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[Blue Ninja]

UPDATE 4: New screenshots and a new video: From Concept Art to Reality.

(Thanks Sn4ke_911!)

UPDATE 3: G4 has 11 minutes of narrated gameplay footage, pretty much all new.

UPDATE 2: Did someone say "live action trailer"? No? Well, that's okay, here's one anyway.


Discussion thread.

UPDATE: GTTV has some exclusive new footage, including a look at two new Dragon shouts,

Spoiler

Ice Form and Become Ethereal

.

Original Post: The media embargo just lifted, so here's some awesomeness. I figured this deserved a new thread, as the old one was getting cluttered.

Previews (10/17/'11):
- 1up
- GameSpot
- GameReactor
- IGN
- The Guardian

It's almost a good thing that Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is operating under the radar of mainstream news, otherwise it may be blamed for potentially triggering a double-dip recession.

- VG24/7
- Videogamer
- Rock Paper Shotgun
- Wired

2:22 PM – I decide to walk back to Falkreath, slaying bandits and other annoying vermin along the way. I encounter a haughty noble couple en route to a wedding party. The man mentions that they are carrying lots of expensive gifts.
2:23 PM – I finish looting their dead bodies.

- MCV
- New York Post
- Eurogamer
- The Sixth Axis
- CVG

Three-hours of playing time on Skyrim equates to being allowed to watch the opening cut-scene of most other games. It's a drop in the ocean - and a miniscule one at that.

- GamesRadar
- NowGamer
- Giant Bomb
- DualShockers
- ShackNews
- Joystiq

The dragon landed, and I charged it, fists at the ready. I was determined to punch this thing dead. And then it ate me and everyone laughed.

- G4TV
- Kotaku
- IncGamers
- Married With Videogames (yes, seriously)
- TechDigest
- Inside Gaming Daily
- Gaming Truth: the Rookie playthrough, the Veteran playthrough
- Destructoid
- Digital Trends
- Made2Game
- UGO

The city sat impressively on a hill, with a small village sitting on the lower part; above it all stood a walled-off upper part of the city, which held its castle. It was like something out of Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings.

For Euro-GAF, Amazon has updated their listings so that preorders come with the 5 track soundtrack:

This offer so far excludes the UK. We will be getting a full OST release, as well.

Screenshots (10/17/'11):

(Click to embiggenify-thing)

I'll update as I find more. Thanks to the ever-awesome Lakitu for giving me the heads up.

Screenshots (10/07/'11, for those who missed 'em):

- Previous thread.
- All screenshots released so far.

 

[Hanmik]

There is a great preview here..

http://www.gamereactor.eu/previews/8922/The+Elder+Scrolls+V:+Skyrim/

 

[brandonh83]

Gorgeous.

 

[ironcreed]

Looking gorgeous. Especially the last one on the ice at night, with the Aurora Borealis. Can't wait to stand on a high peak at night and stare at that sight.

 

[LiquidMetal14]

The Witcher 2 approves

More pics though!

 

[The Albatross]

We should just have a skyrim OT... right.. RIGHT!?

Question: I played Oblivion but never beat it, put like 20 hours into it but got into like Marble Blast Ultra instead and never played it again. Is there a website or wiki or anything that will get me up to speed with the Elder Scrolls story? I love the books in the game and I've read many of them, but never really looked into the anything before Elder Scrolls IV. Anything that will get me up to speed with Skyrim?

Many thanks bros, many many thanks.

 

[The_Monk]

Those are awesome.

I'm a little worried about the PS3 version, I hope to be good. Please, please be good.

 

[Lakitu]

That screenshot with the Aurora in the sky blew my mind, man.

I honestly thought I couldn't be any more hyped, but I am even more now. The most awesome thing is that these previewers sound like they've barely scratched the surface. As well as the little things, like a lonely fisherman on a small island.

 

[Dabanton]

Looks very good but Skyrim is going to have to wait until december as i'll be too busy with other games.

 

[Blue Ninja]

We should just have a skyrim OT... right.. RIGHT!?

November 4.

Spoiler

That's not the final banner.

 

[See You Next Wednesday]

We should just have a skyrim OT... right.. RIGHT!?

Question: I played Oblivion but never beat it, put like 20 hours into it but got into like Marble Blast Ultra instead and never played it again. Is there a website or wiki or anything that will get me up to speed with the Elder Scrolls story? I love the books in the game and I've read many of them, but never really looked into the anything before Elder Scrolls IV. Anything that will get me up to speed with Skyrim?

