Kink3bird
11-30-2011, 12:26 AM
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
A note to readers: I noticed no-one on the community has posted a review of Skyrim and I wanted to share my experienced thoughts on the game. I think many reviews for Skyrim out there are a little biased to say the least. Why just be spoon fed the idea that it's a amazing game over and over again without first experiencing everything it has to offer?
As of today (Saturday, November 19, 2011), I have clocked in 115 hours of game-play, completed the main quest, and dove into many of the games factions as well as currently being in possession of 25/50 Steam achievements.
These little "accomplishments" have nothing to do with bragging rights. They are my diploma of some sorts, stating I have the ability to correctly review the game to give you readers the full benefits of understanding this massive game.
This review will contain spoilers when trying to explain the system and mechanics of how this game performs and works within itself. If I feel I am spoiling anything I will promptly warn you with big bold red letters. But the spoilers are more a big picture idea as to how the game works, not a story-board summary of what you will be experiencing as Doväkiin.
The history of the Elder Scrolls series:
In middle school, I was fortunate enough to one: have a computer that would perform and serve my gaming needs well for almost a decade and two: to have been introduced into the game that I think started it all for Bethesda... Morrowind! In it's day (2002), Morrowind was the epicenter for RPG gamers. A fully 3D immersible land that was truly the first time I used the word "beautiful" to describe the setting of a video-game.
Your unnamed character just released from prison, the massive home of the Dunmer (Dark Elves), and the freedom of choice unlike anything you've ever seen. Yes Morrowind was a real world. Fully furnished with books, silver-ware, random encounters and enough activities to keep one occupied for seasons to come. It really put Bethesda on the map for a generation. It also allowed them to pursue their next great gaming project, Oblivion. Oblivion, to many fans of Morrowind, was watered-down and consolized. It was scaled down, dumbed down, and definitely used mostly as a tool to promote the game to the massive boom of new gamers inhabiting the next generation consoles that were dominating the market. This new generation of gamers were clueless to the past achievements that PC games have accomplished. They did not experience Morrowind, they were a mix of Halo players and Final Fantasy fans that were not use to PC gaming and how involved it could be. Oblivion was a disappointment for me and many other PC gamers and fans of the series alike. Immediately I noticed how small the land was. Gone were the endless sand dunes and oceans of Morrowind and now were thousands of hand crafted dungeons. The subterranean levels of Oblivion may have been massive, but the land was dull and looked like a generic swords and sorcery world. A land home to the Imperials, clearly the most human related of the ten races available to you. The land looked as if it had all appeared in a day. Nothing about the world said it had been lived in. It was like a massive suburbia of the Dark Ages, Cyrodiil aka Any-Town 10th Century, was boring and it's inhabitants ugly.
The massive quest system which allowed for unnamed and unmarked quests such as a man falling from the sky as you walk out of your starting town in Morrowind, leaves only a journal describing who he is and how his experiments with Alteration magic has left him dead in front of you. This is actively gone in Oblivion as everything you do is per-rendered and carefully planned out. Morrowind did not have a classic "list" of quests. No strategy guide for adventuring. Oblivion changed this. All the quests in the game could be encountered and easily found in a small strategy guide. Not only were quests few and far between but also repetitive and any veteran of Oblivion will tell you the struggle to close all the Oblivion gates and coming dangerously close to turning on "No-Clipping" just so you can fly up to the top and easily close the gate spewing out not powerful demons and rewarding experiences, but releasing only "time consumption" from it's red swirling guise that ironically reflected your frustration.
All in all it was a failure when compared to it's big brother Morrowind. It would take a lot for Bethesda to make up for the pay-to-play horse armor bastard child named Oblivion.
Skyrim unleashed with the wings of a dragon:
The story of The Elder Scrolls V at it's core isn't anything you haven't seen before in the fantasy world. Dragons terrorizing a war-torn land and only you have the power to stop them and bring peace to Skyrim. The unique feel comes from the amount of real world influences Bethesda has taken. Borrowing from obviously J.R.R. Tolkien's world, the golden age of the British Empire, and even the illicit world of the black market drug trade. The culture becomes a integral part of the setting. This is something not seen since Morrowind dropped you off in a place you really believed was the home of the Dunmer who were facing Dunmer problems.
Home to the viking inspired Nordic race, Skyrim does a good job marching back to the beat of Morrowind who's tune placed you in a setting that feels unique. The people of Skyrim are not just facing ancient Nordic dooms-day prophesies, but facing the ever growing dissent for their Imperial Rulers. Skyrim is both a colony thirsting for freedom and ground zero for the end of the world.
