Five years ago, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim took over the gaming world. Everyone was immersed into the world and completely hooked.
Everyone but me, that is.
Skyrim was a game that I just couldn’t get in to. I’m not exactly sure why; I adore the Elder Scrolls franchise. I purchased the gigantic collector’s edition, featuring a statue of Alduin that sits on my work desk. Remember the Elder Scrolls Collection that came out on PC a few years back? You better believe I bought that. Skryim, however, just didn’t connect with me. Maybe it’s because I wasn’t greeted to the pleasant sound Patrick Stewart telling me about my destiny (I adore everything Oblivion and will fight to the death to defend that game). Maybe it’s because I was busy recovering from a severe World of Warcraft burnout (I don’t want to tell you how many times I ran Firelands; my eyes were ready to be gouged from their sockets).
With the release of the Skryim Special Edition, I was gifted a copy on PC since I already own it. At first, I was unsure; I’m not exactly the game’s target audience. As a PC gamer, I already have access to mods that make the game look better. Regardless, I decided “eh, what’s there to lose?”
Turns out my free time.
Maybe my love of Fallout 4 helped me work past my frustrations with Bethesda after Fallout 3/initially Skyrim sessions. Perhaps it’s my sheer determination to simply keep on trucking and see what the game has to offer; as much as I’m enjoying Skyrim this time around, the game still starts out in an incredibly boring and tired manner. Perseverance has been key, however. I’m being rewarded for sticking with it. Having extra content helps for sure, though. The special edition of Skyrim includes all DLC, including the Dragonborn quest line I wasn’t even aware I was doing until a friend pointed it out.
I could talk on and on about Skyrim gameplay, but there’s nothing new here. This is a Bethesda game; it’s an open-world RPG from a first-person (which an option for third-person) view and the ability to completely customize your character to your heart’s desire. Personally, I’m going with a Redguard Battle Mage, because I like doing everything I possibly can. Visually, though, clear improvements have been made. This is still a dated game, make no mistake about that, but the special edition enhancements make Skyrim less of a dated game. It’s a shame I don’t think I have access to all of the visual mods just yet on PC.
Speaking of which, I’m currently weary about what it will be like modding the game strictly through Bethesda. It’s this right here that makes me believe that the game is targeted not at me, a PC gamer, but instead the console crowd who first experienced mods with Fallout 4. Not to mention the fact that the game was adamant on using my integrated graphics card instead of my actual video card, but that’s another story for another day. Right now, I just want to take the time to appreciate an experience I missed half a decade ago. Hopefully it can tide me over until the next Elder Scrolls release, whenever that may be.