Many thanks bros, many many thanks.

The game has no story connection to the previous games.

As for the entire story being summed up?

Spoiler

The king dies, you find his missing son & beat a demon. The end.

 

[Lakitu]

November 4.

Spoiler

That's not the final banner.

Excited. Looking forward to it.

This is one of my favourite previews - from GamesRadar

 

[NateDrake]

Not to be an ass but how is that Ripten link a preview? It only has the screens and a short description of them.

 

[kadotsu]

I'm digging the aurora and assassins. I've followed Skyrim coverage infrequently, so I could be wrong, but I'm kind of missing the architectural variety in Elder Scrolls games ever since Morrowind.

This is a day 1 GotY Edition for me (sorry Bethesda but your bug history and probably 50$ of DLC is just too much to stomach).

 

[Darklord]

While it looks fantastic now I can't wait for some HQ texture packs. It's going to look insane then.

 

[ajim]

looks better than sex.

 

[jschreier]

My preview on Wired: http://www.wired.com/gamelife/2011/10/skyrim-hands-on/

 

[Phonomezer]

Oh wow, looks great!

 

[nofi]

Our preview: http://www.thesixthaxis.com/2011/10/17/the-elder-scrolls-v-skyrim-preview/

(not by me)

Sounds amazing, can't wait.

 

[Lactose_Intolerant]

are those 360 shots? is that all they show in previews are 360?

The best improvements are in the playable races models. They actually have pretty good looking faces and bodies now.

The water in that obelisk shot looks pretty bad and the textures are too low resolution (360).

Apparently using a mortar and pestle isn't exciting enough, lets put some motion blur on it.

 

[DeathIsTheEnd]

The game has no story connection to the previous games.

As for the entire story being summed up?

Spoiler

The king dies, you find his missing son & beat a demon. The end.

It does have at least a slight connection.

Spoiler

No Emperor due to no heir, so Blades more or less die out, some naturally, others murdered, some isolate themselves. The guide for the main quest is one of the last blades, if not the last. Also the king of Skyrim has just been assassinated, probably because Skyrim is split over seceding from the Empire, and that's because the Empire is weak from having no heir.

 

[Neuromancer]

http://i.imgur.com/yGY8i.jpg[IMG]

Gorgeous.[/QUOTE]
Yeah I was going to remark on this one too. Looks amazing.

 

[Derrick01]

are those 360 shots? is that all they show in previews are 360?

The best improvements are in the playable races models. They actually have pretty good looking faces and bodies now.

The water in that obelisk shot looks pretty bad and the textures are too low resolution (360).

According to rockpapershotgun the preview event was 360 only. Bethesda is notorious for not giving out PC code until the damn game itself comes out. Reviews will likely be 360 only too.

 

[Lakitu]

My preview on Wired: http://www.wired.com/gamelife/2011/10/skyrim-hands-on/

Just read, hilarious.

I arrive at Whiterun, a hilled city that strongly resembles Rohan, that horselord stronghold from Lord of the Rings. The art direction in this game is fantastic. Every city and dungeon I’ve seen so far has its own style, and I love absorbing it all.

So good. I'm glad. One of my biggest peeves with Oblivion was all the dungeons being similar.

 

[Respawn]

Wow! The graphical detail is great. First pic seals the deal.

 

[Blue Ninja]

Not to be an ass but how is that Ripten link a preview? It only has the screens and a short description of them.

You're not an ass, you're right. I removed it.

My preview on Wired: http://www.wired.com/gamelife/2011/10/skyrim-hands-on/

Our preview: http://www.thesixthaxis.com/2011/10/17/the-elder-scrolls-v-skyrim-preview/

Added them, thanks!

are those 360 shots? is that all they show in previews are 360

Probably, yes.

Spoiler

No Emperor due to no heir, so Blades more or less die out, some naturally, others murdered, some isolate themselves. The guide for the main quest is one of the last blades, if not the last. Also the king of Skyrim has just been assassinated, probably because Skyrim is split over seceding from the Empire, and that's because the Empire is weak from having no heir.

Close, but...

Spoiler

The Empire we saw in Morrowind/Oblivion fell apart a few years after Oblivion. A warlord called Titus Mede conquered the Imperial City a few years later and started rebuilding the Empire bit by bit. Some nasty stuff happens around 40 years after Oblivion, which is detailed in the two TES novels. Skyrim takes place over 160 years after that, so 200 years after Oblivion. There is an Emperor again, and he's trying to reclaim Skyrim.

