MMOFringe Revisits: Skyrim

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Written by Sm1tty Sm1t

The sun was low in the sky, half hidden behind a mountain that stabbed the sky like a dagger and sinking fast.  Slowly, cautiously, Shikazi crept up on the camp.  He’d noticed the fire from the top of a hill and decided to descend to investigate.  True, his intentions weren’t honorable, but this was Shikazi’s land, despite him never laying eyes on it.  How dare they camp here, but he would show them.  Like a whisper, Shikazi glided through the camp, opening chests and taking anything of value.  As he got to the main tent he heard the growl.

It was the thundering voice of a grizzly bear who had wandered into camp.  Although with different targets, the expectations were the same as Shikazi: theft.  Suddenly, the camp was alive as half a dozen bandits were immediately aware of the intruder and upon facing the 800-pound monster, spotted Shikazi elbow-deep in a chest he had obviously lockpicked his way into.  The leader of the bandit stared, momentarily shocked at the stealth of the intruder, and then smiled showing his pointy teeth.  Vampires!?  Shikazi had chosen the wrong camp and he began preparing himself for the only option he had: battle.

Two vampires cornered the grizzly bear and slowly began moving in for the kill while the other four circled Shikazi in an attempt to overwhelm him.  An ice bolt slammed into Shikazi’s shoulder as a gout of flame erupted from his hand engulfing the bloodsucker closest to him.  As the blood pooled on the ground, he began looking for an escape.  How could he possibly kill six vampires?  Then the sky exploded.

The dragon descended upon the camp in a fury unseen throughout Skyrim.  The two vampires who had cornered the grizzly were killed before the dragon touched down.  Two more fell as the dragon’s tail whipped through the crowd, nearly decapitating Shikazi, who was busy calculating this new threat.  With the numbers suddenly not in their favor, the vampires turned their attention to the muscled haunches of the dragon, peppering it with ice blasts and stabbing at it with their swords.  As the dragon took flight, Shikazi took this opportunity to take advantage of the distraction and sunk his Nightingale Sword through the back of the closest vampire.

The dragon returned with as much force as his first attack.  The final vampire was devoured with one bite, leaving only Shikazi and the grizzly bear to deal with the monstrous lizard.  Thankfully, the dragon turned his attention to the grizzly, leaving Shikazi to focus on the neck of the dragon.  Blow after blow rained down dealing massive amounts of damage.  The grizzly fell, but not before he himself had badly injured the beast.  Shikazi, now realizing he was facing a dragon alone, delivered the killing blow.  It came not from spell or sword, but from his lungs.  Shikazi took a deep breath and delivered a dragon shout of magnificent proportion.  A fire ball escaped his lips and the dragon fell at Shikazi’s feet.  I am Shikazi, and this is but one of my stories.

Skyrim was released by Bethesda on November 11, 2011, and since that time millions of people have experienced their own adventures.  Some are noble knights, others are backstabbing scoundrels, but each and every one of them has stared, in awe, at the world of Skyrim.  Not just the amazing visuals, eardrum soothing audio, or fantastic gameplay, but the life-like environment that’s been created for us to enjoy.

First things first, Skyrim looks unlike anything we’ve seen.  An accurate day/night cycle mingles with a legitimate weather system that batters players with snow or drenches them with rain to create an environment mimicking our own.  Shadows shift as the sun changes position in the sky, and stretch across the tundra as it sets behind the Throat of the World.  Further, items shine and reflect light accurately depending on the source and position.  A sword might glint and gleam in the light, but after a battle the effects change, usually because the sword is then covered in blood.  While all of this truly pulls the player into the game, realizing that these visuals are available on just one disk with no need of a texture-pack install is astounding.

Audiophiles will be surprised at how “clean” the sounds are.  Characters donning heavy armor will find that they make more noise than someone wearing light armor or robes.  Swords, maces, and axes each have different, distinctive sounds when swinging and even striking, and every spell has a unique sound.  The dialogue is clear and, while the voice acting could be a grade or two better, the fact that NPC’s will hold full conversations with themselves provides limitless entertainment.

The underlying engine ensures players aren’t exploring the same caves twice when accepting quests, of which there are countless.  With a new leveling system, including perks and fewer skills to master, you’ll find that you have more fun playing, rather than trying to master the tricky system prevalent in previous titles.

The gameplay itself is what sets The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim above anything we’ve ever played.  The story above is only one example of the events that can unfold during your time in Skyrim.  The improvisation of the AI gives players a truly unique experience with each and every play through.  Beyond the great ingredients of TESV: Skyrim, the visuals, audio, and gameplay, the end product is why players have flocked to stores to buy it.  While that sounds like a pretty obvious statement, it’s far deeper than that superficial statement.  As gamers, we yearn to be moved.  To have a feeling or an experience that makes us breathe deep or makes our heart race and the glory of Skyrim is that those very feelings are always a moment away.  Since the dawn of gaming, we’ve all shared our stories of amazing feats against insurmountable odds.  In fact, that very premise is usually the root of most games we play and enjoy, including pen & paper games like Dungeons and Dragons or Warhammer.

While Skyrim certainly has problems, glitched quests, strange AI habits, or odd physics, it fills a void that gamers were unaware they needed: randomness.  Never quite knowing what’s going to happen, but knowing that whatever it is will be amazing, forces players to continue to the next objective or explore “just one more cave”.  Couple that with near 100 levels and hundreds of hours of gameplay, you have 2011’s Game of the Year and a game that MMOFringe recommends.

Sm1tty Sm1t is a gaming industry writer whose other articles can be found on his blog as well as at other gaming sites. Check back soon to see what he has in store for us next.

 * The article above does not reflect the opinions of the entire site especially those who have yet to play the game. Though they should be. ;)