Gone also is the illusion of realism Oblivion casts on it's players. The inhabitants feel real. They have opinions on the civil war, fear of the dragon presence, actual jobs and homes to take care of, and even opinions on the racial make-up of their fatherland.
For instance, the Khajiit race (anthropomorphic felines or furries as some have compared them too) are rarely allowed inside the Nordic cities of Skyrim. They are ignorantly classified as drug-dealing thieves and looked down upon by many races. This also goes so far as Redguards (clearly Black-African in appearance) not being allowed in some areas of Skyrim because many Nords have a low disposition to them.
Emotional feelings toward this aside, it truly makes the world feel real. Skyrim, much like America is a rich land of resources home to the white Nordic race who have little respect for the many dark skinned and different races flowing in as refugees and opportunists. The lore also does a good job to keep this feeling as if you stumbled into a real country. Morrowind which has since been invaded and the Dunmer, many of whom have been killed or displaced fled to Skyrim seeking asylum. They have influences in the economy and culture of many of the cities and towns but also have a influence on the people itself as you will find Nords occasionally harassing them like those many grim years America faced itself.
To clarify, it really does mean something when you pick a race. You not only take on that race's skills but their culture and the opinion's of what others think of you. So be forewarned, playing any dark skinned or pointy eared race in Skyrim will leave you will some interesting opportunities but confrontations as well.
As you can see the idea of races, which in other games are executed with exaggerated colors, styles, and simply having them being good or evil is now something more mature and incredibly satisfying. This is what I think is the greatest example of Skyrim's biggest strength... immersion!
Skyrim's biggest achievement is giving you the feeling that your in a real world. The cities range from newly built Imperial bastions to run-down slums suffering from war and corruption. Skyrim does a good job of taking real world inspired events that the player unconsciously can relate to their game.
It doesn't even come close to stopping there. The wild-life, fauna, dungeons, books, everything is uniquely built for this world. If your not spending hours questing, you'll be spending hours walking around distracted by the beauty, history, and interactive details present in Skyrim.
Alright, give it to me hard and fast!:
While the story is mesmerizing and the amount of time you'll spend playing the game only comparable to a hardcore drug addiction, there are some flaws which I think many reviewers have over-looked or not correctly taken into account.
1) Your footprints will be left in the snow, not The Moon - (Contains spoilers regarding completion of several factions and the main quest) Footprints made in the snow are deep, they expand over time, they have a huge impact on it, but they melt and disappear. Such is like Skyrim. Playing the game I hoped to achieve great things. I wanted to be the savior of humanity, the ruler of the Imperial Faction of Skyrim, the leader of the most feared band of assassins and basically the most bad ass person walking Tamriel. This was one of my biggest let-downs, the fact that I had the impression of making footprints in The Moon (which if you went to The Moon right now would still be able to see Niel Armstrong's footprints when he made the first human landing on Earth's only satellite) but was actually stepping in snow during a warm day in March. The impact you make in the game goes only so far. I mean as far as some unique dialogue, that's it. Once I slayed the world eater, I figured I'd be given the key to Skyrim. Wrong. I was given some unique dialogue and any memory of my deeds such as bringing together the Imperials and Stomcloaks in a landmark temporary truce are gone. Not to mention the fact I saved the world. I mentioned to one of my fellow collaborators that I had been spoiled with how well Fable 3 had done this. Fable 3, the things you did mattered. People and the world you lived in were affected by your persona and choices. If I was evil, people would boo me and whole areas changed, such as the construction of my own personnel evil castle, a factory that used children as slaves, and a room with a safe ever filling of gold with my corrupt ways. I was even able to hunt my citizens without fear of conviction. In Skyrim, none of this is present. Actually not even the civil war I was told so much about was even present. Yes I heard all about it, but never saw and battle fields or massacres beyond the quest chains. Skyrim does a good job of giving you the illusion that things are changing when in fact they really aren't. I mean for ****'s sake, I had assassinated the Emperor! No one bows before me, no ones cowers at my presence. But they do whisper to me "hail Sithis!" as if that's suppose to make me feel proud of my accomplishments. If I could sum this experience up, it was like winning the lottery and then waking up from the dream to see nothing has changed.
