Okay so here we go, I first noticed something was wrong with the game after the initial 'oooo, ahhhhh' from the graphics and dragons. Sometime after I defeated my first dragon. The more hours I spent in game the more I realised this problem: a problem I never had with Morrowind (which, I must say, is a far inferior game to Skyrim in almost every aspect). The only way I can describe it is that the game feels hollow, shallow even, something is missing. Maybe the story wasn't engaging enough or maybe the characters weren't compelling, or the faction quests too short and meaningless. Maybe the horrible crafting exploits absolutely bleached all sense of achievement from the game and made loot obsolete, (people say don't use the best gear or only use middle-of-the-road gear, but having to self-gimp means there's an issue with design). It's all of those things rolled into one, the cheapness of the actual RPG elements, and lack of 'RPness' that make the flaws. As a side note the usual horrid and constant one-liners and A.I stupidity (Beth please don't boast about Radiant A.I again) which was acceptable nine years ago just won't do now.
Honestly I know why they moved in the direction they did with the series, to appeal to new markets, which is fine. But surely adressing these issues won't hurt? I was exceedingly hyped for this game, hoping it would be Morrowind-esque, and while it has taken so many great steps forward, it's taken a mighty leap back.
I think The ElderScrolls has lost it's essence. It feels somewhat rushed, hurried, (which is strange considering it's been in development for so long). I don't know. This seems to be the general direction that all games are heading in, just like hollywood films did ages ago. 'Shiny package, nothing being packed'. This isn't a case of 'the good ole' days' or 'rose-tinted glasses'. I'm just stating my opinion. And I don't want to take anything away from Beth, they work hard and they deserve good things, but so do we. I may run into disagreement from posters here saying 'The game's fine. Accept it.' But if we took that perspective to all walks of life we'd have doctors saying, 'Cancer's bad I know, but accept it and move on. Life can't be perfect...' We'll never find a cure like that.
My critique is only being said to help improve the game so that one day it'll be as perfect as possible for everyone concerned (which is achievable as they take out more flaws).