The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Review
Price: £25.00 [Amazon]
Platform: Xbox 360
Rating: PEGI 15
Developer: Bethesda Game Studios
Publisher: Bethesda Softworks
Engine: Creation Engine, Havok
Elder Scrolls V is a action RPG of the fantasy genre showing the use of magic, swords and dragons the game follows a typical style of a fantasy game ranging in all sorts of mythical creatures and weaponry. Currently the elder scrolls V is one of the biggest games of all time destroying all other games of the genre in graphics performance and shear popularity selling over 20 million copies.
Skyrim is a game that you decide how to play, by that I mean that apart from the first few sequences nothing is compulsory and can be picked up and dropped at anytime meaning you do not have to complete the main story and can do as you wish within the world created. However the story that is told is you the player are known as Dovahkin (dragonborn) and person who is able to use the ability of dragon shouts. The game opens with your execution; however before you are killed the execution is interrupted by the dragon Alduwin allowing for your escape. From this point onwards you are free and can decide your own fate.
The gameplay follows the typical RPG style of a being able to wield a sword, shield, magic etc (what any other typical fantasy RPG would have) and of having quests that you can access from a variety of NPCs throughout the game. Informing the majority of your journey and experience (the gameplay).
Your approach to the characters if heavily reliant on your own opinion, for example you can join the Imperials or the Stormcloaks, who both fight for the land and both have valid reasons for, so you will judge them based on what your are told. Also nearly all characters are killable meaning that you can dramatically change a quest from killing one person.
The story connects with the audience as it is of a typical fantasy style, but allows you to alter it depending on your view and how you wish to play the game.
Psychics are not a huge part of Skyrim, while
you have the ability to jump and lift objects they are not used a lot during
gameplay. Firing a bow is the most frequent use of psychics mechanics. However
combat will have been a huge part of the mechanics allowing for the user of
blocking, magic and other weaponry at your disposal which will have been
important when looking at game testing and how the player reacts to the
mechanics and enemy AI.
You yourself are customisable to race gender and every other detail. Meaning that you are not a character and are just you, which is typical of an RPG and is suitable for the target audience. There are so many characters in the game that also range in gender race etc that it is hard to keep track of and you don’t really build any attachment to anyone (especially since you can kill them if you so desire). These character match the conventions of the genre however as having big civilisations with lots of characters is something every RPG and fantasy game has. This does mean that they are not particularly strong characters though as they are forgettable unless there is a certain element to them that isn’t. For example Cicero who dresses like a jester and always speaks in 3rd person.
The gameplay is what you would expect from an
RPG but the thing that makes you personally stand out is that you are Dovahkin
and have the ability to use dragon shouts which constantly reminds you of the
main narrative.
Due to its popularity the game sold 20 million
copies, been one of the most popular games of all time, and main competition
audience wise are other RPGs by the same company such as the Fallout franchise.
The game is available for the Playstation 3, Xbox 360 and PC. As with battlefield the game is far superior on PC due to the power a PC has but comes at a hefty price. So I would personally recommend a console version as they are cheaper and easier to get hold of. Performance wise though PC comes out on top.
You need to play this game. I cannot stress that enough, if you consider yourself a gamer you should own this game, it is borderline masterpiece. Trust me. If you have access to a powerful PC (Intel I7 or above) I recommend that version.
Elder Scrolls V is a action RPG of the fantasy genre showing the use of magic, swords and dragons the game follows a typical style of a fantasy game ranging in all sorts of mythical creatures and weaponry. Currently the elder scrolls V is one of the biggest games of all time destroying all other games of the genre in graphics performance and shear popularity selling over 20 million copies.
Skyrim is a game that you decide how to play, by that I mean that apart from the first few sequences nothing is compulsory and can be picked up and dropped at anytime meaning you do not have to complete the main story and can do as you wish within the world created. However the story that is told is you the player are known as Dovahkin (dragonborn) and person who is able to use the ability of dragon shouts. The game opens with your execution; however before you are killed the execution is interrupted by the dragon Alduwin allowing for your escape. From this point onwards you are free and can decide your own fate.
The gameplay follows the typical RPG style of a being able to wield a sword, shield, magic etc (what any other typical fantasy RPG would have) and of having quests that you can access from a variety of NPCs throughout the game. Informing the majority of your journey and experience (the gameplay).
Your approach to the characters if heavily reliant on your own opinion, for example you can join the Imperials or the Stormcloaks, who both fight for the land and both have valid reasons for, so you will judge them based on what your are told. Also nearly all characters are killable meaning that you can dramatically change a quest from killing one person.
The story connects with the audience as it is of a typical fantasy style, but allows you to alter it depending on your view and how you wish to play the game.
The main production process for most of the games animation
is motion capture.
Skeleton - Motion
capture
Animated skeleton – Render
Environmental Design – Animate it, render
One of the biggest if not the biggest thing is Skyrim scale.
This will be the biggest element of development making the hundred of ruins and
linking areas together to create an unbelievable huge world, which vary in
weather, scale and exploration. This
will be specifically enhanced to make sure the player has enough to explore.
You yourself are customisable to race gender and every other detail. Meaning that you are not a character and are just you, which is typical of an RPG and is suitable for the target audience. There are so many characters in the game that also range in gender race etc that it is hard to keep track of and you don’t really build any attachment to anyone (especially since you can kill them if you so desire). These character match the conventions of the genre however as having big civilisations with lots of characters is something every RPG and fantasy game has. This does mean that they are not particularly strong characters though as they are forgettable unless there is a certain element to them that isn’t. For example Cicero who dresses like a jester and always speaks in 3rd person.
When the game starts off and you are a low level rank nearly
ever encounter is extremely difficult to win, making the aim of the game to
level up. Gain experience and upgrade upgrade upgrade. Just the beauty of the environment is
captivating in itself and engaging the level type has such variety that it is
hard to plot your path as you end up getting distracted by beautiful
environment, enemy encounters and NPCs giving you quest after quest always
catching your attention.
As previously mentioned the game the game is next to
impossible with little rank, the way to succeed is to upgrade yourself by
completing quests to earn money to earn equipment to upgrade skills, and this
is what you will spend 99% of the game doing.
The target audience for Skyrim is anyone who is interested
in the fantasy genre or just of RPGs in general, with its biggest appeal of
shear exploration and variety in fantasy worlds.
The game follows typical fantasy features like swords and
shields the heavy use of magic, mythical creatures and medieval style world,
clearly fitting into the fantasy genre directly appealing to its audience.
The game is available for the Playstation 3, Xbox 360 and PC. As with battlefield the game is far superior on PC due to the power a PC has but comes at a hefty price. So I would personally recommend a console version as they are cheaper and easier to get hold of. Performance wise though PC comes out on top.
You need to play this game. I cannot stress that enough, if you consider yourself a gamer you should own this game, it is borderline masterpiece. Trust me. If you have access to a powerful PC (Intel I7 or above) I recommend that version.
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