Ugh *facepalm*

Alpha and omega.


Beginning of whole new gameplay experience and the end of the old one.

All of those games are entirely different engines, with entirely different archetypes, and entirely different gameplay. You say I fail, yet I believe it is you who has failed, good sir.

Skyrim's engine is dedicating resources to a persistant game world, something that neither GTA or Arkham has. Portal is persistant (I think?), but there's only like 3 persistant things (Compared to Skyrim's 10's of thousands of persistant things) due to the incredibly small level sized and lengthy load screens every 5 seconds. GTA is filled with generic, randomly spawned NPC's, who are voiced by only like 3 people, and Arkham is again, smaller area's seperated by load screens, with generic spawned goons.

The game's are so far apart, you cannot compare them. Yet you try to.

Going back for a second, I seriously don't understand Portal 2's load screens. Hell, in TF2 the entire map is loaded at once and between rounds it does 0 loading. It just blocks the way back, resets some variables and off you go. I don't get why Portal couldn't do like 10 levels at a time with the same culling system. (You'd think in 4 years they'd develope an adjusted system for this) Instead you play a puzzle for literally seconds, then go through a lengthy load screen. With Skyrim, most interior area's take me like 20+ minutes to go through, and the load screens are very fast. So I wouldn't be so certain that Portal is this bastion of right's that Bethesda should take from.

Amazing.

One of the greatest video games I've ever played.

Or, alternatively: 'amazing'

Freedom.

In a sentence, the same way I described all of Mass Effect and Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning.

"This...is...INCREDIBLE!"

Fus Ro Dah

Awesome

Adequate.


Personally, I think there are too many things keeping it from being great. from leveling issues, scaling, magic (destruction specifically), puzzles, framerate issues, voice acting, ect. These things take away from an experience that, while keeping me entertained, could have been a lot better. Don't get me wrong, there's a lot to do in skyrim, and I'm not done with the game yet, and I'm not saying It's a failure of a game by any means. I just think the overall experience could have been dramatically improved with a few tweaks/fixes/additions.

"Good fun."

I would be lying if I said I didn't agree with the improvements it is in dire need of, but at the same time, I view Skyrim as a whole. If I take any single aspect (combat, animations, VA, etc) and compare it to others who have undoubtedly done it more efficiently, Skyrim will be lacking. But at the same time, it meshes several of these into an adequate mix (at least for me), while at the same time offering a degree of character development (mainly how you play; skills, etc) that I cannot find anywhere else.

Skyrim winning a whole truck of awards doesn't mean much to me, as an award doesn't influence my verdict on the game. It does, however, instill a fear that Bethesda will become complacent and ride of their laurels, giving us nothing new with each installment.

Awesome. One of the many words that describe it.

Fear of save bloat.

No disrespect, but here comes another turd polisher. You can repeat all this stuff all you want to convince yourself, but at the end, Skyrim is this:

You are in Riverwood, you decide to go into trader. You witness a quarrel between two people while they staring at you indefinitely. At the end, the bartender sees (?!) you and acknowledges your present. You start a conversation which leas to:

Bartender: Hey, someone stole my dragon claw (?), will you fetch it?

Player: Yeah, That's your heritage. I will do it.

Bartender: Sweet, my sis will show you the way.

Player: Kool, thanks.

His sis stands up while she is staring at you and moves to the door while she is staring at you. She opens the door again while STARING AT YOU TO DEATH.

Player: Is there something on my face?

So, she successfully manages to open the door after a series of turning, staring, turning, staring and so on. Now you are out of the trader and she just stands there.

Player: Ah, so...

You go back and forth and she is still standing there. After a series of going back and forth, she point to a mountain and starts to talk.

Player: Thanks God. I thought It was a bug.

Now she starts to walk.

Player: Okay, she is walking. I guess I walk too. Uh-oh, she walks faster than I am. Maybe I run. Oh, too fast.

