The Elder Scrolls

[Stanshall]

I preordered this on PS4, happened to be awake at midnight, and sucked right back in. I absolutely love this game. Even the shit combat is satisfying in a strange way. I would have thought that having played all the Souls games since I last touched Skyrim, this would have felt bloody awful. Au contraire, it's oddly satisfying, especially the bow, which I never really used before. The strangest thing is the lack of Z-targeting/lock-on mechanics, but I'm getting used to it. Still can't decide on 3rd or 1st person, though. It's an odd one, I played it first time around in 3rd and it seems strangely more immersive than 1st person. The graphics also look a bit better in 3rd. Anyway, yes, this runs nicely (though I didn't have any issues with the PS3 version anyway, I'm clearly not very sensitive to frame shitting) and it's still drenched in atmosphere.

I can't quite put my finger on why it's so immersive and atmospheric, far beyond the Witcher 3 (though it's more basic than that on almost every conceivable level), but I think it's because it takes an almost Impressionist approach to world, character and narrative design. There's an absence of fine detail or prescription and everything and nothing seems to matter. That might sound like an overly generous defence for something rather limited but I think it's a skill or perfect fluke to leave the right gaps for the player to vitalise with their imagination. I'm not drawn to the marvellous individual details of anything at all, which can break immersion, there's almost nothing specifically impressive, rather I'm gradually overwhelmed by the weight of feeling which every aspect of the game reinforces. It's brimming with possibility of what's around the next corner, over the next hill or locked in the next chest.

And Streets of Whiterun is probably my favourite music from any game, ever. Definitely banging that one out at my funeral when I'm hopefully buried at sea, maybe on a decommissioned P&O ferry to the Isle of Man.

[Alex79]

Bit of a lame move from Sony though, not allowing the full mod experience on PS4. I'd like to hear their reasons!

[Stanshall]

Something about nudity and sex dungeon mods, I heard, but I don't know. Simply, they've said no external assets. I've installed pretty much every mod apart from God mode and hardcore mode, because I'm quite happy with a moderate challenge. Most of the mods are minor QoL things, which I appreciate in any case. I'd love Frostfall or something like that, but I don't know if that's possible.

Edit: Just seen it isn't. Oh well, I'm really enjoying being back in there but yes, fuck Sony, basically.

[AndrewBrown]

I was thinking about getting the Special Edition, but the possibility that it might be on the Switch is making me wait now.

Yes, I know the Switch version won't support mods. Skyrim is still way more game than I can handle. I don't need to add mods on top of it.

[eastmcduck]

I have Special Edition downloading on my PC at home right now. I have yet to actually play Skyrim to completion. I've probably started it a half dozen times now and have well over 100 hours invested, but I've never finished it. My current file is probably the most progress I've made on it so far, but I'll probably be starting it over yet again since I've used mods and can't use my save file with Special Edition. Here's hoping I make it all the way through this time, lol.

[Alex79]

I've never finished a Bethesda game, thinking about it.

[Suits]

So I probably put about 200/300 hours into the original on release on the 360.

Played it all the way through to the last story mission and put it down .

Not played it since the Xbox One has been out at the very least so thought I'd quite like to dip back into it again - from the start.

Well, I'm loving it, totally, falling in love with it all over again in a slightly more fanatical way since the major personal disappointment of Fallout 4.

At first I wasn't impressed with the visual upgrade but as soon as I wondered off into the wilderness and off the beaten track it started to stretch its leg in terms of visual improvement. The Skybox is wonderful and every now and then certain internal scenes can look stunning - for a console.

Loading times are the big winner here so far I think, it loads up noticeably quicker, movements between areas in dungeons sometime happen without the load screen even popping up.

Gone for a full High Elf build, no weapons, just magic and Robes. Ignored the main story from the start and focused on full role play adventure.

Loving, loving, loving it. All over again.

[Craig]

I've never finished a Bethesda game, thinking about it.

Neither has Bethesda, but that doesn't stop them from selling them anyway!



I kid, I kid. They're hugely ambitious technical achievements which sometime overreach their ability or time constraints. I had fun with the PS3 version and I'm not the kind of guy who is bothered by frame drops here and there, but I did have a fustrating section when you become a Werewolf, on one part in particular it repeatedly hardlocked whenever I tried to progress. I eventually got past it somehow, but it was irritating. I love the worlds they create, but with this and Fallout I always fall to the same fate - I get really into it, and then suddenly stop and whenever I try to get back I just feel a dread of being overwhelmed. I'm not sure why this is, it often happens in JRPGs too.

I also get frustrated because I'm a pack rat, and never want to throw anything away just in case I need it, so I have a bag full of stuff I'm taking with me, just in case, and keep having to return to drop off new goodies I pick up. I'm sure I'd enjoy the games a lot more if I could get over that compulsion.

[KSubzero1000]

I've never finished a Bethesda game, thinking about it.

Neither has Bethesda, but that doesn't stop them from selling them anyway!

[DomsBeard]

Was going to buy it day one on Xbox One but it is £49.99 yet £39.99 on PS4. Mod support isn't an argument as the disk retail price is exactly the same.

I played the original on 360 and all the DLC to completion, think I was about 300 hours or so too.

[Suits]

Was going to buy it day one on Xbox One but it is £49.99 yet £39.99 on PS4.

I picked my Xbox One copy up from Smyth's Toys on release day for £33.99 .

[DomsBeard]

Was going to buy it day one on Xbox One but it is £49.99 yet £39.99 on PS4.

I picked my Xbox One copy up from Smyth's Toys on release day for £33.99 .

Yeah it was £29.99 at Argos at Launch but I really want it digitally. Pretty sure it'll be a black Friday or 12 days of Christmas sale on Xbox Live *crosses fingers

[nickturner13]

Elder Scrolls Online is free to play on Steam this weekend on the PC if anyone is interested. I'm going to be giving it a go, though I realise it's much more of a standard MMO grind then Skyrim or earlier.

Word of warning though if you do try it - 70gb download then an installation afterwards, I've been waiting about 2 hours to play it so far since hitting download, and that's on a theoretical 200mb net connection!

[Alex79]

Sorry to bump such an ancient thread, but has anyone played much Elder Scrolls Online? I noticed it was free now (aside from the DLC obviously) and wondered if it's worth a look. I'm a big fan of Oblivion and Skyrim, and thought this might be ok in single player?

[Jon Cheetham]

Sorry to bump such an ancient thread, but has anyone played much Elder Scrolls Online? I noticed it was free now (aside from the DLC obviously) and wondered if it's worth a look. I'm a big fan of Oblivion and Skyrim, and thought this might be ok in single player?

It's worth having a knock about in if you like the Elder Scrolls world and games. I don't do MMOs but I played a few evenings of it a couple of years back just to explore and especially to visit the new version of Vvardenfell, Morrowind being one of my favourite games of all time. Most of the quest content seems do-able solo, so it is like playing through an Elder Scrolls story just with other people's characters sprinting past every so often. The combat is dreadful, though.

[Alex79]

Just started Skyrim on Switch after picking up the anniversary edition for about £20 the other day. I've not been back to this game since it first came out on PS3 (aside from an hour on Xbox last year) and it's really nice to be just setting off again on a huge adventure. As much as I love Elder Scrolls and Fallout series I've never actually 'finished' any of the games (despite 100s of hours in them), so hopefully I might see an ending this time! Had ideas of creating a different character to my original play of the game, but no, here I am again with a stealthy, bow shooting wood elf... Looking forward to getting back in fully, I remember very little of the game outside some main story quests.