Tuesday, November 15, 2011

I can't see.

My eyes burn this morning, in the only way eyes can burn after you've had a night that did not contain nearly enough sleep.  And the pointed lack of posts here is further proof that I've been doing something else with my free time.  Unless you've been living under a fucking rock since last Tuesday, I don't need to explain that I've been playing Skyrim as much as I can.

This game is an odd specimen.  I don't mean that in the actual game itself, but more of what the game has done to the gaming community at-large.  Just like the Oscar-buzz when a new artsy movie comes out, the Game of the Year buzz has been buzzing now all week.  Moreso, I've seen people proclaiming this game as the greatest open-world game ever made.  I'm seeing people actually profess excitement and love for a game -- which, if you are familiar with the gaming community, is like getting Iran to say they love Jews.  (Off-color joke is off-color.)



Do I think it's worthy of the greatest open-world game of all time title?  Most certainly yes.

But it does not hold that title for me, at least not yet.  Fallout (more specifically Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas, which I consider to be the same game) hold that title.  Bethesda shouldn't be upset with me over that, since both of those are also their games, and Fallout has always been my game.  It's everything that I like.  But I am blown away by Skyrim.

Fortunately, a lot of the things I adore about Fallout are right here in Skyrim.  Not only that, but Beth has simply created a stunning game, and they deserve all the credit their getting for it.  You truly feel like you're in this HUGE, sprawling world.  A -real-, living world.  For someone who isn't a fan of post-apocalyptic settings, I can fully understand how they would prefer Skyrim's world over Fallout's.

And the real test to see how good a game is just happens to be one that Skyrim has passed for me -- every time I go to make a blog post about it, I ask myself why the fuck I'm not playing the game instead of writing about the game.  And then I go play the game.  Screw writing about it.  Just so happens that I -can't- play the game right now.  Thus the blog post.  Without screenshots.  Because those are at home.  But so is Skyrim.  Do you see the problem I have, now?

In any case, since the game has been out for a week now, I'd say it's safe enough for me to start talking about it.

When I think about the game from 30,000 feet, the first thing that comes to mind is the world itself.  It's -so- difficult to describe exactly how well designed it is.  I can use adjectives like 'believable', 'beautiful', 'realistic', 'epic', 'sprawling', or 'jizz-in-my-pants inducing'.  But when I do that, it feels like just words and that I'm not doing it a bit of justice.  So, I think that a good way of putting is that you will probably never find a world that is more -immersive- than this one.  Even Fallout can't compare there -- the Capital Wasteland or the Mojave were not this immersive.  In my opinion, Fallout's world is more fun to explore.  Walking around and finding odd things in that game is one of my favorite things to do in gaming, period.  But Skyrim does immersion better.  You feel like you're -in- it.

I apologize for making so many comparisons to Fallout, but it's sort of unavoidable.  They are made by the same company, and Beth has publicly stated that they have borrowed the best things from Fallout to put into Skyrim, and also used what they learned from Fallout when they made Skyrim.  I have to make comparisons.

As a side note into my comment regarding exploration -- there is one thing Beth could have changed about Skyrim that would have made exploration a bit more enjoyable for me:  Encumberment.  If I didn't get over-encumbered every time I picked up so much as a piece of charcoal, I'd probably be more inclined to go into that cave.  Fallout has the same system, but it seems INCREDIBLY MORE HARSH in Skyrim.  It's been relieved a bit after getting a companion who can also carry things, but I have still yet to go through a dungeon, cave, house, building, etc without being over-encumbered before reaching the end.  This could be further relieved if there was actually a system that let me know which items I needed to use for which professions to make which things in what quantities at what time in what place at which full moon on the 9th day of the third month...you get the idea.  This is pretty much my only gripe about the game thus far!

So that leaves the things that are my favorites!  They include:

  • The quest/map system.  Clear and concise.  Thank you for giving me an open world, but one in which I also know where I'm supposed to go.
  • I already mentioned the world.  But I'll mention it again.  DAT WORLD.
  • The weapon design.  DAT AXE!
  • The incredible flexibility in regards to your character's power.  Weapons!  Shouts!  Spells!  Potions!  Oh my!
  • Surprises.  Shrines in the middle of no where.  Walruses trying to eat my face.  Daedras wanting me to be their assassin.  A child performing black magic on his mother's corpse.  Higher powers summoning me at random intervals.  I'm one busy Nord.

Another thing that I really like is the fact that the game is really well designed to pick up and put back down again at any time.  Saving anywhere means that if I'm tired, or if it's late, or if I just need to go do something else, I can and it's not a problem at all.  (Suck it, console players!)

Also, I like the interface.  It's very slick as far as I'm concerned.  My only suggestion would be something I've already covered -- tell me if these items I've picked up are useful, or vendor trash.  Even MMOs tell you this -- grey items = vendor trash.  It's simple.  But that's a moot point and sort of a sideline.  The UI is good in my opinion.  People like TB are bitching about it.  I suppose they need something to fuel their hate brigade, amirite?

You have no idea how badly I want to play now.  Crom dammit.  

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