She stands slowly, turns to supposedly look at you again slowly, even if you are actually in front of her. She then (again slowly) turns around and stops moving all together.

Player: MOVE, WOMAN.

You try to start conversation. She says: "This way."

Player: Ah, thanks God. Again why every single one in village is staring at me? Do I have something on my face?

She successfully reach the bridge and turns around, even if you are on the bridge.

Player: [censored] THIS, I'm not doing anything for you, [censored]!

You enter Whiterun:

First NPC: Hey, will you take this sword to my father, pretty please.

Player: Yeah, I can do that, I happen to have business there. It won't hurt.

Second NPC: Hey, I lost my father's sword, will you get it for me?

Player: Yeah, why not? It was your father's. It must be important.

Third NPC: Hey, there is a weapon that can cut a holy tree, will you get it for me?

Player: Ah, okay I guess. It's holy, right?

Forth NPC: Hey, they got my brother, I need proof. Go and fetch a proof from our enemy's house. I know exactly where this proof is, BTW.

Player: Yeah, but only because of your brother.

Fifth NPC: I need you to steal a special ale.

Player: [censored] this, I'm going to join companions.

Companion: Take this weapon to blacksmith.

Player: Well, okay. I'm not a courier, BTW. But I'll do this.

Blacksmith: Thanks. Take this to someone.

Player: Ah, this IS the last time, okay?

Companion: Welcome, now for your test, go fetch this shred of an important weapon.

Player: [censored] this, I'm going to do MQ.

The wizard of Yarl: Go fetch this dragon stone.

Player: DAMN!

The wizard (while player leaving the room): BTW, can you deliver this to someone, courier boy?

Player hits "ALT+F4"

You decide to give Skyrim another chance considering all that praise. Okay I'll go and fetch that dragon stone for you. Player brings the stone and finally something happens:

Yarl: A dragon is attacking, go with this green woman and see to it.

Player: FINALLY.

Now comes the tag game. You go after that green woman and she is running.

Player: Thanks God, she is running. I run too. Uh-oh, I run too fast. I should do this, hold w, release w, hold w, release w, hold w, release w.

She finally reach the gate and there are 4 guards there, she starts an inspiring speech for the 4 guards while all of the are staring you to death.

Player: THERE IS SOMETHING ON MY FACE!

She is done and now comes the tag game.

Player: Hold w, release w, hold w, release w, hold w, release w and ............

Player: A DRAGON, KOOL! BUT, damn I'm level 2! I haven't done any of those fetching side quest to level up! It'll tear me into pieces! I mean IT'S A DRAGON! GOD HELP US!

Dragon lands.

Player: HOLY [censored]. I am going to die anyway, so let's charge at it blindly head on for a laugh.

You charge and after 5 power attacks, the dragon dies.

Player: THAT WAS IT?!

Player hits "ALT+F"

I did give it another chance BTW, I don't have time to write it, but it the same thing: New town, a series of fetching quests plus bad AI (I mean awful AI. It's a joke. especially if you happen to have a follower. AI is Frustrating), recycled voice acting (I'm nothing talking about random comment NPCs throws at you randomly, I'm talking about those NPCs you can start a conversation with), Some ridiculous design choices about the horse (Your follower can't have a horse, for example) oh, and you think traveling with horse is exciting, WRONG. Every [censored] min, you hear wolves cry and you have to unmount, kill the wolves, mount, unmount, kill the assassin, mount, unmount, kill the bandit and there goes your travel with a horse.

Then I decided to do the MQ. I enjoying the mountain climbing to see the graybeards, and it was fun learning the history of dragons as gods and learning the shouts, but when that graybread told me to go and fetch yet another item, I quit playing the game.

At the end. It's just a rant. No need to take it seriously. And again I'm happy you guys are enjoying it.

Have fun. And sorry of there are any grammatical/spelling errors. I'm an my phone and it's hard to type.

