1. Kuzkula

   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 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

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     3 of 3 users said yes
2. Kietz91

   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 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

   • Helpful?

     5 of 6 users said yes
3. charlius2

   4

   Tedious comes to mind as do exhausting, laborious, unsatisfying, drawn out, bloated, broken unfinished, excruciating.. and more. This game at times is beautiful.. well for a computer game.. and i mean at times.. some other times it looks awful.. The world you become immersed in soon dissipates when you come across clunking animatronics and badgers flying in the sky. The extremely clunky combat system is an absolute game killer for me. Totally unsatisfying.. When will a developer realize this is a very important part of a game like this? I have so many legitimate complaints about this game from papier mache npcs to excruciatingly dull crafting systems! i could write a book and i have only played 20 to 30 hours. Ultimately this game after a 10 hour stint made me feel hollow and depressed... yet another title i will be returning.. i give it a 9 for world and graphics but whats the point if the gameplay is wholly unsatisfying?… Expand

   • Helpful?

     1 of 3 users said yes

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