Bethesda delivers an amazing open-world RPG yet again! Was there ever any doubt?
===== Introduction =====
Whenever an amazing game comes onto the market, there are powerful expectations to deliver the next time around. These expectations tend to empower or shatter the sequel, depending on consumer reactions. Now imagine you're Bethesda, and you have delivered years worth of gamer satisfaction in a series that has re-shaped the open-ended RPG world... talk about some serious pressure to deliver. And now, despite this pressure, they have done it again and delivered to us yet another epic piece of the Elder Scrolls puzzle.
===== Short Review =====
Ups: Graphically amazing, incredibly immersive, dragon battles that will BLOW your mind, creative storytelling, improved combat system, classic Elder Scrolls "feel" that we all love (I'm referring to the butterflies you get when standing on top of a mountain, looking out at the landscape and realizing that this is YOUR world to conquer in whatever way you choose)
Downs: Game freezes are rare but do happen, occasional quest/NPC bugs, restrictive modes of physical travel, some basic exploits that have not yet been fixed in the series
===== Long Review =====
Graphics: It would seem that the PS3 has been out long enough to run full circle in its graphical capabilities. Skyrim shows that the fight for improvement is long from over for this console. From lush forests to snowy mountain-tops, Skyrim immerses you into a realistically stunning world where you feel like every blade of grass was specifically placed for your visual enjoyment. Those who played Oblivion (Skyrim's predecessor) will immediately notice a difference in detail, particularly when traveling into the wilderness. The woods don't simply feel like a field with the occasional tree, but rather a full-fledged wilderness with grunting beasts and delicate songbirds. Like any game that begins to push the PS3's limits, Skyrim can tend to be a bit choppy at times, especially when there is water involved. That being said, many would agree that the greater attention to detail more than makes up for the occasional "hic-up".
Gameplay: One moment, a city will be appearing through the mist at a distance, and then the next it will be towering over you with its grandeur of beautifully designed buildings. Skyrim goes out of its way to immerse you in this world, where every action has a consequence, and you'll make choices that can potentially define who your character ultimately becomes. With such a large variety of tasks, skills and overall objectives, the gameplay in Skyrim is fantastic in its diversity alone. Fans of the series will notice a significant change in the character creation portion, as they have done away with elements that were seemingly significant in previous games. There is less of a focus on you "choosing your fate" in the beginning, and more of a focus on you developing your character into the appropriate class along your journey through the game. That is why, for example, you no longer select a "birth sign", as in previous games like Oblivion and Morrowind. Skills such as "Smithing" have been improved upon and cleaned up, while other skills such as "Acrobatics" have been done away with altogether. Some fans may argue that the game feels "dumbed down", but I would disagree and say that it has simply been fine tuned in the areas that have succeeded in the past, while doing away with things that flawed previous titles. Instant travel to locations you have previously visited is nice, but I, like many, appreciate physical travel across such a vast world. Skyrim lacks depth in this area, and I was often disappointed that more time didn't go into making horses a "legitimate" form of travel (I did not enjoy getting on a horse at all in this game).
Combat: While the basics of combat have not changed too much from older games, subtle additions have made it a much more flexible, and thus enjoyable, experience. You can now do things like cast the same spell in both hands (duel casting), resulting in a more powerful version of that spell. On normal difficulty, players will find success with the typical "hack and slash" approach. Bump it to a higher difficulty however, and you begin to respect the use of blocking. Overall, Skyrim does a great job of balancing combat between the player and his/her enemies. While you can definitely reach a point where you're nearly unstoppable (what we all aspire to do in these games), battles that are supposed to be tough, actually feel tough. Don't expect to be an unstoppable force early in the game, but a few humbling defeats to a dragon will sharpen you into a full-fledged monster slaying machine!
Soundtrack: I didn't particularly notice the soundtrack at points in the game where I felt that I should have. It is an excellent soundtrack, but it wasn't always memorable. You'll naturally experience a few surreal moments where you're standing alone in the wilderness, only to suddenly hear a beautiful, "tragic hero" song begin to play. These moments however seemed to be few and far between for me, and while I can't expect the developers to predict my every move, I could have used more unison between the musical score and what I was doing in the game.
Storyline: I have to say that I very much enjoyed playing through the game as the legendary "dragonborn" (not a plot spoiler, you find that out in the first 5 minutes of playing). You felt like a larger part of the Tamriel story because of your vital role in this age of dragons. This approach however seems inconsistent with previous titles. Typically you are more of a random "grunt" in the world of Tamriel. The fun herein comes from the ability to essentially create something from nothing in regards to your character. With Skyrim, it felt like your story was already written on some degree. It lacked the depth of character development that I have enjoyed in the past. Don't get me wrong, I loved the story, but it was definitely a noticeable change from what is considered the norm in Elder Scrolls story telling.
Lasting Value/Buy or Rent: Personally? I'd buy this game. Why? You simply can't enjoy it at the pace you might like to by renting it. And not only that, but a game of this magnitude tends to find its way back into your PS3 on a rainy day. It has the depth to be enjoyable time and time again, rather than simply on a "one week stand". Save yourself the frustration of trying to play through this epic story in any kind of rush... buy it.