The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Review!

The reason that so many gamers are such devoted fans of Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is manifold. Some adore it for its incredibly in-depth character customization, rewarding practiced skills with better perks, rather than arbitrary improvement by skill point allocation. Others enjoy Skyrim for its improved combat, stunning visuals and epic storyline–all of which can be even further improved by Elder Scrolls games’ long-standing user-friendly integration of custom-made mods and utilities. If Skyrim has one attribute that may put off some gamers, it’s simply that its scope is so big–with so many dungeons and druidic temples to visit, so many user-defined classes to explore, so many NPCs to befriend or betray–that one can get lost in it. Still, even if you never manage to “beat” an Elder Scrolls game, you’re guaranteed to at least enjoy the ride.

Story:

The storyline of Skyrim is at once a selling point and a drawback. It is presented a bit like a choose-your-own-adventure book–the player is free to be as involved or unconcerned with the story as they wish. As with most Elder Scrolls games, the player is first placed into the role of a prisoner mid-transport, and like many aspects of the story, it is up to the player to decide how and why they were incarcerated. Perhaps in your former life, you were a vicious criminal, slaying any fool who crossed your path. Or, just as likely, you were a political prisoner, wrongfully put in jail to keep you from spilling state secrets. Unfortunately, you will need a powerful imagination to carry out an in-depth roleplay, as the game mechanics afford little customization as far as back story is concerned.

The main conflict in Skyrim takes place between the Empire–the ruling government over Skyrim–and the Stormcloaks, a rebel faction led by Jarl Ulfric Stormcloak, who seeks to overthrow the Empire’s rule of the nation and return Skyrim to the Nords. Neither side is truly “good” nor “evil,” and each has its reasons for doing what it has. After escaping his or her bonds through some draconian intervention, the player is presented with a choice that will set them on a path to joining one faction or the other. However, the player is free to defect and join the opposing faction at any time for most of the game, or indeed to stay out of the civil war altogether–though not completing the main quests results in a halved experience of the game. Beyond that, Skyrim is full to the brim with factions and followings like the Companions–the new term for the “Fighter’s Guild,” which welcomes anyone with a lust for battle and glory–or the Dark Brotherhood, masters of covert assassinations and stealth. And of course there are an untold number of miscellaneous quests throughout the land, discoverable by talking to NPCs or by Besthesda’s new “Radiant AI” technology.

While Skyrim’s presentation of story is somewhat lacking, it isn’t from lack of lore. Most of the collectible books present in earlier Elder Scrolls games also make their appearance in Skyrim, as well as several new books, which explain some of the events that transpired in the two centuries between the events of Oblivion and those of Skyrim. Skyrim takes a more organic approach to exposition–rather than assaulting the player with ceaseless narrations and cut-scenes, the story is there for the player to find it, but you must dig a little first. That being said, it would be nice to witness a game capable of delivering a more tailored storyline, depending on what kind of character a player creates.

Gameplay:

Character development is the bread-and-butter of Elder Scrolls games, and Skyrim doesn’t disappoint. As in the previous Elder Scrolls game, Oblivion, you may pick one of ten playable races (unless you install a mod that introduces a new one, who differ in physicality and nationality. Aside from a few changes in dialogue, the race you pick will mostly affect your starting stats and racial bonuses, such as resistance to fire if you choose to be a dunmer (dark elf). Your gender bears slightly more import, as several quest options will differ, and there exists a perk that allows for better bartering with storekeepers of the opposite sex.

Picking a class in Skyrim is the part that’s the most fun, as you’re never really relegated to one or another role. All skills are available to any character, as long as you learn the prerequisites first. Thus, you can be an illusion-casting sneakthief, a sticky-fingered warrior, or an all-powerful elemental wizard played straight–it’s all dependent upon which skills you use the most, and therefore which ones will be improved. Unlike many other RPGs, “leveling up” does not grant the player a pool of points that can be placed into any skill–only abilities that you consistently employ will advance, just as it would be in reality. However, after the success of Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas, Bethesda has introduced “perks” to Skyrim as a sort of added reward for improving certain abilities past various thresholds. Max out your “sneak,” for instance, and you can all but vanish from plain sight simply by crouching.

