Skyrim (Xbox 360)

To Start With…

Bethesda Studios are legendary for blowing the minds of gamers all over the world. Their 'The Elder Scrolls' series in particular is revered among RPG players, and since Oblivion (2006), said gamers have been waiting anxiously for Bethesda's next mythical outing.

Their announcement of the next The Elder Scrolls (TES) game, Skyrim, caused great apprehension at the E3 event. The prospect of better graphics, improved gameplay and a life-destroying amount of content made gamers like me (RPG orientated) very excited, but at the same time left a bothersome dread of the return of the same (relative) failings of Fallout New Vegas…

The game, thank the Divines, does not disappoint. Almost everything from Oblivion has been improved, with welcome new editions taking the game to brilliant new horizons. The opening scenes of Skyrim, which see you captured and in bound in a horse-drawn cart, are more reminiscent to Call of Duty than TES. You learn that you have been captured by the Imperial Legion, along with other prisoners including a Jarl (King) of the Nords, and your fellow captives make it clear that an execution is waiting for you. Upon arriving at your destination, it is revealed that conflict exists between the Nordic people (native to Skyrim) and the Imperials (based in Cyrodiil, setting of Oblivion). The classic Bethesda character creation menu then appears, giving the player the power to spend whole minutes adjusting their character's jawline and brow height to absolute 'perfection' (customisation now also includes around twenty beards). As the axe is coming down, a mysterious creature appears on the skyline, and eventually reveals itself as Skyrim's main feature (the one which caused great excitement in the gaming world): Dragons.

In the ensuing battle, the tutorial quickly integrates itself with the gameplay, teaching about the new features (such as double handed combat and the favourites menu) while you fight through the town, battle scattered enemies – either fleeing Stormcloaks or disoriented Imperials – in an underground tunnel and eventually escape. And breaking out from the scripted section is where the real fun begins…

The Start of the End of Your Social Life.

The game, in true Bethesda tradition, is completely free-roam. Should you choose, you can wander away from the main quest and pursue completely unrelated goals; this is, of course, nothing new, as it was also a selling point of previous TES games and Bethesda's Fallout ventures. What is new, however, is the intricate linking between main quest and everyday life. For example: should you go on to kill your first dragon in the main quest, this will spread your name across the land, and resulting quests appear which tie in with your achievements. Linked into this is the game's extraordinary simulation of life: the corporeal lives led by the NPCs in Skyrim are vastly improved from Oblivion. While NPCs may walk around and do practically nothing in the latter, the NPCs in Skyrim come much closer to living tangible lives. Mill workers cut wood, blacksmiths forge and sharpen different weapons, and each individual seems to have their own specific agenda. This really adds to the element of 'escapism', and helps to make it very easy to lose yourself for hours at a time.

Bethesda have also added several new features which highly enhance the game experience. Companions, a main feature of the Fallout games, finally make their debut in Tamriel. These NPCs can be persuaded to join you in a number of ways: either as a result of a quest, by persuading them to follow you, or by beating the snot out of them in various cities and taverns. Also, cinematic kill scenes occur on occasion (which harks Deus Ex), and the ability to purchase perks from the skills menu (using skill points gained from levelling up) add further customisability to the playable character. Bethesda have become much better at breaking up gameplay, and keeping players enticed, and it shows through their new additions.

To say that the visuals of Skyrim have 'improved' is something of a massive understatement; while many may not be astounded by the graphics, it cannot be denied that running a graphics level this high on such a huge scale as Skyrim's is highly impressive. The character design and fluency have both been improved, with humans looking more human and creatures looking less wooden and unrealistic. The setting design, including the intricacy of the underground areas and the immense detail in the open world, gives a sense of moving in an actual living, breathing world. Even the opening cinematics, while still maintaining the essence of a game, are enhanced greatly by the graphics and atmosphere, giving it more of a 'movie' feeling.

However, there are, of course, some flaws with the game, maintaining the tradition which most – if not all – of Bethesda's increasingly daring games follow. Although I have not experienced a few which stand out, such as, having bought a horse, being left behind when I rode off, having fallen through the horse itself… It is also evident through the increasing numbers of complaints about glitches, bugs and other general annoyances which are seeping their way into the annals of game forums, other reviews and, indeed, the Jitty website itself. Though it seem that many gamers are unhappy chappies, with reports of enemies respawning in the wrong places, quest bugs and follower failings popping up everywhere, but the simple fact is: they are a part of Skyrim. In fact (in a loose sense), it could be said they are part of every Bethesda game:

The sheer scale of the game, coupled with the new graphics and radical new gameplay, necessitates small errors in realism or gameplay. Of course, there is no excuse for whole-game changing quests, but at least some lenience must be exercised, if only in light of the remarkableness of this game. It is, after all, not just Bethesda that allows errors to pass unnoticed: I have also witnessed several bugs in Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 (including an enemies' ability to sprint through solid matter. A new Russian super power..?), which surprised me greatly.

In summation… this game can barely be summarised. Once again, Bethesda has released a game which has redefined its genre: Skyrim is, to date, one of the ultimate RPGs ever made, setting the bar for NPC realism, the size/frame rate ratio and intricacy of quests and reputations. I would personally recommend this to all true-blood RPG players, though the length and involvement of the gameplay may not appeal to most fast-paced shooter lovers; I am around 1 real-time day into the game, and still feel that I have accomplished so little…

Which brings me on to my final point:

Do NOT play this game unless you are prepared to playing for many, many hours at a time.

Seriously.

- Review by Alex