Skyrim... what do people see in it that I don't?

[Terminal Blue]

And, no, no, it's not bad. Not saying that But everyone, EVERYONE, seems to regard this game as being the best game of all time, or the year even, for some inexplicable reason!

Just a thought, it sounds like you place a lot of stock in programmed experiences. Bethesda either can't or won't write good programmed experiences, in the case of story and dialogue I suspect 'can't,' in the case of dramatic set pieces I suspect 'won't'.

You need to make your own fun in most Bethesda games, you can't expect to simply be pulled through an exciting story or experience because there inevitably won't be one. Play around, try different combinations of skills and perks and spells, and if you find you're breaking the game and it's ruining your fun then.. well.. just don't do that, it's that simple. Try role-playing internally, or setting play challenges like not using enchantment or not using potions at all (if you are a masochist). Or try playing a character as a pure warrior and avoid any magic skills at all.

Most of all, explore. Don't look up strategy guides or wikis, don't fast travel all the time just because you think the quest at the end might be more fun than the journey, wander around and see what you can find.

This comparison genuinely hurts me inside, but it's a little like Dwarf Fortress. Dwarf Fortress looks on the surface like slow torture with an unintuitive menu system, but dig a little deeper (no pun intended) and you learn to make your own story and set pieces from the tools you're given, and my God are some of them amazing!

You had to specialise your character, choose your skills carefully. Nothing of the sort seems to be apply to Skyrim.

Well.. not really.. In fallout 3, you'd just get unlimited skill manuals to raise all your skills to 100 and then pick the one or two perks which were actually useful.

New Vegas might have been infinitely better in this regard, but half the perks are still useless and you can still get enough skill points to make a character who can do pretty much anything.

In Skyrim, the perks are at least tied to skills, which allows for a considerable degree of specialization. Considering that the standard model for perks seems to be to increase the effectiveness/efficiency of the skill by over 100% if you're willing to invest in the tree, and that's still a huge amount of specialization, and almost all of them are useful.

Sure, you can ultimately make a character with 100 in all skills, but doing so means going all the way to the soft level cap, which I'm going to guess is around level 100ish. If fallout New Vegas didn't have a hard level cap, you could do the same thing there as well.

 

[_marrow_]

Personally I agree with the OP.
As stated there is no doubt there is plenty of enjoyment to be had with Skyrim, 30-40 hours is way more than you get out of many other games. The thing is, it's not raising the bar from oblivion, it's more of a step sideways. Sure things look nicer (environment) and dragons are cool, but it just doesn't feel like a leap forward.

Take the spells for instance, there were many, many more variations that you could cast, tons more creatures you could summon, more resistance spells and useful stuff like underwater breathing and featherweight (im 40-60 hours in and havnt found these spells yet, they might be there)and i kno theres a potion for it, but thats not a spell.

Not only that but you had Patrick Stuart in Oblivion and Liam Neeson in Fallout, even if these were the only two characters you recognized or remembered from these respective games, you still have memories of them none the less. In Skyrim there is no character (as the OP states)that I can remember or care about and its a sad thing.

Everyone has mentioned the UI from hell (PC version for me) and its all so true, the chest in your house being of particular annoyance. Not only that but a buff/debuff system would also have been of great use for anyone playing the game.

There is also the issue of "nothing you do matters" and this is a very valid point, you can be thane of the planet, killed every dragon who ever lived be head of all organisations and random people and guards still give u crap. In Fallout your deeds preceded you (within factions i think) and it warranted at least a mention from the NPCs.

Now while im still playing the game at the moment and enjoying it for the most part, the thing that annoys me the most is when my immersion factor hits zero. Like when you sneak attack some dude in the head with and arrow, and his mates are like "oh, must have been my imagination" i mean cummon, there is no excuse for that. Games like Stalker Call of Pripyat (awsome game) really gave me a sense of immersion and I could forgive some of the games issues because it was so immersive. At the moment Im finding exploring the landscape and going to different places is a very enjoyable experience, but I kno it will not last for ever.

