Tell Me Why I Should Play Skyrim

It's one of the weirdest situations I've experienced in my 27+ years of gaming.

I'm a long-time RPG fan. I've got 40 PS1 games and 30 of them are RPGs; I played/completed at least 10 more that I don't have anymore. I've got another 20 on the PS2. And that's not counting the SNES and PC. I've been a fan of the genre for almost two decades and whenever a new one comes along, I at least try it. I may not end up falling in love with it, but I still experience an irresistible draw to any new role-playing game that lands on store shelves.

I'm also a fan of open-world sandbox adventures. I love inFamous, Grand Theft Auto, and Assassin's Creed. Now, taking all this into account, by all rights, I should adore The Elder Scrolls. I knew that when Morrowind came out for the Xbox; many got the system for Halo, but I got it for The Elder Scrolls III. And I tried. I tried for ten hours. For some reason, I just wasn't getting it; I couldn't get immersed in the gameplay or storyline, and I didn't know why. A while later, the exact same thing happened with Oblivion.

I have no logical explanation for why I don't adore this franchise. Given my personal tastes (combined with the fact that I gravitate towards fantasy over sci-fi), I should be one of the first in line to grab Skyrim on November 11. Or in this case, I'll probably have it a little earlier to review, so I should be diving in gleefully the instant I rip open the FedEx package. But I've been fooled before, and I get the feeling that Skyrim won't be much different. Am I wrong? Tell me why I should play this game. Tell me what I'm missing. The fans must have some advice.

I just feel like I'm being deprived and I can't understand why. I have to be missing something.

Related Game(s): The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Tags: skyrim, the elder scrolls v, bethesda, oblivion

10/16/2011 9:35:54 PM Ben Dutka

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Comments (70 posts)

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Highlander
Sunday, October 16, 2011 @ 10:02:39 PM
Reply

Perhaps it's because you don't like the gritty, bloody, darker western RPG style? Perhaps it's your innate preference for the JRPG?

;)

I'm actually half serious. I can't really get into these games either, I don't like their style at all.

5 up, 7 down

Ben Dutka PSXE [Administrator]
Sunday, October 16, 2011 @ 11:58:49 PM

Well, I like Dragon Age. And really, it isn't so much the dark/gritty vs. the colorful for me...it's the fact that current RPGs feel more like action games and I WANT MY TURN-BASED BACK. ;)

If they released a dark and gritty RPG that was turn-based, I'd be all over it like a monkey on a cupcake.

5 up, 3 down

Nas Is Like
Monday, October 17, 2011 @ 12:00:59 AM

Turn-based RPGs are the real RPGs in my opinion.

8 up, 9 down

5TAY3R
Monday, October 17, 2011 @ 10:14:42 AM

Because bethesda made games are always full of bugs and another thing is most of it's contents are there just to make people kill their time.
oblivion, fallout, morrownd every single game in my opinion is for people who can't afford more than one game in every 12 months

Last edited by 5TAY3R on 10/17/2011 10:16:59 AM

0 up, 8 down

Highlander
Monday, October 17, 2011 @ 12:15:46 PM

I just cannot get into this dark/gritty thing with RPGs. When I see in-game combat footage and every strike from a weapon or magic causes blood, and whatever else to spurt from the monster/opponent being attacked it's an instant turn off.

I've long thought that the fascination with making games all gritty, realistic, dark and gory is the wrong direction to take. These are supposed to be games. I don't understand why in a game enemies need to lie on the ground oozing blood, and moaning after combat, nor why unreal creatures such as monsters in action games and western RPGs must be rendered in a way that makes them seem real, even down to the blood, sweat and tears that burst forth when they are hit. It's a game, why does it have to be so realistic? It's a game, why does it need to be gritty?

I like that a game looks like a game, realism has it's place in gaming, but realism in a fantasy game seems almost paradoxical to me. Either way, I don't like it.

1 up, 3 down

Alienange
Monday, October 17, 2011 @ 1:04:44 PM

@ Stay3r 360 - You sir are absolutely clueless.

5 up, 0 down

Neo_Aeon666
Sunday, October 16, 2011 @ 10:16:05 PM
Reply

Well if I describe it in my case... It's all about the mood. Sometimes I feel like I want to explore.

I will buy this game day 1 because I want to believe it will offer a great varied open world where I can get lost and let my curiosity lead me. The thought of maybe finding some rare weapon or unlocking secrets is enough to keep me going for hours haha. You don't go after that game for the storyline alone. Also there is generally always funny/weird/fishy stuff going on in the Elder scrolls games.

