Preview of Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Bethesda produced a couple of games that were more traditional, but really didn't add anything to the franchise. In 2002 Elder Scrolls: Morrowind was released. This game took into account the criticism from the previous games, reduced the game world and focused more on quality rather than quality and the results spoke for themselves. The quests were more complex and multi-leveled, the combat system was good and the graphics were excellent. It really became the standard bearer for Bethesda and catapulted the Elder Scrolls series to the top of the crop.

This gave Bethesda the time to develop the next in the series, focusing more on the AI of the non player characters, the way the world was dynamic and mostly more on the environment. IN 2006 Elder Scrolls: Oblivion was released and the results were simply stunning. Amazing graphics, superb atmospheric sound and a very immersive plot and game play made this stand out as best in class, and four years later there are only a couple of games that compare. Now Bethesda are preparing to release the next game in the series - on November 11, 2011 Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. Will it deliver on the promise and maintain the standards of the series?

Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Skyrim takes place 200 years after Oblivion in the land of Skyrim. You, the last dragon-born, must try and save the land from war after the King has been assinated. Alduin, a dragon-god is intent on destroying the land and you are the last hope for survival.

Skyrim will continue with the grand tradition of having a large open world and continue to allow the player to roam around the world and visit all of the five cities without following the main plot. Like the previous games there are hundreds of minor plot elements to be discovered and a whole host of dungeons, caves etc. to explore.

Hardened Elder Scrolls fans may be surprised to see the removal of the class system, as the game introduces skill based leveling, that is more dynamic than previous games and aims for more simplicity to allow quick character development that still has enough complexity to satisfy the tradition RPG gamer, but doesn't require number crunching to get the best out of it.

With eighteen skills each with their own skill trees and perks, you can essentially create your own character type and decide what elements to focus on - this is a different way of character building for Elder Scrolls but is becoming prevalent in modern day RPGs.

Skyrim expands the reliance on Folklore by bringing in a deep and detailed ethos relating to the dragons, including different languages and different skills that can be learned from dragons.

Skyrim will improve the graphics; while Oblivion still has excellent graphics Skyrim will move it to the next level and bring in a realism that has not been seen on any other games; it's promised that things like water flow will be realistic, as it takes into account things like wind - the same goes for the movement of the trees as each branch will react dynamically based on conditions and on the weight of the branch and tree. It seems to be taking real world physics to the next level. Bethesda have developed an in-house engine and this promises to simply be spectacular.

Skyrim promises to have immersive and adaptive quests that adapt based on the players actions. The whole intention is to make the world as real as possible and the NPCs will have their own idiosyncrasies and the whole game will vary as you play - this gives the game huge re-playability as its unlikely that any two games will be identical.

Bethesda are aiming for an epic feel to the game, and from the initial screen shots and rumors it looks like they will deliver one of the most detailed and exciting RPG games of all time.