At the end of the day a game has to be judged by its own merits. It has to be judged by the standard it sets itself and in this respect Skyrim (for me) is good. Not great. After all I have spent 40 hours on it, and there are many aspects to the game I do enjoy. People who think in this manner (such as myself) are not haters, we do not begrudge anyone for thinking that this game is amazing. But for us, we were just hoping for something a bit better. More refinement, more meaning and more of an experience.

 

[comet5002]

It's simply a matter of people have different opinions on games. I personally like walking from one end of the map to the other, because I like the idea of exploration in games. It's one of the reasons that Wind Waker is my favorite Zelda game. Yes, I did use the teleportation feature in that game, and I did use the quick jump feature in Skyrim, but you still get the sense of exploration in a huge world, which I like, which some people don't.

As for the game being too easy, I honestly don't see what you're doing different than I am. I play on Adept and I find it to be quite challenging. Maybe it's cuz I play as a rogue who doesn't use magic except to conjure bound swords, but I've never felt the need to raise the difficulty level.

I agree that the dragons did get less exciting the more you fought them, and just more of an annoyance, but that's inevitable, really. Anything padded out more than a couple times becomes annoying. Oblivion gates, anyone?

So yeah, it's just about what you personally like in a game. I had to force myself through a week of Red Dead Redemption before just sending it back to Gamefly uncompleted, while people were throwing praises galore at it. I personally love turn-based JRPG's like FFX, and some people will never understand that.

 

[Ectoplasmicz]

As has been stated befor many times, it all comes down to taste.

Those of us that like Skyrim REALLY like it, but many just dont find such an expansive world appealing, and that is completely up to them.

 

[Baconator96]

Frankly, there was so much left out of Skyrim, so many glitches, and so much sub-par in general that I couldn't rightly even put it in my top 5 for the year. I still have fun playing it, but it's not as good as we were promised. It isn't even as good as we expected.

 

[SomeBritishDude]

Bethesda games are definitly not for everyone. They always have hell of a lot of problems and if you don't allow yourself to be emersed into the world they've created there's very little to keep you sticking around. I hated Oblivion for that very reason, I found the world dull and weird so I just couldn't bring myself to keep exploring it since I just didn't care.

But if you allow yourself to become emersed I don't think there's anything quite like it, just like Fallout 3 and Morrowind before it. Nothing beats that feeling of exploration. But with a game this big it's always going to feel a little unpolished so I can't fault anyone for not liking it, like I said I was in the same position back when everyone was raving about Oblivion.

 

[Moonlight Butterfly]

If some gamers think Skyrim truly is a bad game then they can't be happy with anything tbh.

From someone who has been gaming from 1985 ...It's amazing. I'm not entirely sure how someone can't like it.

Funnily enough I was speaking to a friend who thinks it's rubbish (despite having never played it I might add) and he didn't like Assassin's Creed either.

I guess some people want their hand held through an entire game/tunnel/movie.

Skyrim for me is just under Baldur's Gate 2 for my favourite game ever. (Mostly because of Party story lines) It even gave me that special Tomb Raider feeling from the first one where you felt utterly alone in an ancient ruin.

You maybe be nitpicky over the details OP but I don't understand how you or anyone can consider it a bad game from an objective point of view. If you played the game for as long as you say you clearly enjoyed something about it.

Edit As for the skills the mathematical cap (not the soft cap which is 50) is 70 so you can't get all perks in everything. You have to choose. Which believe me is hard since there are some really nice ones. They only perk tree I can see as being mostly useless relating to the gamplay is Lockpicking but even that has things like 'You can't be detected while Lockpicking' and 'Better chance to find special treasure'

 

[Srkkl]

Shiiiiit. When I hit the 40 hour mark I had just started going to see the greybeards. Do some exploring. Go join a guild or faction. That's what most my time has been. Hell, I became a werewolf before I even knew what the Blades were. I love it because it seems like a fantasy world that is at the same time believable, and the gameplay acts as my window into that world. It's totally immersive and extremely fun. It seems like you're the kind of player that just plays for a challenge though where as I love stories and backrounds and skyrim is a game where I can lose myself in all of that.