They also said they fixed the games leveling system a bit too.

I guess that in everything you said in your post, curiosity is what you might be missing. The will to explore or discover weird things pointlessly lol.

2 up, 0 down

Phoenix
Sunday, October 16, 2011 @ 10:18:26 PM
Reply

I dont find the ES series hard to get into, but I do find it hard to stay with them, I think it's because there is too much to do in some cases, such as morrowind, and in the case of oblivion it just became too easy and I lost intrest. I doubt this will be a day 1 pickup for me, I'll most likely wait until the game of the year edition comes out, which it will in time, and pick it up then with a few expansions.

1 up, 0 down

Gamer Girl Gemo
Sunday, October 16, 2011 @ 11:55:00 PM

Sorry, sir, but... I believe that GOTY position is reserved for Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception :)

7 up, 9 down

PSN French
Monday, October 17, 2011 @ 9:29:07 AM

I think Dark Souls deserves GOTY over U3. But we all know Skyrim is going to nab quite a few GOTY awards.

2 up, 3 down

Lairfan
Monday, October 17, 2011 @ 4:57:59 PM

Why so many thumbs down for GGG? We got some Uncharted 3 haters or something?

1 up, 2 down

Gamer Girl Gemo
Monday, October 17, 2011 @ 11:54:32 PM

Man, we must :(

0 up, 1 down

jjlive168
Sunday, October 16, 2011 @ 10:20:07 PM
Reply

maybe you have the same issue i have with the series and also fallout its this big MASSIVE free roam game, HUGE right?...and i am ALL ALONE no drop in drop out co-op no 4 player co-op no co-op nothing its just this big world that im forced to play the way the devs say to play(as most games do) if this series had co-op id play it with friends that would be an awesome experience but i cant nor do i even have the option.

with me it begins to feel like the game is just dragging being a lone wolf isn't ALWAYS fun especially in a massive game like this. maybe you would enjoy it more if a buddy could join in and you could tame a dragon together who knows. i know i would

2 up, 4 down

Gabriel013
Monday, October 17, 2011 @ 1:26:19 AM

See I'm the opposite. I LOVE games like fallout 3 where I can spend 200hrs plus just wandering on my own in the hopes of discovering something new.

This looks like Fallout without the guns but a whole lot of magic. It still isn't d1p for me but I'll likely get it around Christmas time.

6 up, 0 down

Beamboom
Monday, October 17, 2011 @ 5:42:45 AM

Me too Gabriel! I think the exploration-element of Fallout is unprecedented on the ps3. In my humble opinion that's much of what the Fallouts are all about: The wanderer surviving in the post-apocalyptic world.
I dare say *most* of my memorable moments in the Fallout games are from exploring and unscripted events.

Last edited by Beamboom on 10/17/2011 5:43:34 AM

3 up, 0 down

Alienange
Monday, October 17, 2011 @ 1:09:49 PM

@ jjlive168 - Trying actually playing the game before commenting. The last thing on EARTH an ES game does is "force you to play the way the devs say to play."

4 up, 0 down

LimitedVertigo
Sunday, October 16, 2011 @ 10:26:12 PM
Reply

I'm not buying it. Never been a fan of these 1st person "RPGs". Evidently you're not either so don't buy it.

3 up, 3 down

bigrailer19
Sunday, October 16, 2011 @ 11:57:55 PM

There is a third person view. ;)

Seriously though, even though it's a little awkward, it is there.

4 up, 0 down

fatelementality
Sunday, October 16, 2011 @ 10:26:48 PM
Reply

I wasnt a fan of Morrowind at 1st, but it grew on me. Do u like Fallout Ben? I prefer 2 keep my shooters & rpgs seperate. TES is about being that adventurer that u pretended 2 b as a child. Morrowind should b remade w Skyrims engine. At least read that games story. Made me keep playing even tho I was horribly lost......all the time.........ALL the time. I need a drink.

0 up, 1 down

fatelementality
Sunday, October 16, 2011 @ 10:32:48 PM

Wow.....reading what I just wrote......just wow. Ben. It's dragon's, magic, swords, armor, horses. & it's the kind of game that is worth waaaaay more than its dollar. Dont be convinced, just give in.

0 up, 0 down

FxTales
Sunday, October 16, 2011 @ 10:31:52 PM
Reply

Oh that makes me feel better because I didn't enjoy the last one, at all. I think maybe they're the type of game I'd rather watch than play myself, and yeah gotta agree with Limited the first person was a put off. Sorry guys.

