The other night I started playing Skyrim again- I hadn't really ever finished the main scenario or played the DLCs- heck, I never even scratched half-way...well maybe almost, but I took a few minutes and realized I hadn't actually given this game the time it deserved.
This...amazing, if not legendary masterpiece released in 2011, is complete with it's own variety of bugs here and there, hilarious physics at times, and aging graphics somewhat.
It is one of the most successful open-world RPGs in recent years and easily rose to the top shelf of what I believe to probably be one of the best RPGs ever made.
So as a lover of RPGs why hadn't I completed it, or at least gotten to a satisfying enough point since Skyrim is chalk-full of replay value at every angle?
So much to do there- become a full-blown warrior here, mage there, or a spellsword, or maybe even a berserker? The list goes on.
Many guilds to join- or join them all, beat the main scenario whenever you want but also enjoy 100's of quests and stories all over the land.
One reason I suppose for my lack of attention to this beautiful time-vampire, would be that I originally owned it on the 360- only to later trade in that 360 and all of my games with it less than a year later.
I made a big switch to being mostly a Sony-only gamer back in 2012, and I didn't pick up a new copy of Skyrim for a while.
Yes, I know, the PC version is superior and mods are amazing most times- but what about the game that Bethesda developed for consoles? What about the original, unmodified version the creators wanted us to experience?
Being not horribly savvy on PC gaming myself, and a big fan of PSN trophies I have always wanted to enjoy the game as it was meant to be originally.
I have nothing against mods at all, but I just can't get over the beautiful scenery that is already naturally there. It feels more certified, more real to me and it is beautiful in it's original form.
So while mulling over some home-made mini-cheeseburgers, I popped in the disc and began starting out a new journey.
I picked a female nord (of course, two things I love in one) and began my journey.
I don't completely know why I totally even chose Skyrim to play really, but I had a feeling in my gut that said, "Its been a long time since I had fun in a video game."
Why? Probably because of all the literal 'work' I put into getting trophies sometimes, and the fact that I spend a lot of my gaming time on Final Fantasy XIV.
That Skyrim disc felt like a long lost friend waving "hello buddy!" and I thought..."Now, maybe now's finally the right time."
In 2015 Skyrim is still beautiful, and lovely as ever on a Blu-Ray.
With most patches fixing a lot of the gripes original players on the PS3 raged over, what now exists is a product that has been fine-tuned for 4 years, on a very special console that didn't get as much love as it should have until it's later years.
Skyim in 2015 on my PS3 feels like a world that has never stopped living since I last put it down.
The feel is different...I almost cannot describe it, like the world of Tamriel in Skyrim itself knows I've finally returned now that the masterpiece is complete with a lot of things fixed, DLCs released, and a good chunk of the real world that has either long moved on to other games or only to visit PC Skyrim.
In a way it makes it a different Skyrim to me than the 2011 insanely anticipated release of The Elder Scrolls V.
It has had it's time to really have everything in it sink in to the minds of thousands of people, and when I return there it's like Skyrim itself is welcoming back an old friend.
The other night when I started it up I thought, "It'll be fun just to shoot some archery behind The Companion's base in Whiterun. Listen to the music, take in the sights and sounds for a bit- then I'll crash". Because that's what I do in games sometimes. LOL.
Suddenly I had looted several caves, killed some bandits and cleared out their strongholds, road my horse around, mined ore and worked a forge, and a myriad of other things before noticing the light coming in from the window and saying, "Its that time already?!"
I'm really happy I picked it up again- I'm going all the way with it this time...and I want to really appreciate it fully.
I think more gamers who care about these sorts of feelings and connections to games could really enjoy booting up "an old friend" like Skyrim now and then- a good game that you can't argue with that is good or not- like a friend who wont let you down- or whatever game you feel like that towards.
Its easy to get obsessed with trophies, busting through levels and campaigns in a slew of AAA titles or whatever you play- just don't forget some of the really good worlds you've visited.
What games do you feel strongly about? I know I could totally say the same for many others- not just Skryim.
Legendaries like Xenogears, Chrono Trigger, and Ocarina of Time to name a few.
