PG 1 | PG 2

Trust me, sneak past the bear
One ingredient that was inadequate in Oblivion was the wildlife. Much like 'Red Dead Redemption,' wildlife adds an interesting dynamic to exploration. This renewed focus is demonstrated early in your travels when you are confronted with a massive cave-bear that you are wisely counseled to sneak past. Although, Skyrim isn't as populated as 'Redemption,' it's a step in the right direction. Continuing, you can also gather resources from the animals such as leathers/hides that can help you craft items. Not only can you cook your food, you can create armour from animal hides and othe materials found in Skyrim. Crafting continues with the ability to improve your armour/weapons on workbenches/grindstones along with creating potions and enchant items.

We're spinning plates in 3D
As expected the production is at a level all its own. No game does interactive like Bethesda, so expect to every inch of the world to feel alive. Each item has their own weight, damage and value that is clearly highlighted. The interface has also been improved with a 3D model of the item available for closer inspection. One more small adjustment that makes a sizable impact. Although, I am in favour of this new design, it doesn't offer a detailed comparison when equipping items. For armour you will see your AR (armour rating) move up or down, but you can't directly see the difference between each item without jumping around in the menu. This is a minor nitpick and otherwise easy to use menu. Deisgned as a sliding overlay, everything else is flawlessly handled, vastly improving on their previous system.

Creation Engine
The engine running all this magic is the next evolution in the Gamebryo Engine labeled the “Creation Engine.” Just shy of amazing, this newly built tech runs Skyrim with easy and is vastly upgraded from their work in Oblivion and Fallout 3. Simply put, the optimization, size, and level of detail is exceptional. While it's not flawless (some textures and animations can be rough) it's an amazing feature to capture a world this size running dynamically in real time. From dynamic weather effects like snowfall, the vistas and range of the world is stunning.

For other improvements the third-person camera has been improved, which can be attributed to more fluid character animations. The NPC A.I. is also more wise making their reactions more varied. Although the still love to panic and shout for the guards, it makes for a more interesting game. Even more impressive is the care put into designing the dungeons, the towns' architecture, the weapons that all create the illusion that Skyrim could have existed.

The landscape is covered in snowy tundra, forests, mountains and rural countrysides. In comparison to Oblivion, Skyrim is roughly the same size (around 25 miles, ) although less populated, the geography is more interesting. Exploring the world you will find five major cities along with small rural areas making up the difference in between. Dungeons are another aspect enjoyable find while traveling the world of Skyrim. Bethesda wisely set up a small team to design the dungeons which allow them to be more than carbon copies of one another. Hundreds of dungeons exist in Skyrim to help your curiosity of what lies behind the next door. Thankfully a marker lets you know which ones you completed and like Oblivion, once you discover a location you can fast travel to it.

Turning towards the audio, Skyrim is perfected. Rivaled only to Rockstar Games, the soundtrack, NPC dialogue (over 60'00 lines) and environmental noises are dazzling. Jeremy Soule returns to compose the soundtrack again and his music fits perfectly in line with the atmosphere. The diversity of the voice-over talent should be highlighted as they do a great job recreating difference personalities in races. As soon as you hear a voice you can usually tell the persons disposition. Great work, another spotlighted audio masterpiece.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is a role-playing fans paradise. Filled with discovery, wonder, and mystery, you will travel through the rocky landscapes of Skyrim uncovering a Dragon sized plot. Powered by the 'Creation Engine' things look and run even better under the new software. The size and scope of Skyrim is unparalleled making it one of the most expansive worlds we have ever visited. Falling in line with our expectations, Skyrim delivers, but doesn't surpass. If you've played any of the previous 'Elder Scroll' adventures, Skyrim in its most basic form is simply more of the same. This is not bad point because its predecessors are some of the best role-playing games ever made, but it falls just shy of the wow factor that Bethesda created when Oblivion first launched on the “next-gen” consoles or as we left Vault 21 in Fallout 3. Still, Skyrim is an amazing game filled more than enough moments to fill your memories years to come.

Massive game filled with endless hours of exploration Interesting plot and side-quests to explore Dragons! Dragons! Dragons! done to perfection Combat is improved - kill animations and dual-wielding Creation engine is untouchable when it comes to geography Dynamic weather effects that cross a wide array of landscapes Leveling and skill system feels more natural Wildlife and resources play a bigger role Aside from the Dragons, we've seen most of these beasts before Town dynamics could have been more impactful The repercussions of choice are lessened Enviorment can still be exploited during combat Graphics are great, however in close inspection the flaws surface Quote: "The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is a role-playing fans paradise. Filled with discovery, wonder, and mystery, you will travel through the rocky landscapes of Skyrim uncovering a Dragon sized plot." Reviewed by DowntownJimmy | 11.10.11

Similar Games: Dragon's Dogma (8.3) | Dragon Age II (8.6) | Fallout 3 (9.0) | ESIV: Oblivion (10)