So much fun on just one disk... proof Blu-Ray isn't needed for gaming.
The epic nature of the game, the sheer size of the thing, that it's all contained on one single DVD means you can overlook the problems because they never hamper the game play.
Sure you may want to say something when an NPC is talking to you that isn't an option… I'd have loved to inform this bitter crone who has giving me a Thieves Guild quest that her threats of reporting me to The Dark Brotherhood don't carry any weight as I've already completed The Dark Brotherhood quest line and they're hardly likely to take a contract on their own leader.
I'd love to inform the guards in the various cities that while I am a member of The Companions I don't fetch the mead for the other because I'm the one in sodding charge of The Companions as I've already played through that quest line as well.
I have to work hard not to behead other guards who still tell me I smell like a wet dog, have very sharp teeth or have hair growing out of my ears because I'm not a Werewolf anymore… I removed the curse and cured myself… I am an ex-Werewolf.
Yet I keep playing, keeping exploring every cave, burial site, clearing or ruin that I find, I keep looking for rare gemstones for complete strangers because creeping through caves and tunnels, bow and arrow at the ready because when you're doing this you're seeing the game at it's very best… as tunnels give way to clearings filled with plant life, the Sun's rays beaming through a hole in the ceiling lighting the clearing in stunning fashion you realise that this is a major step up in how you expect RPG's to look.
Just running from one town or village to the next the level of detail is breath taking, the level of wonderment increases when you discover that not only are their butterflies floating around as you run through forests… but you can catch them as well and use their wings for potion creation.
While most of the quests can be broken down to the usual generic RPG fodder or "Go there, kill/find him/that, come back" they've gone to a lot of trouble of disguising this fact, you only tend to notice you're doing the same basic things over and over if you really want to look beyond the clothing Bethesda have dressed the same basic quests in.
And this has always been a strong point of Elder Scrolls titles… they put the effort in to keep the game interesting, to add as much variety as they can muster, you can totally ignore the main quest and explore, you can join The Mages Guild at the University, The Thieves Guild, the Imperial Army or the Stormcloak rebels in the Civil War… The Dark Brotherhood if you can find them and then move onto the main quest.
Granted these extra quest lines aren't half as long as in Oblivion, it possible to complete the Mages quest line in an afternoon and no one seems to wonder why the new recruit they met just days ago is now prancing around in all the Arch Mage's finery… even more amazing when it's possible to go there knowing only the most basic of spells, so basic in fact that to enter the Mage at the gate had to teach me a new spell to get past the first set of steps in… but you don't care, because even though it's a short ride from start to finish it's a fun ride all the way.
Skyrim has many short comings, but they all focus around the periphery of the game, the padding and the scenery… when you get down to questing and exploring there is no game out there that even comes close to matching it for brilliance and attention to detail… and that's why, even though there are elements to the whole package that make me want to scream at time, I'm still giving this game full marks… and that's why after almost 100 hours… I'm still playing, still exploring and still having a ball.