Skyrim - Preview @ ripten

Dhruin

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CountChocula sends in another 3-hour preview of Skyrim, though this eight-page one at ripten is pretty good (if annoyingly written). A sample:
I find the companion system is very similar to that of the current Fallout games (except that you can have only one) in that you can make them carry things and they will equip what you give them. However, there doesnt seem to be any way to make them decide whether to use ranged or melee attacks or decide which armor to put on if they are carrying lots of it. I find all this rather frustrating. Why can’t we just play dress up with our companions as if they were our own character? It feels like something is sorely missing in this department and poor Faendal suffered for it. Then again, not final build, not final features, who knows!! Anyhow, when I sneak he sneaks, when I move he moves, when I stop to take a piss… he waits patiently ^__^
More information.
 
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Ugh, couldn't get through it. Two or three pages was all I could take. Annoyingly written is an understatement. This is what happens when a person who thinks they are incredibly witty and entertaining drones on and on, when its quite apparent they are neither witty nor entertaining to read whatsoever.
 
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Warning there's a lot of spoilers in that preview.

The last few days waiting for Skyrim are going to be painful...
 
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An interesting quote from http://www.computerandvideogames.co...-163-minutes-27-seconds-with-a-300-hour-game/

No, Skyrim isn't the most beautiful game on PS3, but it's unmatched at evoking a sense of place, be it through music, weather effects, characters, even the names of the locations. It's a beautiful mix of all these things. I feel connected to Skyrim, like I belong here. I'm not an interloper in this world: I'm actually part of it.

Unlike most previews, this guy actually traveled to Bethesda and played "almost final" code of the game on a PS3.
 
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An interesting quote from http://www.computerandvideogames.co...-163-minutes-27-seconds-with-a-300-hour-game/

No, Skyrim isn't the most beautiful game on PS3, but it's unmatched at evoking a sense of place, be it through music, weather effects, characters, even the names of the locations. It's a beautiful mix of all these things. I feel connected to Skyrim, like I belong here. I'm not an interloper in this world: I'm actually part of it.

Well it does sound like they have made an earnest effort to address one of the most glaring shortcomings of Oblivion - immersion.
 
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I do hope it's better than oblivion. I tried several times to finish that game, got bored and quit every time. The good thing about that kind of game though is I still got over 60 hours in total.

My longest play through was actually when I did none of the main story.
 
My longest play through was actually when I did none of the main story.

Yeah the Dark Brotherhood, Thieves' Guild, and Shivering Isles quest lines represented the most enjoyable hours of my playing Oblivion. Compared to them the main quest stuff felt more like chores I felt obliged to do so I could "finish." The spoilers I've read involving side-questing and secondary plot arcs so far have been encouraging for the most part.

The Dark Brotherhood and the Thieves' Guild spoilers in particular have me quite excited about dithering about while not pursuing the main plot arc. At the same time though, the little bit we have heard about the main plot (which has been comparatively little since it was deactivated in most of the preview builds played by journalists) has be optimistic as well. That you will be able to take sides in a civil war and actually make choices about the direction of things makes me hopeful that it won't be quite the chore-like slog that Oblivion's main quest could be. The lack of oblivion gates is also helpful in that regard though.

I'll have to wait and see before I make any real judgments on whether the main plot of the game is as meaty as some of the dithering-about is. Though really, since it is an Elder Scrolls game, dithering about is where a lot of the fun in these games is supposed to be found.
 
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I do hope it's better than oblivion. I tried several times to finish that game, got bored and quit every time. The good thing about that kind of game though is I still got over 60 hours in total.

My longest play through was actually when I did none of the main story.

I have been playing Oblivion for years and so far I've barely scratched the surface of the main quest. I have only completed two of the faction questlines (Dark Brotherhood and Arena).

I've installed quite a few mods, with the result that there are now 9 new religious factions and a number of new Necromancer factions, vampire clans, etc., each with their own questlines, as well as some excellent quest mods like Myths and Legends and Shadowcrest Vineyards.

I really hope I can complete Shivering Isles, KOTN, Fighter's Guild, Thieves' Guild, Mages' Guild and some of the quest mods as well as the main quest by Nov 11!
 
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Well it does sound like they have made an earnest effort to address one of the most glaring shortcomings of Oblivion - immersion.

God I hate that buzzword. I remember when it used to be called Atmosphere.

And what is amazing is games like ultima IV, V had more Atmosphere with stick man graphics than modern games do.
 
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