Normally I do a Good, Bad and Verdict on my written reviews but in the case of this game, aside from a few minor bugs and nitpicks, I can't think of any complaints about this game. This is pretty much my perfect game!
There are so many stories in this game, all of them really work well and in no way conflict with one-another, and with a game this big with so many stories within it, that must have been really tough. The main quest is very intriguing and builds to an awesome finish. Even the side quests and the downloadable content is very good, my personal favourite of these being the Dawnguard questline, though that is largely due to the new characters but will mention that in a bit.
The world is absolutely beautiful, from the snowy environments and forests to the dungeons and caves. The detail in the world is immense and you could tell the team behind the game put everything they had into it, creating a unique land and filling it with unique characters and creatures. The Dawnguard expansion had some of the best environments not just in this game but in any game. The Forgotten Vale is unbelievably beautiful and it's extenuated by the musical score. I've heard that Jeremy Soule is the John Williams of video games and before this game I didn't think much of him. But in this game I'm completely sold on him and it feels like the timing and mixing is spot on. When you see something beautiful or threatening you get the perfect musical accompaniment for it. Obviously the main theme is epic, one of my favourite pieces of music of all time.
As for the characters, despite having a lot of the same voices, they make up for in creating distinct personalities, including Lydia, the character everyone remembers. Though there are very unique characters with big name voice artists, like Christopher Plummer as Arngier, Joan Allen as Delphine and my favourite character Serana played by Laura Bailey. She has one of the best (if not THE best) back stories in the entire game, she has a great conflict and I love her interactions and reactions in the world. The enemies are awesome too, I love Alduin as the main villain, I love the Daedric Princes (Sheogorath and Clavicus Vile are my favs), I love Miraak and the other dragon priests, and even the dragons you fight can provide a major challenge.
As for the character you control, he's anything you want him or her to be. You can just ignore the main questline and do your own thing. You don't even have to kill things, you can just go around and help people out and build your own house (with Hearthfire). Or you can even go around and literally do everything in the game and that's what a great sandbox game should do in my opinion. I love the enormous variety of weapons and armours and general clothing you can get in the game, my favourite combo being Ebony Mail, ebony gauntlets and boots, Zahkriisos the dragon priest mask, Nordic arrows and either the Ebony Bow or Ebony Blade. Kickass dark assassin look!
I only have two issues with the game. One is the bugs and there are quite a few of them but with such a huge game there's bound to be a few. The other is the dragon riding mechanics they introduced in Dragonborn. It doesn't give you the freedom I wanted, and it's something that another one of my favourite games, Drakan the Ancient's Gates, trumps Skyrim. I desperately wanted something like that in the game but for what I got I liked it fine, especially seeing the world from that height.
My verdict: It's my all time favourite game, I can't praise this game enough. I love it so much I'm actually gonna buy the Legendary Edition on PC so I can have everything for the game plus the Creation Kit so I can put my personal mark on the game. I haven't stopped playing it since I got it and I ain't slowing down now!
There are so many stories in this game, all of them really work well and in no way conflict with one-another, and with a game this big with so many stories within it, that must have been really tough. The main quest is very intriguing and builds to an awesome finish. Even the side quests and the downloadable content is very good, my personal favourite of these being the Dawnguard questline, though that is largely due to the new characters but will mention that in a bit.
The world is absolutely beautiful, from the snowy environments and forests to the dungeons and caves. The detail in the world is immense and you could tell the team behind the game put everything they had into it, creating a unique land and filling it with unique characters and creatures. The Dawnguard expansion had some of the best environments not just in this game but in any game. The Forgotten Vale is unbelievably beautiful and it's extenuated by the musical score. I've heard that Jeremy Soule is the John Williams of video games and before this game I didn't think much of him. But in this game I'm completely sold on him and it feels like the timing and mixing is spot on. When you see something beautiful or threatening you get the perfect musical accompaniment for it. Obviously the main theme is epic, one of my favourite pieces of music of all time.
As for the characters, despite having a lot of the same voices, they make up for in creating distinct personalities, including Lydia, the character everyone remembers. Though there are very unique characters with big name voice artists, like Christopher Plummer as Arngier, Joan Allen as Delphine and my favourite character Serana played by Laura Bailey. She has one of the best (if not THE best) back stories in the entire game, she has a great conflict and I love her interactions and reactions in the world. The enemies are awesome too, I love Alduin as the main villain, I love the Daedric Princes (Sheogorath and Clavicus Vile are my favs), I love Miraak and the other dragon priests, and even the dragons you fight can provide a major challenge.
As for the character you control, he's anything you want him or her to be. You can just ignore the main questline and do your own thing. You don't even have to kill things, you can just go around and help people out and build your own house (with Hearthfire). Or you can even go around and literally do everything in the game and that's what a great sandbox game should do in my opinion. I love the enormous variety of weapons and armours and general clothing you can get in the game, my favourite combo being Ebony Mail, ebony gauntlets and boots, Zahkriisos the dragon priest mask, Nordic arrows and either the Ebony Bow or Ebony Blade. Kickass dark assassin look!
I only have two issues with the game. One is the bugs and there are quite a few of them but with such a huge game there's bound to be a few. The other is the dragon riding mechanics they introduced in Dragonborn. It doesn't give you the freedom I wanted, and it's something that another one of my favourite games, Drakan the Ancient's Gates, trumps Skyrim. I desperately wanted something like that in the game but for what I got I liked it fine, especially seeing the world from that height.
My verdict: It's my all time favourite game, I can't praise this game enough. I love it so much I'm actually gonna buy the Legendary Edition on PC so I can have everything for the game plus the Creation Kit so I can put my personal mark on the game. I haven't stopped playing it since I got it and I ain't slowing down now!