Reach for the Skyrim?

[susie_flo]

Those of you who are gamers...  have any of you played Skyrim?  What's it like?  Does it have a meaningful and immersive plot and a sense of purpose?  Is the gameplay satisfying?  Or is it one of those games where you effectively run around all day doing seemingly pointless, disconnected errands and challenges amid a load of fantasy wantasy bollox?
  
I got a copy of Assassins Creed Revelations for xmas and it has reopened a little Xboxy fire in my soul.  (Not that I get any time to game these days, but never mind...  I'm putting in a bit of evening time when I can) 
  
I'm in a vague dither about whether I would enjoy Skyrim.  Is it roleplay?  I've never been a roleplay girl, but I think I might have turned a corner since Fallout 3, which I LOVED.  In truth I don't think anybody really makes my sort of games any more (Y'know...  action adventure - Tomb Raiderish stuff, big on exploration and treasure finding with a fairly linear plot, decent puzzling and a healthy dose of shooting).  These days I tend to devote my rare gaming hours to things like Ass Creed and the better end of FPS.
 
I'm having trouble putting into words what it is about the open-world games that keeps failing to grip me.  I think it must just be me, cos everyone else seems to love them.  Fallout 3 somehow got it right by being primarily an exploration/action game with a big sense of purpose and billions of complex, well-written side missions which didn't feel like pointless, repetitive filler.  Conversely...  I keep returning to Rockstar games with a sense of hope and ending up disappointed.  I really wanted to love Red Dead Redemption, but somehow it just filled me with the same old GTA-ish ennui, once I found myself running around doing repetitive errands for people to earn pin money.  (FFS, I might as well go to work!)
 
I like single player games where there is a meaningful (vaguely linear) sense of purpose.  Things change - the stuff you do causes the game to move on... you get to explore and the scenery changes, you find secret things, you solve problems, you play with cool weapons, you don't have to wade through 18 hours of poorly written dialogue in between every action scene.  I like fast and fluid gameplay.  All the better if you get to have fun with a sniper rifle and lots of exploding cans.  Anything that forces me to use stealth or makes me do timed missions or repeat things until they pass some tiresome success criteria just has me throwing my controller across the room in a tantrum.  
  
So... what do you reckon?  Will I enjoy Skyrim?  
  
(Given that hardly anyone I know is a gamer, I suspect I shall sit and watch tumbleweed blow past on this one. I might have to crosspost to some other communities...)
  

Comments

Skyrim!

[snorkel-maiden.livejournal.com]

I adore Skyrim. Did you play Oblivion? Both are written by the same people who did Fallout 3. There is a broad sense of purpose in the main plot of Skyrim- saving the world and so on- but from what you've written here I think you might enjoy the political side quests more. There's a fairly long quest line during which you have to choose to side with either the rebels or the Empire, basically, and the choices you make have a direct affect on the people and some of the environment you meet during the rest of the game. On top of that there are (I think) 4 other major side-quest lines, and probably hundreds of independent minor quests.

It is roleplay, but there aren't too many cut-scenes and none of them are very long.

Re: Skyrim!

[the-meanest-cat.livejournal.com]

Thank you! That has probably told me as much as I need to know to give it a go. I didn't know it was by the same team who made Fallout.

[strange-complex.livejournal.com]

Though I can't help you myself, my chum whatifoundthere has very helpfully been posting about Skyrim a great deal lately, all on a public setting and helpfully tagged. It's probably not quite as hilarious as her posts make it seem, because she is brilliant at riffing off popular culture and Skyrim has obviously offered her copious opportunity for that. But her posts should give you a very good sense of what it's like, and whether you'd enjoy it.

[the-meanest-cat.livejournal.com]

Cool - thank you! I shall have a read

[the-meanest-cat.livejournal.com]

Her blog is making me lol :-)

[strange-complex.livejournal.com]

She is ace, and well worth friending if you are looking for new LJ-chums. I'm sure she would be happy to reciprocate if you say I sent you, and that she would enjoy your journal too.

[inbetween-girl.livejournal.com]

Edward has been playing Skyrim. I call it the Onanistic Odinist game, because the music sounds like the sort of think Vikings would hum while masturbating.

[the-meanest-cat.livejournal.com]

Lol! Oh dear, I was afraid it might have that sort of thing...

[commonpeople.livejournal.com]

Do you also have a Wii? I heard the new Zelda is really good and has all those qualities you are searching for...

[the-meanest-cat.livejournal.com]

I've heard that before about Zelda. If I ever do get a wii (highly likely once Microboy is of an age) then Zelda will be top on my shopping list!

[dexypunk.livejournal.com]

It's the game OF MY LIFE THUS FAR
900 out of 10

[the-meanest-cat.livejournal.com]

Heh... Well that's succinct. Thanks

[rainsinger.livejournal.com]

I bought Skyrim for my husband and he loves it. Is addicted to it. Dedicates night of his life to it. He prefers it to Assassins Creed.