I can't believe I haven't done a column on arguably the game with the longest longevity. *// I know that sentence was lazy, sue me
I've done Morrowind and I've done Oblivion, but there are A LOT of Elder Scrolls games to get to. *// yes, I will probably do Daggerfall next
But for now! We remain in the present, with a game that has been out for more than a decade and still sees high charting numbers regardless. We will cover why this is the case and why the most shallow Elder Scrolls game became the most popular. // ah yes, we breaking it all down
Hence forth❗️ In this edition of Through the Lens 🎞, we'll be taking a gander at Bethesda Sodrwork's magnum opus released on the 11.11.2011: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Roll it! 📽
🚩 UP TOP 🚩
As per usual take a listen to the soundtrack why don't ya? I know most people on the planet already have, but on the off-chance that you haven't, it's great. Not as good as Oblivion's, but there are few games that are. 😁
Off tops I have to say that Skyrim is my third favorite Elder Scrolls: 🏅 goes to OBLIVION and 🥈 to MORROWIND. I will talk about precisely why that is later, but for now, just now that I was hella disappointed when this game first came out. Over the years, and with so many jaw-dropping mods, the game is at least playable for me now. 😅
Regardless of my personal preference, however, this is still an amazing game. For some the greatest game of all time (the goat, as it were). And while I will lay out my problems with it, I will also highlight what makes it so great.
So let's get my grievances out of the way first, shall weeee❗️❗️❗️
🗺️ QUEST DESIGN 🗺️
"My biggest gripe with this game is the quests."
Grock to the O, 2022
Gone were the amazing quest trees of yore, the developing characters, and the shifting storylines. There are some, sure. But like relics from the past, they are rare and glorified. Distracting you from all the boring and basic quests that constitute the majority of this game. 😡
I'll grant you, the expansions do a better job of this. The Dawnguard expansions especially are great. But the base game? Yuk. 🤢
⛏️ NITPICKS ⛏️
I'll just get these off my chest right now. 😁
🛑 DRAGONS: While amazing as a concept, and the fact that they cause carnage in the world without the player's involvement. At the end of the day once you've fought one dragon you've fought them all. And the battles become more of a chore than anything else.
🛑 DWARVEN RUINS: Again, amazing the first couple of times. Then, once you realize it's mostly the same layout and mostly the same easy puzzle over and over. They lose their luster.
This is a problem with most dungeons in Bethesda games. The repetitiveness comes from a memory compromise. Suffice it to say, if the dungeons were more unique - there would be fewer of them.
🛑 DARK BROTHERHOOD: I'm sorry, I know I already talked about the quest.... but this quest line is a travesty to me. After the absolute banger that was the Oblivion Dark Brotherhood quest line, this one felt like it was trying to do too much out of the gate. Tripped, fell. Broke its nose, and both legs and suffered a concussion.
I know that this quest line is a lot of people's favorite. And to those I apologize.
🛑 BORING NPCS: There is just a lot less character in the base game. Again, the expansions do much on this front.
And lastly, to me at least, the game's soul is just too diluted compared to the other Elder Scrolls titles. I know this is probably the most pretentious $#!& I've said all year, so I'll stop nitpicking and get to the good stuff.
⭐ SKILLS ⭐
There's a lot that Skyrim does better than its fellow Elder Scrolls. 👏
For one the leveling-up system is the ideal one for an RPG of this type, IMHO. Having to purchase what you were going to be in a game that's meant for exploration and character-building was always dumb. Now, you're character levels up as you use said skills. This is a much more sensible way of doing things, and it should've been like this from the start. Development is not that straightforward though, takes years to figure things out. 😅
The trees as well. while not perfect, are much better than the previous installments. 💪 This makes the overall flow of the game feel much better. The player rarely feels like they have to reroll a character because of a build gone wrong (this was a common practice in the old games).
🤠 IMMERSION 🤠
Skyrim lets you be in the world a lot more. For one, you can get married; you can have children; you can be a blacksmith; you can be a woodcutter, you can be a leatherworker - etc, etc.
These systems while shallow by themselves allowed the modding community to go absolutely crazy! 😱
🛠️ MODS 🛠️
And thus we arrive at the great equilizier!
The modding community of Skytim is unlike anything we've ever seen. Sure, Oblivion had mods, good mods. And others in the industry have taken a crack at allowing their userbase to create mods. But Skyrim takes it to another level.
The mods of this game are the sole reason it's still relevant. Many modders are now working for Bethesda as developers, and I have to applaud them for letting these hard-working individuals get paid for their effort. 👏👏
We're talking about fully voice-acted companions. Entire new games. Not even joking. The modding tools (creation kit) are so robust that people have figured them out completely.
It also helps that the downloading/installing process is super simple.
Granted the execution order might give you problems, but that's a small price to pay for the literally unlimited playing times modded Skyrim can provide.
I personally would have never gone back to the game if not for the hardcore survival mods that were a must for yours truly to enjoy the game.
So yes, even if the core gameplay is not your cup of tea 🍜 there is 100% a mod/s out there that will align to your tastes. 💯
🏆 LEGACY 🏆
I mean... need I say more? 😅
Everybody and their grandmother (quite literally) have heard of Skyrim. It is a cultural touchstone and I doubt my words can give it justice.
If by any chance you are not a gamer and have stumbled on to this post. Then you owe it to yourself to give Skyrim a try.
Shout-out to the 🍕PIZZA🍕 gang, 🤙 gang. 🤙
As I said Daggerfall is probably next. 😁 I really enjoy that goofy, ridiculous game.
Thanks for reading! // I hope... I think everyone is more than tired of hearing about this game
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Have a great day and stay safe! 🙌