The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Video Review

[ShirosakiX]

@ChrisTheKillgun The Dragonbourne Comes

[ChrisTheKillgun]

what is that song at the beggining?

[rawnzii]

@ChrisTheKillgun It's a song you can get lisette to sing.

[SAwyerD14]

I watched this while taking a slimy, explosive coffee shit

[Im9002glorious]

I fucking hate when people that started playing The Elder Scrolls at Morrowind think that they have been with the series the whole time. I fucking started at Daggerfall. Went on to Battlespire, then Redguard, THEN Morrowind. I haven't been with the series for the entire way, but most. I approve of Skyrim and Oblivion. BITCH!

[dragoniguana]

@Im9002glorious Amen, man. So many people who started with Morrowind acting like elitists cause they've 'always been there'. To be honest, I did start with Oblivion, then Arena, then Daggerfall, then Redguard, then Morrowind, now Skyrim. I can say that all the core Elder Scrolls games are amazing experiences, and you are in fact a 'true Elder Scrolls fan' for liking Oblivion or Skyrim, or even saying that they are better.

[Im9002glorious]

@dragoniguana Thank you.

[Recolation]

This is a great game, to be sure, but the repetitive quests and the childish writing that goes into some of them is what turns me off. It's because of this that Morrowind will always remain superior in the Elder Scrolls series as the writing in that game is superb. However, the combat in Skyrim was fantastic and the exploration (as always in Bethesda titles) was top notch.

[matternicuss]

@Recolation That's interesting, I thought the writing in Skyrim was well ahead of most contemporary games (apart from Mass Effect n Dragon Age to be sure). Morrowind had great writing too, but it was also very dry at times, and most NPCs had little personality. I also enjoyed reading many of the books, and some of the new additions to the series are fantastic.

[Recolation]

@matternicuss

While sure, it's ahead of many of the modern ggames today (that's not really saying much) but they don't have to much of an excuse to have this childish writing style when there are games like Witcher 2 and New Vegas existing around the same time Skyrim came out. Let me clarify exactly what I mean by "childish writing", for example; when the Dragon is attacking the town and after most of the town has been supposedly destroyed an NPC has the gall to say "Yep! That's a Dragon".

[matternicuss]

@Recolation I think some of those NPC quips are meant to be humorous, and nothing more. The Witcher and Fallout had plenty of examples of sarcastic humor, as do countless other RPG classics. Not really childish, just a way to add personality to minor characters. In a game the size of Skyrim, you're going to see copy&paste characters; it's inevitable. I've yet to play a massive RPG without NPC clones, and I've played a lot (Baldur's Gate, PS:T, Fallout 1/2/3/NV, Ultima VII, etc).

[Recolation]

@matternicuss Or how about when you're about 5 hours into the game when you realize that NPCs are just a copy and paste of that same NPC you met about 3 hours ago, or how about being able to be the Head of the College of Mages 2 days after you joined the said guild and know much less magic than the people below you. It's little things like this that, over time, manage to kill the immersion for me. While I enjoyed the game to a vast extent, I can't help but point out these flaws.

[matternicuss]

@Recolation The other examples you mentioned have less to do with writing and more to do with quest design. But in defense of the Mage quests, the circumstances that lead you to the top are quite reasonable, given how much you do for them...Morrowind's factions could be completed relatively quickly as well from what I remember, and while they seemingly had more for players to do, a lot of the earlier quests were fetch-related. Bethesda has simply trimmed the fat I think.

[Recolation]

@matternicuss These are just a few examples that exist in my head at 6'o clock in the morning, but I'm sure if you look hard enough you can find many more of these issues that Skyrim has. The game was a Triple A title, and thus had the funds necessary to make all of this stuff happen; to make the user feel completely immersed. I don't hate Skyrim--far from it--but realizing all it could've been--all it should've been--makes me upset and craving for more.

[matternicuss]

@Recolation Granted, there are still plenty of fetch quests both within and out of the guilds, but they have been largely removed from the main stories, adding to their immediacy. TES series has always had little quirks in their design that break some of the realism, but to me, those instances are enjoyable/fun. Plus, when such nonscripted events happen that actually add to the atmosphere, it's usually something you won't see in any other game, and they are more special for it.

