Ben-DutkaThe Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is one of the most anticipated titles of 2011 and yet, it has received a whole lot of backlash from a seemingly "sleep-inducing" E3 presentation .
Apparently, it doesn't seem like much of an upgrade over the last iteration ( Oblivion ) as only the ability to cast magic with one hand and use a weapon in the other was featured. In fact, they spent 35 minutes showing off that feature, along with a big ol' dragon, which would qualify as another addition. But it just didn't go over well, at least with that one source – and a few others – but the hardcore role-players are all saying the same thing: "the only people who should be evaluating Skyrim are hardcore role-players ."
Now, there is some validity to that. Skyrim really only appeals to a certain crowd and if you're not a member of that crowd, you will almost undoubtedly peg the game as "boring." Perhaps those who just adore the open-world freedom in every Elder Scrolls watched that presentation with great anticipation, knowing, beyond any shadow of a doubt, that they'll dump another few hundred hours into Skyrim when it arrives. It's one of those games that either hooks you immediately and holds you for a long time or turns you off almost instantly. Therefore, "boring" may be a case of subjectivity over quality.
We have a lot of role-playing fans around here, so what do you think? Maybe only the demo at E3 was boring and not well presented; that can happen, even with great games. But does that affect your interest in the game? If not, why?
Related Game(s): The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
I'm probably the person who is least into RPG's, but I gotta admit, this game has really impressed a lot. After I saw the episode of GTTV that featured this game, I was immediately hooked. So, I don't care how well it was at E3, I'm still looking forward to playing it on day 1.
anyone that has played Oblivion knows from all they have talked about is leaps and bounds over it. boring? I dont think so. skyrim is a lot more than just dual wielding weapons and magic. the demo i saw went through lots of things that bethesda has added and improved upon for this game. im sure it will silence most of the critics when it releases.
Definitely not looking boring to me anyways.
Then again I'm an addict and have been waiting for my next fix of elder's scrolls for a while now O.o
However I really wish they built in a freaking multiplayer element… So we'll see what I stick with this fall, it's probably going to be dark souls, and probably just because of their co-op system which I hear will be even more important. None the less looking forward to both these games.
Last edited by friction on 6/11/2011 11:05:01 AM
The game does certainly only appeal to a certain type of person. I tried out Morrowind on the orginal Xbox and as much as I tried and tried, I just could not get into it. I spent about 10 hours on the game but it just wasn't for me. In an open world setting, I'd much prefer a GTA or inFamous type game. I know that they're apples and oranges but the Elder Scrolls series is more slow paced to my liking.A demo would probably appear "boring" to most people, as 30 minutes isn't really enough time to showcase the game.
All I will say is I can't wait for this game! Right behind Uncharted 3, it's my most anticipated game!
Boring as in not submitting to the trend of over the top cinematics and simple minded entertainment.
If Skyrim stays true to the Elder Scrolls heritage of slower methodical play, then all the more reason for fans to value it.
The concept of "fun" being the only impetus for playing games is an annoying one. Just hop over to CVG and read their article about how games "shouldn't be like GT5 and KZ3 and be fun instead"
I won't even pollute my mind with their drivel
Have you got a link? I went and looked but wasn't able to find it.
G4 TV were gaga over this game and there not nice to most RPGs
some were calling it game of the show
I'll stick with Dark Souls, Bethesda releases buggy games, the ps3 versions anyway. Plus it's 2011 and I think it's absurd they haven't incorporated co op into it, but then again it would probably piss off the SP purists and make the game entirely too easy.
Why does everything have to be co op to be enjoyable? Listen I'm all for co op in fact what they did with the Uncharted 2 mp co op was a lot of fun. But I seriously would be really disappointed if ND ever took the campaign and made it revolve around co op. Same goes for an open world game. RDR was a blast too play online just running around with friends but ultimately the story was about one person, Marston. Not Marston and his sidekick. SP for a game like this keeps the story grounded. The moment you add a second player, your character doesn't have as much significance on the world, the story, or surroundings. But I will say it no doubt would be fun to run around with a buddy clearing some caves!
In defense of most open world games, they all are buggy, so calling out Bethesda doesn't hold much relevance when other developers run into the same issues with these "huge" games. It's just what we have to deal with, if it's tough to look past, I understand though.
Last edited by bigrailer19 on 6/11/2011 12:44:25 PM
@bigrailer19
I completely agree. =^.^=
Co-op? Are you kidding me? You can count on two fingers how many RPGs have co-op. What does it being 2011 have to do with anything?