Uhhh;

1. You don't have to follow the woman, the man tells you where Bleak Falls Barrow in and you can run ahead. You chose to wait and follow her.

2. Same with the housecarl. You can run straight to the tower and fight the dragon.

Don't choose the slower route then get mad because it's slow. By the way, that was a great read. xD

Your post seriously made me LOL and thats a lot you typed considering that you mentioned its hard to type on your phone.

Can i know what RPGs do you consider alot better then Skyrim?
I really would like to know. No, really. Im very interested to know what other RPGs you are interested in.

Yeah I think he is looking at those activities from the wrong angle. It's not 'Fetch the dragon stone - hold w and run for 45 minutes and the quest is done'. It's 'Explore a ruin, fight people with the combat of your choice and experience gameplay. You're fetching the stone for a reason.'

Plus some of the other games he mentioned have plenty of flaws we could sit here and grind on as well. GTA is the same 3 sequences masked with new dialogue over and over... (Kill these guys, escort this guy, meet this guy - Rinse repeat. GTA)

Thanks. At least I made someone lol with may rant.

Well, the last RPG I really loved was Dragon Age Origins. I know some say that it's a lot more restricted than Bethesda's games and in fact it is, but it was really EPIC. I also enjoyed Fallout 3 and New Vegas. Especially New Vegas because IMO it stared something in RPG world, I just hope they continue doing it for the next Fallout. Oh, about the recent ones, Dragon Age 2 was a bad game considering how Dragon Age was brilliant. Mass Effect 2 (haven't played the third) was disappointing (I really didn't love first Mass Effect, but it was a lot better than the second. At least it had some element of RPG-ness)

Absolutely agree on Dragon Age Origins being much better then DA2. DA2 was a train wreck.
Very good examples with Fallout 3, New Vegas, although i've not played ME2 but i've heard its very good.

It seems that you enjoy a good story in RPGs and perhaps Skyrim's story didn't resonate as well with you compared to the above examples.

It is. So is ME3. The Mass Effect games are probably my absolute favorite games of all time.

I recently purchased Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, however, and I've been really enjoying it. The combat system is probably the best I've seen in an RPG. It's a shame the developers behind the game shut down, though. This IP had a lot of potential.

What I mean is the the present of a strong plot/drama. For example in Dragon Age Origins, you learn about the danger of darkspawn and then you have to go and start seeking help. If you decide to go to Mages, there will be whole series of events happening in there. A conflict between Mages, a bad Mage decided to turn to dark magic and all that stuff. If you decide to go to elves, there are a series of events keeping you interested (the whole werewolf and elves conflict). There are also your companions and they have some really deep and serious characterization with interesting dialogs which keep the player interested in them also makes them human and relatable easily. Just compare it to followers of Skyrim. The level of character development is non-existent. They just follow their boring routine.

"Too many essentials, but at least you can kill a bunch of the shopkeepers, and that's more freedom than a lot of games give you."

I will try out ME series if i get the time, although i am abit appalled at what Bioware did with ME3 (especially about that photoshopped Tali)

I disagree with you though that Amalur is a good game.

I tried the demo. Touting it as an open world when there are invisible barriers preventing you to go everywhere has no place in 2012.
You can't even jump off from any ledges and from what i remember, only certain marked ledges allow you to jump off from.

Absolutely terrible game, and im glad that it failed.
And to think that Ken Rolston was part of the team. I wonder how much input he had when making it.

The only good thing i'd say is combat was fast and furious tho, but perhaps its TOO fast and furious.
I don't picture my mage as someone who leaps and jumps around like a ballet pro all along pew pew pew the enemy.

You know, I just couldn't play ME2. Sure the story was good, but the combat was so dry and the gameplay so slow that I just got bored. I also got very board of Bioshock. My friends are all in disbelief and think I'm weird but I just don't think those games are anything special, which seems to be the general opinion.

Ah, what a fun game, but it aint an hardcoe rpg :X