2 up, 2 down

WorldEndsWithMe
Sunday, October 16, 2011 @ 11:29:23 PM

You can put it in third person but it's kinda lame when you do. I just chalk up the first person view to how personal the experience is. That's ME in there and I see what I'm doin from my point of view. Whether it's fighting a big bad critter or sneaking into the weapon's shop at night to rob the place it makes it feel more personal.

1 up, 0 down

WorldEndsWithMe
Sunday, October 16, 2011 @ 11:26:57 PM
Reply

Oblivion turned me off at first but after a couple hours I was hooked. Loved Fallout right away. It's all about heavy immersion, the ability to live a fantasy life any way you want, and the thrill of exploration and discovery. Something in that mix isn't clicking with you Ben, you just gotta find out which part and then kill that part of you because this game is going to be the fantasy world simulator medieval geeks like me are going to live in for awhile.

5 up, 0 down

LimitedVertigo
Sunday, October 16, 2011 @ 11:29:07 PM

I cant get past the interface.

0 up, 3 down

WorldEndsWithMe
Sunday, October 16, 2011 @ 11:30:46 PM

You mean the first person stuff or the way weapons and spells and armor are set up?

0 up, 0 down

LimitedVertigo
Sunday, October 16, 2011 @ 11:51:25 PM

The 1st person. I know you have the option to 3rd person but it's fake looking.

0 up, 3 down

Gamer Girl Gemo
Sunday, October 16, 2011 @ 11:53:06 PM

@LV

Once you mess around with it for a few hours, it becomes more evident how easily it can be used. Just tweak around with it some, and trust me, you might be hooked. I remember the first time I ever played it, I just ran around doing virtually nothing, yet it grabbed me into the world really quickly.

1 up, 0 down

Gabriel013
Monday, October 17, 2011 @ 1:29:02 AM

I hated the 3rd person view in Fallout so thankfully the 1st person view worked well for me.

0 up, 0 down

Nas Is Like
Sunday, October 16, 2011 @ 11:28:44 PM
Reply

This series never interested me.

Well ok that's not 100% truth. Obviously if the game gets a lot of positive feedback, especially from both the critics and fans, I feel at least a little obliged to check it out. But this series, I just don't have the motivation to go and do that.

0 up, 2 down

WorldEndsWithMe
Sunday, October 16, 2011 @ 11:32:56 PM

It is a massive undertaking, but that's how people get enveloped into it. Elder Scrolls IS that game that is all you think about playing and doing once you get off work or school or once you wake up on weekends. It's all about getting back into that world to do something.

3 up, 0 down

Gamer Girl Gemo
Sunday, October 16, 2011 @ 11:56:27 PM

Amen, world. So many hours of sleep lost.

1 up, 0 down

Gamer Girl Gemo
Sunday, October 16, 2011 @ 11:50:35 PM
Reply

There's a really simple formula I follow in nearly every RPG in which you can make your own character. I give the character their own personality, their own weaknesses, strengths, likes, and dislikes even if that isn't really an option to set down within the actual game. It makes me feel as though I'm more connected with my character, that I know just what they would say, do, react, love, etc. This way, I can go through the game with the mind set of their personality in the foremost front of my mind, and answer questions, perform actions and whatnot according to what they'd actually do.

Of course, I don't really do this the first time through. I usually do what I prefer mostly in the first time around. However, I find that you become more attached to the character in more ways than just one. I've sometimes gone as far as creating a background story for what led them up to being the way they are and where they are. I suppose it's my fictional writer's mind playing its own natural parts, but I find that it makes a game like this that allows you to build your character really get more intimate with how that character works; on the battlefield and off.

Also, I like to go out and venture onto my own self-made missions, like seeing just how many places I can explore out in the wilderness before such and such time. I try to immerse myself into the world as much as possible, even if it isn't by playing the rules of the game itself. It may sound a little silly to others for me to add onto what and who my character is, but it makes me just feel like the world is right before me.

With Oblivion, all of this was easily possible, but I can see now just how much more we'll be able to what we did in Oblivion in Skyrim. It seems it's nearly ten times more in Skyrim. Overall, try to find ways to become emotionally attached the world and characters itself. Whether it's giving yourself a task, finding random ones, or just furthering your character's personality. I find them all a much more in-depth way to enjoy any kind of game.

