Charactarization in Skyrim

[Hagi]

Haven't purchased Skyrim yet and I'm wondering whether it's worth buying now at full price or better to wait.

One major element in my decision making will be how characterization has been done in Skyrim. One thing for me that really makes a world feel alive is having a few truly interesting and unique characters in it.

I'm hesitant on this score because, imho, Oblivion was absolutely horrible in this regard. I'm pretty sure they could have replaced every single NPC with an Imperial Guard and it wouldn't really have impacted my experience that much. There simply wasn't a single interesting character in that entire game.

Since I'm sure many of you have spend the weekend playing Skyrim I'm wondering how you feel about the characters in the world? I'm dying to know since sadly I haven't really seen this point addressed in a real way in any of the reviews I've read.

Is there much personality to them?
Are there any characters that really stand out?
Any real impact of player actions on the characters in the game?
Do your named followers feel more like walking storage or real characters?
Any other things relevant on this issue?

So, tell me, how's characterization done in Skyrim? Your answers would be appreciated.

 

[haruvister]

There is deeper characterisation in Skyrim than Oblivion, not least because there are more than three voice actors. But also it's because, even with minor characters - say, a blacksmith - you're given options to ask about their background; how they ended up in Solitude, etc. You can ask similar questions of your followers. On top of this, the way the questing works creates character of its own: quests begin with an overheard conversation or stumbling into an argument (or a drinking game). Skyrim is a thing of beauty, Hagi.

 

[AlternatePFG]

Much more personality in NPC's than in Oblivion, in fact the writing seems much better than Oblivion and Fallout 3.

The followers, from what I've experienced so far, they mostly just have few lines. Don't expect anything like companions in a BioWare game or New Vegas.

Certain questlines you do can have a rather large impact on the game world, like the Civil War quests, which are really damn awesome by the way.