» Sat May 19, 2012 6:05 am
No Skyrim, That’s a Bad Skyrim!
Published on November 24, 2011 (http://www.it-networks.org/2011/11/24/no-skyrim-thats-a-bad-skyrim/)
Even though I’m only a little over 10 hours in to Bethesda’s amazing The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, I’m fairly confident that it’s the biggest, most expansive, and most (I hate to use this word) immersive role-playing game I have ever played on a game console. The depth and variety of the things you can do in Skyrim is made more effective by the stunning production values — from the art to the music to the overall design of things — and has left me hopelessly addicted. To the point that my girlfriend may confiscate the PS3 if I don’t start paying less attention to the game and more attention to her.
But a game this big and diverse can’t be without some flaws. And while none of these irritations has got me thinking about rage-quitting, I still find myself occasionally shaking my head (and sometimes my fist) at the little things that are driving me totally nuts:
I can’t use weapons from horseback. – I know this is nothing new to the Elder Scrolls series, but it still drives me nuts. Not even a bow and arrow? The Mongolians took over half the world doing that a couple thousand years ago. Are you telling me these people can’t figure it out for themselves?
Swimming and underwater scenes look awful. – Sure, developers have to make some sacrifices when they’re developing huge open worlds; it can’t all look perfect. But the swimming animations, as well as the view underwater looks like a first pass at the concept. I’m not saying my armor-clad warrior carrying 300 pounds of battleaxes and scrolls and mushrooms should behave exactly correctly (hint: he would sink), but I would like it if the swimming looked a bit better than a cgi animation test from the late ’80s.
When I discover a place, the game doesn’t auto-save. – Yes PC users, I know, save often. But I don’t exactly have an F5 key on my DualShock, now do I? It would be nice to have an auto-save when I discover a place, or at least have it unlock permanently so that if I do die out there on the road somewhere, I can at least get close to where I was.
Enough with the [censored] wolves, already.
Swapping weapons and items is tedious. – The “favorites” system for your inventory is less than ideal. The concept of the radial quick menu may seem a bit over-used, but it is for a reason: it works.
My kingdom for a decent horse. – I guess they were this stiff and clunky in Oblivion, but that’s still no excuse. Bethesda should have gone out and hired whoever programmed the horses for Red Dead Redemption, then paid that person a load of money to make these horses move better. I’ve accidentally killed 3 already and as I said, I’m only 10 hours in.
What the hell happened to my follower? – We were in a fight, in a dungeon, which we won. I walked outside, fast traveled somewhere else…where the hell did she go? For the life of me, I can’t find my companion anywhere. I’m wondering if she’s stuck somewhere because I accidentally told her to wait or something, do I need to go back to that dungeon and look for her? Because if I do, I’m breaking up with Lydia on the spot. After I get back all my enchanted weapons she’s muleing around for me.
My companion keeps blocking me. – You know what, I really don’t miss her. Especially considering how much time she spends blocking doorways. I mean, come on Lydia! This relationship clearly isn’t working.
Can I get some better directions? – OK, I know they don’t have GPS in the alternate fantasy reality of The Elder Scrolls. But is my only solution to just follow a marker on the horizon that may signal something that’s miles away? How am I supposed to navigate the pathways to get there? If these people can shoot fire out of their fingertips, they can figure out a way to show me a more detailed path along the ground or something.