Hope this helped you out, Ben! I really would like you to enjoy TES because it really is a game that holds nearly no limits as to what you can do or who you can be.

2 up, 0 down

Vitron
Monday, October 17, 2011 @ 12:06:32 AM

Wow you too gamer girl? I thought I was the only one doing that. What's yours? I always do mine serious and cynical. :)

1 up, 0 down

Gamer Girl Gemo
Monday, October 17, 2011 @ 12:19:41 AM

Haha! Nice to know I'm not alone :)
I usually like to give them that "troubled-past" kind of attitude. Sometimes I just plain like to be a huge jerk and heartless. However, most of the time, I do that goody-two shoes type of guy that loves to help everyone at any cost. It's really an awesome way to see just how many ways the NPCs will react and, like in DA:O and DAII, that was ALWAYS a blast.
Not to mention it gives me a reason to start a new game nearly every month or so!

Last edited by Gamer Girl Gemo on 10/17/2011 12:20:06 AM

3 up, 0 down

Beamboom
Monday, October 17, 2011 @ 1:17:26 AM

THIS is roleplaying. :-) I'm like you too!
And I got this annoying tendency of always ending up playing as the saintlike goodguy. I can't help myself!

Last edited by Beamboom on 10/17/2011 1:23:18 AM

0 up, 0 down

Beamboom
Monday, October 17, 2011 @ 1:45:26 AM

Either that, or if I can: A thief-like character. A sneaky, lockpicking, close combat stealthy babe that hangs out at the local pub, pickpocketing and gamble the money away (Fallout let me do all that. Lovely)

Last edited by Beamboom on 10/17/2011 1:47:36 AM

0 up, 0 down

Geobaldi
Monday, October 17, 2011 @ 2:11:18 AM

And all my characters are as evil as possible lol. Makes things so much more fun. For me at least.

2 up, 0 down

Ben Dutka PSXE [Administrator]
Sunday, October 16, 2011 @ 11:57:45 PM
Reply

Gamer Girl: I should try that. Games that don't have a strong narrative thread, or that encourage me to ignore it for long periods of time while I focus on myself (exploring, fighting, doing extra stuff, etc.) don't hook me as much these days. So giving my character a personality the developers didn't give him might help.

World, Limited: The first-person thing might be an issue. I was never entirely comfortable with it in Morrowind or Oblivion, but I'm not convinced that this is the sole reason I couldn't get into those games.

jjlive: I like open-world games, as I said in the article, but you're right about Fallout. Couldn't get into that, either. Maybe if the world is TOO big and TOO directionless, I just lose interest.

2 up, 1 down

Beamboom
Monday, October 17, 2011 @ 6:56:36 AM

Quoting, "So giving my character a personality the developers didn't give him might help" - I believe your problem is right there. It's all a question of what you are used to, I think.
You are probably most used to play RPGs where most everything is preset: The characters, the story, the personalities, the direction.

Me on the other hand, I am by far most used to these kind of rpgs where creating your character and to some degree your story is much of what the game is all about - to me RPGs that don't offer these aspects feels like they are missing something.

These games do require you to get involved in the game world in a different way than most other games (regardless of genre). It's a different way of playing and I can totally understand those who can't get into these games.

Last edited by Beamboom on 10/17/2011 7:03:15 AM

0 up, 0 down

DemonNeno
Monday, October 17, 2011 @ 6:32:46 PM

The direction does fall too far from the gameplay, FOR SURE! I had this problem with Oblivion way too often. I find myself traveling more than I am playing the game. The travel annoyed the crap out of me. This was Fallout3 as well. Walking, walking, walking.. Almost there! Poof! Rebels that are too tough to kill end my trip short. Seriously?! Ridiculous.

I ultimately aced both games, but I have NEVER had to put down the controller as much as I did with Fallout. Oblivion, at least, looked very pretty on my PC. It was glitchy and it did lock up my PC, it was a graphics driver-compatibility problem or a DX issue; the game had glitches. Fallout 3 had one section that bugged up on me (I forgot which portion, I do remember others on forums with the same issue) but that game was just plain ugly. It felt like my character was thrown in some FPS map to R&D the world for FP gamers.

I can't say for certain these are the main issues you are having, but I know they are mine; Lack of Direction/Too much (slow) travel, Real-time fights where you're outnumbered and sometimes out powered on skill level as well, and finally... The story just doesn't suck you in.

