thatdank

Don't listen to any of the haters, Skyrim is definitely a worthy entry in the revered Elder Scrolls franchise, and a fantastic game over all. Yeah, the texture issue ****, but Bethesda is working on it. A lot of these bad reviews are from trolls who live to stir s*** up for laughs. Anyway, on to the review. I've played Elder Scrolls since 2004, and one thing loved about every game was the freedom to do what I want, when I wanted. I'll admit, when I was first given the freedom to freeroam in Skyrim, I felt overwhelmed; the game world feels extremely vast, with sweeping plains and imposing mountains. Bethesda has done an excellent job of making the world feel gigantic. One minor disappointment I do have however is the inability to choose major/minor skills. The ability to level up every ability is nice and fluid, but at the same time it also feels a little messy, because you're unsure of what archtype to play as. Anyway, that's just a minor, personal gripe. One thing I LOVE however is how powerful some of the enemies are. In Morrowind, you could go anywhere, but stray too far and you die quickly. This really made you wanted to increase your skills, and when you finally killed that difficult enemy, you felt bad ass. In Oblivion, this wasn't the case; I rarely died in that game, even on harder difficulties. Skyrim however, taught me a lesson; never bum rush a frost troll at a low level with a weak fire spell. Another thing I absolutely adore is how they used some of the songs from Morrowind. I loved Morrowind, so having that nostalgia kick in while I explore the countryside is a real treat. The original soundtrack is equally fantastic. In terms of actual gameplay, it really comes down to opinion. The magic is VERY improved over Oblivion, and is a blast to use. The dual-wielding aspect works incredibly well, and gives you a nearly endless variety of ways to play. The spriting mechanic works, but is merely average. Aiming with the bow has also been improved, and no longer feels clunky and slow like in Oblivion; you also move slowly while aiming with the bow now, so you have to think more tactically; no more circling that bear and pelting it with arrows until it falls. I also love the kill animations; they're pretty infrequent, but extremely satisfying when they happen. All in all, Skyrim is a fantastic title that everyone should play, regardless if you haven't played any other elder scrolls. it's a little rough around the edges, but then again, so is Skyrim's terrain. Buy it, play it, love it.