flat and robotic. It is true that this game is visually impressive and that you have a huge open-world to move around, but everything else was just too boring for me. I wish reviewers, professional ones in particular, could recognize that people like different things in their games and I wish their reviews would reflect this fact, instead of pushing their bias unto others, claiming their judgement as Absolute. Bottomline: if you like pretty graphics, interactions with your environment such as learning a trade and getting married, and a huge open-world to move around in you'll probably enjoy Skyrim a lot. If you want a deep storyline, characters with some degree of personality, and variation in your gameplay look elsewhere.… Expand
  30. Zkaar
    Nov 11, 2011
    7
    Perfect. Just perfect. I've been waiting 5 years for this game and here it is. Much more than I've expected. Graphics, gameplay and plot are perfect and it gets you into the game. But I've found some people who are rating this game 5 or less. And they are comparing Skyrim with other games. Other games shall be compared with Skyrim, because there is no other game that even comes closer toPerfect. Just perfect. I've been waiting 5 years for this game and here it is. Much more than I've expected. Graphics, gameplay and plot are perfect and it gets you into the game. But I've found some people who are rating this game 5 or less. And they are comparing Skyrim with other games. Other games shall be compared with Skyrim, because there is no other game that even comes closer to Skyrim. The game is perfect, glitches make it fun, there are a lot of choices to make and they change the gameplay. Best game ever made.… 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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