Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Story

Skyrim is the fifth installment of The Elder Scrolls and is an open world action role-playing game. It is set in Skyrim, a province in the continent Tamriel. At the start of the game, the player-controlled character is taken to an execution grounds in Helgen. With him are Imperial prisoners including the leader of the Stormcloaks, Ulfric. Skyrim is currently in a civil war between the Nord race of the Stormcloaks and the Empire's legion led by General Tullius. Jarl Ulfric Stormcloak wants to see a Skyrim free from the Imperials.

Just before the player is executed however, a dragon appears and attacks Helgen. Most of the prisoners, including Ulfric and the player, escape during the chaos. The player is taken to Riverwood where he learns some practical skills. This also marks the start of another quest to learn more about that dragon attack in Helgen. Not long after, he is asked to seek an audience with Jarl Balgruuf the Greater of Whiterun.

Underlying the problems caused by the civil was is a threat long thought to be just a myth. But the attacks at Helgen are real and it seems that the prophecy about the dragon Alduin the World-Eater has some truth to it. 

Skills, Combat and Others

At the start of the game, the player is asked to pick from ten different races. Each race has a different set of abilities and power. The following are the races to choose from: Argonian, Khajiit, Altmer, Bosmer, Dunmer, Orc, Breton, Imperial, Nord, and Redguard. Every time the player levels up, he can choose to increase health, magicka or stamina.

Skyrim does not require the player to choose one specialty, which I think is one of the best features of the game. You can combine magic and melee when you're fighting. You do not need to specialize in one thing when you have a lot in your arsenal. There are eighteen skills which the player can learn. These increase with repeated use, training with another character or finding a skill book. Each skill has perks. These are special abilities or enhancements.

Most combat skills increase every time they are used. This include archery, one-handed, two-handed, blocking, light armor, and heavy armor. Also included in the arsenal are sneak, pickpocket, lockpick, alchemy, enchanting, smithing, and speech.

If you want to get the most out of magic, Skyrim offers a lot of spells. These spells can be acquired by buying or learning them through tomes. Magic has different schools which include alteration, conjuration, destruction, illusion, and restoration.

Each race has a unique power. This is different from the spells and shouts and some can be used only once a day. While the shouts are combination of individual words and are unlocked using dragon souls. They produce different effects and are more powerful when complete.

When I started exploring, the first thing that got me really hooked was going to undiscovered locations. Fast travel is easier the more places you discover.

Items such as weapons, apparel, potions, food, ingredients, books, keys and miscellaneous can be found everywhere. The number of items the player can carry is limited. This is partly determined by the stamina and some items that can enhance the maximum carry weight.

In the course of the player's adventures he can do other things like collecting property, make and sell items, marry, cook food, mine ores, and gather wheat/chop wood. The player can also become a Thane of a hold; become a bard; join some guilds such as the Companions, College of Winterhold, Thieves Guild, Dark Brotherhood; and join one of the two factions in the civil war.

You can do a lot of things in Skyrim. That alone makes the game time-consuming. You'd end up playing for months, sometimes forgetting the main quests because you're too busy with other stuff. However, the rewards you get are worth the time and effort you spent. The main quests storylines might not be much but the worldbuilding is really good and the side quests more than make up for it. This is probably the first offline game I have played for so long (in fact, this review is long overdue). The best part though was when I found out I did not have to specialize in anything and that I could try everything from one-handed weapons to magic.

Skyrim is very addictive, the story not so bad, and the graphics and music enhance playing experience. The fans and the great reviews do not lie. The only setback I could think of are the problems I have experienced with the PS3 platform. 

Rating: 10 out of 10

My dragonborn when he was still at level 5. Obviously an orc. I named him Manu the Great.