 

[Kathinka]

And, no, no, it's not bad. Not saying that But everyone, EVERYONE, seems to regard this game as being the best game of all time, or the year even, for some inexplicable reason!

I have played for some 30-40 hours now, and the last few hours have been me almost forcing myself to play, just in the vague hope that I'd encounter whatever it is that every other person in the video gaming community seems to have met. But to no avail!

The story is just the typical "the world is going to end and you are the only one who can save it, so you must hurry" scenario, quickly followed by "but you should really do the five thousand side-quests, or you'll miss the entire game" - which more than saps the immersion out of the main quest. There are no characters in the game. I am certain that, gun to my head, I wouldn't be able to name a single person in the entire world of Skyrim! They all look, talk and act the same, and none of them are even remotely interesting.

Every single quest so far, as been, more or less, the same. Travel to the other end of the land, kill half a county in some dungeon, get item, use short-cut to reach entrance of the dungeon, return item. And that isn't so bad in itself, it's just that the game doesn't exactly make combat or travelling a unique experience. Yeah, the snowy landscape is pretty, but that's basically the only landscape the game has to offer. And, sorry, but that's not enough for a game world that is this massive! And then there's the combat. The combat is, well, lacking in challenge. The AI is borderline retar- err, I mean, "special", and gets crippled if you use the landscape to your advantage, even a little. And that was before I discovered that by levelling my Enchantment skill, I could reach unlimited Destruction and Restoration Magicka, essentially making me indestructible. So there's me, running around in full Legendary Daedric armour, with unlimited magicka. After that, the game ceased to pose any kind of challenge. I play on Expert, by the way.

The first dragon encounter was great. It was tense and thrilling! The second was also pretty great. But after the third or fourth, the encounters quickly dived into nothing more than a minor annoyance, especially since they appear constantly - consisting mostly of waiting for the creature to land, so I can kill it. Currently walking about with ten+ dragon souls, all shouts activated, and more bones and scales than I know what to do with. The giants are little more than a joke. I have slaughtered every single one I have seen, and they haven't been able to hit me even once! And for all the boast of the alleged hundreds of unique dungeons, they all look the same, with the same set-pieces and textures.

And then there's the obligatory bugs that comes with the Bethesda tag. One of the worst has been when the main quest just bugged out, and the only solution was console commands - meaning, that if I had been playing on a console, I wouldn't have been able to complete the game! The menu is obviously made for consoles, and is therefore a pain to use on the PC. The score is the usual fantasy-film orchestral score, but everyone seems to think that it's the best thing since discount hookers!

So, that's my I-feel-left-out rant. I just don't see what people see in this game! What am I missing? And be gentle, please!

i am in agreement. it is a nice game and all, i've had some fun with it, but...meh? i really don't get why people go so apeshit about it, especially on this site. it still is a very good game, but for heavens sake, have none of these people played anything really out of the ordinary? has gaming really degraded so far that any rpg that is worth playing (granted, they are a rarity nowadays) is treated like gods gift to gamers?

also, what's with the hostility towards the op`?

 

[Alphonse_Lamperouge]

I just don't see what people see in this game! What am I missing? And be gentle, please!

you are missing a brain, possibly a heart, maybe even a soul.
basically all the parts of the human body that lets you appreciate something that is awesome. i used to be like you, the negative gamer. its fun to trash games.
its even more fun to appreciate them. skyrim is THE reason i play video games, an entire world for me to lose myself in and forget all my real life woes.
you said you've sunk 40 hours in already, that's already enough to warrant your purchase, and if you had to ''force'' yourself to do that....you should get some help. or some friends.
if you cant see why this game makes so many people so so happy, then man i feel bad for you. maybe you should pick up call of duty or something, i hear that has loud sounds and flashing colors.

