The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

[mgriffin]

I know I'm not the only one anxious to see this game, right?

There's a nice preview here: http://www.oxm.co.uk/34965/previewselder-scrolls-5-hands-on-how-to-be-a-complete-bastard-in-skyrim

Plenty of spoilers can be found online, but this video preview is pretty good:



Want!

[einstein36]

Holy mother....
I am definitely going to lose time, lots of it:).....
I want want want hehehehe

[Altus]

Oh trust me, you're not alone!
I haven't watched the various gameplay preview videos because I don't want to spoil myself, but damn... it's hard not to hit those play buttons.
One more week to wait.   

[APK]

Does look like fun. Love the details.

Question: I'm not up on games and hardware. What do you think is the best device to play this on?

[Altus]

PC, of course.  Play at way higher resolution with higher quality textures.  And mod support!
Here are the suggested specs: http://kotaku.com/5853156/your-pc-must-be-this-powerful-to-run-skyrim

Otherwise Xbox.

[APK]

That looks good. Thanks, Mike.

[mgriffin]

A new article with some additional details about the game. Not a walkthrough or visual demo, just some facts about gameplay, leveling and so on.

http://macgenius.co/games/new-elder-scrolls-v-skyrim-details/

[mgriffin]

Oh, and as for platform, I've given up trying to stay caught-up in the PC specifications race. I no longer keep a current model PC in the house just for gaming, and just do my gaming on consoles where there's no worry whether or not you have the right video card and drivers, the right DirectX version, the right amount of ram, or enough processor cores. My PS3 died so I'll probably just buy the Xbox 360 version.

Then probably years in the future (by which time I'll have probably given in and purchased another hot rod PC) I'll get the PC version so I can mess around with mods, just as I did with Morrowind and Oblivion.

[APK]

So do they scale the newer games back (resolution etc) to work on existing xbox 360 machines? or are those dedicated boxes equivalent or very close to a PC version on a fast pc?  Just wondering if I should consider an xbox or go with my fastest pc.

[Antdude]

So do they scale the newer games back (resolution etc) to work on existing xbox 360 machines? or are those dedicated boxes equivalent or very close to a PC version on a fast pc?  Just wondering if I should consider an xbox or go with my fastest pc.

The game was developed concurrently for PC and Xbox/PS3. The console versions will look fairly good at a locked resolution. The PC version performance will depend on your system's specs (mostly your video card). The biggest difference will be how textures look(rocks, buildings, armor detail, etc.). Those are more optimized for the console versions. The advantage on the PC side is that eventually, either Bethesda or the community will release higher- rez texture packs and the game will look even better. The Elder Scrolls mod community will come through again here and make the game even better with new weapons, skins, armor, textures, lighting and more.

 For the patient gamer, if you wait for the Game of the Year edition, you'll get all the post-release DLC and a huge amount of content generated by the fan base, making it a no-brainer for literally years of gaming content.

That said, I broke down and pre-ordered the PC version this morning.

[Altus]

... the community will release higher- rez texture packs and the game will look even better.

This is guaranteed.

Ugh, I can't wait!  It's all I'm thinking about.  I'm such a geek!   

[APK]

Thanks for the info, Antdude.
I'll probably go with pc then, but sink some money into a better graphics card first.

Can't say its all I'm thinking about (last time that happened was, I think, Myst 3),
but will be fun to get back into some gaming and stop doing music for a while.
I have a daughter who will be into it too.

[jkn]

I'm so looking forward to this game, but that's not shocking if you've seen me post about the elder scrolls games before.

I put literally hundreds of hours into Daggerfall and Morrowind.   A ton of time into Oblivion.    Can't wait for Skyrim.   

Having the time to play these is the hardest part - but to lose yourself in these worlds - what a wonderful thing.

[petekelly]

Not being a games person, I wonder what their primary appeal is ?

From what I've seen, they can sure eat up a big chunk of time.
I played arcade games as a kid, but now I think I'II just stick to 'Chess Titans' - 3 games a day - to keep the old noggin ticking over

[mgriffin]

They do eat up a large amount of time, Pete, especially the types of games we're talking about above. I have to ration the amount of time I let myself give these.

As for "what's the appeal?" of playing a game, I'd consider that to be self-evident. They're games. People play them for amusement and for escape.

[Altus]

Personally I have a big interest in the medieval period.  Weaponry, armour, castles, untamed wilderness... And most RPGs are based on these periods with added fantasy elements, which I love as well.  Monsters and such.

The exploration aspect of these games are a huge appeal to me as well, and the elder scrolls series of games are all about roaming off the beaten path and exploring hidden ruins, caves, forests.

Like Mike said: escapism and fun.

These games aren't for everyone though.  There are a lot of people who hate the fact that the game says: "Ok, here's a world to explore. Have fun!"  Some people need a bit of direction, and don't enjoy the aimless wandering.

[Antdude]

Personally I have a big interest in the medieval period.  Weaponry, armour, castles, untamed wilderness... And most RPGs are based on these periods with added fantasy elements, which I love as well.  Monsters and such.

The exploration aspect of these games are a huge appeal to me as well, and the elder scrolls series of games are all about roaming off the beaten path and exploring hidden ruins, caves, forests.

Like Mike said: escapism and fun.

These games aren't for everyone though.  There are a lot of people who hate the fact that the game says: "Ok, here's a world to explore. Have fun!"  Some people need a bit of direction, and don't enjoy the aimless wandering.

Which is a shame, as that's probably my favorite aspect of these games - exploring a new world created from scratch and seeing what secrets it holds this time around.


Here's another look:

[Altus]

I think it should be mentioned to those who've never played one of these games: there are really no boundaries (aside from physical things in your way).  If you look at the preview still in the YouTube clip Artdude posted: see those mountains in the background?  You can walk all the way over there, and climb them if you find a foothold.

In any other game, that would just be the background and there'd be no way to get there.
THAT is what makes these games so damn awesome!   

[jkn]

That's why I love this series of games... the open aspect.  Go anywhere, explore, wander, join a guild, do quests and slowly rise up the ranks, it's relaxing.

[mgriffin]

Everybody who was posting about Skyrim pre-release are now too busy playing to post about it!