Say goodbye to your loved ones
First of all, this is an open world game so you can be like me and do everything but the main quest. Run around and explore the world and on the way to your supposed side quest, pick up a few more. I found myself going to one location and spending hours before actually getting there just exploring the world. There's really a feeling of satisfaction when after a few hours exploring and finding really cool item like Ebony armor or glass weapons.
But let's start at the beginning. Game starts as Elder Scrolls games usually start, but soon after that you will be given a choice to choose your race and your name. The first part serves as a kind of a tutorial but it's not too long or tedious. For the first few minutes you can enjoy the world - artistically this game is a sight to behold.
As far as character creation goes there are many races to choose between and character customization is good enough for all RPG fans to enjoy. Some people may have problems because of the UI though - which is a problem for a few hours in the beginning but after you get used to it you won't notice it anymore.
Combat is made very well and ranges from up close and personal to ranged combat be it archery or magic. Of course there is a lot of perks to choose after you reach a new level. Leveling in Skyrim isn't "traditonal RPG" like, instead you improve in what you do. If your character is a sword and shield guy (or a gal) your one-handed and shield skill will grow and you'll get better at it and be able to unlock more perks for that particular skill. This system works well, although if you are bent to break into every store and house at night (what? why are you looking at me like that?) then your sneak and lockpick skills may take quite a few of your levels.
There's also new power called shouts which give you some really cool spells, you can freeze your opponent with a shout or even call a storm to aid you in your battles. You have to discover those shouts mostly in dungeons so exploring really pays off, and if you find all three words for a single shout it is really powerful and can save you from dying.
Of course there's guilds to join like thieves guild or the sinister and mysterious Dark Brotherhood. Doing quests for guilds not only brings you a lot of gold, but also rewards you with some really cool stuff.
Skyrim is definetly and improvement over Oblivion. NPC's now don't sound the same and actually do things on their own and live their lives doing their chores. It isn't perfect though, as I mentioned earlier some people may not get used to the UI and there are some weird bugs in the game. Sometimes when you must follow characters for a certain quest they may get stuck and you have to reload and there are some glitches in graphics.
Overall though, Skyrim is a great game and absolutely HUGE. If you are an RPG fan, you'll get more than your moneys worth. I absolutely recommend it. Just say goodbye to your love ones for awhile. And ask for a vacation otherwise you'll go to work/school really sleepy.