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View Full Version : A Closer Look at The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim



jkipp82
02-14-2011, 04:20 PM
Improving on Oblivion.

Many might associate Bethesda Game Studios with the irradiated wastes of Fallout, but slightly older video game fans know the company established itself on swords-and-sorcery fantasy. Without the success of The Elder Scrolls role-playing series, there likely would be no Fallout 3 as we know it today, and Bethesda's parent company Zenimax Media probably wouldn't have been able to build the impressive stable of studios it has. That's not the only reason The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is a big deal.

Elder Scrolls games represent an old-school kind of open-world fantasy. Go anywhere, do anything, kill anyone. The freedom offered in these games is one of the most thrilling parts, as is encountering the thousands of world-breaking bugs that tend to pop up. There aren't many studios in existence capable of not only creating these kinds of games but also making them comprehensible and fun. Now that there are a few screenshots of Skyrim floating around, it's possible to more closely examine changes Bethesda's making to its flagship series.

Better Character Models
http://pcmedia.ign.com/pc/image/article/114/1149286/elder-scrolls-v-skyrim-20110211033144739-000.jpg
Oblivion
http://pcmedia.ign.com/pc/image/article/114/1149286/elder-scrolls-v-skyrim-20110211033145911-000.jpg
Skyrim

Bethesda's using all new technology to build Skyrim, which ideally means a few things like shorter loading times and better draw distances and so on. It also most definitely means the character models look a lot better. The evidence for this is pretty obvious, I think. Hopefully it also means 75 percent of Skyrim's population won't refer to you as "The Hero of Kvatch." Maybe the new AI system that governs non-player character behavior will make for some more interesting variation across multiple playthroughs.

Better Spell Effects
http://pcmedia.ign.com/pc/image/article/114/1149286/elder-scrolls-v-skyrim-20110211033129927-000.jpg
Oblivion
http://pcmedia.ign.com/pc/image/article/114/1149286/elder-scrolls-v-skyrim-20110211033138583-000.jpg
Skyrim

Hitting someone with a fireball in Oblivion was a satisfying act. It dealt damage, made you feel like a badass, and sometimes caused the targets to fly across the landscape like victims of fatal trampoline accidents. In Skyrim, judging by this screenshot and the small flecks of flame around the impact point, it looks as though the spell effects will be much more detailed. Bethesda decided to reduce the total schools of magic from Oblivion, dropping Mysticism, but that doesn't mean there'll be less to choose from in terms of combat options. Leveling will be faster and Skyrim will include Fallout-like perks.

Fancier Interface
http://pcmedia.ign.com/pc/image/article/114/1149286/elder-scrolls-v-skyrim-20110211033847854-000.jpg
Oblivion
http://pcmedia.ign.com/pc/image/article/114/1149286/elder-scrolls-v-skyrim-20110211033143208-000.jpg
Skyrim

This screen shows off some of some statistics for a character that's talented at tossing out offensive magic but stinks at enchanting. It looks very slick, displaying the game's magical schools in an eye-catching way. As much I love picking through dense grids of numbers to determine how to best optimize my equipment and skills (I'm not being sarcastic), I also appreciate an interface that's fun to navigate. Is it weird to say I'm looking forward to seeing the in-game map?

Dungeon Crawling
http://pcmedia.ign.com/pc/image/article/114/1149286/elder-scrolls-v-skyrim-20110211033134787-000.jpg
Oblivion
http://pcmedia.ign.com/pc/image/article/114/1149286/elder-scrolls-v-skyrim-20110211033147411-000.jpg
Skyrim

Hacking apart horrors in the depths of the earth is a big part of many fantasy role-playing games, and looks to be a part of Skyrim, as would be expected. The cool part is checking out all the graphical detail packed in. Notice how each enemy is distinctly detailed, from the armor to the weapons down the rotting neck muscles. Notice also the curvilinear designs etched into the rock walls and the shadows and lighting effects caused by the torch. This screen makes me kind of scared about system requirements, but I suppose that's par for the course with Elder Scrolls games.

Different Environment Types
http://pcmedia.ign.com/pc/image/article/114/1149286/elder-scrolls-v-skyrim-20110211033141786-000.jpg
Oblivion
http://pcmedia.ign.com/pc/image/article/114/1149286/elder-scrolls-v-skyrim-20110211033150755-000.jpg
Skyrim

Gone is the ubiquity of Oblivion's bright green forests. Oblivion, as you might know, is set in Cyrodiil. Cyrodiil, as you might not know, is a territory in the fictional land of Tamriel. Skyrim, where The Elder Scrolls V is set, lies north of Cyrodiil, and appropriately has different forest types, as you can see with the birch trees here. You can also see a deer, meaning nerds like me who like to sit in the woods and hunt non-hostile creatures in fantasy role-playing games will be happy.