I had to set goals for myself in both games. I'd do missions on my own, such as defeating enemies for weapons & ammo (F3) and research and collections for my characters skill level (Oblivion). I ultimately enjoyed the game without regrets, but that's not to say I wouldn't like a slower pace of fighting with more strategy than energy. The story in Fallout 3 was just brutal to me. Until I reached nearly the end of the game, I couldn't tell you why I kept going. Stubborn I suppose. I could've easily given up, although I'm happy I didn't.

0 up, 0 down

Beamboom
Tuesday, October 18, 2011 @ 2:43:00 AM

@DemonNeno: It's incredibly interesting to read comments like yours, cause they so *totally* differ from how I perceive these games. It just goes to show how different we as gamers are.

You hate the travels in Fallout, I find that particular element to be essential to the whole experience. The excitement of not knowing what to encounter next, what you will meet around the next hill, the thrill of the careful approach towards new enemies when you do not know how powerful they are, all this is what has made me love these kind of games. To you those same elements are reasons why you *don't* like them.
And being out powered by enemies strafing areas where "you are not supposed to be", well, that's required in my opinion, anything else would remove much of the excitement.

I'm not really defending anything here, just pointing out how different the same concept can be perceived. Cause if you do not enjoy these things in itself, then I can understand how some can say "there is no story". Cause these experiences are not obstacles, they are much of the story itself!

0 up, 0 down

DemonNeno
Tuesday, October 18, 2011 @ 8:44:40 AM

@Beam, I generally love the travel, but when I find myself traveling for 20-30min at a time, while attempting to be frugal, I end up getting wasted before I have a chance to achieve what I attempted to. Restarting would mean another 20-30 min of travel, now trying to avoid areas that aren't always avoidable. The thrill is lost to the mundane travel.

I love traveling, gathering and exploring. In some cases, the overall urge is entirely lost to the redundancy of the environment along with the insane distances you're expected to travel. No save points to lessen the blow of getting killed along with the lack of resources to score and ease the travel.

I can't say I have this problem with many RPGs, as it is the reason I do enjoy them so much. It has more to do with the lack of interesting activity inbetween all the endless travel and real-time battles (I totally prefer turn-based) on a grim map. *shrug*

0 up, 0 down

Beamboom
Friday, November 04, 2011 @ 2:19:26 PM

No save points? You can save whenever you like in the Fallout games... And you should, too!

0 up, 0 down

bigrailer19
Monday, October 17, 2011 @ 12:04:46 AM
Reply

Well I know it took me a series of play sessions before getting into Oblivion. I was ever a huge rpg fan, just because I didn't play many. So getting into Oblivion was tough. It seemed to take awhile before things started picking up. Maybe that 10 hours of morrowind just wasn't enough time? I don't know, you could blame the pacing at that point. But it seemed like once I started picking up side quests and got a grasp for the game (Oblivion) I couldn't put the controller down!

0 up, 0 down

dmiitrie
Monday, October 17, 2011 @ 12:34:15 AM
Reply

Morrowwind is one of my two favourite games, all time. I still play it, ten years later and I've definitely logged more hours into it than any other game. Oblivion, though, never sucked me in. I had a little bit of fun with it, sure, but couldn't stay with it for more than 20-30 hours. A big part of that was because of the level scaling. I'm a grinder, by nature, so when I spend a dozen hours leveling (especially if it was non-combat stuff), and then went out on an entry level quest that's filled with mobs that were definitely not entry level, I felt that I had been wasting my time and quickly grew frustrated with it. Because Skyrim keeps the level scaling so I'm afraid that I won't have any better of a time with it.

Also, Ben, you said that you played on X-Box, but did you ever try either game on pc? I always thought that the experience was significantly different (and, in my opinion, better), and that was before I discovered modding.

1 up, 0 down

Geobaldi
Monday, October 17, 2011 @ 2:16:47 AM

The PC version of Oblivion is just remarkable in every way once it's modded, and it was great even beforehand. Soooo many great things to add to that game.

1 up, 1 down

Riku994
Monday, October 17, 2011 @ 6:01:10 AM
Reply

I think it's a lack of structure and your inability to spend time getting immersed due to your work. That being said, I fell in love with Oblivion just a few hours in, but maybe you just need more time? As mentioned above, the massive freedom could just be too much for your tastes, and you'd rather just stick to the main plot without feeling like you're distracted by 100 other quests. It all comes down to tastes in the end, but it really doesn't make sense why you don't like the games.. Download Daggerfall if you don't mind PC gaming, Bethesda has it for free on their website.