 

[Trick_GSF]

I put like 60+ hours into Oblivion but stopped playing after burning out a little. I'll have to give it another crack soon. Skyrim looks amazing.

 

[minus_273]

looks better than sex.

virgin GAF assemble!

 

[Complistic]

Great repeating ground texture there...

 

[The Albatross]

The game has no story connection to the previous games.

As for the entire story being summed up?

Spoiler

The king dies, you find his missing son & beat a demon. The end.

Hmm, but sort of like, the lore? Like the story in Fallout 3 can be summed up as:

Spoiler

You emerge into the wasteland looking for your dad. Your dad is working on this thing to save the wasteland. Dad dies. You get involved in a big battle and defeat this evilish government military thing. End.

New Vegas is even more simple:

Spoiler

You're killed in the beginning of the game, survive, spend 50% of the story looking for who killed you. Ultimately you don't give a shit and just do random shit for 50 hours

But, there is a whole lore around the world, a cold war world, a previous war in 2077 that almost ended mankind, etc. THere's a ton to it that really adds.

I'm sure that the E.S. has something similar, a narrative that sort of ties it all together?

 

[itxaka]

dovahkiin!

 

[Sec0nd]

I'm honestly not excited at all for Skyrim after playing Dark Souls.

 

[Quikies83]

Has anything been shown from PC or PS3 version?

 

[Monocle]

Hnnnnnnnnngg! The environments look amazing.

 

[Blue Ninja]

I'm sure that the E.S. has something similar, a narrative that sort of ties it all together?

It does. Check the Imperial Library or the Unofficial Elder Scrolls Pages. There's a crapton of lore, though. Ten craptons, even.

 

[racemixing]

I'm honestly not excited at all for Skyrim after playing Dark Souls.

get the fuck out

 

[ironcreed]

I'm honestly not excited at all for Skyrim after playing Dark Souls.

I sure as hell am. Two great games are better than one.

 

[Lactose_Intolerant]

I'll pick up the pc version. Probably a GOTY version. The first few weeks are always rough with a bethesda game.

 

[Wizman23]

I'm honestly not excited at all for Skyrim after playing Dark Souls.

And I'm sick of Dark Souls and can't wait for a REAL RPG with quests and lore you can actually understand like Skyrim will have.

 

[Lakitu]

NowGamer preview - an interesting one

Leaving Bleakfalls Barrow and navigating back towards Riverwood is South Brittleshin Pass, a small passageway that leads us to a hidden cavern.

Hoping, if nothing else, to discover yet more weaponry, we are instead treated to one of those moments that we imagine only a small portion of players will ever come across.

Scattered with skeletons and other unspeakable creatures, the dungeon soon reveals itself to be home of a Necromancer. Unimpressed that you’ve merely walked into his abode, a fight breaks out, ending with yet another power blow from our new favourite killing device.

What happens once the smoke has settled and the questions Bethesda deliberately doesn’t answer is where Skyrim becomes a master of conspiracy and fascination. Exploring the rogue magician’s tomb, it seems highly likely the man was performing unspeakable experiments on the Nordic race, dismembered bodies and blood littering the room.

The first revolved around a group of bandits and the dead body they were huddled around. Seeing us closing down upon them, the band of thieves jumped up to halt us where we stood, naturally meeting their demise and allowing us to figure out what the hell was going on.

As it transpires, the corpse was a woman named Breton, armed with nothing more than a note. The paper explains that she left her nearby village after an assembly of thugs stole her family’s pendant, and that she would rather die than see it in their hands. It’s a small, yet no less impactful, story that, again, many may never see.

One mission in particular had us gripped to the very end, despite us not being able to finish it. It involved the secret behind the Red Eagles Tomb and Rebel’s Cairn, and it’s well worth checking out.

 

[Kajiba]

I'm going to put hours upon hours into this game. Less than a month away.

 

[Gravijah]

I'm honestly not excited at all for Skyrim after playing Dark Souls.

i'm honestly not that excited for dark souls after playing the binding of isaac

 

[Timber]

My hype for Skyrim has greatly deteriorated after playing Wacky Wheels.

 

[Respawn]

And I'm sick of Dark Souls and can't wait for a REAL RPG with quests and lore you can actually understand like Skyrim will have.

I really think you should keep this shit out of this thread. Stop trying to derail.

 

[ihasaflavour]

(Just posted this in the previous thread, and it turned into this thread! Sorry to double post!)

