The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition (2016) (PC) (Bethesda Game Studios)
0The vast continents of Daggerfall, the otherworldly vistas of Morrowind and the soft rolling hills of Oblivion all have their fair share of fans, respectively. For me, however, there is only one Elder Scrolls game that actually matters. It took some 20 years for this increasingly all-encompassing Western RPG series from Bethesda Game Studios to finally come into its own, but the solemn romanticism of Skyrim's rugged landscapes provided a level of escapism and immersion that I have seldom experienced in a video game before. My overall enjoyment of the game admittedly stemmed partly from a few practical quality of life improvements over earlier TES entries, such as more fluid combat and a less frustrating skill system. Above all, however, Skyrim sets itself apart by having a much more detailed and hand-crafted world to explore, without the quasi-procedural dullness which made parts of Daggerfall and Oblivion in particular so tedious to slog through. In the years preceeding Bethesda's fifth Elder Scrolls title, my general lack of enthusiasm for the open world genre had gradually started to change into grudging respect as I had discovered such rough RPG gems as Piranha Bytes' Gothic 3 and Risen. Like those games, Skyrim offered places which felt genuinely lived in and had a history which became evident by simply by walking through them (rather than, say, by reading in-game books or soaking up dull lore from wooden dialogue).
That being said, I should probably add that the particular art design and atmosphere of Skyrim simply appeals to me a great deal more than the stark exoticism of TES3 or high fantasy of TES4. Indeed, being a sentimental former metalhead from Scandinavia is probably the ideal way to experience Skyrim's particular brand of Norse kitsch. Even if there are no wailing guitars to be found in TES5, the whole goddamn presentation - with its towering dragons, manly Vikings and bloody bastard swords - practically screams "power metal album cover". Also, the environments - minus the incredibly dramatic mountain ranges (those would be more "Switzerland" than "Sweden") - are not too far off from what I see when I look out the window now in late October. Despite the hilarious accents and fantastical creatures, playing Skyrim feels like coming home...
As for the so-called "Special Edition", the PC version of this essentially console-focused release is rather meaningless, since the modest graphical upgrades only makes sense in the context of jumping from Xbox 360/PS3 to Xbox One/PS4. However, if you already own Skyrim (i.e. the main game plus all the DLCs) the Special Edition is free on Steam, and that seems about the right price for what's on offer...
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