2) There will be bugs - Bugs. Yes glitches or whatever you prefer to call them are rampant in Skyrim. I could easily summarize how I could easily overlook all of them like other reviewers but no, that's childish and the easy way out. You can't excuse it. Yes, some bugs are indeed hilarious such as a guard getting out of bed to talk to me then going to lay down on the floor and begin to hover. Yes, some bugs can be overlooked even if their annoying such as the corpse of a dragon I've slain to quick-travel with me and crash into town knocking over every precisely placed piece of furniture and doodad. Then there are bugs that actually kill the game. I'm not talking about crashes which have happened quite a few times and can be easily be solved by compulsive saving - No - I'm talking about the fact that when I was doing the Imperial Legion quest line, I was 100% unable to complete it due to a bug. My next task was to report to my commanding officer for new orders. Seems simple right? Wrong. I get there and she has no order. No idea that I am apart of the Legion and thus, no continuation of the quest line for me. I tried sleeping, saving, restarting, fast-traveling, attacking soldiers, going in and out of caves, trying again in a hour but nothing worked. I was unable to complete the Imperial Legion quest because a bug prevented the next line of questing to appear in my game. This was a big let down. I had done the main quest and most of the side quests and decided to pick a side only to be let down mid game. If I was a different type of gamer, I could easily be writing a very hate-filled letter (or email, no one writes letters anymore) to Bethesda asking simply "What the ****?".
3) I now pronounce you married! Achievement unlocked, now move along! - (Contains spoilers on marriage, side quests, and Deadra quests) A small rant but can really put a downer on the fact that I feel so much more immersion was promised in this game. Something as incredible as getting married in a Elder Scrolls game was something I've never heard of. Sure I've faked it. Pretended a follower was my spouse or "moved in" to the home of my beloved but never had the option to actually tie the knot. Turns out I was better off playing fantasy. Getting married is as pointless as Blockbuster. Yea it's a actual event in the game but after the ceremony, you really don't get much out of it. You never go on dates, or well.. procreate like the good Lord asks us to do. This ties in with many problems I have in Skyrim. Doing something for nothing. I heard bringing back a special sample of a special tree would help bring a even specialer tree back to life and help lift the spirits of all who made the pilgrimage to it. I heard wrong apparently. I can't even tell if the tree looks any healthier. The best example I have is with the Deadra quests. Many times throughout the game you are given a simple choice. Help vanquish a evil Deadric influence wreaking havoc on the locals or succumb to the dark side and join forces with it. Sure banishing the evil back into the depths of Oblivion will help the locals sleep at night but wheres the fun in that? So I quickly back-stab my very trusting tour guide who doubles as a servant of light and join whichever Daedra lord is sending voices into my head. Upon joining forces with them, they promise me a life of endless servitude and rewards and say they will be contacting me soon. Much like a one-night stand they never call back. I am left alone in my sea of heartbroken tears wandering to the next great spirit that beckons me for their needs. Seriously would it kill the Deadric lord of submission to send me a text every now and then with a evil task that only his most prized follower can handle?
In short, there is a lot of illusions happening in this game. The illusion that I'm actually doing something. It's not incredibly noticeable but after a lot of questing, anyone who isn't a zombie after seven hours of continuous play will ask themselves if they really even exist in this world or are simply strolling through the fantasy.
Closing thoughts and a end to a long review for a even longer game!:
Sure the graphics are great. The command console a tool of God. The time consumption incredible and the promise of endless additional content both official and fan made a role player's wet dream but what does the game really come down to?
After diving into Skyrim and slowly climbing back to the top without getting the bends, it's simply gold painted copper. While it is the best role-playing game out there, it is not without it's tremendous flaws. Much like any great nations have it's own vices. Skyrim is America trying to get over it's slave laborer past. It's beautiful, brilliant, powerful, but has a incredible dark side to it.
My conclusion would be to wait until Christmas. Wait for the patches, wait for some fan made content that would help mold the game to your preferences and wait for the game to be fully enjoyable without risk of not being able to complete it.
I don't believe in numerical scores. I believe in telling you if the games worth playing or not. That's very hard to say. It's like recommending drugs. Yea it'll be amazing but there are some huge risks. You could easily get ripped off because of the amount of bugs present. But you could also have one of the greatest gaming experiences currently out there. If I were to give Skyrim a numerical score, it'd probably be a high 7 that would definitely be edited with the coming months.
If you like RPGs and fantasy, pick it up. If your a casual gamer, a fan of shooters or multiplayer action, wait until it's under your Christmas Tree.
I hope you enjoyed the review, I'll be tweaking it more and more as time goes by. If you have any helpful criticism - I'm all eyes.
