GaryBB Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 (edited) One thing I’m sure of…..Skyrim is the single most gorgeous, hugely immersive game I have ever played. And I say that as someone who has been an avid (perhaps rabid) gamer since the first Doom lit up our screens in the early 1990s. Skyrim is, in my opinion, the pinnacle of gaming – compared to ones I have including Metro 2033, Crysis 2, Fallout 3, Oblivion, Battlefield 3, Medal of Honor, Batman Arkham Asylum, Mafia 2….etc. etc. I truly appreciate a game with stunning graphics, but even more, I appreciate a game that makes you feel as if you are IN that world, and Skyrim has succeeded in immersion to a stellar, unequaled degree. I’m referring to the seemingly little, yet awesome things the developers put into the game. The sound design, often overlooked as a critical element of the experience, is utterly perfect. The rain effects, the wind, ripples on water when it’s raining, the rolling spatial thunder on a dark afternoon or gloomy morning is something to behold, especially with earphones and the sound cranked! The soundtrack music, as a reviewer put it, is achingly beautiful. Some of the thematic elements are strikingly reminiscent of The Lord of the Rings. Goosebumpworthy. The stunning level of detail shows that Bethesda was not just marketing hype about this successor to Oblivion. I’m not, in case anyone wonders, a fanboy of any game developer. But in those rare games that seem and feel almost alive, you have to respect the teams of designers, graphic artists, producers, audio engineers, etc. that manage to pull something like Skyrim together. And for my money, no one has yet to equal this particular accomplishment. As one reviewer said, Bethesda put a world in a box. A suggestion: forget quests for a while when you start out. Just walk around, head down a road, wander off of a path and just look…absorb the often astonishing view, the countless details, the sound and music. You will quickly realize that the world of Skyrim is pure magic, that it was crafted by people who are among the very best in their field…and actually care about us gamers. Take archery for example. I’ve seen numerous posts about inaccuracy or issues with shooting arrows, that they don’t hit their mark or are sort of auto-aimed. So I spent some time early this morning just zipping arrows into trees and mudcrabs, bouncing them off rocks, signposts, etc. The arrows DO arc and distance clearly affects accuracy and I was surprised at how well it works…think about the dynamics and math involved in pulling that one off! I shot a number of arrows straight up, never saw them come down…but, walking around the area later, I found arrows sticking into the ground, into trees, etc, all at the correct angles and approximate distances from where I shot them. That’s serious attention to detail. I have never before played any game that actually tricked my soggy brain into believing I was there, in that world so removed from this reality. Silly though it may sound, I have stood there in the rain just looking around, taking in the ambiance, the awesome scenery and mood and before I knew it, most of an hour was gone. When I read posts where someone is bitching about how short Skyrim is, how there are “deal breaker” issues that make the game unplayable and that Skyrim is little more than a crappy beta that was rushed out the door, I realize that these people are missing out on a wonderful experience…or they simply don’t appreciate the mind bending complexity involved in making Skyrim, not to mention making it work on vastly different PC systems….or, they are trolls or derps. Certainly, not all will agree with me and that’s fine. I’m hoping that those people out there who are still on the fence about purchasing Skyrim will not be negatively swayed by the sometimes venomous remarks I’ve read on forums. But, everyone is entitled to their views. Although I am confident that no one from Bethesda will ever read my opinion of Skyrim, I truly hope that they know how much most of us appreciate their efforts to craft a game that actually does deserve the overworked title of “Masterpiece.” One more thing – to the modding community out there, I want to say that it is YOU who will make Skyrim considerably more than it is already, and I greatly appreciate your efforts and respect your talent and dedication. You are spending your time doing what you clearly love and it makes a difference, often a huge one. All I can say is a simple but sincere Thank You. Edited November 18, 2011 by GaryBB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roane Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 Very well put. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrius2 Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 Well said. Hmm... I wonder how awesome Skyrim will be in a few years... considering Oblivion's evolution... yeah good times ahead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soot00 Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 Agree with the immersion part. NPC town chatter is far more realistic. Love how every new big town you set foot in for the first time there is some event going on (group of npcs talking about the current events aka murder or what not, or even a public beheading, etc.) to get you the player a taste of what the mood is and what to expect in terms of welcoming. Love Skyrim! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GaryBB Posted November 18, 2011 Author Share Posted November 18, 2011 Having also watched the evolution of Oblivion from the beginning, I am excited about what the modders will be doing...cuz I think they now have even more reason to continue making improvements. The staggering number of mods on Nexus for Oblivion and Fallout is proof of their dedication to improving things, and with Skyrim coming out already amazingly good, it can only get far better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soot00 Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 Agreed with the amazingly good on release comment. I purchased Morrowind and Oblivion a week into release. I stopped playing both those games in a couple days and none of my characters reached level 10. Skyrim however is a different animal. Have already hit level 20+ and still glued to the game. Just love the atmosphere..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evilllamas Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 nicely put...but medal of honor, metro 2033 (well it has amazing atmosphere... bad gameplay decisions though), and certainly crysis 2 (biggest let down in gaming imo) shouldn't be up there with the other fantastic games you listed! Personally... i feel that if morrowind had nicer graphics, better combat, and a few other 2011 features- it would blow skyrim out of the water...a combination of the two would be ideal... with a bit of borderlands in there! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roxian Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 I have never before played any game that actually tricked my soggy brain into believing I was there, in that world so removed from this reality. Silly though it may sound, I have stood there in the rain just looking around, taking in the ambiance, the awesome scenery and mood and before I knew it, most of an hour was gone. This has happened to be before. Well written post! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GaryBB Posted November 18, 2011 Author Share Posted November 18, 2011 You made good points about my inclusion of Metro. It is the atmosphere I was impressed with as well as graphics, but they are far different as you are in a rail game basically and that blows the immersion. Love the atmosphere in Medal of Honor. IMO it's superior to MWF series because you grow to care somewhat about your squad unlike MWF where it's so frantic that one more guy shot means nothing and there is not much interaction with your squad usually. You are right also about Crysis 2. I uninstalled it once the graphical wowness wore off. I never played Morrowind but I have certainly heard how great it was. Mafia 2 remains very impressive to me, especially at the beginning where it's winter. Walking around the huge city, seeing the reflections off ice, watching snow blowing off cars, the realism of car headlight beams at night etc., is quite amazing. Guess for me a lot of it comes down to atmosphere and immersion and that puts Skyrim at the very top. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GaryBB Posted November 18, 2011 Author Share Posted November 18, 2011 I have never before played any game that actually tricked my soggy brain into believing I was there, in that world so removed from this reality. Silly though it may sound, I have stood there in the rain just looking around, taking in the ambiance, the awesome scenery and mood and before I knew it, most of an hour was gone. This has happened to be before. Well written post! ROXIAN - well I'm glad I am not the only one who does that! Matter of fact I installed a water improvement mod today and stayed there watching (again) far too long. Glad I have the weekend coming! And thanks...I rarely post comments on any forum but I just wanted to let people know my thoughts, especially the ones in doubt about getting Skyrim. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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