[htedrom]

WHAT IS THAT HORRIBLE MUSIC

[GamingStew]

nice intro

[markomatijevic]

im gay

[SubzeroedMind]

@markomatijevic pedercino jedna lol

[5teampunker]

Lol that bound bow was doing jack shit to the elder dragon

[Khalis33]

I noticed the arrow knee joke is on almost every non-Skyrim video

[Divido126]

...I didn't really like the Oblivion intro...Thats why I installed the Alternative Start Mod which let me start on a ship instead of a prison cell....

[TehJoker001]

LOOK AT MY HORSE! MY HORSE IS AMAZING! GIVE IT A LICK! MMMM!

[photographerleia]

The intro might be drawn out, but I liked the way that my character entered the game. Waking up in the cart of prisoners reminded me a bit of waking up on the prison ship in Morrowind. It was far better then just happening to be in a cell that was supposed to be empty, and then being saved because the emperor just happened to have a dream of me. Skyrim's intro is a simple concept, ans because of that it gives far more room for the creation of a plausible backstory for us roleplayers.

[FaRrOwFoXlol]

i still have a save just before the characer customisation, for whenever i want to restart

[artemeeb]

hey everyone shut up about how is skyrim and oblivion and just play the fucking game or don't play it like I do. I will wait couple of months after bethesda release the modding tool then when this unpolished gem will really shine because of the massive modding community then I will play it and this phrase got out of hand and makes no sense and great review, well not really since in 6 minutes you can't describe the awesomeness that skyrim is

[DrDeso1]

I wanted to buy BF3 once I finish my gaming rig, but now I don't think I'll have time for it with all they packed into Skyrim

[millertime6888]

The game is awesome on Xbox but I can only imagine how much better it would be on PC. The graphics leave a bit to be desired but I'm not one to worry about such things as visuals most the time.

[zeeros1]

Skyrim.......... !00% Satisfied. :)

[jamesctallen]

I can see why the menu wouldn't be as nice with a keyboard and mouse but with a controller it's an absolute dream.

The really stripped back layout and use of the right stick to change sub-menus means you can navigate it all much quicker. It serves to let you spend much less time in the menu than oblivion.

You also don't have to stare at your characters face every time you want to use a potion as well.

[Infinitybro44]

Please do a review on assassins creed revelations

[D3va92]

Does anyone know when the patch is comeing i got the game on pc and that fps drop that happens is realy annoying and destroys the fighting :( still the game is great

[MrStatistx]

@Imnon00b5 No need to get all fanboyangry at me. I was just stating my objective observations and since i played and loved all previous bethesda games, i can not ignore the fact, that AI flaws that were allready present in Oblivion (maybe even morrowind..too long to remember) are still the same. I love Skyrim, I loved Oblivion and i loved Fallout and the reason why i even talk about the AI is, because it is advertised as "virtual living world"

[devilhunterred]

Are you going to do a Uncharted 3 review?

[MatsPaasche]

@devilhunterred Yes, I'm sorry to say however that the video review for this one didn't work out, so it's just up as a written review on our site.

[STarFishUltra]

wow, I wouldn't call the menu system "abysmal" ...still liked the review though

[downscreen129103]

now that you played the game did you go back and watch the trailer that Bethesda put out back in February? My god, everybody was so jacked up for this game after that trailer came out. And the best thing is the game is exceeding expectations.

[flyingmonkeywarrior]

It pisses me off how linear and boring your character is. There aren't' any choices or decisions to make, you just say "yes" or "no". In some quests you can't even SAY yes or no. You're forced to do stupid shit and there's no way out of it. Like the stupidass Molag Bal quest. All you get is some dumbshit mace and you're FORCED to kill a guy or else you have to lug around a 13 pound quest item forever...

[MrStatistx]

@flyingmonkeywarrior thats a good point. I often find myself automatically accepting quests that i wouldn't do if i had a choice, just because i made the mistake to talk to an NPC. I will ignore those, but my Quest OCD (i just have to clear the journal ^^) makes that pretty hard.

[Versudan]

I'm surprised you guys didn't talk about the picking up and placing items with precision placement problem... That's been the most infuriating part of Skyrim so far that I've seen...