Combat has also been vastly improved since the last Elder Scrolls game. Now, you can equip either magic or a weapon in either hand, and different maneuvers are available depending on what you have equipped and what perks you chose. Cast the same spell from both hands, for instance, and you can often cast a more powerful version of that spell than from one hand alone. Blocking is much easier to pull off, as well, and enemies will react more intelligently when facing a difficult opponent.

One of the biggest and only real flaws in Skyrim relates to how enemies perceive attacks. It’s a little ridiculous to shoot an arrow into a bandit’s head, sneak off until they lose track of you, then watch the enemy return to his station as if it never happened. Enemy AI can also be problematic, and especially at release, NPCs often bugged out in regards to movement pathing and available quest options. Patches have done much to iron these out, but if you’re unlucky (or fortunate, depending on your view of it), you still might witness a backwards-flying dragon or two.

Graphics:

Though a few games have come close (Assassin’s Creed, Uncharted), no one can really claim to have better-looking environments than Skyrim. Many layers of textures, bump maps, geometry and particle effects have been implemented to make every environment in Skyrim a memorable, often breathtaking experience. Of course, graphics can only be improved so much on console, and if you really want to experience Skyrim at its prettiest, you’ll need to run it on a high-end PC. Even without all that, though, it’s an immersive and impressively aesthetic game.

Beyond the environment, the NPCs and player models of the game have also been much enhanced from past Elder Scrolls entries. Orcs actually look Orcish now, and many humans and elves follow modern conventions of beauty, without losing their racial identifiers. The animations could use work–they’re better, but it’s still a little disconcerting to have a room full of children (another first for Elder Scrolls) stare up at you with their backs twisted at awkward angles, or have to reorient yourself during a dragon fight to avoid getting your arrows stuck in an invisible wall. Speaking of children, it’s rather bizarre that no one at Bethesda had second thoughts about giving all children of Skyrim (who are all human, for some reason) identical faces.

Of course, close up, some of the textures in Skyrim could be improved. But luckily, that’s easy to fix if you get the game on PC–just download the High Res Textures Pack from Bethesda, and/or look up the Steam Workshop or various sites like Skyrim Nexus to find graphics improvement mods. Or download the Creation Kit and create your own!

Sound:

The soundtrack for Skyrim is right on par with any Hollywood blockbuster or symphonic orchestra. Even the title screen comes with an inspiring rendition of the unforgettable Elder Scrolls theme song, now further enhanced with vocals from a “barbarian men’s choir.” There are different tunes for different environments and situations–tense string solos for sneaking through an ancient tomb guarded by ghosts and skeletons, blood-stirring battle tempos, quaint yet lovely serenades as you walk through town. Sound effects are also top-notch–every sword thrust, spell cast, potion imbibed, stone door opened, etc. has its own appropriate sound. Oftentimes a fierce snarl is all the warning you’ll have before a snowcat jumps for your jugular–and that echoing warcry from above means it’s time to bunker down for a deadly fight with a dragon.

The voice acting is excellent for the most part, but Skyrim still suffers from a lack of variation in voice actors–though that’s understandable, when one considers just how many NPCs with their own unique dialogue are in the game. Still, more consideration could have been paid towards which NPCs were voiced by what actor–it breaks the immersion to talk to one NPC, who is a king or other high-level official, then turn around and meet a beggar with an identical inflection and tone.

Verdict:

While the game does have some failings in its execution of story and the occasional bug, Skyrim is definitely one for the ages. If you’re the kind of gamer who thrives on exploration and character building, very few games can even hold a candle to the Elder Scrolls franchise, Skyrim especially. Beyond its initial “wow” factor of simply how pretty it is, Skyrim affords many, many hours of activity and roleplaying, even further augmentable by those with the aptitude to seek out adventure. It’s not a first-person shooter, and Skyrim won’t tell you exactly what to accomplish and where to go–but if you appreciate being given free rein to play a game at your own pace and in your own fashion, Skyrim is King.

Written By Guest Reviewer: Cleo