Skyrim proves incredible RPG for loyal fans and newbies alike

My journey through Skyrim begins at midnight of November 10^th, waiting patiently in line for a game I've been anticipating for years.  I was there early, so I was in my car and headed home barely ten minutes after the release began.

The first thing that struck me as I installed Skyrim was that it required an internet connection and Steam account to install.  I personally detest being required to have an internet connection to play a purely single-player game.  I had hoped that since Oblivion had not required internet, Bethesda would not alter their policy on the issue, but it was in vain.  That said, the game installed in an extraordinarily fast twenty minutes.

For anyone unfamiliar with The Elder Scrolls franchise of games, fear not.  Bethesda, the game's developing company, has made a habit with The Elder Scrolls to make each new game accessible to new players unfamiliar with the story.  No background knowledge is required to play this game.  But if you're an avid fan, the developers threw in plenty of treats for our amusement.

As amazing as the story is so far, I feel that where Bethesda truly outdid themselves is with the mechanics of the game.  Fans will be intricately familiar with the leveling system from Morrowind and Oblivion (Elder Scrolls III and IV), and with the general gameplay and feel of moving around in the game. 

Gone are the times when we must choose our Class and Birth Sign.  Ladies and gentlemen, Bethesda has delivered unto us, the most demanding single-player RPG fan-base of all time, perhaps my favorite new development in the genre, ever.  Like blowing things up with magic?  Nothing stopping you.  Want to do both?  Sure.  Do them both at the same time.

Not only has Bethesda answered our cries for dual-wielding in The Elder Scrolls universe, they've even attached the same idea to spells.  Yes, you can dual wield spells. There is no restriction on which skills you can get better at, or at what pace, as there were in previous Elder Scrolls titles.

Furthermore, every time you level up (by the way, gone is the "ten skill increases equals one level!" system; the higher your skill that you increase, the more impact it has on how fast you level up), you get to choose a single "Perk."  Each skill has a Perk tree with between eight and twelve or so Perks a piece. 

As far as the keyboard goes, many things are the same.  Movement hasn't changed.  A strange choice by Bethesda, however, was to switch the "activate" and "jump" keys.  That one took a little bit of getting used to. 

Each race of course begins the game with a unique Power that can be used once per day, many of which have changed from what they were in Oblivion. 

My personal favorite of the new gameplay mechanics is the "Favorites" option.  Hitting "Q" pauses the game and brings up a quick list of any equip-able item, potion or spell you have tagged as a "Favorite" in your inventory, eliminating the need to scroll through all your belongings to switch rings, or spells, weapons, or find that potion you need.

Overall, Skyrim is a game that will be, at once, comfortably familiar and breathtakingly new for long time Elder Scrolls fans, and offer an unparalleled exciting and immersive game for new-comers to the series. There is so much to discover in this game, fans and noobies alike are set back to page one of this epic tale to discover a brand new world of magic, dragons, intrigue and inter-connectivity never before seen in any video game.