And finally we reach the end. Hmm....what did I not cover yet. I know I missed something.
Oh right....
Best Game of 2011
Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
This is the kind of game we have always wanted. the three previous Elder Scrolls games all laid the foundation that Skyrim is built upon. But for the first time ever in the series, it actually feel 100% as if your in a whole other world than the one your sitting in when you play the game. The visuals of the are gorgeous, and they display a landscape that is land cold and often inhospitable, but it's so much more than just a great looking game. Butterfly's can be found around flowers, dragonflies coast along the surface of rivers and streams, elk and deer roam the countryside waiting to be hunted, and salmon swim upstream near small waterfalls. Meanwhile the townsfolk go about their day, some of them run their stalls, others head to the nearest inn for some music, and children can be found running playfully around, you can even join in their game of tag if you want. Meanwhile as you adventure you'll run into guards from different towns on patrol, you might run into some soldiers from the Imperial Legion transporting a Stormcloak prisoner. You can free him if you want to try, you can even give him some of your gear to improve his odds of successfully escaping. This game world truly feels as if it is alive. It's very easy to get sucked into the game world and not want to leave.
But there is so much more to the game than it's world though. The leveling system has been improved, removing some of the more questionable skills, and adding in a progressive perk tree for every single skill in the game. A lot of these perks help you in nay number of ways and it can sometimes be difficult deciding exactly what perks you want sometimes. The combat is also a lot of fun, now allowing you to dual wield weapons and spells in any number of ways. Archery is also a decent combat skill for the first time in the series, and you'll find plenty of arrows lying around that you won't have an empty quiver too often. The voices and characters are better than they were in Oblivion but still aren't quite at the level of some other RPG's, and the dialogue gets recycled quickly among guards and commoners. The story is also not especially a knockout, but it's an interesting ride and is worth your time no matter what your doing. There's also several guilds and factions you can go work for, although the College of Winterhold is much too short of a quest series. You'll find plenty of random quests to go on though, some very simple, others long.
In the end though Skyrim is an Elder Scrolls game and that means that you can go wherever you want, do whatever you want, whenever you want. I have never played a game where I felt more compelled to just go and explore the world. The game does feel a bit simpler than it's predecessors, especially in the magic department. There's much fewer spells, and you can no longer create your own, in part due to the fact that your spells get more powerful as you level each spell schools respective school. However, overall this is the ultimate game to just go march around in. There is plenty of fun to be had, there are some amazing stories you can find, and there is more than enough to see and do that you could be playing this game well into next year before your ready to put it down. This is the kind of game we've wanted for awhile now. A game that takes you away to another world and makes you feel like your actually there.
Image Sources: #1. Mixdl.com/ #2. Totalvideogames.com /#3. Amazon
Best Genre Specific Games
Best Console Specific Games
Best Sound and Art
Marshmallow Fluff! Present: The Top Games of 2011
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