The achievement made by The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim VR is one by way of both hardware and design to capitalise upon this. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim VR’s level of immersion is simply fantastic, and while Bethesda Softworks could well have gone the route of DOOM VFR and created a shorter spin-off experience, developing a brand new The Elder Scrolls instalment specifically for VR would have taken many years and far too much in the way of resources for what is still a nascent audience. As it stands some may find the price point of the videogame a bitter pill to swallow, but for those who dreamed of a truly immersive role-playing experience, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim VR is simply the best opportunity available today.
The first role-playing game that makes justice to its name by immersing you soul and body in a fantasy world that has never felt so real, though there are still so many technical steps ahead to go.
This is an amazing game! You can do almost anything you want from being a good-doer to a thief. Every time you die you can better yourself for future, more powerful enemies. The only thing I have against the game is the house building mechanic, but that is not what the game is about. What are you waiting for, buy it!
This basically just being Skyrim: Special Edition, it has the same strengths and weaknesses as that game.
However... I'll just put it this way:
You know how some people just like trying to jump their way up the sides of mountains, and you can use that to reach the highest mountaintop before it's opened? I tried that, and perceiving just how high up I was and how loose the footing was was actually making my palms sweat. Adding some real depth perception to these environments is an absolute treat, whether it be the snow falling in the northern mountains, the vast machinations of the Dwemer ruins, or the cavernous glow of Blackreach.
One of the biggest improvements here is just how easy it is to aim*. Most people reviewing this game seem to have chosen to focus on archery as it feels greatly improved, as have I; The arrow literally goes directly towards the center of your vision in whatever direction you face your head towards, which is astoundingly intuitive in it's simplicity, and mixed with the perks of unlocking slow-motion and whatnot, it feels pretty badass, honestly.
*I really MUST note just how much easier it is to simply interact with specific items on shelves! Even just noticing items is easier. Do you have any clue how many times, while playing the original Skyrim, I accidentally picked up things I didn't want and then had to do menu work, dropping stuff? That's practically gone here, and it makes the game so much more fluent and enjoyable.
This isn't to say that you have to choose archery in order to fully enjoy this game, as melee combat can't help but feel more impactful as you move in and out for attacks. Sneaking is much more interesting as you can actually peer out around a corner slightly, which wouldn't have worked the same playing first person in the O.G.
Load times are equivalent to the PS4 Skyrim: Special Edition release.
In terms of graphics... I really think people should take into account that wearing a PSVR headset is akin to stretching PS4 graphics to the resolution of an entire wall. Nothing's going to look as good as it does on a regular-sized TV without an upgrade. That said, while some occasional textures seem vanilla, they're sparse enough to not detract from a thoroughly engaging experience; There's still plenty to gasp in awe at. I mean, seriously, I stared at the skill tree menu for like 5 minutes straight the first time I opened it up.
This is one of the best VR games out right now, and probably for a while, and in my opinion, the truest and most engaging way to experience Skyrim. I'm kind of jealous of anyone who gets to play this game for the first time with this version.
Edit: I'm currently experiencing the Dragonborn DLC for the first time, and I WAS NOT MENTALLY READY TO OPEN THAT BLACK BOOK. WHY AM I SUDDENLY DEALING WITH CTHULHU SPAWN IN A HELLISH ABYSS? I want my mommy...
P.S. I use the standard Dualshock controller, as I don't own a Move.
I prefer standing up when traversing (as it doesn't feel quite right to be sitting down when there's a giant dragon screaming in my face), and sitting down when I handle town-based stuff.
If you can look past Skyrim VR's visual downgrade on the PlayStation VR, then there’s absolutely no reason not to dip back into the well. It's not perfect, as you can definitely see the limitations of the PSVR compared to the higher end VIVE and Oculus, but Skyrim's award-winning gameplay and storytelling, which is brought in completely intact, survives the transition completely unscathed. It's also a really great VR game to show off to people and let them explore a well-realized fantasy world. Skyrim VR also represents a good first step towards future VR ports of open world Bethesda games.
I would love to see more experiments like Skyrim VR and Resident Evil 7 in virtual reality, where fully featured games get ported to this still-young medium. This port is rough, but I’m still hopeful that there is a game out there that works both ways. For now, if you want to revisit Skyrim, your best bet is to boot up one of the editions you already own or grab it on Switch.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim VR shows off the potential of open world games and big, open environments in VR. Fans of both those aspects along with fans of the Elder Scrolls franchise will probably fall in love with this game despite it's issues. The game is immersive and helps you get lost in it with the gorgeous vistas, excellent music, voice acting, and seeing characters right in front of you through the VR. The cons consist of downgraded graphics, confusing/clunky controls and menu navigation, and wonky combat.
It’s fun enough that I am going to play through Skyrim again. However there are a number of things that I feel could really have improved the VR experience.
Pros: 1. It runs really well and looks good enough on PS4 pro
2. Aiming spells and arrows is very fun.
3. Melee combat feels exciting, a much needed upgrade, I was not a fan of melee combat in original Skyrim at all.
4. Inventory and menus are actually really easy to use with move controllers, aside from the perks screen which is cumbersome.
5. Has all the expansions... I had only played base Skyrim before so this also made it more worthwhile to drop $60
Cons
1. Needs Continuous turning instead of turning by degrees. You will be spamming the turn buttons ALOT. Click click click click...
2. Should be able to look down and see yourself or at least your hands when weapons aren’t equipped. When magic is equipped you at least see your fists, how come if I have melee weapons equipped I have to see a mock up of the move controllers instead of my hands?? Kills the immersion.
