Lately there seems to be a negative vibe around here in regards to Skyrim. Perhaps born out of frustration that Bethesda is officially DONE with Skyrim and some things seem left unfinished. Or that it was not exactly like Daggerfall or Morrowind. Maybe because we're just bored and can't wait for the next project from Bethesda that we can sink our teeth and money into.

Either way there has to be something, if not many things we all still enjoyed about Skyrim or we wouldn't even bother playing it still would we?

Unlike a lot of you, I have no real history with TES games until Skyrim came out. I was not a PC gamer back in my youth and only played on the console so I don't know of Daggerfall or Morrowind. When Oblivion came out all my friends talked about it but I had a PS3 so, yeah I didn't get to play it. But I had other games to entertain me. Anyway then I heard about Skyrim. Knowing it was from the same makers as Oblivion and how my friends had been so thrilled with that game that I looked into it. I placed my pre-order and went all out. Alduin sits upon my fireplace as I write this heh.

Anyway compared to just about all other games out there that fit the settings of Skyrim, none of them can come close. Even my favorite RPG at the time, Dragon Age Origins paled. From the moment you step out from under Helgen's Keep and watch Alduin fly away and then look around you. Wow. What I wouldn't give to feel that same emotion again. A game where as far as the eye could see, I could go there. Right now. No locked areas until I got to a certain lv or quest. I could do it all now if I wanted.

What really thrilled me was the time lapse. I mean games before this boasted of it but never implemented it well. I'll be honest the first thing I did was hit the wait option and set it to several hours ahead so I could see the time of day. I walked into Riverwood under cover of darkness. I rented a room at the Sleeping Giant and the next morning I set out again.

Weapons... Most games force you to buy weapons but now I could craft them. And armor as well.

And the perks. Becoming better in the game because I was becoming better as a player. It had nothing to do with the quests but what I did during them. That was awesome.

Even on the PS3, Skyrim is a beautiful game. Sure, I won't deny there wasn't a time that I ran into issues. File bloating, long load times when I had to go through one. But I did not care.

Of course now I can recognize all 10 voice actors (i'm sure there is more then that heh... but you know, a few repeat) but I remember being in awe at the variety.

And I'm sure we all did this. But when I saw Riverwood's chicken, I instantly thought of Fable so I hit the chicken. lesson learned right there. Never harm a chicken!

Skyrim is huge and full of so much effort and details we can often overlook when we focus on the negatives. A LOT of work was put into this game. I often find myself stopping and just watching a mist pass through the mountain peaks and into the trees of the valley below. Or watch salmon jump up river. And nothing beats getting pushed off a cliff by a bee.

Anyway. This thread is to share what we all enjoyed about the game.

And thanks Bethesda for making it. It was my first TES game but it won't be my last. First impressions are key and you guys set the bar really high for yourselves with your next project.

I agree with everything you said. There's no games out there right, well there is ESO, but that's also TES, lol....that lets you roam a massive, open, world and do whatever you like, whenever and however you like. Personally, as I'm sure you well know, Resident, I enjoy playing as a vampire. Right now Skyrim, with the better vampires mod, is like a vampire sim, and the only one at that..in an open massive world!...I've been playing this game almost everyday since release....I then got it on PC in summer of 2012 and have only taken small breaks since then. I don't see myself stopping any time soon.

if there was a ' i like post' option on these forums you get one from me

but a + 1 internetz wikk have to do for now

to many negative posts from people complaining about the most insignificant things these days

things like

butterflywings have the wrong color

or steelshields are not a perfect circle

or my character left pinky is smaller than his right toe

We all know Bethesda has the reputation of bringing out buggy gamrd and rely to much on patches

but what company doesn't these days

Same here. got a gaming PC in may, right about the time I joined this forum and got Skyrim the same day. Playing/modding Skyrim ever since.

I love the environment in Skyrim. Coming from World of Warcraft, the environment felt much more realistic.

Unlike in WoW, forest areas are actually dense with trees; trees and bushes aren't "bunched together" with lots of empty space in between; trees and buildings aren't unrealistically large.

Towns and cities have unique layouts, and cities have different themes. The settlements in Skyrim may be small (compare Stormwind in WoW to Windhelm), but they actually feel much larger and more populated.

I love the rock formations too. I can't identify the rock models while I travel around Skyrim.

The terrain is filled with little things like shrubs and smaller boulders that makes it feel very natural.

Weather effects happen often and, at times, they make me feel like I am actually there. The most immersive weather effect for me is the blizzard. It gave me the sensation I had at the Alps.

On a different subject, I like the fact that every NPC is voiced, even though one can identify the different voice actors used for most NPCs.

I like the combat system. I find it more engaging even though there is less variety in the abilities one can employ: as a user of sword-and-board, my only abilities are blocking, power striking (with some variety, depending on how you're moving), shield bashing, and footwork to dodge attacks; but it is far more engaging and it feels more realistic than using a CD then following a "rotation" as in WoW.

Questing is more enjoyable, too, and it doesn't feel like a chore - the only "collect X of these" quest I can recall is the one from Temba Wide-Arms. Granted, many quests are just dungeon delves, but I find these more enjoyable than just killing N boars or collecting X items; and oftentimes, the dungeons have unique quirks (thinking of the bosses of the Gauldur Amulet dungeons). I love it when RP happens, leading you to a quest; or when you talk to a guard or read a book and they/it mention some cave or dungeon that you can explore and clear. Questing doesn't feel as rote as walking up to the NPC with the exclamation point hovering above him, doing his task, and turning in the quest. Quests are presented in a more natural and immersive way.

The game has many more merits for me, but I can't be bothered to expound on the others now. The ones that I have discussed here are the best features for me.