A note to readers: I noticed no-one on the community has posted a review of Skyrim and I wanted to share my experienced thoughts on the game. I think many reviews for Skyrim out there are a little biased to say the least. Why just be spoon fed the idea that it's a amazing game over and over again without first experiencing everything it has to offer?
As of today (Saturday, November 19, 2011), I have clocked in 115 hours of game-play, completed the main quest, and dove into many of the games factions as well as currently being in possession of 25/50 Steam achievements.
These little "accomplishments" have nothing to do with bragging rights. They are my diploma of some sorts, stating I have the ability to correctly review the game to give you readers the full benefits of understanding this massive game.
This review will contain spoilers when trying to explain the system and mechanics of how this game performs and works within itself. If I feel I am spoiling anything I will promptly warn you with big bold red letters. But the spoilers are more a big picture idea as to how the game works, not a story-board summary of what you will be experiencing as Doväkiin.
The history of the Elder Scrolls series:
In middle school, I was fortunate enough to one: have a computer that would perform and serve my gaming needs well for almost a decade and two: to have been introduced into the game that I think started it all for Bethesda... Morrowind! In it's day (2002), Morrowind was the epicenter for RPG gamers. A fully 3D immersible land that was truly the first time I used the word "beautiful" to describe the setting of a video-game.
Your unnamed character just released from prison, the massive home of the Dunmer (Dark Elves), and the freedom of choice unlike anything you've ever seen. Yes Morrowind was a real world. Fully furnished with books, silver-ware, random encounters and enough activities to keep one occupied for seasons to come. It really put Bethesda on the map for a generation. It also allowed them to pursue their next great gaming project, Oblivion. Oblivion, to many fans of Morrowind, was watered-down and consolized. It was scaled down, dumbed down, and definitely used mostly as a tool to promote the game to the massive boom of new gamers inhabiting the next generation consoles that were dominating the market. This new generation of gamers were clueless to the past achievements that PC games have accomplished. They did not experience Morrowind, they were a mix of Halo players and Final Fantasy fans that were not use to PC gaming and how involved it could be. Oblivion was a disappointment for me and many other PC gamers and fans of the series alike. Immediately I noticed how small the land was. Gone were the endless sand dunes and oceans of Morrowind and now were thousands of hand crafted dungeons. The subterranean levels of Oblivion may have been massive, but the land was dull and looked like a generic swords and sorcery world. A land home to the Imperials, clearly the most human related of the ten races available to you. The land looked as if it had all appeared in a day. Nothing about the world said it had been lived in. It was like a massive suburbia of the Dark Ages, Cyrodiil aka Any-Town 10th Century, was boring and it's inhabitants ugly.
The massive quest system which allowed for unnamed and unmarked quests such as a man falling from the sky as you walk out of your starting town in Morrowind, leaves only a journal describing who he is and how his experiments with Alteration magic has left him dead in front of you. This is actively gone in Oblivion as everything you do is per-rendered and carefully planned out. Morrowind did not have a classic "list" of quests. No strategy guide for adventuring. Oblivion changed this. All the quests in the game could be encountered and easily found in a small strategy guide. Not only were quests few and far between but also repetitive and any veteran of Oblivion will tell you the struggle to close all the Oblivion gates and coming dangerously close to turning on "No-Clipping" just so you can fly up to the top and easily close the gate spewing out not powerful demons and rewarding experiences, but releasing only "time consumption" from it's red swirling guise that ironically reflected your frustration.
All in all it was a failure when compared to it's big brother Morrowind. It would take a lot for Bethesda to make up for the pay-to-play horse armor bastard child named Oblivion.
Skyrim unleashed with the wings of a dragon:
The story of The Elder Scrolls V at it's core isn't anything you haven't seen before in the fantasy world. Dragons terrorizing a war-torn land and only you have the power to stop them and bring peace to Skyrim. The unique feel comes from the amount of real world influences Bethesda has taken. Borrowing from obviously J.R.R. Tolkien's world, the golden age of the British Empire, and even the illicit world of the black market drug trade. The culture becomes a integral part of the setting. This is something not seen since Morrowind dropped you off in a place you really believed was the home of the Dunmer who were facing Dunmer problems.
Home to the viking inspired Nordic race, Skyrim does a good job marching back to the beat of Morrowind who's tune placed you in a setting that feels unique. The people of Skyrim are not just facing ancient Nordic dooms-day prophesies, but facing the ever growing dissent for their Imperial Rulers. Skyrim is both a colony thirsting for freedom and ground zero for the end of the world.