Dragons
http://pcmedia.ign.com/pc/image/article/114/1149286/elder-scrolls-v-skyrim-20110211033127193-000.jpg
Skyrim
http://pcmedia.ign.com/pc/image/article/114/1149286/elder-scrolls-v-skyrim-20110211033140240-000.jpg
Skyrim

Not much of a description is required here. These winged monsters make Skyrim instantly better than Oblivion. Dragons are the nuclear weapons of fantasy games.

DJ XHUNTER
02-14-2011, 04:23 PM
Looks Epic!!!!!!!!! Im Buying It As Soon as it comes out

Sephiroth
02-14-2011, 04:23 PM
Cant wait to play this game http://www.360haven.com/forums/images/icons/NewfunnyIcons/slobber.png

CloudStrife7x
02-14-2011, 05:39 PM
this game looks awesome cant wait

13Dannyboy13
02-14-2011, 06:06 PM
Yeah, this game should be epic, I just hate that the wait is so long, all this info coming out and it's not being released till the middle of november. I can't wait for this game.

Skullkeeper
02-14-2011, 06:37 PM
Currently have about 600 or more hours in Oblivion. Can't wait to see how much of my life is taken from this game.

Paprika
02-15-2011, 03:39 AM
It's looking very impressive, dammit November can't come fast enough.
The specs though, I am interested to see what they will be for max performance

Hipolipolopigus
02-15-2011, 06:49 AM
I can't believe that you forgot Dual wielding! D: Let's hope the mid-year upgrade of mine will suffice for decent looks and decent performance :D

xICEMANx117
02-15-2011, 07:53 AM
Currently have about 600 or more hours in Oblivion. Can't wait to see how much of my life is taken from this game.

how can you have 600 hours in oblivion i raped that game in like 30 hours did everything in that game oh and my guy is a GOD with no cheats ridicules 600 hours
hell with cheats i can run thru the main story line in like 3-4 hours if that................. BTW yea Skyrim looks epic cant wait to get ahold of it

Hipolipolopigus
02-15-2011, 01:38 PM
how can you have 600 hours in oblivion i raped that game in like 30 hours did everything in that game oh and my guy is a GOD with no cheats ridicules 600 hours
hell with cheats i can run thru the main story line in like 3-4 hours if that................. BTW yea Skyrim looks epic cant wait to get ahold of it

Dude, don't rage with BS. The entirety of Oblivion takes > 30 hours to complete. And, granted that doing certain quests will prevent you from doing others, I doubt you did 'everything'.

Plus it's quite difficult to maintain stability long enough to get much done without around 30 hours of tweaking so :P

Skullkeeper
02-15-2011, 02:15 PM
how can you have 600 hours in oblivion i raped that game in like 30 hours did everything in that game oh and my guy is a GOD with no cheats ridicules 600 hours
hell with cheats i can run thru the main story line in like 3-4 hours if that................. BTW yea Skyrim looks epic cant wait to get ahold of it

Considering I played it multiple times with different character types and classes and have done everything and explored every possible place in the game including all the expansions multiple times also. Yea I have played it that much. Believe it or not.

pureIso
02-15-2011, 02:34 PM
I did everything. I got myself a guide book.

jkipp82
02-15-2011, 04:24 PM
I did everything and earned the kitchen sink as a shield. lol.

xICEMANx117
02-15-2011, 09:08 PM
Dude, don't rage with BS. The entirety of Oblivion takes > 30 hours to complete. And, granted that doing certain quests will prevent you from doing others, I doubt you did 'everything'.

Plus it's quite difficult to maintain stability long enough to get much done without around 30 hours of tweaking so :P

and dude seriously no if you know the game well enough i can really run thru it in just a few hours with cheats and you can reread what i said it took me 30 hours to do everything im not raging im just surprised at 600 hours Morrowind i had over 100 hours in too. so please before you rage recheck what you read man that all im saying no disrespect

Hipolipolopigus
02-15-2011, 11:16 PM
and dude seriously no if you know the game well enough i can really run thru it in just a few hours with cheats and you can reread what i said it took me 30 hours to do everything im not raging im just surprised at 600 hours Morrowind i had over 100 hours in too. so please before you rage recheck what you read man that all im saying no disrespect

I'm not the one who was raging, I'm just stating the facts (which is what I do).

From IGN; "...offered over 200 hours of play..." on Feb. 6th 2007 (Too early for SI, AFAIK)
From Gamespot (On the main game); "... There's a compelling main quest for you to follow, which takes about 40 hours to finish the first time through..."
From Gamespot (On SI); "...It will take you a good 20 hours to complete the major quest line..."

You didn't do everything. And my main argument still stands, you definitely can't have because certain one-way-or-the-other choices will prevent you from doing certain things(thereby prohibiting the completion of everything in a single game)

No disrespect. BTW, what happened to your 'No cheats'? :P

jkipp82
02-16-2011, 12:08 AM
ok thats enough.