Difficulty:

Just Right

Time Spent:

100 or More Hours

The Bottom Line:

"Highly addictive"

Wow...where do I even begin? I guess I'll start by saying it was the best sixty bucks I've ever spent. Seriously, I'd pay eighty for the awesomeness that flows through your hands when you hold the controller for the first time and take your first look at the expansive world of Skyrim.

I'm going to review some key features that are essential in every game.

Graphics: Honestly, the area is only mainly impressive from a distance and is not to be noted in highest regards. This does not stop the game in its tracks, mostly because your doing too many things at once to really care.

Sound: Incredible, when you battle a dragon and hear the epic music in the background, you are one with the screen. I bought the soundtrack and like to picture myself shouting a dragon's mind apart-we'll get to this later-while listening to it.

Gameplay: I hold it in the highest stature when looking back at 2011. Unlike Oblivion, your movements in third-person are surprisingly fluid and natural. As for first-person, I recommend it for fights and exploration.

Replay Value: Considering that you would have to be a gaming god to finish every little tid-bit of the game, replaying the game doesn't really come into view that often.

That being said, let me introduce you to the beginning of your epic adventures in the world of Skyrim. If you've played previous Elder Scroll installments, you probably guessed that you start out as a prisoner. Well, you guessed right. In the opening scene you wake up on a carriage ride to your death. Apparently, you were trying to sneak acroos the border from Tamriel and got caught up in an ambush meant to capture the traitorous Ulfric Stormcloak.

You arrive in Helgen, a small city with mixed views on the rebellion of Skyrim. You are then called for execution and are asked who you are. This is the sequence of character customization, where you can choose between ten different races of fully customizable features. From big things like gender, to small things like the dirt on your face.

After a failed escape attempt from one of the prisoners and a hilarious decapitation, your head is next on the chopping block. As the executioner raises his halberd and you squint your eyes a little, Alduin happens. Alduin is the leader of an ancient race of dragons, and is pretty pissed off. You manage to escape certain death by navigating through some rusty old dungeons and then your left on your own to decide your destiny.