Skyrim Is Awesome and Here's Why Thread (Spoilers)

[JohnnyV]

I ended up playing Skyrim for the first time last night, and it's been awhile since a game truly went beyond the expectations I had set for it like Skyrim. I've never been shy about the things I hated in Oblivion. The wonky menu system, the wonky third-person mode, the wonky facial animations, the wonky story. In case you couldn't tell, I thought Oblivion was a pretty wonky game. Skyrim has taken the Oblivion formula and nearly fixed every single problem I had with it.

The Elder Scrolls games have always tickled one of my biggest gaming bones, and that's the idea of exploration. If you give me an open enough world, and a reason to adventure through it, I'll simply walk around and stumble into things without following any direct path. Much of how I do when I travel to places; I say screw maps and just get lost in the experience of being somewhere different.

I played Skyrim for about four hours last night, and beyond the starting area I didn't complete one single quest. I only talked to one person (the hunter right outside the starting city, down by the river). The rest of my time was simply spent wondering around and seeing what I could find. The compass on the top of the screen is such a tease. An icon will appear when you're near a landmark, and I feel like a complete failure if I don't go check out what's at this icon.

One adventure led me to the Bloodlet Mountain Outpost, where I couldn't beat the final vampire master boss. Definitely going back to kick that Twilight loving elf's ass though. And going back into explore mode, I found the Pine (wood?) bandit outpost. The house you first enter seems like it's nothing, but if you explore (like I do!), you're awarded with a fun outpost to fight your way through which leads to a treasure room. No quest pointed me to this place, all I did was explore and let my curiosity lead the way.

My first impression of Skyrim can't be summed up any better than saying it was amazing. Playing the game within the little time of space I did, I can see how everyone would have different stories to share which is why I created this thread. What awesome things have you run into while playing?

[Centaur]

Funny thing... yesterday, if you were searching for Guild Wars 2 on youtube, you'd get a Skyrim video.
ArenaNet noticed this too, and here's their response:

Recently some fans brought it to our attention that when you search for "Guild Wars 2" on Youtube it pulls up a promoted video for Bethesda's Skyrim. They asked if we were upset by this, but honestly we're flattered! We're all big RPG fans here at ArenaNet and a lot of us are playing Skyrim. By targeting Guild Wars 2 fans, Bethesda's saying that folks who like Skyrim will also like Guild Wars 2 when it comes out, to which we can only say "Thanks for the compliment, guys!"

[Winterbay]

I played Skyrim for about four hours last night, and beyond the starting area I didn't complete one single quest. I only talked to one person (the hunter right outside the starting city, down by the river). The rest of my time was simply spent wondering around and seeing what I could find. The compass on the top of the screen is such a tease. An icon will appear when you're near a landmark, and I feel like a complete failure if I don't go check out what's at this icon.

Yep, this is the exact reason I probably won't get the game. I see a cave/tower/house/something and I have to go in and explore it. I never get anywhere which frustrates the hell out of me. It's a bit too open ended for my tastes

[Centaur]

On a related note, I thought this Skyrim article was hilarious! Being a completionist (if there is something to be done in the game, then I have to do it), I don't think Skyrim and my private life would mix well... so I'll pass on it for now.

[Winterbay]

On a related note, I thought this Skyrim article was hilarious! Being a completionist (if there is something to be done in the game, then I have to do it), I don't think Skyrim and my private life would mix well... so I'll pass on it for now.

That article is so me, and also yes, hilarious

[JohnnyV]

Yep, this is the exact reason I probably won't get the game. I see a cave/tower/house/something and I have to go in and explore it. I never get anywhere which frustrates the hell out of me. It's a bit too open ended for my tastes

But that's the fun of it, exploring for the sense of exploring. Why the need to get anywhere?

[ComplexNuber]

Well, I had quite an interesting journey in Skyrim this morning (needless to say, spoilers). I was walking around in Riften, half looking for how to contact the Dark Brotherhood and half looking for ways to get distracted until I figure it out. I spoke to a robed man in an inn and he offered a drinking contest, offering a staff if I could beat him. Who am I to decline? Turned out he was a lightweight, after 3 drinks I had him beat. Well, so I thought.

Shortly after my screen blacked out, I had awoken hung over in the temple of Dibella with bottles of wine scattered, on the entire other-end of Skyrim - in Markarth! A very angry priestess wasted no time telling me of my blasphemous drunken rampage involving making a mess of the temple, and perhaps some fondling of the statues of Dibella...

After that I spent a long wild goose chase working backwards trying to figure out what I did during my night out, which involved stealing cattle and selling them to giants, and getting engaged to a women who I don't know. Eventually, I worked back to a ruin where after a way-too-hard boss fight I opened a portal to a very strange place. It turns out I had no ordinary Hangover 3 experience, it seems I was tricked by a Daedric prince...

I'll leave it at that. And that's why TES games are one of a kind.

[Guides Of Guild Wars]

Well, I had quite an interesting journey in Skyrim this morning (needless to say, spoilers). I was walking around in Riften, half looking for how to contact the Dark Brotherhood and half looking for ways to get distracted until I figure it out. I spoke to a robed man in an inn and he offered a drinking contest, offering a staff if I could beat him. Who am I to decline? Turned out he was a lightweight, after 3 drinks I had him beat. Well, so I thought.

Shortly after my screen blacked out, I had awoken hung over in the temple of Dibella with bottles of wine scattered, on the entire other-end of Skyrim - in Markarth! A very angry priestess wasted no time telling me of my blasphemous drunken rampage involving making a mess of the temple, and perhaps some fondling of the statues of Dibella...

After that I spent a long wild goose chase working backwards trying to figure out what I did during my night out, which involved stealing cattle and selling them to giants, and getting engaged to a women who I don't know. Eventually, I worked back to a ruin where after a way-too-hard boss fight I opened a portal to a very strange place. It turns out I had no ordinary Hangover 3 experience, it seems I was tricked by a Daedric prince...

I'll leave it at that. And that's why TES games are one of a kind.

Now if thats no epic i dunno what is! haha

The icing on the cake would have been if you encounterd a chain smoking, drug dealing monkey along the way.

Think im gunna have to take this quest and give it a go haha.

I just finished the thieves guild and i wont spoil it for anyone but. JESUS! EPIC EPIC EPIC!

[Drow]

I'm big fan of RPG games and Oblivion was best game I've played. This is what i would say if u asked me 10.11.11
Skyrim is simply amazing. Its everything what i expected and wanted to be + a little more.
!SPOILER!
Dark Brotherhood (my family... as in every other game I'm always playing assassin dark elf..) and chain quests for final strike on High King is just awesome, and then like in Hollywood movies, total turn out and new begging just becouse of a jealous girl and her betrayal....

Amazing stories inside quests, fine and good looking battles, absolute freedom and much much more = Skyrim

[Guides Of Guild Wars]

im done on it now, for some reason all my stuff from storage has gone, me done, i wish skyrim was dead!