(the above is to be read in a gentle, soothing voice)

 

[_marrow_]

I just don't see what people see in this game! What am I missing? And be gentle, please!

you are missing a brain, possibly a heart, maybe even a soul.
basically all the parts of the human body that lets you appreciate something that is awesome. i used to be like you, the negative gamer. its fun to trash games.
its even more fun to appreciate them. skyrim is THE reason i play video games, an entire world for me to lose myself in and forget all my real life woes.
you said you've sunk 40 hours in already, that's already enough to warrant your purchase, and if you had to ''force'' yourself to do that....you should get some help. or some friends.
if you cant see why this game makes so many people so so happy, then man i feel bad for you. maybe you should pick up call of duty or something, i hear that has loud sounds and flashing colors.

(the above is to be read in a gentle, soothing voice)

You really are a pointless idiot of a human being. Just because someone does not share your opinion of a game you feel it's ok to come on here and bash them. Personally I feel bad for you that you cannot see that A. the person who did the OP is enjoying the game. and B. That constructive criticism is not bashing or hate, it's a means to state what is wrong and fix it. I've got nothing against you enjoying Skyrim in any way, shape or form. But suggesting the person lacks a brain, heart and soul just because they do not share YOUR opinion is extremely arrogant.

 

[trillykins]

-Easy combat? Try a different style then.

Bethesda games have been always very world focused rather than character/story focused.

That seems to be the standard response to the easy combat statement. But I didn't choose to play as a mage because I knew it was, apparently, insanely overpowered, or just flat out broken. I chose it because mêlée was stiff, clunky and lacked impact, and Archery just wasn't fun. I like the stealth role normally, but Bethesda is not one of the few that are able to do it well.

And about Bethesda games being world focused, well, this is just my personal preference, but I don't play role-playing games to explore an empty world - where's the fun in that? I play them for the characters that are in the world. And the story they bring with them! Skyrim, to me, is just a hack 'n slash dungeon looter.

In fallout 3, you'd just get unlimited skill manuals to raise all your skills to 100 and then pick the one or two perks which were actually useful.

I may be mixing New Vegas and Fallout 3 together.

Dude, you've played a game you dislike for 40 fricking hours... That can't be a coincidence, right?

I never said I disliked the game. And 30-40 hours might have been an unintentional exaggeration.

...but to say that you haven't run into any "interesting" characters or ones you could even name, I seriously think you may have some memory issues or a simple, forced disregard for the characters "just because" - it's chock full of interesting quests and people to meet.

I haven't met a single person that stood out to me in this game. None of them are supposed to stand out, since every person shares on of the, what, six voice actors? And my memory is just fine.

The thing Bethesda emphasized with this, that being your character develops to your play style is the thing that other RPG's need to work on.

I like the idea behind it, but in praxis it just doesn't really work. I have used Destruction predominately throughout the game, and I still haven't even cracked 90. Levelling up your offensive and defensive skills takes way too long. The armour skill is dependent on enemies hitting me a few hundred times, but that would mean that I had to let them hit me, and why would you do that as any class? Only making it worse, is that enemies still level up with you, meaning that if you decide to level up something like Smithing or Enchantment, you'll end up getting your ass kicked, because you offensive skills are sub-par compared to your level. It's a good idea, but it's inherently flawed, and needs a lot balancing and tweaks.

 

[Alphonse_Lamperouge]

I just don't see what people see in this game! What am I missing? And be gentle, please!

you are missing a brain, possibly a heart, maybe even a soul.
basically all the parts of the human body that lets you appreciate something that is awesome. i used to be like you, the negative gamer. its fun to trash games.
its even more fun to appreciate them. skyrim is THE reason i play video games, an entire world for me to lose myself in and forget all my real life woes.
you said you've sunk 40 hours in already, that's already enough to warrant your purchase, and if you had to ''force'' yourself to do that....you should get some help. or some friends.
if you cant see why this game makes so many people so so happy, then man i feel bad for you. maybe you should pick up call of duty or something, i hear that has loud sounds and flashing colors.

