You wanted examples of better non-bethesda games? ok.

First I would mention: Mount & Blade any of the games in that series is better than skyrim. Combat is better, battles are bigger, you can own your own business and I would even say that romance is deeper. Though I guess the game is not really fantasy in the magic and monsters kind of way, but the realm it is set in is made up, well With fire and sword is set in our world, but the other two.

Baldurs gate and Icewind dale etc. Great story, a huge variety of monsters, lovable characters etc. If you are a graphics person however, this might not be a game for you as it is rather old.

MInecraft, HUGE open world, you can look like just about anything, great unique fantasy setting with multiple reals such as the nether and the end.

There you have five games already.

And you said the Hanzo sword of gaming and that's way bigger than just open world fantasy RPGs so there I would also like to mention:

the STALKER series, great games, great setting, good sotry. Dawn of War, well this is an RTS, but it's very entertaining and has a great sci-fi, fantasy (there are orcs and magic and stuff) setting. I could go on about this.

And I see that you just talked about a unique experience from skyrim, you will be really hard to peruade as the experience from skyrim is unique, just like any other game. No other game have ever had the TES feel mixed with meh before. Don't get me wron skyrim is a good game, just not a good TES game.
But as I said every game has it's own unique feeling, but the games I listed above are just a few non-bethesda I can think of that feels "better" than Skyrim IMO.


Correction, Skyrim is a better RPG than anything that is released nowadays. There are plenty of old RPGs that are still available.

The OP was asking for an example of a game that does what Skyrim does and isn't also a Bethesda title.

You just listed a whole ton of games that aren't even remotely open-world, with the exception of Minecraft, which hardly counts because Minecraft doesn't have a world as much as a giant sandbox to build things in.

The OP was asking for an example of a game that does what Skyrim does and isn't also a Bethesda title.

This!! Exactly. I tend to be critical of Skyrim for a lot of reasons and I hope my criticism is constructive. But I am always comparing it to other TES games and FO, and most other posts I have read complaining about Skyrim tend to compare it to one of those games. I am trying to show some love here for Skyrim by pointing out that Bethesda delivers a product that is like no other, while at the same time to challenge my fellow critics to come up with an example of another game to compare Skyrim to besides a prior Bethesda game.

What exactly makes Skyrim an "open world" other than the giant landscape you play in?

Because certainly it's not "open world" in the sense where your actions have any meaning in the world.

OH THAT"S WHAT OPEN WORLD IS!!! See and here I thought it was world open to you.

I agree with the OP that Bethesda games are unlike any others. Isn't that precisely the reason they should be compared with each other and not games that bear little resemblance?

I don't understand the point of your question but it seems like you are trying to set up some kind of strawman argument: No one can name a comparable RPG therefore Skyrim is a great RPG. Is that it?

Well that is one of the things I am trying to find out with this thread. Are there games out there that bear enough resemblance to Skyrim to make a good comparison. There have been a couple of suggestions in this thread for games that I plan to try myself to see how they stack up.



No, I am not trying to prove whether Skyrim is a great RPG or not. But I am trying to provide some context for those who claim it is not a great RPG.

Then that would be every game.

mhm, yeah not even remotely open world, and I'd say a lot of those games do the same as skyrim, you kill, you explore, you loot and become rich in the end.

Could you please be more specific about what skyrim does, there are tons of things that it does, and tons of things that it should have done, but didn't do.

Then that would be every game.

Hello again Turija.

Just how extensive would you like the comparison to get? Just RPGs? Just Open World RPGs? Trying to talk people into or out of liking or disliking anything is futile, in my opinion. So certain individuals feel SKyrim isn't such a great RPG. How is setting the "propper" framework, context or other abstraction is ever going to change their direct experience playing the game? Please excuse me if I'm being unfair, but much like the forumer you were replying to, I'm tempted to believe there's an agenda behind the question beinbg asked.

So no matter how much people may dislike certain aspects of it, there is really no substitute for it.

There is a substitute, it's called older TES games, but you excluded those from the discussion.

His point is that the only thing that you can compare a game like Skyrim to is an Elder Scrolls game. That alone speaks worlds about its quality.

Hmm. I am not sure why folks think I have some sort of hidden agenda here. I have been pretty upfront with the fact that I have criticized Skyrim a lot on this forum, but overall I really enjoy playing Skyrim despite the many things about it I wish were improved.

Here is what I mean by "context." Since Skyrim is unique, it is the "only game in town" for folks looking for a roleplaying experience that simulates old pen and paper AD&D in an open world where you can explore. So no matter how much people may dislike certain aspects of it, there is really no substitute for it. Which does not mean people should not criticize it or ask for it to be improved. Heck, I do that all the time. However, when I would complain about stuff as a child my parents used to tell me that "beggars can't be choosers" and their is some truth to that old saying. Lack of alternatives therefore provides some context to the discussion about whether Skyrim is a good RPG and may be a good defense to some of the overly harsh criticism the game receives in this forum.

There is a substitute, it's called older TES games, but you excluded those from the discussion.

You should play those. Their good games. Stop worrying about Skyrim and where it's going and where all of TES is going.

I've had plenty of games where I looked over the horizon and thought "where's that? why can't I go there?" Every game has to stop being a game somewhere and remind you its not reality but Skyrim is an Open World game IMO. Sure its got RPG basics and some nice action in there but really its exploring with enough nerdyness involved for me to play.