When it comes to must-see games at this year’s E3, Bethesda’s Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim was very obviously near, if not at the top of the list. The successor to the insanely popular Oblivion has some dramatically huge shoes to fill, but if what we saw in today’s demo was any indication, it is very up to the task.
Todd Howard, the Executive Producer of Bethesda was on hand to personally walk all of us through the enormous world that Skyrim has to offer. With over two and a half years of development already under its belt, players will barely recognize the game if comparing it to prior installments in the franchise.
The studio’s new “Creation Engine” has been rebuilt from the ground up to help the developers quickly and easily flesh out the world, while using the minimal amount of effort necessary. That said, the level of randomly generated detail, textures, and greenery help to create an immensely lifelike universe that has previously never been possible. Factoring in the unprecedented draw distance that would drop the jaw of even the biggest skeptics, this is the kind of game that is very obviously produced by masters of the current generation of videogame hardware. Howard was proud to point out that weather can be modified on the fly depending upon what is necessary for a quest line. Better yet, potentially drastic modifications to the terrain due to factors like snowstorms don’t require the touch of an environmental artist, because all of this is procedurally generated within the game engine itself.
Right off the bat it was impressed upon us that much like Oblivion, players will have the option to play the game from either a first- or third-person perspective, which can actually be modified on the fly. The next important point that was emphasized was the heavily modified combat system that allows for both the right and left hands to be controlled independently, using the right and left triggers. Any items, weapons, magical spells, and powers can be assigned to each hand, even allowing for dual wielding of any combination of objects. This flexibility is all left in the proverbial hands of the player, letting them essentially design a combat system that works best for their gameplay style.
The more a player uses items or powers, the more those specific items, weapons, or abilities will be leveled up and perfected. A second layer exists above that, leveling up the right and left hands, creating another level of character advancement and personalization.
Throughout the leveling process, the player will get access to a tree of individual character abilities that when selected, drills down into a second constellation style view, that branches out into a multi-tiered skill and ability tree. Even the minutest factors can be tweaked, in order to create the perfect warrior of your own design. This is truly the game experience that you make for yourself and the game is smart enough to compensate for your needs.
Here is the scary part: this is just the tip of the iceberg! All of the traditional character development and dialog elements that the series is known for are back in a big way. Interacting with NPCs and mission givers can cause a chain of events that will forever morph the world that is being explored. It is as if the universe exists far beyond the constraints of any game mechanics, completely with a budding, living and breathing, literal and economic environment. All it could take is one small event to forever change a player’s experience.
Probably the biggest bombshell of the demonstration was the introduction of randomly generated boss encounters with dragons. Those that have complained about the lack of fire breathing action should be forever silenced by this news, not to mention burnt to a crisp. Just remember when you get randomly annihilated for the fortieth time that YOU asked for this. A wise man once said, “be careful what you wish for.” Sarcasm aside, battling the winged beasts is an encounter that will not be forgotten, and as expansively impressive as one would imagine it to be.
In the game’s current state Bethesda says that there are already over one hundred and fifty unique dungeons. In case you are just tuning in, that already makes the game enormous! Taking the absurdity of size to another level, this doesn’t even account for random side quests that could be encountered throughout the story line. Though the developer isn’t commenting on it publicly, I have even heard anecdotal commentary from other members of the press that if someone were attempting to complete the title to one hundred percent, they could be in the saddle for as long as three hundred hours… Yes, you read that right: THREE HUNDRED HOURS. I am sure we will hear more about this as the game approaches release in November, but if it even approaches this level of scope, Elder Scrolls fans better start saving up their vacation time.
To say that Skyrim is Bethesda’s showpiece for E3 2011 is a drastic understatement that doesn’t even begin to do the title justice. Furthermore, consider that this is being said when the publisher was also debuting playable builds of RAGE. I can’t help but wonder if we may have very well gotten an early look at what could end up being the studio’s crowning achievement. Move over Oblivion, there is a new sheriff in Awesometown.
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