"Skyrim": A Full Review

(Warning: Minor and Major Spoilers Ahead!)

Skyrim is definitely the game I have spent more time on than any other game—and that is saying a lot, as I am a very adept gamer, and I spend a high portion of my time on video games. Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim definitely has a 15/10 in my book, with its amazing graphics for its time, and insane modding community to increase gameplay time and replay-ability, along with even better looks.

Skyrim begins similarly to all other Elder Scrolls games, with you, the protagonist, a prisoner. Your character begins on a small wagon, with a few other prisoners, though it seems you have done nothing wrong, just caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. In your wagon is Ulfric Stormcloak, the leader of the rebellion against the Imperials. And so, you head to a small town known as Helgen, though it's funny that you head there, as you are about to be beheaded. You arrive in Helgen where you then climb out of your wagon to create your character, with The Elder Scrolls trademarked number of races, they continue to live on in the Elder Scrolls V, my favorite being the Wood Elf, (due to Archery being its strong suit). After this, your character walks over to a sort of circle around a wooden block which serves as a table where they perform executions. As a sort of priestess begins to chant a number of prayers and such, one of your comrades in binds from the wagon begins to complain, saying he does not have all day, which is ironic as he is being executed. Your fellow prisoner strides over to the beheading block, and, as you were probably able to guess, is beheaded. The captain, calls on your character next. Your probably ugly looking character, due to the games large amount of options for looks, walks over to the block, gets down on its knees, and lays its head in the given area. As the executioner raises his axe, ready to do his dirty work, a sudden screech is heard in the sky, as a massive black dragon swoops down, throwing the execution into chaos. After this, you are taken through a sort of tutorial run, in which you will defeat Imperials, or Stormcloaks, depending on a certain door you chose, and a number of spiders, as well as a sleeping bear which you could have snuck by but, come on, lets be honest, who's gonna give up the chance for free experience? Your now tutorial finished character leaves a cave, feeling refreshed at its sudden levels due to killing a completely defenseless and sleeping bear, happens to look up and sees the previous life-saving dragon, which will be later revealed as Alduin, flying overhead. This is the part of the game in which you are free to do whatever your precious little brain pleases, whether it be to kill everyone in town, only to find out there will be a multitude of characters in which you cannot kill, or if you decide to play the actual quest-*scoff* loser- and will most definitely kill the first chicken you see, because for some reason, everyone who I have ever met who has played The Elder Scrolls V, including me, has killed that first chicken. A moment of silence for poor old Jarold.

In The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim there is a variety of different fighting or play styles to choose from, whether it be archery, one-handed, two-handed, magic, or the play style that will most likely come out once you get bored after numerous hours, the pacifist. In magic alone there is a multitude of different types and ways to play, if you would like to be invisible the whole time confusing people into fighiting each other, then illusions the way for you. Or if you are more of a direct encounter type of person, there is always destruction, throwing massive fireballs at hordes of people or setting cows aflame.

Overall, I have spent countless hours on this masterpiece of a game, the first Western-made game to ever receive a perfect score from the Japanese Gamers Magazine, Famitsu. In 2012, it received a perfect score, a 40/40 the first from the West, and it definitely deserved it. Skyrim has an immense amount of replayability, and if you have not played it, which theres no way you havent, im writing this in 2017 for God's Sake go play it already, it will be an insanely new experience, one that you will never forget. I wish you the very best of Mornings, Mid-Days, or Evenings, whichever may apply.