the elder scrolls v skyrim pc review gamespot

Skyrim is also a world that encourages exploration. Not since Howard Shore’s score for Lord of the Rings has fantasy sounded this good.

It’s also one of those rare games where the visuals, sound and music merge perfectly together into one experience that has you in its thrall. The thought that has gone into the art direction makes each isolated village, crumbling ruin and underground tomb feel distinctive, yet part of some cohesive whole, with a history, a style and a culture informing every carving and every forged motif. The alpine vistas – all rugged mountains, towering pines and gushing waterfalls – are magnificent. Yet there’s something about the nordic lands of Skyrim that drags you in and won’t let go. Heck, The Witcher 2 has more photorealistic forests and glistening water. Technically speaking, the visuals aren’t as detailed or beautifully lit as those of Gears of War 3 or Uncharted 3, and while the character models and facial animation are much improved on those of Oblivion or Fallout 3, they still don’t match the work being done in the Mass Effect series. The reason is simple: Skyrim hasn’t got the best narrative of any RPG, the best combat, the best magic system or even the best graphics, but it does have one of the biggest, richest and most completely immersive worlds you’ve ever seen.

Despite competition from Fallout 3, Mass Effect 2 and The Witcher 2, Oblivion has remained the defining RPG of this hardware generation. Most of all, it’s a game destined to cast a shadow over the rest of the genre for several years to come, just as The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion did before it. It’s huge in scale, epic in its breadth and scope, and will occupy such vast quantities of your time that you may find yourself losing sleep, dodging work and testing the patience of family and friends while you play it. Like every great RPG, the fifth Elder Scrolls game is a grand enterprise.

The elder scrolls v skyrim pc review gamespot