Alex Wharton casts off the shackles of linearity and sets out to explore the
world of Skyrim – will we ever see him again?
H
ere’s what to do:
1) Head to the shop, buy
yourself a fair supply of ready
to eat meals and fizzy pop.
2) Call work, tell them
something terrible has happened and you
won’t be in for the next month, if not longer.
3) Tell your family you love them, but this is
something you have to do.
4) Change into pyjamas and lock yourself in
with your desired game system.
Now you’re ready to play Skyrim!
The fifth Elder Scrolls game in the series
is set in the wild lands of Skyrim, a world of
mountains and snow. It is home to the Nords,
a hardy race of men steeped in honour and
tradition. It’s also home to a whole host of
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February 2012
other creatures: giants, mammoths, undead,
orcs and a whole plethora of gribblies. Oh,
and dragons!
That’s right: dragons have been awakening
in the land of Skyrim for the first time in
hundreds of years. The main story centres
round this particular theme – but it’s very
easy to ignore this quest chain as there are
so many other quests and places to explore
that you can lose yourself for days on end
before even starting the main story.
In true Elder Scrolls style you start the
game as a prisoner, quickly escaping an early
death and being thrown out into the world.
And what a world it is – I’ve even tried to
persuade people that Skyrim looks better
than real life (though I should probably stop
shouting words to that effect at passing
strangers).
The entire landscape, from the murky
swampy valleys to the highest snow-capped
peaks, oozes life. Even the rocks look
amazing, and some truly lifelike weather
effects are sure to stun even the most cynical
player. Just wait until a blizzard kicks up when
you’re out exploring; I guarantee you will
get turned around at least a couple of times
when everything around you is blanketed in
pure white. Thankfully there is a decent map
to keep you on track – but it won’t stop you
needing new pants the first (and probably
second) time a snow cat launches out of the
white at you!
The combat system is pretty much