Well, I think it needs two. Two cut scenes, one for the beginning and end respectively. I say two because I understand that Elder Scrolls games thrive on immersion and too many cut scenes would be out of place. But an introduction to dragons that's more thrilling than a Ray Harryhausen creature flying in the sky and Nords who sound about as Nordic as your typical Minnesotan..I guess I'm saying cut scenes would help to embellish the beginning and end of the game. Just two.

Yeah, Oblivion had an opening and ending cinematic, they would have helped the main quest seem like something important. Maybe they thought that wagon ride is enough of an opening. But they also thought they could make guilds with just radiant quests

I'm going to grab the wiki definition for cutscenes as it will serve my argument: a cutscene is a sequence in which the player has no or limited control, breaking up the gameplay and is used the advance the plot, strengthen characters, bla, bla, storytelling, bla.
Well, let's look at the intro sequence shall we?
No or limited control? Check. You can move the camera around, but that's it. You can't do anything else.
Breaking up the gameplay? Erm, well there's no gameplay until we get full control so I'd say yes.
Used the advance the plot? I'm going to give that the old "definitely" stamp.

A videogame custscene does not just have to a spiffy prerendered cinematic, it's a bit more broader then that.
I'm curious though. Your complaints of Non-Nordic Nords and crappy looking Dragon models: how exactly would having "a cutscene" have fixed those in your mind? Embellishing something bad doesn't change the fact that it's still bad, after all. It will just make the badness slightly more shiney.

They had two options. Don't show the dragon, but show the mortar and bricks glowing red from a flame assault, show red-hot cinders bursting through, let us hear the beast, feel its power with a shaking screen so we can run wild with our imaginations. Or, they could have crafted an impressive but brief cut scene of the dragon attacking. Both would have worked. What we get is lackluster because they used neither of these approaches. And I'm sorry, but game design philosophy has nothing to do with it.

Cut-scenes don't belong in this game.
Cut-scenes give the feeling of "I have done something important in a linear game and this cut-scene means I have finished a level (or the whole game) and a new one will start afterwards"

SKYRIM wants you to feel like: "This game has no beginning, middle or end. My actions create this game and determine how the game unfolds. The game will not stop and start, or dictate which path I should take"

You get the drift. Bethesda has a certain style. Cut-scenes just don't fit it.

Imagine there isn't a cut-scene at the start and all that happens is that you approach a Stormcloak Encampment but get quickly ambushed by the Imperials and forced to walk into town (but still have the ability to walk and to run away).

I agree to a point. And end one in Skyrim would have seriously been epic.

However the beginning already sort of has one. In previous games it had the pre-render, then BAM you're playing. But in this one you ride in the cart for a few minutes, it shows titles, and you are introduced to the world and it's characters. That was their cutscene, a video would be redundant.

I think even cutscenes throughout would be neat, but more 'special animations' you do in first or third person for key events... It's hard to explain.

I kind of thought the intro was somewhat of a cut scene..... =/

The MQ already has a cutscene on High Hrothgar, and the game takes away your control in the beginning.

They just need to be better at scripted scenes, like Valve.

i love cutscenes such as in DA O and DA 2, but skyrim is different from those games.
However, what the devs failed to do is to make some sort of ending for the main quest. The main quest ending is absolutely horrible, worst ending i ever seen in my gaming days

Scripted scenes and simply taking away the control of the player character are not the same as cutscenes folks.

Cutscenes are cinematics presented as little movies that help the establish a certain atmosphere, or emotion, or to inform the player and/or to advance the plot. The direction and point of view of the camera is just as important in a cutscene as the actual content that is shown.

A good example of a good cutscene with fantastic camera work is this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekb5l4Iozcw#t=3m33s

Does not need one. Cut scenes... Aka cinimatics... Are not actually need for a game like TES. And they ate not conventional to today's standards. Morrowind had them. Oblivion had them. Skyrim had the but mostly used in game. The are in general at the beginning and end of each TES game.

Opening and ending ones would have been cool.

If you look beyond Skyrim and the TES series, you'll see that cutscenes, in fact are used more and more often in today's standard video-games. That's mostly because the cutscenes in video-games become better and better. Today's cutscenes in our modern games are vastly superior to what Morrowind or Oblivion had.

NO.

Not unless it's a cool as this - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=niU1bRqxrIU

No.

Ok I'll say this. Cut scenes make a lot of people feel like a third person. Not part of the story but just being there. What a few of you are wanting are pre made none scripted cenematics. Cut scenes are differnt from cibematics. Cut scenes don't really work well in TES games because they can and do brake up your role play. Take me3 in the way that it forces your shep to care and that broke the game for many people. Quite frankly it's not required in any game it's a persons personal preference to have them in a game. TES games go a long way in explaining everything you need to go on. And a lot more is left to your imiginationm. I don't need a cinematic to see that the cave is collapsing as I make my way out of helgen etc.

TES games are not really built for cibematics as its your story not a character you happen to be moving around with.

However i would also like to add that the small cutscene after oblivion is suitable. It would be alright if skyrim has that ending too. At least it gives you some sort of accomplishment..

No, it really does NOT need cut-scenes.

No, adding cut-scenes would be a stupid idea.