Skyrim - Retrospective @ GameInformer

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GameInformer has a brief retrospective article on The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.

Skyrim nicely ties its crafting, enhancements, and smithing (and I don't even dabble in cooking or mining!) with its multi-faceted skill constellations for complementary systems that not only give you a tangible object at the end of your hard work, but also improve your character. I spend hours plotting out exactly which perks I want to get on the constellations and then work backwards from there to see what I have to do to achieve them.

There's also the necessary process of decluttering your inventory from all the potions, unused weapons, and other miscellanea, which ties into another time suck for me in the game – arranging my houses. Apart from upgrading the place, it's nice to have a well-appointed storehouse of stuff – you never know when you might need a particular item that you don't necessarily want to carry around with you all the time.

None of this is revolutionary for a video game. However, Skyrim is so well constructed that the allure when you place it all in the context of the game world and your moment-to-moment existence is powerful. Legends are created through grand adventures, but scratching out a living that has an impact on the world both large and small is immeasurable.
More information.
 
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I thoroughly dislike the inventory management required for crafting etc. in Skyrim, and the accumulation of useless clutter in houses, that you never have when you need it, unless you hack the bag space. I'm sort of suspicious that the kind of people who like these mechanisms are the kind of people who don't have to deal with the problem in their lives (if any) outside of gaming.
 
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I thoroughly dislike the inventory management required for crafting etc. in Skyrim, and the accumulation of useless clutter in houses, that you never have when you need it, unless you hack the bag space. I'm sort of suspicious that the kind of people who like these mechanisms are the kind of people who don't have to deal with the problem in their lives (if any) outside of gaming.

Well I have to disagree. But sorting and classifying cool fantasy equipment in a fun game is way nicer than dealing with the under-stairs cupboard. That said, I still enjoy creating a nice display cabinet in real life too.
 
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I thoroughly dislike the inventory management required for crafting etc. in Skyrim...

I agree. If it weren't for the PC Platform and the SkyUi mod my days in Skyrim would have been very short. I just wasn't going to deal with the loooooooooonnnnggggg lists. Even other console games with inventory have done the inventory UI with more thought. But with Oblivion and Skyrim, bad UIs are becoming a Bethesda trademark.
 
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I disliked the inventory design as well, but it made only a small dent in my enjoyment of the game. Overall Skyrim was a pleasant return to form of the Elder Scrolls series for me, after a mild-but-lingering dissapointment with Oblivion.
 
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I disliked the inventory design as well, but it made only a small dent in my enjoyment of the game. Overall Skyrim was a pleasant return to form of the Elder Scrolls series for me, after a mild-but-lingering dissapointment with Oblivion.

I should say that I did enjoy Skyrim. It would have been unfortunate to miss out on the game because of having been turned off by the UI. So I'm glad at least the modding community made a decent PC UI.
 
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