Would love some opinions;

My friend told me all these awesome adventures he had. Late hours, endless dungeons and quests, sleeping and waking up to a bite from a vampire. I had to ask,

"What is this game?!"

"Oblivion. You haven't played it before? It came out like 4+ years ago!"

So I picked up it. I have mixed feelings with it. The combat was OK at best, but the "World" just felt dead. The stale and lifeless like people of the World, were dry as cardboard.

I did enjoy the exploring...

Anyways, this is getting way to long. My question is, should I pick up the GOTY edition of Oblivion, and give it another shot? I will for sure be getting Skyrim, no questions. I just wonder if I should stave off my cravings, with trying to enjoy Oblivion once more.

Thanks for any replies!

 

[eosos]

I would say that I'm surprised that people are complaining about ground and small bowls of liquid textures, but this is NeoGAF.

Believe

 

[ElyrionX]

So I picked up it. I have mixed feelings with it. The combat was OK at best, but the "World" just felt dead. The stale and lifeless like people of the World, were dry as cardboard.

This is my biggest problem with Oblivion as well. I really hope it has been improved upon in Skyrim.

Somewhat ironically, that "dead" world effect was also present in FO3 and actually ended up enhancing the atmosphere in FO3 since the world was supposed to be a lifeless nuclear wasteland. In fact, FO3 is easily the most atmopsheric game I've played this gen.

 

[The_Monk]

(Just posted this in the previous thread, and it turned into this thread! Sorry to double post!)

Would love some opinions;

My friend told me all these awesome adventures he had. Late hours, endless dungeons and quests, sleeping and waking up to a bite from a vampire. I had to ask,

"What is this game?!"

"Oblivion. You haven't played it before? It came out like 4+ years ago!"

So I picked up it. I have mixed feelings with it. The combat was OK at best, but the "World" just felt dead. The stale and lifeless like people of the World, were dry as cardboard.

I did enjoy the exploring...

Anyways, this is getting way to long. My question is, should I pick up the GOTY edition of Oblivion, and give it another shot? I will for sure be getting Skyrim, no questions. I just wonder if I should stave off my cravings, with trying to enjoy Oblivion once more.

Thanks for any replies!

If you can, you always pick up the anniversary edition of Oblivion that comes with all the DLC. Just don't expect on finishing before playing Skyrim. Unless you have a lot of free time.

Or you can always wait a little bit more and get Skyrim. You'll be more "fresh" starting the game and many improvements were made. It's your choice. Skyrim is going to be a great game with many exploring to do and lots of quests/sidequests.

If you like exploring, you will love Skyrim.

 

[ihasaflavour]

This is my biggest problem with Oblivion as well. I really hope it has been improved upon in Skyrim.

Somewhat ironically, that "dead" world effect was also present in FO3 and actually ended up enhancing the atmosphere in FO3 since the world was supposed to be a lifeless nuclear wasteland. In fact, FO3 is easily the most atmopsheric game I've played this gen.

I have to agree!

I thought Fallout 3 was amazing. Everything about it was incredible imo. As for my question regarding Oblivion, I had lent it to a friend, who has mysteriously disappeared. Thus, my copy is gonzo.

Hell, I guess I'll give it another go. $20 for the GOTY is a cheap price. Even if I won't complete a HUGE, chunk of the game.

If you can, you always pick up the anniversary edition of Oblivion that comes with all the DLC. Just don't expect on finishing before playing Skyrim. Unless you have a lot of free time.

Or you can always wait a little bit more and get Skyrim. You'll be more "fresh" starting the game and many improvements were made. It's your choice. Skyrim is going to be a great game with many exploring to do and lots of quests/sidequests.

If you like exploring, you will love Skyrim.

Thanks man! I know Skyrim is going to be a different experience, with an old flavour. They seem to have changed it up enough to have me interested none the less!

As for the "fresh", I hear ya on that one! I think my eagerness to play Skyrim, has me looking to what I can play TODAY that is similar.

Damn you hype....damn you all to hell...

 

[Rodney McKay]

Anyways, this is getting way to long. My question is, should I pick up the GOTY edition of Oblivion, and give it another shot? I will for sure be getting Skyrim, no questions. I just wonder if I should stave off my cravings, with trying to enjoy Oblivion once more.

Thanks for any replies!

I would just wait for Skyrim, personally. I modded Oblivion for the PC recently to go back to it, but I had already played it so much that it wasn't really doing it for me.

If you don't care much about older graphics (or have a good PC and want to mod) you could get Morrowind for pretty cheap. Combat is is pretty bad at start, but the game has a great world.