Eh… Monster Hunter is really fun when working with other players but adding adding co-op to Elder Scrolls would be strange. It would be cool if I was able to gather a party of 4-players… though
Well as much as the single player experience is the focus of skyrim I really wouldn't mind an online co-op with 1 friend. Same quests more monsters or harder. Not anything complicated. Just to add in a little extra fun and maybe duel your friends 😀 😀 lol
Did you guys play Baldurs Gate Shadows of Amn? Was a pure rpg all about the single player campaing but they had that cool tcp ip mode to add a buddy to your party haha I so loved that.
Basically just trying to say that as long as they don't neglect the single player a small coop feature could be nice
Regarding coop they could have done it exactly like in Borderlands: When a new player is added the game just instantly increase the mob difficulty (more mobs taking and dealing more damage) and everything else remains the same.
Simple formula, but it works like a charm.
Borderlands is a game that was built around coop though that's the difference. I love borderlands my roomates and I still put it in for some LAN fun. But it was built for coop. The elder scrolls is not. As I said in my post above the moment you add a second player, your character within that world becomes less relevant to the story, and surroundings and the choices you make no longer are yours, so any morale system is then deterred by the second player. Games built for single player just don't work well when adding coop more specifically story driven games and games with any choice or morale system. Which is why ND was smart by implementing co op as an alternate to the single player campaign, in UC2, and the upcoming UC3 because those games are built for and around Drakes stories!
Last edited by bigrailer19 on 6/12/2011 2:50:33 AM
I do not agree with that BigRailer, as long as two conditions are met: Firstly that coop is an OPTION in the game, secondly that you play the game with a buddy motivated to play the game with you – not just some random network gamers.
When you are two playing a campaign in cooperation, you are of course together in deciding the course ahead and the eventual moral decisions that is to be made.
But that's a given the moment you decide to indeed share this experience with a friend instead of going solo.
In Saints Row a similar challenge were solved in that the host's stance with the different "factions" (gangs) were used when playing coop. Simple solutions are often the best.
So instead of being one character with it's relevance to the story, you are now two. We could go into a lengthy discussion about how this could be implemented from a rpg point of view, and I think that is an interesting topic indeed, but I guess that's far beyond the scope of this thread.
Bottom line is that I believe rpg is a really good genre for some *quality* coop gaming.
Not many rpg's other than mmorpgs offer that today, but it would be awesome if they started doing so… In my opinion, of course.
Last edited by Beamboom on 6/12/2011 5:06:06 AM
I would love it if they could incorporate coop into more rpg's. I think borderlands did it very well. I also really want Dragon Age series to have co op, there is already a party system. I'm not against it, but it better work, and it better not take away from the story, and the decisions you make have to be substantial still. Otherwise it will completely ruin a game like oblivion, and from what I understand Skyrim.
I'm not a single player elitist, but I do enjoy a great single player experience. If that experience has to be downplayed for the sake of coop, count me out. That's my stance on the issue, not that coop isn't a good idea.
I think we agree on everything. The single player experience must not be hampered with. And you got a good point about rpgs with party system, it should be a lot easier to implement coop there.
Looked amazing to me. Bunch of haters.
I can't wait for Skyrim along with Dark Souls. 😛
Well, TES IV: Oblivion sold:
3.23 million copies on 360, &
2.14 million copies on PS3
The Elder Scrolls series has more fans than this article implies.
What's funny is citing "SarcasticGamer" and nothing else. Who is this "whole lot" you speak of?
Maybe the author here is among the few that simply "doesn't get it." If True, that's really too bad.
Your reading comprehension is abysmal.
I was implying exactly the opposite; that the original article's author "didn't get it."
maybe that's who he meant? Hard to tell, his writing is off too.
Communication not very effective.
;P
Last edited by Fane1024 on 6/12/2011 3:39:51 AM
Well, in "effective"'s defence, Ben did write "it has received a whole lot of backlash". That could be understood as "backlash from several different sources" in addition to the referred source.
Actually that's how I read it too.
Last edited by Beamboom on 6/12/2011 5:15:05 AM
I think Skyrim looks amazing, NOT boring. Can't think of anything else to say. =^.^=
Definitely amazing, some folks can't appreciate the environment and depth in a game because when they watch the footage there aren't bullets flying and bodies falling the whole time.
They saw a half-hour of Skyrim and they're complaining that it's boring? Wow. Personally, it only took a single minute long trailer to tell me it's going to be great.
Besides, everyone knows it's not how you use your spells that make this series great, it's the world they put you in. No other open world game can touch Elder Scrolls in depth and detail. For those who know how to role play and don't need to be led by the nose, it's an insta-buy.
I attended the E3 press briefing and it was ANYTHING but boring.
It's all about immersion into a detailed world with endless possibilities. Just like some people aren't qualified to pass judgement on a detailed racing simulator like GT5, some people aren't qualified to pass judgement on this kind of experience either. "Boring" is extremely subjective. I was amazed and must own this game.
It was amazing! The major graphical improvement from Oblivion alone, was enough to keep me hooked.
