“The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim” gets its setting, ambiance and lore from Tolkien, and its combat from the Ministry of Silly Walks. Bethesda Softworks, nestled just north of D.C., works on two main series: the medieval “Elder Scrolls,” and the postapocalyptic “Fallout” games. “Fallout 3” redefined the role-playing game, and “Fallout: New Vegas” was The Examiner’s favorite game of 2010. Why, then, can’t Bethesda make its olde-time games as fun as “Fallout”?
It’s not for want to trying. “Skyrim,” follow-up to the best-selling “Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion,” engrosses you from the beginning with its sheer customizability.
Your first job is to pick a race for your character, and each race boasts certain skills. Imperials can sway people in conversation, Orcs can forge themselves cool armor and the catlike Khajiit can see at night. (I created a Wood Elf, whose skills were archery and resembling Lyle Lovett.)
| ‘The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim’ |
| » Systems: PS3, Xbox 360, PC |
| » Price: $59.99 |
| » Rating: 3 out of 5 stars |
After these initial choices, the possibilities spin out into a staggering infinity. Walk around wherever you want, doing whatever you want. Dive into the main story, or completely ignore it. Go to wizard college, or spend your time picking people’s pockets. Freedom of choice in video games is, of course, an illusion, as you can never make a choice that’s not accounted for in the game’s programming, but Bethesda has programed so many options, so many overlapping ways of living this fantasy life, that you can’t help but get personally invested in your character’s path, the skills he pursues, the factions he joins, the causes he fights for.
This all takes place in a world that’s, while not exactly pretty, one of the best-realized in gaming. The 3-D models used for characters and enemies are still ugly, but, befitting its name, “Skyrim” marks a new mastery of the far-off. Ice-capped peaks tower in the distance, dragons sweep through the air, and “Skyrim” might be the first video game whose map can be called beautiful.
Voice acting is also a step up from previous efforts. Compared with the anything-goes humor of the “Fallout” wastelands, “Skyrim’s” brand of “epic fantasy” is grim and self-serious, but even so, “Skyrim’s” vocalists veer into exaggeration remarkably rarely.
Immaculately as the table is set for this feast, a rude dinner guest arrives. “Skyrim’s” combat acts as though the leaps made by “Fallout 3” never existed, and the old system is as stilted as ever.
Try, if you will, to imagine a swordfight where you have no control over how you swing your sword, but can only determine when you swing it. It’s an absurd dance involving you and your opponent darting in and out of striking distance, each hoping your timing is superior. It’s entertaining to picture people fighting like this in real life, but even that gets old.
By contrast, in “Fallout 3” and “New Vegas,” you could freeze time whenever you wanted and aim at specific body parts. This groundbreaking combination of real-time fighting and more deliberative strategizing made combat just as engrossing as the story and setting. Why, in a world after “Fallout 3,” are we back to doing the hokey-pokey?
