New member here, and I'd really like to talk about the things that impress me the most about Skyrim.

My first Elder Scrolls game was Morrowind, and I skipped over Oblivion due not owning an X-Box 360 (or capable PC) until recently, as well as having heard disappointing feedback from a few friends. With that in mind, some of the things I love may not be new or exclusive to this installment.

The first thing that struck me was the atmosphere of the harsh outdoors. Taking a first look at the brilliantly designed world map, my initial reaction was "...And the whole place is this cold and inhospitable? Eek.", but treading my meandering path to Riverwood, the beauty of the land hit me and I was instantly enamoured.

Skyrim is the most immersive game I've played to date - the soft ambience of the passing breeze combined with the fleeting sight if wild deer, rabbits, and butterflies brough the virtual world to life. And then there's the music. I was disappointed with the music in Morrowind, as outside of the classic Elder Scrolls theme, I heard little of inspiration. I also think modern games have a tendency to rely solely on 'mood music' rather than memorable compositions. Thanksfully, Skyrim provides ambience more delicate than the falling snow, but also treats us to rousing overtures and solemn songs packed with more emotion than I've heard from a game in far too long. That's just outdoors, the themes from inns, halls, and shops all define the character of the game. Often I'd get sidetracked from the game and leave the music playing - never did it grow tiresome or repetitive. Those without a good sound system (amplifier plus decent stereo speakers, not talking surround sound necessarily) owe it to themselves at least to invest in some good headphones.

The reason I harp on about sound and visuals so much isn't out of technological appreciation but because this is easily my favourite game world. Sometimes, when I think I've played for so many hours that the game must have surely lost its charm, I fire it up and find myself once again immediately hooked. Games have never been simply about mechanics and gameplay to me; I love drowning in the nostalgia that little else seems capable of producing. Growing up on Nintendo, Zelda was my main obsession, and because it captured my imagination, it captured and preserved a part of my life [cue 'Link to the Past' joke].

Imagination, that's my next point. I was very surprised to hear a poster on this board say they were having trouble role playing - getting into their character in this Elder Scrolls game. It was this game that reminded me that this is how custom character RPGs are to be played; I really do think those who don't develope their characters in their own minds are missing out. I'm too young (26) to remember the days before graphical RPGs, but they serve to remind me that we're all storytellers, and if we're capable of creating our own epic fantasies out of nothing, a game as fine as Skyrim can be quite the backdrop for our imaginations. I won't talk about the depth of the lore, because I was introduced to that in Morrowind, but it certainly makes the universe richer and, most importantly, more believable. Rather than feeling that the backstories were created around the game's quest, it feels more like I'm simply living out one of many great legends.

That covers most of it - the Imperial/Stormcloak divide, as well as Ulfric's character itself and his Kingdom of Windhelm, are certainly worthy of note with their lack of clear moral divide. When I have to put down the controller and mull over the convoluted world politics, repeatedly stopping to reassess my position as I learn new information, I know they're doing something right. That's why I love Skyrim.

I just can't bring myself to complain about the *very* few things which I think could use changing (limited spells, the fact that the dialogue options often seem like they're written by a young teenager while the NPC's lines are a league above, all children being humans with identical faces - regardless even of the race of their parents!). We're all paying customers and have every right to complain, but I don't think people are as vocal about what they do like. When I found this board I was amazed to read so many comments from people sounding entirely underwhelmed and unimpressed - I really think this must be a vocal minority who are inclined to focus only on flaws. I'm so glad I can enjoy it as much as I can, and I hope most others can too.

Creating a great game is one thing, creating something beautiful is quite another.

-RiC

Cool post man and totally agree about the sound system. I ended up getting a decent pair of headphones and man, what a difference. The closed type, not noise cancelling, but it so improves the mood of the game.

It's actually interesting and cool to see and read these back stories that people create for their characters, some interesting reads out there!

Yup, the music and sound fx in this game are really superb, its worth investing in a decent sound system or headphones to fully apreciate how much it adds to the overall atmosphere.

I pretty much agree with what the OP said but this below sums up why Skyrim is great, the ability to create your own story has never been stronger.

Awesome post! I think the reason we do not see as many positive posts as negative ones is that people tend not to complain when they are happy with a product (or are too busy playing the game to write about it ).

I generally love video games but the Elder Scrolls series... man that is something else and your post amazingly described my feelings!

That is so true, people alway complain about bad things, but praise is usually less common. And oddly enough praise is what usually helps people be better. Take the developers and people bug fixing the game - they're getting some real s*** thrown at them at them. I do understand why people are getting ticked off, but the internet makes it so easy to bad mouth people off. This is going slightly off topic though!

Anyways - good to see some posts about good things, and if bad things, maybe explain why rather than just a statement.