Early impressions from Yours Truly. I played c. 3-4 hours yesterday and am cautiously hopeful. Skyrim's feeling pretty good and I can't wait to continue playing once I get off work today.
Sure, the UI is terrible, but I think I can get used to it (at least tolerate it). Sure, the game is quite easy at the beginning, but I can up the difficulty (and will do so). Sure, the old ES problem of swimming in loot/money seems to be evident again, but I can try to ignore that (not take all the loot/money offered). Sure, there are problems, but despite all the problems, there is something in Skyrim that is pulling me, intriguing me. A promise of great adventure, perhaps. A hint of a grand sweeping story with different competing factions, maybe. A glimpse of a vast world, filled with things to do and interesting people to talk to. Yes, perhaps. Still way too early to tell, but there is hope, as long as you're willing to be a bit optimistic. Skyrim might shape up to be a truly great game, it has the right ingredients for it. Here's hoping it actually is.