Rarely does a game come around that is so enthralling, so engaging, so utterly awesome that an hour turns into a six-hour marathon. Many shared the experience this weekend as Bethesda's latest, Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, came blistering through without reproach and wasted away Sunday. Some out there managed to squeeze 200+ hours of gameplay into three days, playing night-to-day or 72 hours straight. And judging by how immersed I was (time flew this weekend), I can say I agree. I'm almost 20 hours into my adventure, and I still possess the urge to explore this vast land.
How does Bethesda do it? For the 360 version, smashing all that content onto a single disc is amazing (sadly I don't have a rig powerful enough to run the game). Through the main quests, additional side quests and unlisted tasks for everyday folk, plus caves and dungeons to titillate our inner explorer, Bethesda is treating us to a sequel that far outmeasures even the greatness of Oblivion. Skyrim is arguably the most immersive game in recent memory, and for a developer with past experience in the genre, it's just another day.
Although unnecessary because of all the layered questing, several stories meld together beautifully all interwoven by Dragonborn, the player-character and sworn combatant of dragons. For some reason, Skyrim has become the playground for these ferocious beasts and it's your job to discover what is actually happening. Another prominent underlying story deals with the delicate politics between the main cities, where the future leadership of the embattled province is questioned. Bethesda has manufactured an overlapping wealth of information through exuberant characters and extremely tense situations, all through the lack of cutscenes.
Every conversation happens in real time, making a lack of cutscenes actually realistic, because dragon attacks can happen seemingly ever. But this leads to a detachment from various characters, limiting the appreciation for one vibrant backstory the developer has built. Even the fetch quests have an interesting background, perhaps a chance encounter between two characters that has dire consequences, or something as minute as handling a severe debt. The conversationalist is prone to discover most of the intricacies, but the repetitious nature of the multitude of fetch quests is practically bothersome, so it's offhandedly encouraged to plunge through dialogue. Though, that's hardly avoidable when so many individual tasks are initiated concurrently.
Unfortunately, the lack of cutscenes (and extra dialogue) can lead to an uneasiness in conversations, especially during the main storylines, where certain information is assumed and dialogue seems forced. For a game where the campaign isn't the primary focus however, the main plot pushes the history forward and heavily references Tamriel's past. It's not abnormal to sit there for hours peering through the large collection of books to revisit famous battles and landmark events that define both the province and the entire landscape.
The Elder Scrolls series has always been an individual adventure, and this thought is persistent throughout the span of a game. Decision making is a benchmark of Bethesda's projects and with so many variables, the game coaxes for multiple playthroughs. More importantly is the large degree of available styles of play, combining magic, melee combat and thievery which either creates a hybrid or one chosen specialty, all with particular strengths and weaknesses. In my opinion, the highly effective characters diversify; specializing in heavy armour, restoration (healing spells) and the always useful sneak skill is a lethal combination. Unlike Oblivion, Skyrim allows dual wielding which infinitely increases potential combat possibilities.
Employing a leveling system similar to Fallout, tactical variability is increased tenfold by the selection of "perks", unique talents inserted into skills to improve gameplay. This leads to some highly stylized builds, tailored to a very specific type of gameplay, and where customization fanatics have their fun. Similarly, skills are leveled by actually doing the act, unlike previous Elder Scrolls titles. Care for a thief? Pick some locks, pick some pockets, sneak around, stab with a dagger, and Dragonborn will level accordingly.
Home of the Nords, Skyrim is the mountainous northernmost province of Tamriel, and that note is put into full effect. Overarching mountains litter the "skyline", with the iconic Throat of the World visible from mostly any point. A great time-waster is just traversing the countryside wandering onto new locations, and how seamlessly the weather and atmosphere change. One minute is rain, next minute is pure sunshine, and the next hour there could be a blizzard. Bethesda did a masterful job at portraying this vivid landscape.
Playing on the 360, I did come across some graphical mishaps involving screen tearing, some lag issues, texture pop-ins, etc. Forgivable considering the mass scale of the game. Bethesda's releases are notorious for purposefully hilarious and sometimes horribly rendered glitches, which all can be watched on YouTube. Low-res textures on unimportant objects are fairly noticeable, though they don't hinder the experience. And the most aggravating of all is freezing, though thankfully it's only happened once. But it occurred at a vital point and I hadn't saved. One hour of gameplay completely lost, forever.
It's hard to argue against Skyrim's candidacy for the coveted Game of the Year awards. Bethesda has delighted audiences everywhere with an incredibly immersive DIY adventure incomparable to other titles. The studio should be commended for not losing the core definition of an Elder Scrolls title after five long years, and I am solemnly say it met most expectations. A rare quality for any sequel these days. Any game that can effortlessly consume six hours deserves recognition, and that's why Skyrim is my game of the year. Jeff out.