Difficulty:

Very Easy

Time Spent:

40 to 100 Hours

The Bottom Line:

"Solid"

To make things perfectly clear, I do not hate this game. You're going to think that I do. I don't. It's a perfectly good game....I just have some beef with it.

You already know why the game is amazing. Let me tell you why I think that "Oblivion" was the ultimate Elder Scrolls game, and the peak of the mountain.

In Oblivion, there was no hand-holding. You were thrust into the world with nary a clue, and your path was open like an empty journal. If you were unfamiliar with common game mechanics, you had less of a chance. This is not the case in Skyrim. In an effort to modernize the series, and reinvigorate some taste, the latest Elder Scrolls title has less teeth than its predecessor. This doesn't go to say that the game isn't fun, or worth your time; Skyrim simply doesn't laugh in the face of danger.

In Skyrim, the attention deficit player is pandered to. You don't have to "stop" to talk to anybody. There are no complicated menus. The map is pretty and three-dimensional. The threat of a dragon is constantly on your mind, and always a possibility. While the former things I listed are definite improvements over the previous games, they also neuter what was essentially the best parts about a game like "Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion".
My stepfather is a PC gaming addict. He plays WoW all day, every day. He tried Skyrim just for the heck of it. Keep in mind, he's been gaming for as long as I have...and that's a very long time. He beat Skyrim at level 8, with only his Smithing and Heavy Armor skills upgraded. He barely played the game at all. He breezed through it, and as you can see, he's not alien to games that require you to put time into them. Evidently, Skyrim isn't a game that needs much effort. Oblivion was much more complicated.

Despite the fact that Skyrim is still an excellent game, "Elder Scrolls" has lost a little bit of what used to make the series so unique. Don't fix what isn't broken; the old-school ways of "Oblivion" were what made the game so amazing, when you added just a little bit of new age sheen to it. In it's own right, Skyrim is the superior game in technical expansiveness and graphic intensity. But, sadly..."Elder Scrolls IV" was the golden age of the series. Be prepared for progress -- you cannot stop it.

Gameplay: 9/10
The combat has been perfected. Bethesda needs not change it from now on, or add onto it, or subtrack.
Story: 8/10
At first, it all just seems random. But you will soon see how things come into play, and why the Dragonborn are so important. It's a good story.
Graphics: 10/10
Clearly the best we have to offer, if a bit gritty at times.