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Skyrim Opening Scene Almost Destroyed By A Bee

Skyrim

Almost a decade after its release, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim continues to be a favorite among gamers of all kinds (even 84 grandmother Shirly Curry was such a fan that Bethesda decided to immortalize her in the next Elder Scrolls installment). But, how different would everyone’s view of it be without the infamous cart scene that all players need to go through before starting the game? According to a series of tweets by Nate Purkeypile, a former developer for Bethesda, the entire scene was just one problem after another.

The cart in the scene was physically simulated rather than being on rails, which lead to a slurry of issues focusing on the cart getting to its final destination. “Maybe the road was too bumpy. Maybe there was just a physics bug. Maybe somebody accidentally put a rock too close to the road. The cart had a path it wanted to follow, but that doesn’t mean it was a path it COULD follow. Big difference,” Purkeypile says.

Of these issues, one specific one would cause the cart to launch up into the sky. It didn’t  happen every time the scene was tested, but when it did, Purkeypile describes it as, “something was telling that cart to just fuck right off and to get off that road.”

A different issue was also going at the same time in which players could not pick up bees. This was fixed by giving the bees what is called collision, which then allowed them to be picked up when coming in contact with the player. This collision was later found to be the cause of the flying cart bug as the fix given to the bees also applied to the infamous scene. If a bee happened to be in the path of the cart while players are still seated, the bee would win the fight and launch the cart upwards.

The lesson here that Purkeypile gives is that game development is hard. While some would have done things differently in that particular scene, the final product is one that is now known around the world. He also shares information about an indie game he is working on under his studio Just Purkey Games.

What do you think? What memories do you have in Skyrim? Tell us below

Troy Baker: Skyrim A “Playpen” When Compared To MGSV

We know the new Metal Gear Solid will adopt a more open structure.

But maybe we're not fully aware of just how big the game will be… In a recent Kinda Funny Games interview with voice actor Troy Baker (who plays Ocelot in MGSV), he made some very bold comments concerning The Phantom Pain .

First, he says he's "curious" to see how the long-time fans will react to the game because even though it "fits perfectly" in the franchise, it's still "really different." As for size, it's gonna be huge . In fact, he compared the new adventure to the massive RPG, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim :

"It may be the biggest game I’ve ever seen. Just in terms of everything that you can do. Skyrim looks like an afternoon playpen next to it. It’s massive. It’s absolutely massive in what you can do."

Baker also mentioned Kiefer Sutherland, who has adopted the iconic role of Snake. Baker is aware that the hardcore faithful wanted David Hayter back but he really thinks Sutherland has handled the situation exceedingly well:

"…if you watched his feature at The Game Awards, I wanted to stand up and applaud the guy. Because the way he came out, the heart that he came out with, it’s just very contrite and gracious to all the fans.

There was like this understanding underneath: 'Look, I get it. You don’t want me to be snake. That’s fine. Neither did I, but let me tell you what made me fall in love with it, and how I told my other friends about how important this story means to the world and to entertainment period.'"

Baker said he believes the fans put Sutherland "through the fu***** ringer" and that makes the new Snake's reaction all the more impressive. In regards to the "playpen" comment, well…feel free to interpret. 😉

Related Game(s): Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain

A Real-Life Wedding Proposal Inspired By A Skyrim Item

Well now, isn't that sweet.

If you're a role-playing fan, chances are, you've played The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim . You also might recall a special item called the Amulet of Mara, which is used to unlock various romantic segments. By using this option, you have the chance to marry other characters.

Bet you didn't know it could be used in real life, too. As Kotaku reported, Sarah Briody received a proposal for marriage, and the Amulet of Mara was involved:

"I introduced [my fiance] to Skyrim–and he enjoys every minute of the game. I love watching him play because we both have very different game styles. We do play other multiplayer games together when we have the opportunity."

At first, she didn't know what was happening when her soon-to-be fiance handed her the amulet. And of course, he had the best line prepared for when she put it on: "Is that an Amulet of Mara? I'm surprised someone like you isn't spoken for." An image of the ring on her finger popped up online not long after, and Briody calls it, perhaps fittingly:

"Best. Proposal. Ever."

So, what do you think? Would you propose with a video game item?

Related Game(s): The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Skyrim’s New Sales Milestone: 20 Million

If you're a role-playing fan, you've heard of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim . Chances are, you've played it, too.

And you're hardly the only one. Bethesda has announced that the critically acclaimed title has sold over 20 million copies since its initial launch on November 2011. We don't know if that statistic refers to sell-in (shipped) or sell-through (sold) but either way, it's a really big number.

Skyrim was a massive accomplishment and, despite a few glitches and bugs, has earned the admiration of many RPG fanatics. The game shot out of the gate, selling 3.5 million copies in the first two days at market, and has since continued its popularity. In our 2011 Game of the Year Awards , Bethesda's gem landed Best Role-Playing Game, Best Multiplatform Game, and was nominated for Game of the Year.

Bethesda may be ready to announce Fallout 4 for next-gen consoles but thus far, we have no official details.

Related Game(s): The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

2K Reveals Two $30 Bundles Featuring Award-Winning Titles

These aren't just four great games. These are four of the absolute best games of an entire generation.

Via Twitter , 2K Games and Bethesda have announced a partnership that resulted in a couple of really attractive bundles, with an even more attractive price tag ($30 each).

The first is already available at North American retailers; it includes The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and Bioshock Infinite . The second bundle will arrive on February 11, and that will feature Borderlands 2 and Dishonored . The games are awesome and the price is right ($15 apiece for each game); the only downside is that these packages don't include any downloadable content. If you want to expand upon any of these fantastic experiences, you'll have to purchase the DLC separately. Might be worth it, though.

That's a foursome of award-winners right there. Just from the PSXE perspective: In our 2011 GotY Awards , Skyrim won Best Role-Playing Game, Best Multiplatform Game and was nominated for Game of the Year. In our 2012 GotY Awards , Borderlands 2 won Best Shooter and was nominated for Game of the Year, Dishonored won Best New IP, Best Trailer and overall Game of the Year, and in our most recent GotY Awards , Bioshock Infinite won Best Writing/Story, Best Trailer, Best Shooter, and was nominated for Game of the Year.

See? Quite the assortment.

All Skyrim DLC Finally Hits PlayStation Network Next Month

All in one voice, the PlayStation 3 RPG crowd is going: "Well, it's about damn time ."

As announced at Bethesda's blog , all downloadable content for the PS3 version of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim will arrive next month. Yes, it took a while.

Dragonborn will be first on the list, Hearthfire comes next, and it'll be capped off by Dawnguard. It's unfortunate that we don't have specific release dates for each, but it's enough to know that February is right around the corner. Furthermore, the publisher revealed that it will release the 1.8 update for Skyrim PS3 next month as well. As an extra incentive to pick up these expansions, all of them will be 50% off during their launch week on the PlayStation Store, so take advantage of that.

Last year, Bethesda released frequent updates saying they were still working on bringing DLC to the PS3 version of the award-winning RPG. Now that it's finally coming, are the fans satisfied? Or is it just too late?

Related Game(s): The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim