- Platforms: PC | PS4 | Switch | XBO |
- Developer: Bethesda Game Studios
- Publisher:Bethesda Softworks
- Release: October 28, 2016
Five years ago the newest Elder Scrolls game took players to Skyrim, which ended up becoming one of the best RPGs to come out of the Xbox 360/PlayStation 3 era of gaming, and also not a too shabby entry in the list of great PC games. Skyrim was huge, both in terms of the physical game world and in the amount things that can be done. Completionists can easily spend a couple hundred hours trying to accomplish everything there is to do, so now is about the time most of them have finally exhausted all available activities. The reward for such tenacity is that The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition is available, which means all those achievements and trophies can be earned again in an improved version of this title.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is a very big game, and with so much to do, it's easy to accidentally do something you may regret later on. Rather than falling into pitfalls or finding out crucial. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. All Discussions Screenshots Artwork Broadcasts Videos Workshop News Guides Reviews. Last edited by Cousin Okri; Feb 11, 2016 @ 3:34pm #11. Feb 11, 2016 @ 10:26pm Over 800 hrs and still having a blast. Goforrest Feb 12, 2016 @ 12:17am.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition takes place in Skyrim, which is on the continent of Tamriel, roughly 200 years after the events of Oblivion and during a civil war between the Imperial Legion and the Stormcloaks. The adventure begins while the character is being held prisoner in the back of a wagon being taken to their execution. As luck would have it a dragon attack saves the day, for during this chaos while the area around you burns, the player is able to make the daring escape.
The Elder Scrolls is a series of action role-playing video games primarily developed by Bethesda Game Studios and published by Bethesda Softworks.The series focuses on free-form gameplay in a detailed open world. Morrowind, Oblivion and Skyrim all won Game of the Year awards from multiple outlets. The series has sold more than 59 million copies worldwide. 'The Elder Scrolls V Skyrim VR'. Categories & Filters. Store Pickup at. Free Shipping Eligible Free Shipping Eligible. ESRB Rating: M (Mature 17+) User rating, 4.8 out of 5 stars with 2110 reviews. (2,110) Price Match Guarantee. $39.99 Your price.
After successfully escaping the failed execution, the player is free to begin roaming about the massive open world. There is some direction given to seek out people in certain locations such as the Jarl of Whiterun, but whether or not that is followed is entirely up to whatever the player wants to do. There is a main story to complete, but that can be done in whatever time frame the player sees most enjoyable. There is an abundance of optional side quests to take on and dungeons to conquer. On top of that, there are potions to craft and those require the harvesting of many ingredients. Why buy weapons and armor when you can craft your own? Go hunting to gather leather and mine some rare ore and build up your blacksmithing skill. The main quest isn't going anywhere, take some time to see everything the world has to offer. In addition to being free to do just about anything your heart desires, there is a lot of freedom with designing your character. The usual variety of Elder Scrolls races are present such as Nords, Redguards, Elves, and so on. Each race has some bonus attributes or ability, like Khajiit are able to use night vision and Argonians can breathe underwater. Appearance can be customized as well but being as this is a first person game the allure of that feature might not be as strong as in other RPGs.
Beyond character design the character will level up by increasing their skill with certain abilities, which is done by using them. For example, wearing heavy armor and using a two handed weapon will increase those skills, but magic abilities will remain weak unless spells are regularly cast. Basically Skyrim tries to add an element of realism to the leveling system by making specific gains coincide with what skills are actually being used. If you skip leg day, Skyrim will ensure your chicken legs stay puny. Since there are no specific classes restricting skill and equipment use, it is possible to build up a very diversified death dealer. A character build I was using during the review playthrough wore heavy armor but tending to dual wield spells and melee weapons. Usually it was a spell in the left hand and sword in the right, but sometimes just for fun blasting the enemies with fire and ice from different hands was a nice twist on the standard battle formula.
When the player levels up, they are awarded a perk point that they can spend in a number of areas. These cover different types of weapons, schools of magic, and other attributes and skills. For example we will examine the blacksmith skill tree. Players with a low skill level in blacksmith are limited in what materials they can work with. If the player wants to make their character an expert at making arms and armor, they need to construct weapons and armor to increase the blacksmith level. On the blacksmith skill tree perk points can be spent to allow the player to work on enchanted items, or work with stronger materials such as obsidian and dragon bone, but in order to unlock those perks they need to have reached a certain level in blacksmith. Spending perk points is not something to be done without consideration, it is best to examine what each ability has to unlock so they are spent in a way that fits the play style for that character. These perks can do a variety of things like reduce the cost of casting certain spells or increasing damage with certain weapon types. Making heavy armor weightless has always been a favorite.
Skyrim is a vast open world RPG with no shortage of activities or player choices. Its graphics were among the best of what 2011 had to offer with some gorgeous environments to explore, especially with the snow covered mountains. The soundtrack is great from the opening Dragonborn remix of the Elder Scrolls theme to the ambient music that occurs intermittently during the game. The sheer abundance of dialog is mind boggling, and the same can be said for the amount of things to do. Just playing through the main story and ignoring all side quests will take a few dozen hours, but staying on task to complete the main story is tricky because so many distracting side quests are everywhere. And just in case someone says the game isn't big enough, the three expansions of Dragonborn, Dawnguard, and Hearthfire are also included in Skyrim Special Edition.Skyrim was a phenomenal game when it was released, and this reissue is the best version. The question at hand is despite how amazing this reissue is, was it necessary or is it worth getting?
The visuals are the same basic graphics we saw five years ago, but they have been upscaled and polished. I fired up my Xbox 360 and put in the original disc and their difference in graphic quality is not night and day but it is noticeably better. It should be noted that this review was played on a standard PlayStation 4 with 1080P output. Skyrim Special Edition does have native 4K resolution so if played on a 4K TV with a new Xbox One S or PlayStation 4 Pro. Personally I am unable to vouch how much better it looks in 4K, but considering the difference between 7th generation and 8th generation consoles is noticeable at 1080P I imagine a 4K display will not disappoint.
For console gamers the addition of PC mods is a great feature. Mods can be accessed after the player makes a Bethesda.net account. Save files that use mods will be marked with an [M] in their title. Playing with mods will disable trophies and achievements for that particular file with the original, unmodded file will still be saved and available to return to at any time. The addition of mods is of no interest to the PC Skyrim players because they have had access to them for years but they will be able to transfer unmodded save files from the original Skyrim to Skyrim Special Edition.
Skyrim Special Edition causes somewhat of a conundrum as far as recommending it. It is great on every level, but with the exception of the mod support nothing really significant was done to the special edition besides making it prettier. It looks better, but the original version doesn't exactly look bad. The expansions are a nice addition, but those are also included in Skyrim Legendary Edition for a cheaper price. If you've never played Skyrim or sold your old copy and want to revisit it or want to tackle a fresh trophy/achievement list this is the way to go. If you still have a copy for the 7th generation machine and still play it, this is an unnecessary addition to the game collection unless you want the absolute best visuals or care about adding the PC mods to the console. In the case of the latter, for whatever reason the Xbox One version currently seems to have more mod options available than the PlayStation 4.
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Closing Comments:
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition is a visual improvement over the original, but beyond that, it's still the same old game. Why doesn t imovie work. Skyrim was and still is a great game, but for people who have already completed it or are still working on completing the original, there may not be enough new content to justify this purchase. Adding PC mods to the console versions is the only significant content update, but the reworked visuals do look nice. This special edition is excellent, but whether or not PC mods, improved graphics and previously available DLC content is enough to warrant a second playthrough and purchase is going to be up for each individual to decide. If you like first-person RPGs but never got around to Skyrim, this version is a great excuse to finally experience this wonderful game.
Version Reviewed: PlayStation 4
Although we're still struggling with a solid Switch Skyrim release date, the thought of being able to explore the game's massive open world on the go is blowing our tiny minds. Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is one of the biggest RPGs of the last decade both in terms of scale and popularity.
When the game appeared in the first trailer for the Switch – albeit fleetingly and unconfirmed – the gaming world gasped collectively. Not only was it a surprise that the Switch would be able to run a game like Skyrim, but the fact it's a massive third party title means Nintendo is on the right track to fix some of the major issues it had with the Wii U.