3. Melee combat is really a bit on the wonky side. There are often times when I am in melee range of the enemy who is hitting me, but for some reason I am too far away to hit them back? And visually it looks like my weapon is hitting but it isn’t.
4. Movement scheme is decent but has issues... the point to move with the left controller feels the best for moving but if you are doing that you can’t also aim spells with left handZ. You can get around this with shield or bow. The addition of an”backpedal” button would have helped this tremendously.
5. Stereo sound seems to be nonexistent or super weak. Playing counter strike like 20 years ago I could close my eyes and hear exactly where enemies are. How come in 2017 playing a VR game they didnt implement positional sound?
Skyrim VR has Pixelation and FOV like am back in the PS1 era. The PS/VR technology is just quite not there yet and this being an old game doesn't help. So the items/buildings close up look like a painted 3D pictures on cardboard. The enviroments could of been amazing to look at, but again the pixelation makes everything in the background blurred. Close up the dated NPC are not detailed enough so everything looks and feels gamerfied. I feel more like am in a studio set than a live open world. RE7 tricked my brain enough so I felt I was in a creepy old house. Skyrim looks and feels all so very fake and so blurred out.
After trying several different VR games the motion sickness has finally gone. Still with all that plastic and rubber on the head? Head overheat happens pretty quicky. Yeah even when using a massive floor fan to try and counter it. Maybe I need to use PS/VR in the winter or something?
I know I am a bit late to this party, but Skyrim is one of my favorite games of all time. And even as an adult who can recognize all the blatant flaws in the game design, RPG Systems, quests and story etc. At the end of the day it is a great videogame that I used to enjoy playing over and over again.
But over time, my nostalgia blew away to the wind. My cynicism kicked in and I can't play the game now without noting the useless skill trees, the simplistic writing, the stilted character designs and facial animations. Even the quest design, which in an RPG is crucial to the experience, is fundamentally flawed from the ground up. The once lovingly nostalgic "Hey, you, you're finally awake..." line at the beginning, was now a repetitive moniker, symbolizing a played out formula Bethesda had been using for decades.
Skyrim had lost it's magic for me. It's wonder. As you can see, I am not exactly in love with this game anymore.
A couple weeks ago I picked up a PSVR, and a few games, Batman Arkham VR, Star wars Squadrons, Iron Man VR, and Resident Evil 7.
I don't get motion Sickness. Ever. Batman didn't make me sick, (mostly because your just standing around) Star wars Squadrons didn't give me Motion sickness, and keep in mind that squadrons, is very intense, and insanely fast moving game. Iron Man VR was the same, and Resident Evil? Well, let's just say that was an utter nightmare, but in a good way.
Skyrim however was a nightmare in a different way.
At the beginning you are asked to choose your look settings, movement settings and other things. I chose to just move along with a walking pace, no teleporting.
And as soon as I woke up on that carriage, glancing at the nostalgic world I had fallen in and out of love with for so long, I couldn't help but feel...glee...
A childish wonder I haven't felt in so very long. And when the leather-faced stilted dolt sitting across from me said "Hey, you, you're finally awake..." I just smiled like an idiot.
After making a character, being saved by a dragon and running into the tower, the overwhelming sense of nostalgia came over me so quickly. It was magic again, it was fun. The combat **** but it was still Skyrim.
Then while going through the dungeons of Helgen, around the part where you get the potions from that little room, I felt my head spinning, the ground moving from underneath my feet, my stomach doing backflips. I just wanted to rip off the headset and lay down. But I'm not a quitter, it wouldn't be fair for me to judge this kind of game based on it's gameplay without actually playing it for two hours.
So I switched it to the teleportation mode and that helped a bit, I also opted to sit down for the rest of my playthrough, but it didn't help much, by the time I fought the giant spiders, I had been feeling miserable.
But then I left the cave and witnessed the blinding light, the mountain housing Bleak Falls Barrow, the running river, the insects polluting some bushes nearby, the gorgeous soundtrack and the sound of the wind blowing right by me, and of course that magnificent dragon that soars over me, roaring it's distinct shouts. This is what Skyrim VR gets right, the world truly is, alive.
But at the end of that playthrough I couldn't even get to Riverwood, the first town in the game you happen upon.
The next week I tried again. And still got sick, I do not know what in the hell causes me to get sick during this game and not a space dogfighting simulation like Squadrons. I think it has to do with the framerate. But anyways, moving on to Whiterun, something horrible happened, the nostalgia went away, the motion sickness went away and was instead replaced by immeasurable Disappointment.
I was disappointed in Skyrim VR. Not just because of the frame rate. But because at the end of the day, it is still Skyrim. Skyrim, this beautiful game with absolutely terrible graphics.
Skyrim, one of the most immersive games ever made, but is still buggy and glitchy to all hell.
Skyrim a world full of a thousand characters that are as deep as a puddle.
Skyrim this confusing, ugly, beautiful, unique mess ****, is not better in VR.
Some people believe VR is the definitive way to play this game. It is not, it was made as a regular game, and it barely does that right. Please don't get it, please don't try and replay it again. Just live in it, because the definitive way to play The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, is through nostalgia.
And PSVR does not have a rose tinted glasses setting.
SummaryA true, full-length open-world game for VR has arrived from award-winning developers, Bethesda Game Studios. Skyrim VR reimagines the complete epic fantasy masterpiece with an unparalleled sense of scale, depth, and immersion. From battling ancient dragons to exploring rugged mountains and more, Skyrim VR brings to life a complete open w...