about skyrim are the countless untold stories. When you come across a dogpen with a dead dog in it and some caged dogs next to it, or a skeleton at the bottom of a long mineshaft. There are hundreds of these little things dotted throughout the game, and I dunno... it really just makes me want to go on and explore.

Daggerfall was all about hunting the power... because it was largely generic. It was saved by an awesome story and easily the best most grown up lore of any contemporary RPG. Morrowind also had a brilliant story, but in addition wrapped this in a truly epic main quest that really made you feel like a part of the gameworld.

Skyrim I think has an awesome amount of detail in it... but it is not "in your face" details, it isn't a Mass Effectian "look here, they were breeding fighting dogs for a living! Shoot them!" or a Rockstar type "You can go to dog fights!"... instead it's filled with these tiny little things you just have to piece together, and it serves no purpose other than exploration itself... no rewards and no quest solved. I like that... it tells for all the console-friendlyness the main purpose of this TES game is still to tell a story.

Action-wise and contentwise I also think the game is in a league of its own, though ofcourse it being a sandbox there will be cinematic shortcomings compared to railroad RPGS.

I mean, people are complaining the game is over after 70 hours (which either means a half-explored world, or lots of googling). Seriously, in a single-player RPG this is not criticism, but praise.

I remember running around the base of High Hrothgar and going through a mountain pass when dozens of skeletons popped out of the snow and coffins and attacked me, as I progressed down the path I got to a little chapel where a Draugr Deathlord (I think) was waiting, no quest, no explanation.

It's this kind of random detail that makes this game so great.

I felt a sudden need to explore the base of High Hrothgar.