Critical Reception: Bethesda's The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

This week's edition of Critical Reception examines online reaction to Bethesda's open-world RPG The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, which one reviewer describes as "one of the biggest, most content rich games I've had the pleasure of playing." Skyrim currently earns a score of 96 out of 100 at Metacritic.com. The A.V. Club's John Teti gives Skyrim an A grade. "This is a cleaner game than its predecessors," he begins. "One essential contradiction of northern climes, though, is that they're both clean and rugged. The masterstroke of Skyrim is that, in addition to its sleek beauty, the edges are still rough where they need to be." "The land of Skyrim is a glorious mess of loose threads, and wherever you go, there is some tantalizing new intrigue," he continues. "An afternoon spent helping the local guard captain inspect a house can somehow turn into a harrowing showdown with Molag Bal, lord of the underworld. "Not everything needs to be epic, though. When one cute mini-quest asks you to convince a girl to stop bullying a local boy, there's no twist. Skyrim mixes the prosaic and the fantastic to build up a rich world where, amid a cataclysmic threat, the smaller, stranger vagaries of human existence continue unabated." The less refined elements actually work to the game's advantage, Teti argues. "Not every aspect of this world lines up perfectly," he explains. "You might be anointed by an ancient priesthood as the greatest warrior in all the land, only to walk 10 yards down the road and get slaughtered by a stray bear. Incongruities like this arise all the time -- characters behave weirdly, and quests veer off-script." "Skyrim lets these rough edges show, because the element of chaos lets players feel like the game is happening to them, and they are alive in it -- not just cogs in a pre-fab Game Experience," Teti praises. "That's what sets Skyrim apart from some of its contemporaries. Where many games with lavish production values seek to direct players' imaginations, Skyrim seeks to ignite them." Andrew Reiner at Game Informer scores Skyrim at 9.5 out of 10. "Given the success of [The Elder Scrolls IV]: Oblivion and the expectations for its sequel, I assumed Bethesda would play it safe and deliver a slightly enhanced continuation of the franchise," he admits. "Instead, I walked away feeling I had played the next evolution of the series." Reiner continues: "All of Bethesda's releases this generation have given me that 'I'm not in Kansas anymore' feeling once the open world is revealed, but not to the degree that Skyrim does. This world has that Rapture or Arkham Asylum allure, and is as much of a star of this adventure as any of the characters, dragons, or gameplay." The game also improves upon its predecessor in terms of environment design. "Oblivion was knocked for its lack of variety in its dungeon designs," Reiner notes. "This isn't the case with Skyrim. Yes, there are repeated textures and rock formations, but the composition of each dungeon is largely unique and individualized – in some cases with one-off Indiana Jones-like puzzles or traps. The dungeon designs also factor in player convenience with easily accessible exits." This convenience extends to item management. "All of the game's spell and weapon management is handled exceptionally well through a streamlined menu system that is the most user-friendly solution I've seen in an RPG," Reiner praises. "Any spell or weapon can be added to a favorites list and magic weapons can be recharged with soul gems with just a few button clicks." "This is one of those games that I go into with a clear idea of what I want to accomplish, but somehow along the way find myself on the other side of the continent with eight hours of gameplay under my belt and no checkmarks next to my planned tasks," Reiner writes. "Skyrim ruled my life for two straight weeks, and I wouldn't be surprised if it becomes a fixture in my gaming rotation for the remainder of the year. It's one of the biggest, most content rich games I've had the pleasure of playing." Edge Magazine rates Skyrim at 9 out of 10. "Skyrim still takes place in a world where a woolly mammoth can suddenly levitate a hundred feet into the sky and stay there," Edge's writer warns. "It still takes place in a world where trying to aid the city watch in a battle against a rampaging dragon can see you arrested and taken to prison -- before the battle's over, mind -- for striking one of the soldiers with a glancing blow. "It's a world that's entirely engaging one moment and an utter farce the next. But it's a world that, providing you offer up your suspension of disbelief, delivers more than most games even attempt." Edge notes that character skill customization has been greatly improved. "Bethesda's streamlining of character progression, rather than dumbing down The Elder Scrolls, has hit upon a sweet spot of anxiety-fraught indecision," the reviewer says. "By dropping pointless skills like Athletics and Acrobatics, Bethesda has honed the abilities players want and enjoy using, and carefully distributed tempting perks across all of them." The new dragon battles define the Skyrim experience. "They expose the best and worst of Skyrim's combat," Edge's writer asserts. "Waiting for them to land so you can batter them to death while staring at a screen full of scales is hard work, but archers and magic users will find a flying dragon presents an irresistibly tricky target. [...] Try to run, however, and they'll harry you for miles. And when a defeated dragon finally crashes upon a barren hillside, its flesh melting off to reveal a skeleton that will remain there, a monument to your victory, for as long as you continue playing." "These moments are why you play Skyrim, because in the instance of breathless excitement, triumph or discovery, you invest completely in its world," Edge concludes. "The illusion frequently falters -- and sometimes completely breaks -- but when it does you'll want to conspire with the game to pretend you didn't see. You play on, for the moments of clever design, fortunate coincidence or downright inspiration that turn you from suspending disbelief into utterly convinced."