ELDER SCROLLS: SKYRIM REVIEW ~ Technically Funny
Technically Funny

Tuesday, 24 January 2012

ELDER SCROLLS: SKYRIM REVIEW

13:01 1 comment

Oh yes, as usual my finger is on the pulse of the gaming industry which is why I'm bringing you a review of a game that was released nearly 4 months ago. The reason for this is that I have had Assassins Creed Revelations, Uncharted 3 and Mass Effect 2 to finish as well as the online behemoth that is Modern Warfare 3. So, with my time finally being freed up enough to play the sequel to the fantastic Oblivion, I managed to make my character of dragon borne awesomeness and step into the world of Skyrim.


PLOT?
In chronological terms, Skyrim is set 200 years after the events in Oblivion so isn't so much a direct sequel but more of a new story set in the same world. Following the death of Martin Septim and the end of the Oblivion crisis, this heralded the beginning of the Fourth era. In the Empire's weak state, numerous provinces have succeeded from the Empire. The Empire is at war with rebelling nations and responds by deploying the Imperial Legion to quell the rebel threat.
In the midst of all this is you, a dragon borne who speaks in the language of dragons which is damn convenient as dragons have started attacking Skyrim which marks the end of days and only you can stop this from happening. The main differing point from Oblivion in a storyline perspective is that this time, the focus of the story is on your character rather than someone else which you need to protect. It makes for a far better immersive experience.



GAMEPLAY
Much of the gameplay elements from Oblivion have been carried over to Skyrim but this unfortunately means that the trademark glitches from Oblivion have also carried over although this time, not as noticeable or as bad. About 10 minutes into the game, the world is your oyster and you can start exploring at your leisure. As is the norm with Elder Scrolls games, the side quests and missions are never ending and you will constantly find yourself drifting away from the main storyline and joining new factions or helping citizens out with their problems.
The game world is absolutely HUGE. When it comes to the fighting, there have been a great deal of improvements. The 2 handed class is much more fluid and customisable and critical hits are emphasised by finishing moves that look awesome and brutal at times. The skill tree is also more in depth. You have different segments you can level up as well as your general levelling up choice of health, magic and stamina. This helps you mold your character to the strengths of your choice and even focus on other abilities if you fancy a change. The new additions include blacksmithing. This enables you to pretty much create your own weapons if you have the required materials and skill. Enchantments are also new which lets you add an elemental magic to your weapon to create more damage. The general gameplay is great although this has been let down with frame rate issues on the PS3 which Bethesda have offered a patch which will be released soon. The issues, although regrettable, do not take away from the quality of the gameplay and there is so much Bethesda have put in for you to get hundreds of hours of gameplay from.


VERDICT
After about 10 hours of gameplay, I am addicted to Skyrim. The exploration aspect is fantastic and the character customisation options are brilliant. The graphics of the game are much improved from its predecessor and some views of the world can really leave you breathless.
The open world is lively and active through night and day and never stops. This game will need a lot of time and effort but is enjoyable all the way through. I would whole heartidly recommend this to any one whether you're a hardcore gamer or not and fans of the Elder Scrolls series will nerd all over the place.
Just make sure you warn loved ones before you start cos they won't see you for a while. Trust me.


1 comments:

Bob says:

I got my first opportunity to see this game in person at a co-worker’s house from DISH the other day and you’re right about the graphics, they’re awesome. There’s no need for a detailed response to your review because you’ve already given a ton of depth and detail (great review by the way). This game is, hands down, the greatest, most immersing single player RPG that I’ve ever seen. I can’t afford to buy the game right now so I added it to my Blockbuster@Home queue, it’s an affordable way to play and rent games. You’re really right about playing this game with caution, I don’t think I’ve seen or heard from my friend in over a week...

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