Imagine a massive world, where every blade of grass, every rock, every tiny item inside a house, has been crafted and placed there. Imagine this world alive with sounds and movement, the spindrift of the snow on the mountains, leaves falling from trees, animals moving through the undergrowth. Whether it is dark or sunny, misty or clear, raining or snowing; it is beautiful.
Now imagine the world filled with more than 350 locations, from large towns to small underground caverns. Imagine different races of people, different cultures, all waiting to interact with you with more than 60,000 lines of script. Imagine hundreds of books to be read, puzzles to be unlocked and quests to undertake. Welcome to the world of Skyrim.
It’s easy to sum up Skyrim in one word, and that word would be “massive”. It’s a massive physical world with a massive amount of detail, and as you spend the hours tramping around the varied scenery, you can’t hep but wonder how many thousands of man hours it took to build it. Walk into a town and there is life going on all around you. Fight break out, there’s the occasional murder, rumour and intrigue abound. There are shops and inns and private houses and castles and centres of study and worship. There is an elaborate culture, in fact there are different elaborate cultures in the various areas, or “holds” of Skyrim; but the overall feel is Norse, in keeping with the mountainous and chilly terrain.
If there was just the world, then it would be an impressive place to visit; but of course this is a game and there has to be something defined for you to undertake. But this is Skyrim, so the choices are “massive”.
The game starts with you as a prisoner about to executed. Luckily for you, a dragon attacks your captors and you escape. A fellow escapee suggests you go and talk to someone in a distant town. You do that and so starts a long chain of quests involving…. actually I don’t know because I was diverted by other opportunities. As you travel around you meet people. They tell you things, they ask you favours, they offer you work. It would be impolite to refuse. Then you discover various guilds looking for members, factions wanting your support, mines that can be mined so you craft armour, almost endless items to collect in the pursuit of alchemy and enchanting. There are skills to be developed, traders to be traded with, followers to be acquired and if you get really desperate, you can even get married. This might be the only wife you have if you spend too many hours playing the game.
Every time I drop into the world of Skyrim, I have a vague idea of what I am going to do, but I always end up doing something else; and it is always hugely entertaining. My computer tells me I have been playing the game for thirty nine hours and I have barely started the main storyline; but I have become a fairly accomplished thief, my chosen profession. I have also amassed a pile of cash and am planning to buy a house in which to stash my ill-gotten loot.
It’s actually impossible to adequately describe the size and depth of this game; you really have to experience it yourself to appreciate what an achievement it is. But it may give you an idea when I tell you that the game guide that I bought The Son for Xmas has 655 pages of small type and even smaller illustrations.
Skyrim is the best computer game I have ever played. And I am not alone in my admiration. Ten million copies were shipped in the first month, something of a record, and the reviews are overwhelmingly positive. The only negative is that you need time to play it. Once you start you will want to explore the world, and I reckon at least one hundred hours of your life will be required to do it justice; but I guarantee you will love every moment.
Skyrim is available for Windows, Xbox 360 and PS3.
Comments 🔗
2012-01-08| Bob says100 hours = only 4 days.
Sadly, no Mac version….
2012-01-09| Spike saysI’m playing it on a Mac, with high graphics settings, full screen on a Cinema Display; looks amazing. Install Windows under Boot Camp. Feels a bit dirty doing it; but you get over it.