I've been putting off this review for a while, but it's time. 11/11/11 is an appropriate release date for this game, because the theme song makes me want to crank it up to 11 and rip the knob off. I played 11 hours in my first sitting with the game. I'd rate it 11 out of 10. This is my 11th completion in terms of achievements (I saved it specifically to be number 11).
I had an Xbox 360 when Skyrim came out, and the console didn't have the beefiest RPG library. I latched on to that rare, quality RPG when I could. Sure, Skyrim has a *ton* of bugs, but the game is still a masterpiece. There's a reason it keeps getting re-released nearly a decade later, right? I charged through with my Xbox 360 copy and earned every single achievement available. When I sold the Xbox and got a PS3, I turned around and got my platinum trophy. I then bought Elder Scrolls Anthology for PC, so I could see Morrowind and Oblivion that I missed, replay Arena and Daggerfall, explore the world of mods and 100% Skyrim yet again. Getting Special Edition for free was a nice bonus.
The mods are amazing. I've been working on that third 100% for years because I keep getting sidetracked by mods. This game is infinitely expandable due to the large install base, large community and incredible content. Maxing out all skills, building various characters and mastering all play styles will keep you hooked for hours on end.
The soundscape is amazing. Jeremy Soule's soundtrack is breathtakingly beautiful, and the first cry of a dragon is enough to send chills down your spine. Voice acting for special NPCs is top notch, but more generic ones have the same canned lines that have been recycled throughout a number of voice actors. I'm pretty sure the guy who voiced the generic male Nord guard is one of the voices I've heard the most in my gaming life, and I've no idea who his name is, haha. Aside from the canned lines, my only real annoyance is "A NEW HAND TOUCHES THE BEACON." If you know, you know.
The visuals are great for a game of the time, but they can definitely be buggy. We've all seen memes of horses floating in midair, dragons stretched impossibly thin across the screen, "dead" bodies breakdancing... but there's a lot of wonderful views, too. Dragonsreach in the distance as you approach is a thing of beauty. Any dungeon, or even the Ragged Flagon, evokes a dark, damp feeling. The weapons are mostly charming and visually appealing, and the variety of character creation options is fun to endlessly cycle through.
Controls are better than most games of the era, but could use some tweaking. I played with default controls for many years, but over the last year or so, I ended up swapping sneak and sprint as well as jump and sheathe/ready weapon. It just felt more natural to me, after playing more modern games with better controls.
Honestly, the weakest part of this game is the main story line. The alternative quest lines, particularly in the DLC, are just more interesting. It's a generic "save the world from dragons" story. Yeah, there's some neat stuff with the Elder Scroll, beings that are essentially beholders and time travel, but a handful of neat aspects later in the quest line don't make the overall story too compelling. We've all joked, "there's a main quest line?" for good reason. Still, the story is better than say, Arena or The Sims, lol.
It's not the best game out there, but it's endearing and has gotten me through rough times. Skyrim will always hold a special place on my top 5 games of all time.
5.0