Gone also is the illusion of realism Oblivion casts on it's players. The inhabitants feel real. They have opinions on the civil war, fear of the dragon presence, actual jobs and homes to take care of, and even opinions on the racial make-up of their fatherland.
For instance, the Khajiit race (anthropomorphic felines or furries as some have compared them too) are rarely allowed inside the Nordic cities of Skyrim. They are ignorantly classified as drug-dealing thieves and looked down upon by many races. This also goes so far as Redguards (clearly Black-African in appearance) not being allowed in some areas of Skyrim because many Nords have a low disposition to them.
Emotional feelings toward this aside, it truly makes the world feel real. Skyrim, much like America is a rich land of resources home to the white Nordic race who have little respect for the many dark skinned and different races flowing in as refugees and opportunists. The lore also does a good job to keep this feeling as if you stumbled into a real country. Morrowind which has since been invaded and the Dunmer, many of whom have been killed or displaced fled to Skyrim seeking asylum. They have influences in the economy and culture of many of the cities and towns but also have a influence on the people itself as you will find Nords occasionally harassing them like those many grim years America faced itself.
To clarify, it really does mean something when you pick a race. You not only take on that race's skills but their culture and the opinion's of what others think of you. So be forewarned, playing any dark skinned or pointy eared race in Skyrim will leave you will some interesting opportunities but confrontations as well.
As you can see the idea of races, which in other games are executed with exaggerated colors, styles, and simply having them being good or evil is now something more mature and incredibly satisfying. This is what I think is the greatest example of Skyrim's biggest strength... immersion!
Skyrim's biggest achievement is giving you the feeling that your in a real world. The cities range from newly built Imperial bastions to run-down slums suffering from war and corruption. Skyrim does a good job of taking real world inspired events that the player unconsciously can relate to their game.
It doesn't even come close to stopping there. The wild-life, fauna, dungeons, books, everything is uniquely built for this world. If your not spending hours questing, you'll be spending hours walking around distracted by the beauty, history, and interactive details present in Skyrim.
Alright, give it to me hard and fast!:
While the story is mesmerizing and the amount of time you'll spend playing the game only comparable to a hardcore drug addiction, there are some flaws which I think many reviewers have over-looked or not correctly taken into account.
1) Your footprints will be left in the snow, not The Moon - (Contains spoilers regarding completion of several factions and the main quest) Footprints made in the snow are deep, they expand over time, they have a huge impact on it, but they melt and disappear. Such is like Skyrim. Playing the game I hoped to achieve great things. I wanted to be the savior of humanity, the ruler of the Imperial Faction of Skyrim, the leader of the most feared band of assassins and basically the most bad ass person walking Tamriel. This was one of my biggest let-downs, the fact that I had the impression of making footprints in The Moon (which if you went to The Moon right now would still be able to see Niel Armstrong's footprints when he made the first human landing on Earth's only satellite) but was actually stepping in snow during a warm day in March. The impact you make in the game goes only so far. I mean as far as some unique dialogue, that's it. Once I slayed the world eater, I figured I'd be given the key to Skyrim. Wrong. I was given some unique dialogue and any memory of my deeds such as bringing together the Imperials and Stomcloaks in a landmark temporary truce are gone. Not to mention the fact I saved the world. I mentioned to one of my fellow collaborators that I had been spoiled with how well Fable 3 had done this. Fable 3, the things you did mattered. People and the world you lived in were affected by your persona and choices. If I was evil, people would boo me and whole areas changed, such as the construction of my own personnel evil castle, a factory that used children as slaves, and a room with a safe ever filling of gold with my corrupt ways. I was even able to hunt my citizens without fear of conviction. In Skyrim, none of this is present. Actually not even the civil war I was told so much about was even present. Yes I heard all about it, but never saw and battle fields or massacres beyond the quest chains. Skyrim does a good job of giving you the illusion that things are changing when in fact they really aren't. I mean for ****'s sake, I had assassinated the Emperor! No one bows before me, no ones cowers at my presence. But they do whisper to me "hail Sithis!" as if that's suppose to make me feel proud of my accomplishments. If I could sum this experience up, it was like winning the lottery and then waking up from the dream to see nothing has changed.