I can't think of anything at the minute.

but I love taking screenshots of Skyrim. especially stupid things like http://static-2.nexusmods.com/15/images/110/3967544-1400454797.jpg

I love the choices you have, when i start a new game i always do things differently, only repeating the quests i really enjoy.

People complain a lot about the combat, but i really enjoy it because you have so many options as well. Most of videogames don't have that. Here you can play a brute who takes out everyone with a sword but you can also pretty much never touch an enemy, the combinations are endless.

And i also love to take screenshots, i'm a photographer and in Skyrim i have almost as much fun taking screenshots as i have photographing in real life.

I love the scenery. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy playing the game and roaming the lands of Skyrim, but mostly I do that so I can see different landscapes. Each character I play has multiple saves at particularly picturesque moments so I can go back and revisit them as and when desired.

Yeah the scenery is just incredible, very immersive. I remember being floored most by the fish. First time to Riverwood I lost track of time just watching the salmon jumping.

Not sure I'd say it's better than DA:O, as I do like an actual good story, but it's up there. Still spent more time playing Morrowind though, but Skyrim is catching up.

Resident, I agree with you and am glad that Skyrim brought you into TES. I had much the same feelings when I discovered Oblivion. TES Skyrim is a totally awesome game with a totally awesome modding community. The fact that Bethesda makes the Construction kit available is pretty cool. Just want to add that most people complain (I prefer calling it constructive criticism) because they genuinely care about the game. If they didn't care, they probably wouldn't say anything, at least that's what I think.

edited for typos

Thats probably true for a lot of people but then there is loads of people make an account just to complain then never post again.
and then there is some Morrowind fans who claim Skyrim is dumbed down too much in every way and that it's the worst TES

A lot of people like to complain just because they can.

I think a lot of what Resident talks about with Skyrim was how I felt about Morrowind, when I first played that. There was a genuine excitement travelling around the world, negotiating the terrain, and back then it felt much more like a living, breathing world (given the technological restrictions of the time).

I've recently picked up Oblivion again, as I never really gave that a lot of time when it came out. I'm appreciating particular things about it now a lot more - a few things Skyrim and Morrowind don't have, that just give it a particular 'feel'.

However, it's also made me appreciate some of the great things about Skyrim. The scenery, the tone of the different cities, the development of the AI (which I know people still criticise; but placed next to Morrowind, there's a huge advancement there).

Each game has something a little different to the others which is worth celebrating.

Garrus, you definitely have a point. There will always be some of those people. I think most people seriously want to see a better game and take the time to post about what they think can be improved. How else would Bethesda know if they don't get any feed back?

But this tread is supposed to focus on the positives, right? And Skyrim has many:

1. Soundtrack

2. Scenery

3. Much improved character creation

4. Adventure!

5. Exploration!

6. Lore (has a hiccup now and then, but excellent for the most part)

7. Contruction kit & mods

These are the positives I can think of, I am sure there are more.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is the best single player game i have ever played. that being said nothing is perfect, just love Skyrim for who she is.

I love the perks systems, especially when using Skyrim Redone which REALLY lets you specialize with weapons and each weapon type actually feels different from others.

I love how Bethesda supports the modding community in general. Skyrim is a great game despite its flaws, but this game really shines with mods.

I love Skryim; meaning I love the actual layout of the land. I can't tell you how many hours I've spent just walking around admiring the beautiful scenery.

I like the mountains.

Skyrim is my first ES game. I played Oblivion some but just cant get into it.
While I agree that there are some things that could've been done better, I dont gripe about it. I play the game and enjoy it every single time I turn my system on. Im thankful for Skyrim and everything that it offers.

Why can't you peeps just make Positive threads without mentioning in some form the "negative" threads? does this sound sensible to you?

"There has been alot of praise positive threads around lately so I feel like talking about everything that's wrong with Skyrim" that is what irks me about threads like these, they aren't genuine or true to heart about just GOING out there and talking about what you really love about Skyrim, its always reactionary and for the asinine purpose of being contrary.

talk about it, reminisce , be insular and introvert. it makes absolutely no sense to make a productive thread in this form based on "negativity" and just fails at the very spirit of it.

just my two cents, no problems at all.

I LOVE the dungeons in Skyrim, so much better than the copy paste dungeons of Oblivion, and the mostly really small ones of Morrowind (many of which were only 2-3 rooms and no hallways). The way it looks is amazing, even without mods. Espceially thanks to the no more potato faces that Oblivion had. The maleabilty of the game is so much more than that of Morrowind or Oblivion too, especially with skyui and the MCM menu.

Ive been playing Bethesda games since Morrowind, and for me Skyrim is one of the greatest Bethesda games. I dont think ill ever love a faction as much as House Telvanni, but as a whole Skyrim is one of my favourites. Skyrims massive success causing it to break into mainstream culture fills me with hope that the open world RPG is going to expand in a huge way. If we can get a set of Skyrim-like games for different IPs, I would be in love. Skyrim: Middle Earth? Skyrim: Jedi Star Wars? Skyrim: Hive City Warhammer 40k? All would be absolute dreams come true. I think a lot of the negativity here comes from people not accepting that every Bethesda game is started from a nearly clean slate (Except maybe New Vegas). Each of them have some pretty big differences from eachother, but I am hesitant to call it bad or good, merely taste. As the games grow and change, there's obviously going to be a lot of parts of the game in 2011 that don't resemble what it was like 9 years ago. Embracing those changes, and seeing each TES and Fallout game as a seperate game in the genre that is a Bethesda game, not a shadow of Morrowind, that is what I think a lot of people need to do.

I played Oblivion on PC and it was love at first sight, I bought skyrim for PS3 as soon as I could and I've really enjoyed it.

I like the dungeons, and all those misc. quest that you get when you explore Skyrim. It's amazing.