1 up, 1 down

JohnnyGold
Monday, October 17, 2011 @ 6:18:46 AM
Reply

simple. out of everything you compared it to, i don't see table top, pen and paper rpgs anywhere on there.

this game is much closer to that than, say, xenogears.

i typically spend an hour or 2 planning my character with just the instruction book before i even start the game, then play through the "intro" (where you can try out every skill) 4-5 times to really test each one.

when i find the skills that i think im going to use the most during the game, and more importantly, that i enjoy using the most, i build my character around that. because certain races give bonuses to certain skills, (not to mention the selection of what sign youre born under, and so on,)i might end up being a race that i would have initially passed on.

with that character, i start playing, and more often than not, because of my play style (say i'm sneaking, or looting) ill get an offer from a guild that i follow more than the main quest.

then, while on a guild mission, ill find some ho hum cave that ends up being a 2 hour adventure for a rare sword.

you just need to do more work upfront to get more out of the game.

1 up, 0 down

Ben Dutka PSXE [Administrator]
Monday, October 17, 2011 @ 9:51:42 AM

No, because I loved playing the Baldurs Gate, Icewindale, and Neverwinter Nights on PC.

I didn't really list any games at all, outside of the open-ended ones.

0 up, 1 down

Beamboom
Monday, October 17, 2011 @ 10:39:54 AM

So you enjoyed Neverwinter and not Oblivion? What would you say is the main difference between those two? Maybe therein lies the answer to why you enjoyed one but not the other?

0 up, 0 down

Oxvial
Monday, October 17, 2011 @ 6:21:57 AM
Reply

I tried to give a chance to past games of this franchise...and just couldn't enjoy them, find them boring.

That said I want to give it a chance to this one too.

Last edited by Oxvial on 10/17/2011 6:22:57 AM

0 up, 0 down

NoSmokingBandit
Monday, October 17, 2011 @ 6:32:15 AM
Reply

The complete and blatant lack of story is what keeps me away.

1 up, 5 down

Beamboom
Monday, October 17, 2011 @ 6:47:10 AM

I've seen similar claims from others and I don't understand them! There are stories - usually more than one - in these games?
The rule, as far as I am able to tell it's without exception even, is that there is a pretty clear main quest and several "mini-stories" found in the many side-quests (often I find those even more entertaining than the main quest).
How come you don't consider these to be stories?

Last edited by Beamboom on 10/17/2011 6:47:36 AM

1 up, 0 down

Ben Dutka PSXE [Administrator]
Monday, October 17, 2011 @ 9:49:52 AM

The reason he - and many people I know - don't consider them is because they're always eclipsed by the freedom. The more freedom you have, the less of a concrete narrative thread you can produce. That's the danger of freedom: the more choices one can make and the more options one has, the less of a cohesive story and plot can be implemented.

Because you don't ever really follow any particular narrative - even the main plot - unless you WANT to, it always feels disjointed and secondary. The bottom line is that I guarantee that nobody buys The Elder Scrolls for the story. You'll never hear someone say that (at least, I haven't). And there's a reason for that.

1 up, 2 down

Clamedeus
Monday, October 17, 2011 @ 10:06:16 AM

I play for both Story and freedom of exploration of the world. I like to know what's going on in the world I'm in. But that's probably just me. (Oblivion)

0 up, 0 down

Beamboom
Monday, October 17, 2011 @ 10:35:13 AM

I believe the reason why I enjoy Fallout and Dragon Age so much more than Oblivion (I too found Oblivion to be rather boring) was mainly because of the stories.

I think? What else could it be...
Aha, or the *lack of* story. I see what you are saying. Maybe that's what was missing in Oblivion? I just imagine there was just as much a story there as in the other comparable rpgs...

Last edited by Beamboom on 10/17/2011 10:37:11 AM

0 up, 0 down

Ben Dutka PSXE [Administrator]
Monday, October 17, 2011 @ 10:38:33 AM

I suppose. But I never care about the stories in Dragon Age, either. It certainly has more of a cemented narrative than The Elder Scrolls, but any time I'm focusing on the build-up of my characters - especially one I create from scratch - the stories just seem to exist in the background for me.

I don't feel like I'm actually part of the plot, as I'm not stepping into the shoes of an actual character in that plot; a character the writers created for the sake of that story. I'm just an outsider visiting the plot, so-to-speak.