[snipeshade]

I sometimes just stop and listen to the music. So beautiful and I always get goosebumps when the theme song starts

[DragonHunterX]

The fuck do you mean Oblivion's Intro was better?!?!? It was going through the shittiest dungeon of all time and then watching the emperor die. THAT'S IT.

I will take my dragon ravaging a town thank you very much.

[G4MERM4D09]

@DragonHunterX yep same .

[ivg1979]

@DragonHunterX It had Patrick Stewart. Most of the time you were by yourself fending for yourself against skeletons and rats. You learned the basics of the game. AND you could save just before leaving the dungeon and make any and all changes necessary. I liked Oblivion's intro better, too.

[DragonHunterX]

@ivg1979 If you actually need taught the basics, there's a manual for that. The Oblivion Intro was horribly boring and uncreative. Just like the rest of the game.

[ivg1979]

@DragonHunterX I respectfully disagree. I thought Oblivion was just as addictive and rewarding as Morrowind, and now Skyrim.

[ShimyIa1]

@DragonHunterX The Emperror died without even someone killing him in my playthrought...

yepp. Oblivion is shit (i havent played it through the end! and didn't waste houndreds of hours in it)

Skyrim is very good though

[pubesz]

2:29 "...are terrorizing the Tamriel province of Skyrim.." funny mistake!

[TigranTheMetz]

Best Skyrim review I have. Although, not surprising as it is Elder-Geek :P

[MrBlargable]

I want to get this on PC, but I'm to afraid that it will not run smoothly. I looked at the recommended specs and I match all of them BUT the quad core.

My exact specs are:

Processor: AMD Phenom II dual-core 3Ghz

RAM: 4GBs DDR2

Graphics Card: ATI Radeon HD 4600 Series 1GBs dedicated RAM

Could someone give me an idea of how well that would run? Like not an exact result just an estimate :P

And great review :D Can't wait for money to get this.

[Boatesy13511]

The inventory menu is absolutely brilliant. Sleek, simple and effective. So much so, it is an asset than a hindrance.

[tome0124]

@XiozTheDisturbed thanks....!!

[HeticScorpion]

I have come across a serious game-breaking bug that I cannot continue on with the main quest because of it. It is believed to be associated by joining the Thieves Guild before starting the quest 'A Cornered Rat'. I had to make a entirely new character just to be able to experience the main quest. I hope Bethesda patches this soon so I can continue with my main character (level 27).

[jamoke57]

Yeah they changed alot of stuff from Morrowind and Oblivion it sort of caught me off guard. It wasn't what I was expecting, but it is still a good game and a must buy for anyone into RPGs.

[SevenMinuteNutter]

I have a similar opinion as every one else; Great review but I had no trouble with the menu system, and I believe it to be better than Oblivions, as it was much easier for me to manage, especially with a companion following me. In terms of selling/storing and buying on the PS3 I almost always accidently used an item rather than store it, or bought it rather than equipped it.

[marat271]

Will you be reviewing Anno 2070, I know you like reviewing lower profile strategy games :) I already bought it, but I want more people to know about it!

[MightyWolve]

Please help me fixing lag tryed everything!

[MightyWolve]

I am the only one with lag?! I dont get it. I have a videocard NVIDIA GTX 506Ti

[marat271]

@MightyWolve That card doesn't exist...

[MightyWolve]

@marat271 NVIDIA Geforce GTX 560Ti, sorry.

[nottheone79]

They didn't even complete the game. Hence, they are not at all prepared to review it. Garbage journalism.

[Furycrab]

All honesty, I have access to both, but I'm really enjoying my console version. The menus work fine with a pad, I just get the feeling that they couldn't change the look for the PC version so that's why it suffered, but it makes up elsewhere if your computer can handle it.

[Tidermans]

IMO the inventory menu is a load of shit. It's (for me anyway) buggy and wont do what I want it to do most of the time. It's like it loses track of my cursor and thinks that I'm using an xbox with a controller

[MrStatistx]

The Inventory is tuned down..regarding the comments that is preference, but in RPGs i personally like more complex elements.