2) There will be bugs - Bugs. Yes glitches or whatever you prefer to call them are rampant in Skyrim. I could easily summarize how I could easily overlook all of them like other reviewers but no, that's childish and the easy way out. You can't excuse it. Yes, some bugs are indeed hilarious such as a guard getting out of bed to talk to me then going to lay down on the floor and begin to hover. Yes, some bugs can be overlooked even if their annoying such as the corpse of a dragon I've slain to quick-travel with me and crash into town knocking over every precisely placed piece of furniture and doodad. Then there are bugs that actually kill the game. I'm not talking about crashes which have happened quite a few times and can be easily be solved by compulsive saving - No - I'm talking about the fact that when I was doing the Imperial Legion quest line, I was 100% unable to complete it due to a bug. My next task was to report to my commanding officer for new orders. Seems simple right? Wrong. I get there and she has no order. No idea that I am apart of the Legion and thus, no continuation of the quest line for me. I tried sleeping, saving, restarting, fast-traveling, attacking soldiers, going in and out of caves, trying again in a hour but nothing worked. I was unable to complete the Imperial Legion quest because a bug prevented the next line of questing to appear in my game. This was a big let down. I had done the main quest and most of the side quests and decided to pick a side only to be let down mid game. If I was a different type of gamer, I could easily be writing a very hate-filled letter (or email, no one writes letters anymore) to Bethesda asking simply "What the ****?".
3) I now pronounce you married! Achievement unlocked, now move along! - (Contains spoilers on marriage, side quests, and Deadra quests) A small rant but can really put a downer on the fact that I feel so much more immersion was promised in this game. Something as incredible as getting married in a Elder Scrolls game was something I've never heard of. Sure I've faked it. Pretended a follower was my spouse or "moved in" to the home of my beloved but never had the option to actually tie the knot. Turns out I was better off playing fantasy. Getting married is as pointless as Blockbuster. Yea it's a actual event in the game but after the ceremony, you really don't get much out of it. You never go on dates, or well.. procreate like the good Lord asks us to do. This ties in with many problems I have in Skyrim. Doing something for nothing. I heard bringing back a special sample of a special tree would help bring a even specialer tree back to life and help lift the spirits of all who made the pilgrimage to it. I heard wrong apparently. I can't even tell if the tree looks any healthier. The best example I have is with the Deadra quests. Many times throughout the game you are given a simple choice. Help vanquish a evil Deadric influence wreaking havoc on the locals or succumb to the dark side and join forces with it. Sure banishing the evil back into the depths of Oblivion will help the locals sleep at night but wheres the fun in that? So I quickly back-stab my very trusting tour guide who doubles as a servant of light and join whichever Daedra lord is sending voices into my head. Upon joining forces with them, they promise me a life of endless servitude and rewards and say they will be contacting me soon. Much like a one-night stand they never call back. I am left alone in my sea of heartbroken tears wandering to the next great spirit that beckons me for their needs. Seriously would it kill the Deadric lord of submission to send me a text every now and then with a evil task that only his most prized follower can handle?
In short, there is a lot of illusions happening in this game. The illusion that I'm actually doing something. It's not incredibly noticeable but after a lot of questing, anyone who isn't a zombie after seven hours of continuous play will ask themselves if they really even exist in this world or are simply strolling through the fantasy.
Closing thoughts and a end to a long review for a even longer game!:
Sure the graphics are great. The command console a tool of God. The time consumption incredible and the promise of endless additional content both official and fan made a role player's wet dream but what does the game really come down to?
After diving into Skyrim and slowly climbing back to the top without getting the bends, it's simply gold painted copper. While it is the best role-playing game out there, it is not without it's tremendous flaws. Much like any great nations have it's own vices. Skyrim is America trying to get over it's slave laborer past. It's beautiful, brilliant, powerful, but has a incredible dark side to it.
My conclusion would be to wait until Christmas. Wait for the patches, wait for some fan made content that would help mold the game to your preferences and wait for the game to be fully enjoyable without risk of not being able to complete it.
I don't believe in numerical scores. I believe in telling you if the games worth playing or not. That's very hard to say. It's like recommending drugs. Yea it'll be amazing but there are some huge risks. You could easily get ripped off because of the amount of bugs present. But you could also have one of the greatest gaming experiences currently out there. If I were to give Skyrim a numerical score, it'd probably be a high 7 that would definitely be edited with the coming months.
If you like RPGs and fantasy, pick it up. If your a casual gamer, a fan of shooters or multiplayer action, wait until it's under your Christmas Tree.
I hope you enjoyed the review, I'll be tweaking it more and more as time goes by. If you have any helpful criticism - I'm all eyes.