0 up, 1 down

Beamboom
Monday, October 17, 2011 @ 10:46:39 AM

Dragon Age does have a more cemented narrative, that is very true. It's more focused, even the side quests are often somehow related to the main story.
Funny thing is that I remember that I wished there was more to do outside of the story in Dragon Age. :)

I think it's strange that you didn't feel part of the Dragon Age plot. I can understand you didn't in games like Fallout and Oblivion though. You are smaller in those pictures, sort to speak. But in the case of Fallout I loved that sensation.

Last edited by Beamboom on 10/17/2011 10:51:41 AM

0 up, 0 down

Monkeysnarf
Monday, October 17, 2011 @ 9:04:04 AM
Reply

I loved Dragon Age Origin. DA2, not so much; actually I haven't finished it and only played it enough to think it's more of an action game than and RPG.

Oblivion was great though. I had over 200 hours into it and truth be told, I didn't finish the main quest. I can't wait for Skyrim. If Skyrim is set up the same way, I plan on leveling up my character through exploration and going through all the guild quests. That's what I liked most about Oblivion. I loved doing all the warrior, mage, thief and assassin guild quests. I also liked having a house in every town.

0 up, 0 down

CrusaderForever
Monday, October 17, 2011 @ 10:28:36 AM
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I would say that you need play Skyrim is because it is open world and linear. I remember starting Oblivion and not even going on the main quest. I just turned right and ran into the forest. I ran into dungeons and animals and vampires in the dungeons. I believe I burned 5 hours just enjoying the surroundings. Dragon Age doesn't allow this. I can only imagine what this new iteration of the Elder Scrolls will allow. I will start out Skyrim the same way.
It's going to be hard to pull myself away from Dark Souls though.

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CrusaderForever
Monday, October 17, 2011 @ 11:18:24 AM

I meant not linear! LOL Elder Scrolls is the epitome of non-linear.

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Alienange
Monday, October 17, 2011 @ 1:26:13 PM
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You're one of those gamers who requires a thick story, plain and simple. You're one of those gamers that needs to be led by the hand through some narrative in order to get a sense of enjoyment.

If the jrpg stops and says "hey you, gamer, go grind away for two hours so you can level up and get the story to progress," you're more than happy to comply where someone like me thinks "are you friggin KIDDING me??"

On the other hand, Bethesda puts out sandbox games where you truly have to role play and get into the character YOU created and the scenarios YOU put him in, then you seem lost and claim it's boring where someone like me gets a pail and a shovel and builds the best damn castle you ever seen.

3 up, 1 down

Underdog15
Monday, October 17, 2011 @ 2:12:04 PM

lol, no... that's not it. Read Ben's earlier comments.

I don't care what people think about stories in these big ol' sandbox games like Elder Scrolls. There is not much story. There really isn't. You pretend you can make it whatever the heck you want, but you can't. At least, I can't. I want to make my character great... well that's fine... But I can't give him a good story. Sure, I have choices, but they aren't very complex... certainly not deep enough that I feel I have control.

The -ONLY- way your characters are as unique as you want them to be is if you're ok with role-playing a story in your head that can never be portrayed on screen.

The fact is simple... it will not be as deep as you'd like when you can make the character any role you want. We do not have the technology to have an AI that reacts to anything you think to say. Even your responses are set in stone.

Choice? Well... there's certainly an illusion of choice. But the end result isn't a character you get to control and make whatever you want. It's a bland collection of pixels on screen that will never have the depth and complexity possible of a character that the game makers set in stone.

Ben said earlier he loves DA:O and admitted to story not being important to him. So it's not even about that, anyways.

But nevertheless, I find it hilarious that people think the "choice" in video games is somehow infinite and therefore more complex.

I would rather 1 finite, but depths of hell sort of deep story to be a part of, than have 5 possible weak-sauce stories. It's not somehow a better just because you have choice. To me, the choices have to -MEAN- something grand. And lets face it... nothing we have yet gives us that.

We're a LONG way off from being able to -actually- make your own experience out of an RPG. Let's not pretend we can do -whatever- we want. We can't. We can only do whatever we want, so long as the game is ok with it...

Look... I like choice too... But let's not pretend that somehow makes it different. You have to make sacrifices and you can't have it all. Choice vs. set-up story does not have a winner. It's straight up just a different experience.

Last edited by Underdog15 on 10/17/2011 2:24:32 PM

3 up, 2 down

Ben Dutka PSXE [Administrator]
Monday, October 17, 2011 @ 2:53:03 PM

Let me explain something to you, my friend. Your hatred of linear games suggests to me that you can't stay focused on a story long enough to enjoy it. That may or may not be true, but there's either an obvious bias on your part, or you simply chose to ignore the part of the article where it says I love sandbox games.