I love this game, but Bethesda is sure lucky that Oblivion was allready a good game,cause the differences in added features and same past flaws (AI anyone?) that were allready present in Oblivion,would give them bad scores, IF the foundation wasn't allready that great. graphics are not that good, but they put a lot of detail in it,which makes a fantastic overall scenery

[garion333]

Gotta say that was a bit hyperbolic, Randy, buuuuuuuuuut you are a huge Elder Scrolls fan, so ... ;)

[Elegost3000]

i don t know why can t i put stuff in my right hand by using the favourite menu(PC) it isn t a big thing but a very annoying one

[YAUJTAwarrior]

whats that crown/mask he is wearing at 6:34?

[LynxCoding]

I get constant CTD's and I've tried all the fixes, Bethesda need to patch this. Also, the UI is definitely worse. T.T

[ivg1979]

@XiozTheDisturbed Exactly. Just make sure you don't have duplicates of an item. If you hotkey something with duplicates, there's a glitch that unbinds the item once you use it.

[irishdevil]

I now understand the barfing rainbows jokes.

[tome0124]

I just hope there's a hotkey loadout system... so that i don't need to go to the favorite menu just to find a little skill from a huge list...

[ovidiu92]

@tome0124 there is

[mrnicktoyou]

I like the game but I'm waiting for some true progress in these type of games. The villagers are just cardboard cutouts that only respond to two questions and just walk around aimlessly the rest of the time. I want villagers and characters that truly interact with their environment, that have to eat and sleep every day, and that respond to your presence accordingly. For now, games like this are still too primitive for me.

[LiamNeesonsDick]

@mrnicktoyou

Oh boy it was funny when Bethesda lied about the AI functioning exactly like that in Oblivion.

Funny...and a massive disappointment. 

[tarutso]

@mrnicktoyou I feel what you've noted here will be a key step to the next level of RPG gaming. I agree wholeheartedly that towns and villages still feel a bit static. Once developers overcome this, it will signal a whole new era of RPG gaming and gaming immersion! Very excited by this prospect!

[mrnicktoyou]

@tarutso Exactly. I want the developers to create a fully functioning social system where all the characters in a town are like a cog in a machine. So for example; one villager can collect and deliver water for the entire village every day. And if you kill him, the villagers won't have water and so will have to start fetching their own or hire someone new to do the job. That type of relationship between characters would be what I want in a future game like this.

[Imnon00b5]

...they do that... this AI has the most AI depth in any game ever you ungrateful...

[mrnicktoyou]

@Imnon00b5 No, they don't do that. Please, don't tell lies.

[MrStatistx]

@Imnon00b5 Not really. Just watch them repeat everything all the time, do the exact same thing every day and go back to their routine if they got distracted for a moment. There is so much more that needs to be done, to call it great. My NPC companion and I came OUT of a cave and she said "Hey look, a cave.Wonder whats in there", or I am LEADER of the companions and one guy says "You're the new guy?What are your duties?Fetch some mead?" and don't get me started on pathfinding. still a great game.

[Imnon00b5]

Excactly how much do you expect!?!?!? The AI has gone into more depth than any game has ever offered. There is no damm game where people will expect fucking EVERYTHING

Do you think fans from AC or GTA or DA ever reallyy complained about AI? OF course not because its regular?

Do you have to be so spoiled? Oblivion's AI was great but people had to complain. Skyrim's done so much more better you want to complain somre more?

Nothing Bethesda does can be good anymore then? Everything be perfect?

[LiamNeesonsDick]

@Imnon00b5

This AI has a few gimmicks.

The most depth in any game ever? That's a good joke right there.

As far as towns go, smoke and mirrors, it may appear to be living and breathing, but it just *appears* to function realistically. Delve deeper than that and you don't find anything.

[Imnon00b5]

Right everything has to be perfect right? Games like AC,GTA,DA has such beautiful in depth AI right? Why do the Skyrim fanbase have to bitch?

Because Bethesda tried unlike other games thats why people complain? Right lets ignore the effort put into there, and ill bitch easily like you've done. Thatll get me somewhere 

[LiamNeesonsDick]

@Imnon00b5

Uh no, how about try not to make false claims about the AI having depth and then getting all whiny when people respond to you truthfully.

[Imnon00b5]

I was getting whiny about the AI I see hmm...