(the above is to be read in a gentle, soothing voice)

You really are a pointless idiot of a human being. Just because someone does not share your opinion of a game you feel it's ok to come on here and bash them. Personally I feel bad for you that you cannot see that A. the person who did the OP is enjoying the game. and B. That constructive criticism is not bashing or hate, it's a means to state what is wrong and fix it. I've got nothing against you enjoying Skyrim in any way, shape or form. But suggesting the person lacks a brain, heart and soul just because they do not share YOUR opinion is extremely arrogant.

you obviously did not read the text in the quotation marks, it was meant to be read in a quiet soothing voice...i think what happened is you read it in Fran Dreschers voice, and i totally understand.
but why the vehemence?
did someone kick your dog today?
are you STILL pissed that Firefly was cancelled? (i am).
did your sister tell you that she just wants to be friends?
im kidding, but like sryzly, you've hurt my feelings.
lets get past this, in the same way we got past Jar Jar Binks and, lets be honest, the entirety of Phantom Menace.
and while we are being serious, there is no such thing as a soul. i mean if you believe in such fanciful concepts as that, you probably believe the world is 6000 years old. and if you believe THAT....well there is really no cure short of OO buckshot administered directly to your cerebral cortex.

 

[Ectoplasmicz]

Not only that but you had Patrick Stuart in Oblivion and Liam Neeson in Fallout, even if these were the only two characters you recognized or remembered from these respective games, you still have memories of them none the less. In Skyrim there is no character (as the OP states)that I can remember or care about and its a sad thing.
]

Christopher Plummer (The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, The Insider), Max Von Sydow (The Exorcist, Minority Report), Lynda Carter (Wonder Woman), and Joan Allen (The Contender, The Bourne Ultimatum). More than oblivion thats for sure.

 

[_marrow_]

I just don't see what people see in this game! What am I missing? And be gentle, please!

you are missing a brain, possibly a heart, maybe even a soul.
basically all the parts of the human body that lets you appreciate something that is awesome. i used to be like you, the negative gamer. its fun to trash games.
its even more fun to appreciate them. skyrim is THE reason i play video games, an entire world for me to lose myself in and forget all my real life woes.
you said you've sunk 40 hours in already, that's already enough to warrant your purchase, and if you had to ''force'' yourself to do that....you should get some help. or some friends.
if you cant see why this game makes so many people so so happy, then man i feel bad for you. maybe you should pick up call of duty or something, i hear that has loud sounds and flashing colors.

(the above is to be read in a gentle, soothing voice)

You really are a pointless idiot of a human being. Just because someone does not share your opinion of a game you feel it's ok to come on here and bash them. Personally I feel bad for you that you cannot see that A. the person who did the OP is enjoying the game. and B. That constructive criticism is not bashing or hate, it's a means to state what is wrong and fix it. I've got nothing against you enjoying Skyrim in any way, shape or form. But suggesting the person lacks a brain, heart and soul just because they do not share YOUR opinion is extremely arrogant.

you obviously did not read the text in the quotation marks, it was meant to be read in a quiet soothing voice...i think what happened is you read it in Fran Dreschers voice, and i totally understand.
but why the vehemence?
did someone kick your dog today?
are you STILL pissed that Firefly was cancelled? (i am).
did your sister tell you that she just wants to be friends?
im kidding, but like sryzly, you've hurt my feelings.
lets get past this, in the same way we got past Jar Jar Binks and, lets be honest, the entirety of Phantom Menace.
and while we are being serious, there is no such thing as a soul. i mean if you believe in such fanciful concepts as that, you probably believe the world is 6000 years old. and if you believe THAT....well there is really no cure short of OO buckshot administered directly to your cerebral cortex.

lmao, u win sir. I know a troll when I see one.
@ectoplasmicz, point well made, didnt know that many were in it.

 

[Fasckira]

Oh look. Someone else who feels they're too good to post in one of the many existing Skryim threads and instead needs to create his or her own thread to get their point across.

If I dislike a game then I stop playing, safe in the knowledge that may just not be for me. As stated, there are already many threads about people who dislike Skyrim (for similar reasons) so your point about everyone liking it except you is redundant. You are not a beautiful and unique snowflake.

 

[michiehoward]

MY only true problem with Skyrim, is half the time I am conflicted on the larger plots of the story, I was thinking to myself while starting the DB quests should I continue this

Spoiler

Kill the Emperor plot, what if I fuck up something that won't happen until further along in the game.

The infinite possibilities of fucking up something kinda pisses me off. LOL