An honest review about why purchasing Skyrim for the PS3 is a risk, with high rewards and consequences.
Patch 1.03 is now LIVE. After downloading this myself, it was to my delight to learn that the patch actually fixed all of the issues for Skyrim, including the notorious glitching with dragons, bookshelves, game crashing etc. Unfortunately, the patch does absolutely nothing for PS3 users, as it appears the patch was released on the PS3 as an afterthought rather than an actual patch. Bookshelves still glitch, dragons still fly backwards, and the game still crashes.
Bethesda put out some helpful tips last week to help with PS3 user issues, which involves turning off all of the autosave features. Sadly, although this helps with the intense lag PS3 users experience that Xbox users have now resolved (which doesn't make much sense as in terms of hardware, the PS3 is a powerhouse compared to the 360, which is why it costs so much), this does not in fact fix any of the game-killing glitches that cause the game to freeze on an almost hourly rate.
All of that being said, if you're still reading this rather negative sounding review, you deserve the truths behind Skyrim, and I shall be frank.
Skyrim is one of the most immersive and greatest games I have played to date. Being a veteran of many different RPG franchises, (Bioware, Bethesda, Blizzard, Projekt Red to name a few) Skyrim delivers a rush of adrenaline and a satisfying quench to your thirst for exploration over countless hours of gameplay. Veterans of Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion had to journey deep into the demonic planes of Oblivion, often just varied maps that looked much alike, to close the gates and bring temporary peace to the world around it. After about the 2nd time doing this, you'll get bored of it. After the 100th time, you may not have any more hair. Skyrim, on the other hand, changes all of that. Randomized encounters with randomized dragon types, who swoop down and attack Imperial outposts and besiege towns, keep players on their toes and help to simulate a reality that the player doesn't entirely have control over. Fighting a dragon with the city guard and finally slaying it brings a sense of satisfaction that closing a gate of Oblivion never could.
The engine also serves to create a lush world complete with everything from arctic snowtops to lush forests and even wastelands. However, rendering and shadows are glitchy. Be warned, when examined closely, the game has many visual flaws that you are expected to overlook. However, Bethesda succeeds in delivering a lush world ripe with conflict and opportunity for players, and for the most party, players take in the entire world, not just that angle of torchlight that hits you and causes your character's face-shadowing to go from 1080p to about 10p. Skyrim has many flaws that are intended to be overlooked actually, and what's truly remarkable is that the game does so well despite all of these. As a whole, the storyline is exemplary, complete with dynamic quests and rewards so that you might be surprised when your friend presents an entirely different looking epic weapon to you, retrieved from an entirely different place, yet bearing the same name and properties as your own. Each story is different.
Skyrim is undoubtedly an Editor's Choice game...and deserves a review of at least 9...however, the PS3 version deserves slightly lower of a score.
To return to what was said previously...this game will not function correctly for you if you purchase it. Your game will, although not at first (it takes a while for your savegame to amass enough memory to crash your PS3) after about 10 hours into it...you will begin to experience severe lag. This will be followed by the occasional crash. What's truly horrifying about the situation however, is that it gets worse. The longer you play, the larger your file will get, and the more crashes you will experience.
If not addressed, Skyrim will no longer even be playable. As stated by countless users, Patch 1.04 will decide the future of the game's fate on the PS3. If the game-ending issues are not addressed, and players still cannot even play an hour without restarting their PS3's and losing their savegame, I for one fully intend to either sell my copy or demand a refund for an inoperable game. Be warned PS3 users, the wonders of Skyrim await...but the game's performance on this specific console hinders it...significantly.
UPDATE: I composed this review prior to Patch 1.04's release. Patch 1.04 is the first patch to remedy many of the PS3's issues. Bookshelves, mannequins, dragons, and memory and lag issues have all either been resolved or reduced to a point where they are no longer a serious problem. That said, some glitches remain on all console versions of the game, but these are easily overlooked. Hopefully, Bethesda will continue to work to perfect the game, and not assume that it is passable as is. That being said, great work Bethesda, we can finally play our Playstations...although I must say it was a long time coming.