Why do I feel like i've said this before…. O.o
Reminds me of the unqualified Gran Turismo 5 reviewers.
If you don't know anything about the genre and are completely unqualified and clueless then don't pass judgment*
I don't like Elder Scrolls but I do acknowledge its quality.
great minds..
I agree. I can't stand Elder Scrolls games, but i respect the amount of effort that goes into it.
Personally, i just dont like a game that doesnt have a strong central story. Elder Scrolls games just feel too open and i dont feel like theres any force driving me forward. I can't just di** around in a game for hours.
But i do respect the amount of time and resources that go into making a world that huge, that actually feels alive. The AI is great, the cities feel like people live in them, and the plethora of different items make treasure hunting actually rewarding.
"Do not like" isnt the same as "is not good."
I had never played The Elder Scolls before Oblivion, but that game single-handedly transformed my viewpoint on RPGs. I don't care who thought Skyrim looked boring, all I care about is the fact that on November 11, I will be playing a spectacular game and all of those who pass on it are going to be missing out.
Same here about oblivion changing my mind about them also. At first I was literally thinking "wow how can people get into this?" Then the pacing, story, leveling and quests picked up and I couldn't put the game down. That world I was put in was amazing, and so dang big. I never got bored, and I certainly have a different view on rpg's because of oblivion. So many hours logged in and to think after every character I had I still loved experiencing that world.
I'm going to pass on it, but i wont be missing out. I just dont enjoy that style of game so the only thing i'd me "missing out" on is something i dont enjoy anyway.
Nothing wrong with not liking it. Like I said I had trouble when first starting the game (oblivion). In fact I'm pretty sure I put it down for a week or so here and then, mainly because I wasn't an rpg fan, and the pacing was slow after leaving the sewers. But I kept going back because I was intrigued regardless and about 3-4 hours in I realized I was absolutely hooked. Because of Oblivion I understand rpg's and ultimately realized why I wasn't into them before. Now I can play the crap out of them and in many cases many playthroughs. I still go back to oblivion here and there, especially the shivering isles expansion, what a world that was! Wow I just realized how much I do miss playing this game when I'm not!
As JROD and Bigrailer previously said, Oblivion was my first real RPG and man was I blown away!
The world that you are thrust into is so "living" and it sucked me in completely for many hours. It remains one of my all time favorite games and I can't wait for Skyrim.
You know what surprised the hell out of me? One of my best friends who hates the MGS series, GT, Uncharted series, anything related to Star Wars, But he treasures the CoD series (no hes not an xbot, doesnt even own a 360) He saw the skyrim gameplay and i was thinking to myself 'Bet he thinks this boring'. Out of no were he jumps and screams 'AWESOME' now he cant shut up about SKYRIM. Hes even considering trying FF, and there you have it people that was what surprised the hell out of me. 🙂
thank you for your time if you read this.
Definitely subjective. I'd hardly consider myself a hardcore role-playing fan, but Oblivion drew me in like few other games can and although Skyrim won't be a day 1 for me, I'm really hoping that it can be a chrissy game. Flashy, fast paced gameplay isn't necessary if you have an adventure that will last over a hundred hours, and that is why some people will find Skyrim boring… although maybe someone should have told Level 5 that. Me and WKC2 ain't gellin' at the moment. Back to it, I guess.
Peace.
I haven't tried out any of the Elder Scroll games, cause I thought they were all FPS style titles and I've already said I don't care For FPS titles, but it was brought to my attention that you could actually play the games in FPS or 3rd person.
So now after I'm finished with my current games I'll be checking out Oblivion and Skyrim when it comes out.
Last edited by GuyverLT on 6/11/2011 7:31:40 PM
First person is not the same as first person shooter… And either format works equally well, unlike Fallout. But yeah, FPS ES most certainly is NOT!
Even though the main view is first person there is an alternate third person view as well. If that's what's been holding you back I suggest picking up the goty edition and trying it out.
I played Oblivion almost entirely in 3P view. The animations aren't ideal, but the game plays better that way IMO. Like you, I am, however, not a fan of 1P view.
p.s. Get the 5th anniversary version; it will come with all extra content, which is still expensive on PSN and not easy to find separately on disc.
Last edited by Fane1024 on 6/12/2011 3:48:36 AM
@Lawless I know that much it's just I don't like playing games where I can't see my ENTIRE character.
I just like playing games from the 3rd person view.
Oblivion will take you a long while to play it thoroughly including "the shivering isles" expansion. I'd suggest giving yourself atleast 3 months to play through oblivion. I have over 250 hours of gameplay with just one of my characters.
WOW! REALLY??? I remember people saying how long the game was…
Right now there are just TOO MANY games that have my attention right now so I'll just wait to Skyrim comes out then I'll get them both.