E3 2011: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Preview
By: Jeff Rivera
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion was one of the first AAA releases for the Xbox 360. It came at a time when the library was pretty weak and people were begging for a quality and in-depth experience. Over the last few years, Oblivion has held up very well and is still viewed as one of the best games of this generation despite a few shortcomings. After finishing their work on Oblivion, the development team at Bethesda was involved in multiple projects, including Fallout 3 before they could get started on the official follow up to Oblivion. Later this year, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim will be on store shelves and the biggest adventure to date in the series will be in our hands. At E3 2011, we got a special sneak peek at the game and were introduced to some of the new elements that will be introduced to the series.
The demo started off slowly as we were introduced to the fine details in the region of Skyrim. Every little aspect of the scenery was modeled and textured with incredible precision and the visible environment was huge. We were told that if you could see it, you could walk to it and that nothing was simply just a wall of textures in Skyrim. After letting Skyrim's visuals sink in for a bit, we were able to see how the combat system is going to work in Skyrim. You equip weapons or magic to either hand. You can have a sword in one hand with a shield in the other or you can swap one out for a magic spell. If you want, you can also carry dual swords or have two spells ready. Having two of the same spell in your hands makes for an augmented effect when it is casted. This basically allows you to play different classes of characters when the situation calls for it so you're no longer locked into a melee fighter, magic user, or ranged attack character.
The more each type of attack or defense is used, the more it will be leveled up as well. If you use your one-handed swords often, they'll level up faster than your magic ability, but you can decide to work on your magical abilities more by employing more magic use in your combat. Instead of picking a class from the beginning, Bethesda is hoping that everybody will get a mix of each class that suits their style of play. Even your armor abilities levels up over time based on what you're wearing when you engage in combat. The level up system is represented by a separate skill path for each skill. In the demo we could see that since each skill has its own path to work on at your own pace, you'll never be locked out from learning any single skills fully in the game. Your character still levels up, and with each level you can choose perks to add to your character, similar to what the Fallout series has employed in recent years. It sounds complicated, but it's really well done and very natural when it's put into practice.
Combat itself is vastly improved over what Oblivion offered. We were able to seamlessly cast spells, defend, or swap weapons quickly as the changing circumstances arose. With the d-pad shortcuts, gone is the clumsy menu system from previous Bethesda games. You can now quickly cycle through items, spells, and weapons without having to jump through menus. There's also a bookmark system for mapping your favorite actions, making you a much more effective character while in combat. It's a small change, but it does big things for the game's pacing and immersion. And while the game is still meant to be played from a first person perspective, Bethesda has gone a long way to improve the third person perspective for those who prefer a more pulled back viewpoint.
Finally, the dragons in Skyrim were truly something awesome to behold. They're non-scripted in the game, and according to Bethesda, they're very smart creatures. The dragons we saw did huge attacks from both the air and ground as they flew around, perched on buildings, or landed to get in close. As the dragons fly around, they can be brought to the ground if enough damage is done to them where the player has an easier chance at finishing them off. Once a dragon has been killed, the character can absorb its soul which goes towards leveling up abilities known as Shouts. Shouts are similar to magic, but are more focused on special abilities, such as slowing time, illuminating areas, or even calling down lightning storms.
Skyrim is shaping up to be something truly special, and it's safe to say that loyal fans of The Elders Scrolls series will get the game they've been hoping for. Skyrim releases on November 11 for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC.