I don't care about the story in any of them, with the possible exception of GTA. With games like inFamous and Assassin's Creed, I do exactly what you do. I like to explore, experiment, and do things my way. In my view, the story almost gets in the WAY with such experiences.

You may also notice that the games that have received the highest scores from me this generation (GTAIV and the Assassin's Creeds) are sandbox and open-ended. Therefore, your accusation of what I like, what I don't like, and that I'm somehow an inferior gamer because I don't particularly like The Elder Scrolls, is completely incorrect.

Your way is not the only way to view open-ended games with no concrete narrative and no character development. There's another way, too. I could just as easily say it's a classic developer DODGE. They don't have to write much of a story, they don't have to bother with character development (which all REAL writers will you is extremely tricky), and they don't have to provide the structure of a story (introduction, body, and climax).

No, instead, they hide behind the guise of, "oh, we'll let YOU do it. That's 'freedom.'" Okay. And I tend to love that with some games, as I just said. But that doesn't mean following a story is "hand-holding," nor does it mean open-ended is vastly superior at all times. You need to get that out of your head.

Last edited by Ben Dutka PSXE on 10/17/2011 2:54:02 PM

2 up, 3 down

Highlander
Monday, October 17, 2011 @ 3:06:54 PM

If you are to have a deep story in an open world adventure game, the NPCs and enemies that you face must be very smart. If you are fighting against Lord Gnoth and his horde of Evil, it will do you no good if Lord Gnoth can't play ahead, or deal with your actions. There is no story there if all that happens is that wave after wave of cannon fodder are dispatched by the hero in their open world adventure. There's no story if Gnoth has not motivation for what he is doing, or a reason to even try to defeat the hero. There's no story because Gnoth can't dynamically generate the dialog to match the player's actions, or for that matter the player's appearance. Simply put the AI in games today (any game) isn't even 10% of what is required to create an artificial villain that could convincingly challenge the player and provide an interesting enough challenge to call the experience a story. But to make it work, it's not just the Villain, but all of the other NPCs that need that kind of AI. Otherwise they're just bots, and as predictable as the sun rising tomorrow.

This idea that you make your own story in these games and that is somehow deeper and 'better' than the kind of deep story and characterization possible in a story driven game is preposterous to me. How can such a story be 'deeper'? The story - such as it is - primarily exists in the head of the player, and the game itself can only supply limited interactions and input into the story that are extremely predictable because the game can only react to the player. It's like saying that you experience a deeper story with an adventure by numbers book than with a decent novel. Just because you can customize your character as much as you like, it does not mean that the story of the game is somehow deeper. Such customization might make you more invested in your character - much like players in WKC are invested in their avatars. But that attachment is not based on story or characterization.

Like I've said before, the story in open world RPGs consists of a series of random/semi-random encounters strung together.That isn't a story, perhaps it's a camp fire story where you discuss the close call you all had defeating that fire dragon (or whatever). But that isn't the kind of story that drives a game or develops characters.

Last edited by Highlander on 10/17/2011 3:09:31 PM

1 up, 3 down

eLLeJuss
Monday, October 17, 2011 @ 3:52:47 PM

Damn. Can you guys write my essay for me. You guys are skillful in writing. No offense. I speak the truth.

2 up, 0 down

JackDillinger89
Monday, October 17, 2011 @ 4:23:02 PM
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If it wasn't for games like oblivion i probably wouldn't even played demons souls/DarkSouls. So theres no doubt im getting skyrim on day 1. Im all for dark dangerous dungeon crawling. I know for a fact some sites will give dark souls goty and some will give skyrim goty. Lets not forget uncharted 3. Truth is theres quite a few games that deserve goty that are out and coming out soon.

0 up, 0 down

JackDillinger89
Monday, October 17, 2011 @ 4:34:15 PM
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How can some of you guys say you cant get into oblivion? Its had a good engaging story i actually felt heroic. The diologue had some repetition but it was well spoken, and the sound design and soundtrack was well fitting.I mean comon patrick stewart for crying out loud.

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souljah92
Monday, October 17, 2011 @ 8:47:21 PM
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I never got into this one myself, but apparently it keeps Aids away

0 up, 1 down

Hypntick
Thursday, November 10, 2011 @ 4:10:54 PM
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I'm considering picking it up when I can get a used copy. I look forward to the third person view, that's what turned me off with the first two.

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