Instead you should stop being an unappreciative bitch about things. Only a dumbass like you would look at an AI for hours to find a flaw in it. Guess what your not supposed to, theres not going to be a lifelike AI in games for years but they practiced the theory excellently like in oblvion which did it better than many games, and same with Skyrim

And your reply to another comment, Bethesda didint lie about anything your just a little dick.

[LiamNeesonsDick]

@Imnon00b5

I'm not being unappreciative, there is nothing to appreciate.

I have not looked at an AI for hours to find flaws in it, but nice assumption.

Hahaha...oh wow, please, stop flattering the AI of Oblivion and Skyrim, I can't take much more bullshit.

"And your reply to another comment, Bethesda didint lie about anything your just a little dick."

Nope, go watch the Oblivion E3 2006 demos, and your insults are poor and only go to show just how offended you are. Pitiful.

[Imnon00b5]

Listen you get nowere when all the person does is argue with the misconception that all he does is speak the truth

All your comment said was "Im right your wrong"

How about next time try putting something more insightful. And also your the one who was bitching about the AI for no reason, and yet in any other counterargument ive made the most insightful thing you've said "is im right your wrong" which isnt insightful at all

[LiamNeesonsDick]

@Imnon00b5

If I'm dealing with inherent incorrectness, I will do nothing more than I need to; deny.

[matternicuss]

@LiamNeesonsDick 'smoke and mirrors' describes practically every video game ever made, bud. Its supposed to give you the feel of activity and town life, but if you expect it to be uncannily realistic, think again. Programming games like this is a monumental task. People don't realize that all the code that goes into games of this size comes with a cost (bugs, awkward moments, etc). I've played games with similarly open worlds such as Ultima 7, and Gothic, and its no different with those.

[LiamNeesonsDick]

@matternicuss

Thanks for that, 'bud', but your condescending tone is unnecessary.

There is no such thing as AI, all NPCs are scripted, I realize this, but it's the the breadth of those scripts that matters. Reactions depending on what occurs and good pathing; take FEAR or Crysis.

I never expected Bethesda to have lifelike AI in Skyrim, nor do I expect it in any other, except I did in Oblivion.

Maybe if Bethesda hadn't lied about their 'radiant AI' in Oblivion, no one would be complaining.

[matternicuss]

@LiamNeesonsDick Comparing Skyrim to FEAR or Crysis is asinine. Both those games are much smaller in comparison and the environments more simplistic, so the AI is less likely to go haywire. That is why games like this are generally more polished; they have less content. Bethesda did not lie about Radiant AI. It was just a buzz word to describe the much improved NPC scheduling over Morrowind, which had static npcs. A better comparison would be Gothic 2or Risen since these games have npc shedules

[LiamNeesonsDick]

@matternicuss

I did not compare Skyrim to FEAR or Crysis.

Crysis has more simplistic environments than Skyrim, ay? Good one. Now there's an asinine comparison.

Bethesda, namely Todd Howard, blatantly falsely advertised the AI of Oblivion, go and watch the 2006 E3 demo. Don't even try to deny that, because you would be arguing with facts.

[matternicuss]

@LiamNeesonsDick I've watched the interviews, and I'm sorry, but your arguments are not compelling. And yes, you did use FEAR and Crysis as examples, otherwise I would not have mentioned them. Howard was merely stating that the scheduling in Oblivion would be far more sophisticated to that of Morrowind, and he was right. It wasn't a perfect system, but it was still a step in the right direction. Crysis has better graphics than Skyrim, but not nearly as much content. It is a much simpler game.

[LiamNeesonsDick]

@matternicuss

I don't particularly care whether you find my argument compelling, if you truly didn't find it compelling you wouldn't be replying to me, it's truthful.

I used FEAR and Crysis as examples of NPCs that were extensively scripted, you said it was a comparison to Skyrim, you pulled that out of the air, well done.

Wow, you're actually trying to defend this. Todd displayed an NPC going through a daily routine, interacting with a pet, partaking in a hobby; living. Utter bullshit.

[LiamNeesonsDick]

@matternicuss

And as for you calling Crysis a much simpler game than Skyrim, you're the only one here making asinine comparisons. You're an absolute hypocrite and need to improve your reading comprehension. 

