At last, it’s finally here! The fifth instalment from one of the most influential western RPG franchises of all time and possibly the most impressively marketed games EVER! The Elder Scrolls V Skyrim is set to redefine open world RPG’s and bring never before seen scale to console gaming. Like many modern RPGs, Skyrim starts with some robust character creation; the first choice to consider is what race do I want to be? This is very much down to personal preference although each race does possess a racial perk that can be very handy depending on your play style. Humans – Breton, Imperial, Nord and Redguard, Orcs, Wood elves, Dark Elves, High elves, (Lizard people) Argonian and the (cat people) known as the Khajiit. All have very distinct looks and history and your race can influence how characters react to your race in the game. So I mentioned a perk or stat increase. Call it a ‘racial bonus’, for example the Khajiit +10 to sneak and a boost to their lock picking stats, making them good thieves. Another example would be the High Elves: +50 Magicka as well as two extra magical abilities make them very powerful mages. There really is a great deal of choice and in all honesty the perks only really make a difference to hardcore RPG players obsessed with stats. My advice: pick a race, sex and look that you enjoy and get playing. Skyrim stays true to tradition in beginning the game, regardless of your character’s race, sex or anything else - as a prisoner, a nameless captive that has been picked up by Imperial forces. It is only when a soldier asks ‘what is your name?’ are we prompted to pick one and born into the world of Skyrim! After narrowly avoiding execution albeit thanks to a dragon attack, we begin our journey. The primary thing on everyone’s mind is why are the dragons back! And apparently as one of the only survivors from the attack, we are now an expert on fighting dragons... go figure. As always I am not here to ruin any of the story, all I will say is that your connection to the dragons is far from a coincidence and the core narrative is based around you and the big winged beasties, and is full of twists and turns that will take you all over the place. What makes Skyrim so rich is the characters you meet along the way, from the Thieves Guild - in the pursuit of wealth, to enlisting in the army and taking part in epic battles, Skyrim is so saturated in rich narrative driven quests, every time you embark on one you can’t help but feel hugely involved. It is the true essence of open world. You can stick to the core story or just roam the world in search of quests, of which there are so many! The game never ceases to amaze and will often feel as if it’s expanding, with quests seemingly infinitely offered. Skyrim certainly awards exploration; the best items in the game seem to be awarded to those who are willing to travel. All this effort will make you feel very invested in your character and like all great RPG’s you end up playing as an extension of yourself and finding constant justification and reason for all your actions, even when you kill a hobo for money… Environment is a huge part of explorative RPG’s and thankfully the world Bethesda has created is jaw dropping: the attention to detail will blow your mind. From grandiose landscapes that demonstrate the scale modern videogames can achieve, to snowy mountain-tops to green fields laden with detail. The cotenant of Skyrim is by far the most immersive (single player) game world of all time. All this praise and I haven’t even mentioned the architecture. As with everything that surrounds the Elder Scroll’s universe, back-story is rife wherever you go, from the thousands of in-game books to lore-rich quests, it is a very fleshed out world and Cities play a huge part in this. There are 9 Holds/Cities in Skyrim, each led by a Jarl(lord/lady). These vary in size and each are very distinct in their own way. For example, the first major city you encounter is the friendly Nord Hold known as Whiterun and its grand keep of Dragonsreach, which will undoubtedly become a place of great attachment, After questing there for a while you will enable the option to buy property there, which is a great way not only to store items but to further develop that sense of belonging. As the game progresses you will find that many of the Holds offer the option to purchase property, some much grander than others. Failing that, you could just be a sadist and wipe out the entire cities… the choice is yours.
Stencil Mag Issue 11
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