I mean it. Since I started playing it in 2012 in my friends basement, I've known no other game like Elder Scrolls V. It's Nirvana, condensed into a disc.
Objectively, there are "better" games, I agree. Skyrim's story is lackluster, and held back by the rapidly dating graphics. It overwhelms you with quests, and the quantity undermines the quality. But there's so much more to Skyrim than the story.
The progression system is perfect. You don't earn traditional XP, like in Fallout, instead you practice magic, sword, and archery combat to increase in level. So it rewards you for sticking to a single playstyle, and for mixing things up.
Want to start a battle by blasting enemy soldiers with lightning? Then charge into the fray with a Battle Axe and slay anyone in front of you? Do it.
Then, a mage starts electrocuting you from across the battlefield, so you take cover and fortify your health and defense with a spell. They're using a protection spell, so your own spells won't be as effective, so you shoot an arrow laced with a poison you made 2 hours ago into their chest cavity.
It stuns them, giving you a window to strike. So you use your special power, a Shout, to dash across the field in a flash and finish them off with your sword. As you do, the camera pans out, and you chop their head off with a cinematic finisher/execution.
No game gives you this kind of freedom in combat. Witcher 3 always draws comparisons, because it's a fantastic game. Genre-defining. Skyrim is the best RPG on the PS3, and Witcher 3 is probably the best RPG on PS4.
But you have to play as Geralt. Geralt is a badass, and fun to play in different ways, but you don't get to play the game with as much freedom. I could build a Dragonborn that plays like Geralt, but you can't build a Geralt that plays like a Dragonborn. Plus, the Witcher's gear crafting is different, not bad, just different. You adventure and complete quests to earn more blueprints to craft. In Skyrim, you just obtain the materials and create whatever you want
Speaking of, Skyrim has the best crafting system. Minecraft beats it, but Minecraft is Minecraft, it's not comparable. Elden Ring might be the best open-world RPG on PS5, so I'm gonna bring it in for comparison. I could write a whole article about Elden Ring just being Skyrim- but harder. But the crafting aspect of Elden Ring is very straightforward. Find weapons, earn runes, improve weapons. And it works great.
But you don't get to craft your own armor and gear in Elden Ring. I get to create a unique helmet, a chest piece, boots, and gauntlets that fit the exact playstyle I want. I'll enchant the head piece to boost my archery and magic regeneration. Gauntlets will boost my damage with one and two-handed swords. Chest piece will boost my health and stamina, and the boots will complement these however I feel like. One play through I made my boots quieter, so I could sneak around enemies better. My current playthrough, they just maximize sword damage, so I'm slicing people in half easily.
AND THE STEALTH! Skyrim has good stealth mechanics, where most other RPG's barely have any. Witcher has none, Elden Ring is very limited. But stealth adds an extra layer to combat that is phenomenal. You get the added challenge of going undetected in any dungeon, which scratches that Assassin's Creed itch really well.
I could go on and on and on about Skyrim, but I'll take a breather here. This is just a welcome back blog post. I love video games, and Skyrim will always hold a special place in my heart.
I'll be writing another post soon, so stay tuned for more thoughts on Skyrim, Bethesda games in general, Elden Ring, and so much more!
Peace Love and Positivity,
DJFowlPLayz
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