Eurogamer Expo 2011 - Skyrim Impressions

I’ve been really excited about getting my hands on Skyrim ever since it was announced in 2010 and as you may or may not be aware the brilliant RPG was playable at this weekend at the 2011 Eurogamer Expo. Finally, an opportunity to sit down and play the game itself? Unfortunately not I’m afraid.

Although the temptation to play the game was pretty much overbearing I never actually managed to stay in the queue long enough to get to the front. To say the queue was long is quite frankly the understatement of the century but I did watcherbearing I never actually managed to stay in the queue long enough to get to the front. To say the queue was long is quite frankly the understatement of the century but I did watch many fans playing this epic adventure.

So, first of all it’s character creation which is probably the most important part of this game. On several occasions I have started to play oblivion for a few hours and then found myself annoyed by a hairstyle or facial choice and start over again. The good news is that the character creation tools are much deeper and slicker then ever before. All the amendments create a truly personalised character that really spills over into the game itself. The character animation is much cleaner too and the visual upgrade was certainly needed. In Oblivion the non-human races looked quite awkward at times but Bethesda have definitely improved the quality of those designs for Skyrim.

The character I watched was a male Khajiit who almost immediately bounded up a hill towards the snow covered mountains. The countryside has a feeling of being alive as the trees, grass give way seamlessly to snowy mountains as you traverse the landscape. The rivers look brilliant and the general effect on the gameworld creates an even more immersive playing area. The whole world feels alive.

The Xbox 360 version that I watched looked a little jagged in places but I’m sure this will be ironed out. From what I’ve heard the Playstation 3 version has the same problem but this isn’t an issue you can’t get past.

The animals look much more active with Rabbits often rushing through the long grass. Wolves also look much better then in previous instalments with a more varied attack pattern and a much more solid animation. The salmon leap in the river and the trees rustle in the wind.

Anyway the gamer I watched sent his character rushing up a mountain into the snow and attacked some bandits who were held up in a worn down tower. After knocking them down fairly quickly with a couple of the nicely displayed finishing moves he left to head back down the way he came. The tower itself looked very typical of the Elder Scrolls series and had the feeling that makes you want to explore further and loot everything possible. He used a short word and a fire combo that looks devastating and added nicely to the smooth action based gameplay.

Shortly after leaving I watch as he entered the village of Riverwood. I was pleasantly surprised to see a horse and cart which is another lovely addition to the world that adds another layer of immersion. The townsfolk gossip about the world around them, argued about family turmoil and deal with conversation in a realistic manner. The town was lively and gave the player even more reason to explore its streets. I didn’t see the conversation tree open but previews have explained that this is a vast improvement over Oblivion too.

A few other points of interest were the world map which is now displayed in real time which is very aesthetically pleasing. It allows you too see a much more detailed version of the world around you and what sort of places are local. The whole package is just much smoother than ever before and Bethesda have clearly gone to great lengths to improve not just the combat and gameplay experience but the whole interface too.

All in all, I felt immensely satisfied with the game, even after watching the game in action is was pleased by the whole experience and what it additions Bethesda had added. Once again the delicate mix of RPG and action is handled well and the advancement system looks to give the user a much more diverse creation tree. It's certainly a game I now wish I'd cued for but at the same time it can only get more polished before it's release in November.

Excited is an understatement.....