Although the Wii U had a few third-party titles to its name, publishers quickly stopped supporting the platform due to game development and porting issues. The Wii U wasn't exactly easy to make games for – unless you were Nintendo.
But the Nintendo Switch has already proven to be a very different console to its predecessor and along with Skyrim, we're also looking at other major third-party releases on the console from FIFA and Minecraft to indie games like Stardew Valley and Terraria. The list is only growing.
But, ahead of the official release, what do we actually know about Skyrim on Switch? We're rounding up all the latest news and information about the game right here, so you can keep up to date.
What do we know so far about Skyrim on Switch?
Bethesda is actually keeping quite tight-lipped when it comes to details on the Skyrim Switch port. Although the game was teased in the first ever Switch trailer, Bethesda Game Studios' Executive Producer and Game Director Todd Howard came forward in the Nintendo Direct dedicated to the Switch ahead of the release to confirm everyone's suspicions.
'We're excited to announce that, yes, Skyrim is coming to the Nintendo Switch,' said Howard at the time. 'We love to make games and worlds that you can get lost in, that you can make your own and that you never want to put down. Well, now you don't have to. Now you can play Skyrim wherever you want and take it on your own adventures.'
It's actually the first time that a Bethesda Game Studios title has appeared on a Nintendo console… ever. And it's the publisher's first major collobration with Nintendo since Where's Waldo and Home Alone on the NES back in the early nineties.
'But what's really exciting, for all of us at Bethesda, is to finally work with Nintendo. You look at all they've done for video games over the decades. They've brought so much innovation and fun to all of us and they're doing it again. The Switch is classically Nintendo but also all new and we want to thank them for letting us be a part of it.'
When will we be able to play it?
But of course, in that moment Howard forgot to mention any kind of Skyrim Switch release date, leaving anyone looking for some dragon action on their shiny new console in the lurch.
Thankfully, Nintendo has our backs. On both the UK and US Nintendo store, The Elder Scrolls v: Skyrim is listed with a fall/autumn 2017 release date for the Switch. Phew, at least it's definitely coming this year.
A more precise launch window than that isn't currently available, but we imagine Bethesda may drop some more details at its big showcase at E3 2017 in June.
What version of Skyrim is the Switch getting?
Although Skyrim first launched back in 2011, Bethesda actually released an Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition in October 2016. Released on Xbox One and PS4, the Skyrim Special Edition was the original version of the fantasy RPG title but remastered in full HD. It also brought support for PC mods to PS4 and Xbox One too and included all previously released DLC for the game.
The question is now whether it'll be the original Skyrim ported to the Switch or this newer, better looking Special Edition version. Obviously, we're all hoping that its the latter, because we want all the stuff and the snazzier graphics. But, at the moment Bethesda isn't letting on what version it'll be.
In an interview with Polygon, Todd Howard wouldn't be drawn on the topic, instead saying that he 'can't say' whether the original Skyrim or the 2016 remaster would be released on Switch. Although, it's not looking likely that it's the remaster at this point. On all the Nintendo websites and other retailers, the title is merely listed as Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim without the Special Edition appendage.
Even in the Skyrim Switch site meta tags there's no reference to this being the Special Edition and there's no mention of the Special Edition trademark either. That means we're probably most likely looking at a special port of the original 2011 Skyrim game.
Elder Scrolls Skyrim Walkthrough
Of course, it could well be that it's neither of these existing versions. The Switch may get its very own version that comes with all the DLC but without the mod support. The Switch's TV mode may well support the full 1080p HD resolution, but of course, tablet mode is limited to 720p HD.
What about Elder Scrolls 6?
With all this talk regarding the Skyrim Switch edition, there's bound to be a bit of chatter on Elder Scrolls 6. If Skyrim is coming to the Switch, that may well mean that the next series entry – if it ever arrives – could well he heading to the Switch too.
Elder Scrolls Skyrim 2016 Version
Bethesda, as you'd expect, hasn't given us even a little tease of Elder Scrolls 6 yet, but with the E3 2017 press conference looming, there's plenty of time for some surprises.
