Lets face it... Skyrim isn't a game we have all played.... but it is one which we have heard of. Skyrim is the game which defined a generation of RPGs and, in doing so, set the standard for games to come. Arguably without the influence of Skyrim the scale and scope of which RPGs are striving to achieve nowadays wouldn't nearly be as ambitious or popular an idea. Hell, take games such as the witcher 3, arguably the best RPG of this generation is heavily compared to Skyrim, a comparison which I personally don't appreciate. The games are vastly different really, and focus on different ideas and players which they aim to please.
If there was one word to describe Skyrim... It would be massive. It easily raises the bar set by 2006s Oblivion with its world being much more open and, at the same time, feeling much more densely packed than the predecessor. The world is massive with each location varying from the last, what with castles full of bandits to gigantic and seemingly endless Dwemer ruins. It's astounding. Each location can possess new treasures, interesting characters to meet and dense lore books for the truly dedicated fans among us. And lets not forget the quests. The Daedric, Guilds and some which you may not find until your 5th playthrough. The guild quests are memorable, however they suffer from an element of being anticlimactic. They end. Yet with no real "ending". Perhaps this is because of them not living up to the absurdly fun and ridiculous quests of Oblivion, because thats the key issue with Skyrim - it takes itself too seriously. It tries too hard to be gritty and make you feel as though your'e in a violent land when.... you don't feel like that. Thats not to say the quests are bad. They're good but in comparison to Oblivion they just don't make you feel like a hero.
Now, Bethesda aren't known for their superb stories yet Skyrims is quite possibly one of the coolest premises i've ever seen. You are half man half dragon and can literally EAT A DRAGONS SOUL.... I mean... come on...Yet the quests which you are sent on to achieve this consist of...ahem... Fetch quest....Fetch quest....Infiltrate and fetch me something.... Thats it. And its just ever so slightly disappointing when you realise what really could have been done. Anyway, it all results in a boss battle thats just slightly underwhelming.
However, despite the negatives i've said, nearly everything else is perfect. The character creation, world, most of the quests, replayability... everything.
10/10