Andrew and I cannot get enough of Skyrim.
(Image found here.)
This massively open-ended, free roaming, personal-choice-driven-horse-riding-dragon-slaying-magic-learning RPG was released on 11-11-11 and has taken the masses by storm. We began our file on Sunday the 13th and haven't stopped since. I mean that, too. A minimum of twelve hours each day, generally more than that though. We play for hours taking turns on the same file, stopping only when necessary to keep ourselves alive. It's just that good.
::: Us for the past five days. No joke. The graphics are just so delicious that it's hard to tear ourselves away.
Many years ago I had people tell me that I would enjoy Morrowind, the third iteration in the Elder Scrolls series. I gave it a go on my computer but wasn't able to get into it. It has been long enough now (roughly seven years. yeesh) that I don't recall what I didn't enjoy, I just know that it didn't click with me. I do recall not liking the idea of a game so extremely open ended though. Constant side quests? The ability to steal from NPCs? Playing for hours upon hours and not actually progressing the main story line? No thank you, I said.
My feelings for these types of games stayed strong until Fallout 3 was released, and even then it took me until this summer to finally start a file. I am happy to say that I now quite like the open-ended questing. At heart I'm still a linear gamer, but it's good to spread my wings and explore from time to time!
We have a cozy and fully decorated home in Whiterun, as well as friends far and wide. Only now have we begun to progress the story line up to High Hrothgar to learn the second two parts of our Unrelenting Power Thu'um. We've just been having too much fun on side quests and smithing it up. We can make glass armor now, and it is bad. ass.
::: I sent this picture to Jacki right after Andrew and I finished decking out in all Elven armor. She can expect another one once we're head to toe in glass armor, too.
The social networking world has been set ablaze by talk of Skyrim, and it's fun to encounter "inside jokes" for the game wherever I turn. These are the kinds of experiences that I miss out on because I have no taste for shooters or other heavily-violent games (which are the most widely popular). To my delight, Skyrim has an amazing mix (and I would even say balance) of violent to non-violent activities.
When it's my turn to play, I clear out Keeps and bring down bandits with our Flawless Elven bow. But along the way I'll ride leisurely on horseback, stopping whenever I find a patch of Blue Mountain Flowers, and "ooh"-ing in delight if I happen across a Nirnroot. I'll positively yell if I find a pool of water humming with low-flying dragonflies, and we have a rather hearty stock of Luna Moth wings.
Andrew's turns consist of hunting down Giants for sport, but he's been kind enough to stop for flowers while he runs across the landscape. He'll even grab a few bugs for me if he's not in a hurry toward some new thief infested holding area.
::: This comic is insanely accurate
Linked from Penny Arcade, with love and affection.
I could go on and on about Skyrim. And I will at a later date. For now, I'm going to hurriedly stuff my face with food so I can hop onto the machine and get my turn in. I have some potions to make.
-MJ
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