[matternicuss]

@LiamNeesonsDick Your user name should tell me everything I need to know. Good day troll.

[LiamNeesonsDick]

@matternicuss

Way to leave the argument there.

He's right; he's a troll.

Yeah, good day, kiddo.

[MrStatistx]

@LiamNeesonsDick I agree. It is surely better than in other games, but the points i described show that it still has it's flaws and is far from "simulated living". The only thing that really gripes me is, that i see the same flaws with it like i allready witnessed in fallout and oblivion. It is a great game, but those flaws will haunt me in every bethesda game i play and played (and even more, since those are the games i play through most often)

[azumanga]

I find myself using more of the wasd keys in the menus rather than the mouse. Sigh. Still an amazing game.

[transexualtoothfairy]

I've played this game for about 50h+ , only crashed once when i tried to talk with a npc that was stuck on the floor. I enjoy those crashes, gives me an oppurtunity to return to real life once and a while. That's the reason they excist

[mattlikesleep]

SMOOOLF BOOOOOGGINS!

[chaotisms]

Ive found a bug that clones some npc's outside of a city, very funny :D. Dont know exactly how it works, but sometimes when i fast travel directly to a stable there are 2 of every person.

I like Skyrim alot, even though it has lots of bugs :]

[halo6534]

This game crashed or froze on me about 10 times already. Some of the quests glitch and the person im suppose to meet in stuck inside a wall. Sometimes the characters glitch and they say the same thing multiple times. And the ending is very unsatisfying......but regardless this game is a masterpiece and deserves a 10/10. Cause i give credit were credits due. And this game deserves all the recognition it gets. And i liked the INV system. Its confusing at first but its still amazing.

[MadPropzBaller]

Game is ridiculously good :P

[Krijgsmetaal]

Great review once again.

[LiamNeesonsDick]

"That combat is very satisfying"

Ha....ha-HAHAHAHA.

[emilan1212]

on PC the inventory system is terrible and buggy as hell

[wario22]

Every reviewer of the game i have ever seen always plays a freakin argonian

[Whiteadder66]

Great review as always

[CyberMcRock]

I think the inventory menu to be twice as better than Oblivion's inventory menu, but this is still a good review non the less

[dinocro111]

@CyberMcRock WTF? How can you people say that? Its so consolised its very awkward to use it with a mouse on the PC.

[TheRiisingSun]

@dinocro111 can't believe modders turned to new textures first :( This is seriously one of the only real annoying things in the game, to me..

[RogierV2]

Great review, I disagree about the inventory menu being worse though.

[ThePhatIndian]

@RogierV2 Do you play on the PC? It's really only a problem for the PC version as the mouse and keyboard allow for a more precise manipulation of inventory items (but the current menu doesn't let you take advantage of that).

[RogierV2]

@ThePhatIndian

I play it on PC, but I don't think it's bad.

[matternicuss]

@RogierV2 I think the inventory menu works great on console, since it was designed for a gamepad, but I can imagine that it would be really awkward to manage with a keyboard and mouse.

[Icky34]

Great game, great review, my only problem is that the game just feels very easy and a but dumbed down compared to Morrowind and Oblivion. I like the new 'class' system, but it just turns into a game of how broken can you make your character. A lot of the perks are just ridiculously strong and makes me feel stupid not to get them. I think they're on the right path with this idea, but it needs more tweaking and balance changes. Dragons also feel like big pushovers. I expected more of a challenge.

[staplekey]

already bought it.

[specterseal999]

Sorry,

Can't use magic*

[SpardaDVLKing3]

Finally! The only thing I would take a break from Skyrim.

[specterseal999]

Fantastic review. Fantastic game.

One more complaint that I got tho,

You can use magic while weapons are not in hand, specifically the restoration.

I notice it when I ended a fight, took away my weapon, and automatically pull it back out when I right click. Small complaint, but I noticed it :P

And I hope a bit more stability in the game with FPS going up and down....

[NewtypeFarseer]

Nice Review as always

[Nokterne]

great review, but it's spoilerific for people who haven't played yet

[kakmonstret123]

nice review guys

[DanPathard]

Fantastic!

[sebaswildboy]

first!