The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (PC, 2011)

This is an awesome game that'll provide you with hours of entertainment. Trust me, it'll be extremely boring for your friends to watch you playing because there are so many tiny little things you can do that branch away from the main story line. That's also a warning to anyone who has ADD like me. If you're ADD, you'll get your character to level 90 and still never actually finish the story line :)

In total, I think this is an amazing game. The level of detail they put into this game is nothing short of intense, and as a result Skyrim is absolutely beautiful.

Now, a few problems with the PC version (because I've also played it on the Xbox 360), it's very difficult to adjust to playing the game using a keyboard and mouse as you use the mouse to look around and aim. This is very annoying for me as every time I try to quickly turn around, I end up looking down and literally shooting myself in the foot. Also, be sure to check your system specs. All Xboxes and PlayStations are equipped fairly equally as far as load bearing goes. The same is not true for PC's. And just because the game gives some minimum system requirements doesn't mean that the game is fun with those kinds of requirements. I definitely recommend having 8GB of system memory, a very good processor that can bear that kind of load, and a fast graphics card. I say this from experience. I can only run the game in the lowest graphics settings possible to ensure the game runs smoothly because I don't have a laptop equipped for gaming. (4GB RAM, 2.8GHz AMD processor, outdated graphics card that can't be replaced). Finally, the game took me a few hours to install partly because my internet is slow and there was some stuff to download, but also because I had to set up Steam. The game won't run without Steam running, and when you're not running a bunch of RAM like me, it eats up your memory just to run (usually 70-120k for me)

However, the PC version does have its advantages over the console versions. For me, it's console commands. I don't use hacks and console commands to get me further in the game because I don't like cheating. However, they're very fun to play with. You can set your health to 50,000 and see if a jump into Riverwood from High Hrothgar would take all your health (did it). I even made my player so big that you can only see his ankles while running and I made him so small that his chin was at the seat of any chair in the game. This provided my friends and I some immature laughs. I've also heard that if you have the right hardware and the money to spend on it (I'm talking upwards of $10,000), the graphics, sound, and playing quality of the game overall far defeats anything. Of course, you'd have to be willing to pay what you would for a 5 year old BMW to get that kind of hardware.

Overall, I think the game is absolutely amazing. But it does have its flaws (i.e. getting used to the game play was difficult and setting up Steam was very annoying). I gave this review 5/5 because it's too good for 4/5 but not quite 100%. I give it 9.5/10. And this game is most definitely worth the money.

Skyrim is a great game. the graphics are way better than that of Oblivion. The new setup with skills really allows you to customize your character. I've played all thew lay styles and though i prefer warrior and rogue the mage was also really fun. The 3rd person view has dramaticly improved. I bought the product do to the hype and it was worth every dollar. The only thing I disliked about playing was what I felt was a smaller main story line than the previous game.

In a world where fantasy becomes reality, there is one game to stand above the rest in sheer beauty and depth. Skyrim is the intended way to experience the richness of the Elder Scrolls world. With the introduction of dragons, the land becomes a dangerous place to explore. For those seeking a great adventure to immerse themselves in for a time, look no further. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim looks to be another Game of the Year from Bethesda Softworks.

I bought Skyrim on the recommendation of a friend who raved about it.
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What I like most about Skyrim is that the game has a huge amount of depth. There are hidden places to explore all over the map. You will encounter many types of characters and many types of characters. Some you talk to. Others you simply kill. Then you search their bodies and sell your loot in town.
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There are many types of skills that you can choose to develop, that will help you with various aspects of game play. Examples of these are smithing, sneaking, and proficiency with various types of weapons.
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I especially dislike the copy protection. You should not buy a used copy of the PC version of the game on eBay, because you almost certainly will not be able to install and run a copy of the game that has previously been installed. The game's terms of service forbid you to resell the game. There are a few exceptions to this; consult the manufacturer's web site for details. To avoid disappointment, you should only buy the PC version if it is "new in box", "factory sealed", "never been installed". I have notified eBay customer service of this issue, but they continue to allow sellers to list used copies of the game.
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I have had good success playing this game on my Windows PC with a Microsoft Xbox 360 wired USB controller. You may have to download a driver from Microsoft, but when you plug in the controller and start the game, it detects the controller and works as expected. A wireless controller may be a problem, unless your PC includes a wireless interface that talks to the controller.
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I would buy this product again. It has provided hours of immersive play. My only regret was the hassle I endured when I bought a used copy that I could not install on my system.

I bought this from a top-rated eBay seller for Christmas. I received it on Christmas Eve, just three days after ordering it.

I had already played Oblivion (obsessively) when I was about sixteen. I dabbled a little with Morrowind, but never owned it to beat it all the way through. Obviously, both Oblivion and Skyrim are step-ups when it comes to graphics. Skyrim, though, is more seamless than either, with the added bonus of transparent menus and a better attention to aesthetic detail (the Skills page, for instance, is a 360 degree view of the sky and the Skill sets are represented as constellations. Beautiful!)

Everything to be said about the game involves words like 'gorgeous', 'seamless', 'spectacular'. The character interactions feel natural, the entire realm feels more free. The only short-coming I've discovered thus far is that the character appearance has lost some of its customizing power from Oblivion. In Skyrim, you select a 'preset' and customize that limitedly, wherein Oblivion the customizing power to me was more impressive. But it also used to take me nearly an hour to customize a character; this process was much quicker and I began playing much faster than my first time in Oblivion.

This is definitely worth the money. Hopefully the game's expansions (when they're finally released) meet the same or better expectations than we developed from Oblivion's expansions (the twisted and split worlds representing mania and depression).