Skyrim

I've been playing Skyrim a lot lately. I wasn't sure if I was going to buy it, I thought it might be nice to play an RPG for a bit but I already have enough to keep me busy with MMO games. I waited around and tried to resist, which didn't last long. After hearing so many raves about Skyrim I just had to get it! It was really worth it. My best friend has been playing it on the PS3 and we sometimes text other pics and my son and I have been watching each other play or just sharing thoughts and tips too, which has been fun. It's so infectious the excitement.

I played Morrowind years and years ago, Oblivion a tad (my son and brothers devoured these games in the past), but I really feel more of a connection with Skyrim. I suppose it offers a lot of what I want out of an RPG. I still don't have a house, I explore waaaay too much but there isn't any pressure to rush, no reason to not stop and explore every nook and cranny. I do have a horse, I absolutely adore having one! So much stuff I just love doing in this game, looking forward to and working on.

I enjoy sneaking around caves, having a companion to help me out and galloping across the lands on my noble (sometimes not so faithful) steed. For my mercenary I chose the Dark Elf in the Witerun tavern. I seem to prefer her over my house carl, the carl seems to whine at me about stuff, like if I sneak into someones house. She once yelled at me "You shouldn't be here!" Thus putting me in an inconvenient position as she wouldn't leave with me and I had go back to an earlier save. So, for now, I prefer the cold indifference of the hired hand. That isn't to say I want a mindless NPC following me, I think the Elf is a better mesh for when I want to be sneaky and go steal some stuff or maybe sneak into some locked houses.

I've heard a lot of complaining about the Skyrim UI. I don't really mind it, I suppose I just come to expect something of the sort with an RPG. Sure, it is clunky but it just doesn't seem to bother me that much. Would I trade it for a better one? In a heartbeat! I'm not going to let it deter me from enjoying the game though.

I was pleasantly surprised with how good the character models looked. What a nice change! Talking females especially here. Plenty of great hair options and the characters are really well done. I had just created a DA2 character a few days before, while I don't think they are ugly models (Dire's Hawke is actually pretty handsome), the females though have some 'meh' hair, nothing a helmet can't fix eh? I enjoy both artistic styles though. Apples and oranges.

DA2- Dire's Hawke. (He just loves it when I share pics of 'him', what a ham ;)

My son is quite enjoying the game, spending a bit of his holiday week playing through the game, he's already passed me. He has also encountered a lot of bugs, many more than I. Some of which have impacted his game, he's overlooked them though. Like what? Mobs falling out of the sky... Imagine having a dragon plop down at your feet, just out of the blue. Kind of confusing and immersion breaking. He's also had higher level items drop off of mobs that shouldn't. Just a few bugs, nothing that can't be overlooked. He's read a lot of information and has shared a good bit with me, most of the time I am the one doing so but I just jumped into the game relishing the feeling of sauntering into the unknown, ready for anything.

I suppose there are a few things that slightly bother me. Sound problems, which I hear can be band-aided. Oh, and my horse flying across the screen and off a cliff to it's demise. I was heartbroken when I found out he wasn't 'running to the stables' but galloping at the speed of light to his death. Pony? Pony? Where are you? *sobs* I had to go to an earlier save which was a bit annoying. That horse causes me so much grief sometimes. He's died a few times :( I am heavy handed with the saving, if I think there is a chance he will die or I might, I save. SAVE, SAVE, SAVE. I just hate having to play through something I just did. Auto save is nice but it doesn't always do the trick, even though it saves every five minutes for me. And... Don't get me started on the limitations of what I can carry. I'm going to be working on stamina some, to make that burden a bit easier.

All in all I am quite smitten with Skyrim. I'm not rushing through it though, just taking my sweet time, stopping to smell the flowers. I love the vast open world, it is so lovely. It is truly a gorgeous game. The game has a similar feel to the previous ones and it feels familiar to me. The music is wonderful too. The characters in it feel alive and ofttimes it seems, if you listen close enough,  you can hear the world breathing around you (figuratively speaking). It feels alive. Skyrim is an enchanting treat. If I could add one thing to it, just one thing, I'd add a co-op! I wish I could just, at least, play with one other person at times. One can dream, right? I wanted to share some lovely shots- Enjoy!

My first taste of snow.

Die, scum!

A lovely scene in a cave.

The light at the end of the tunnel!

Whiterun.

Foggy morning.

*Pow!* Bam!*

Casual wear, a gals gotta dress up sometimes.

A girl and her horse.

Dragon!

I wonder if he notices me... *pokes with sword*

Pondering on where to go next.

Evening.

Exploring, sneaking around as usual.

Dragon bridge.

One day I'll have me a grand house like this!

Just another gorgeous scene from my travels.

A pic my son took of the sky, he loved it.

There be dragons... Falling from the sky?