So, I just recently took a gander to the Bethesda Blog, and noticed this entry:
http://bethblog.com/index.php/2010/02/24/what-were-playing-best-games-of-the-last-10-years-edition/.

And I must say that I was quite pleasantly surprised that one of my top favorite game title ever being very popular on their list. Here's hoping that the dragon encounters (and hopefully others) in Skyrim will have at least just about a quarter of the gravity that the experience of battling those colossi in "Shadow of the Colossus" evokes (and I find it really is that good when I'm saying merely a quarter of it would be fine enough for me).

I don't know, the dev team are openly admitted that they see no issues on adopting a feature on another games that they liked enough to their own titles as long as it fits the grand concepts ("Bioshock" comes to mind; as eerily and somewhat suspiciously Arkane's "Dark Messiah of Might and Magic" is another one), so I don't think that an influence that is mostly non-technical and more on the feel, the atmospheric and aesthetic side of things would be too much of a stretch.

And no, I'm not suggesting that each and every single dragon encounters in Skyrim should be handled by the player in a very specific approach similar to "Shadow of the Colossus", though that would be swell as well. Especially if we really get to fight Alduin face to face. It's more about the dramatic feel and stuff. You and yourself alone against this seemingly insurmountable obstacle which lies before you and all that jazz, ya dig?


Thoughts?

When designing something, designers are ALWAYS influenced by what they have seen in other games. With their designers being people who played very old games as well as the new ones, they have a lot of sources of inspiration if they don't come up with something innovative themselves.

In the end, how and if Shadow of Colossus will influence Skyrim depends on more then just dev's enjoying it. If something from there would fit here, it may appear. On other hand, there are dozens of other games that can serve as inspiration so...

i think (third-person) combat will feel more like Monster Hunter than anything. less rolling around, probably, but the same feeling of "study their movements and do what's best for the moment".

that said, the final battle that's been raging in my head since the game was announced is 100% out of SotC, and even though i know it won't be at all i really hope it is ;_;

SotC also gave the feeling of the tragic hero, and I love it. Feeling so connected to the characters, actually feeling something while going through the storyline. SotC is really an epic, all-time favorite game of mine. I sure hope they learn a lot from it.

:celebration: I hope but doubt it.

Climbing, horse ridding?

Am I the only one who think SotC is overrated?

There were some good ideas in the game, the recent Castlevania game also took a huge leaf from the book. Another game worth a play if you havn't played it yet. Get past the button bashing in the first couple of hours and the game opens up quite nice, with some SOTC moments in there too.

Wow, someone actually listed Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines. That's a great game (although very buggy),
I think it should have gotten more praise than it did, forgotten and underrated.

I hope that they take hints on how to fight giant creatures and to make them seem really huge from SotC. That would be amazing if I got the same feeling that I did fighting Colossi when I fight dragons

none. if they were influenced by shadow of the collosus the map would probably be improved.

Yea ok.

TBH I find this a tad scary, of all the games only a very few are RPG's.
Most of those are Beth made, most are Oblivion and a lot are not really relient on writting just action.

I realise I'm a snob, have no experience in games design and really dislike that I'm posting this.

This sounds awesome.. As they said in the rift trailers "A horde of people batteling one single enemie isn't heroic. Being alone up against, seemingly, insurmountable obstacles, that's heroic" or something.

I'd like getting back the feeling where you are a powerfull force in the world, and not just some dude with a companion.

maybe Bethesda isn't big on the RPGs that have been released this decade, which is why their games are so wildly unlike the rest of them? maybe they find traditional RPG combat and EXP-based leveling systems boring, which is why their games are much more rooted in player involvement and more organic progression?

TES games since have always relied more on setting and gameplay than writing. most of the writing is either fairly standard fantasy RPG fare (Arena, Daggerfall) or meant primarily to further the setting (Redguard, Morrowind, Oblivion). nobody plays TES games for deep discussions with characters, and if they do then those discussions are almost entirely about history and politics. of all the fictional settings brought to life by videogames this decade, Tamriel remains unsurpassed in its realization.

a lot of people call Daggerfall the best RPG ever, but a lot of people also call Torment the best RPG ever, and comparing their writing is like comparing a steak with a small tree.

SoTC is singlehandedly the best SP experience i have ever enjoyed.

First part I agree traditional leveling and combat can be boring, there are examples of even turn based and leveling being used well.
The witcher is an example, fast fluid and even acrobatic style if you chose to put an effort into it.
The leveling is the same old XP but its perk system on a general look mirrors the specialisation sign based one planned for Skyrim.
This is linked to alchemy, poisons, ingredient harvesting, combat and magic and some other in game effects.
Second part of the three games of the TeS series I've played, Daggerfall seemed the only one with organic progression at least to me.
I won't comment on player involvement as that could easily mean many things, many different based on individual point of view.


Please define setting again I don't wish to offend without understanding your meaning of setting.
I do not wish to sound foolish, but you've contradicted many of these points.
Standard fantasy RPG fare.. unsurpased in its realization.
Further the setting.. not deep or with characters.
Relied on gameplay than writing.. history, politics these two are two of the deepest issues in RL.
If you can create a whole universe of lore, written, expanded, delved into, mass books, fiction related to it, past charcters back stories.
Then detailed character writing should not be that hard to implement.


Comparing is not the aim, progression or at least holding a standard is.
12 years since Torment, 10 since BG:2, 9 since Morrowind, 4 since the witcher.
Where has the writing gone, buried, abandoned and discarded.
Really when a game like Heavy Rain can be released and appear like a thunder storm.
Only to have every company carry on with how can we make things simplier and cut out superfluous talking in RPG's.
Just because most has no relation to the ability to find another trinket or cave to clear out and loot, so you can boost your weapon skills.

Edit: Sorry this is going off topic, I'd be delighted to carry this on if you PM me however.

Probably not - but you're definitely in the minority. I for one thought SotC was absolutely stunning and until Skyrim was announced, The Last Guardian was my most anticipated game of 2011.

I think SoTC is slightly overrated. It was a fun game /THE FIRST TIME but after that having to go throught the boss fights agin is boring

I haven't played, but that's with giant bosses right? I sure would like to see some huge enemies in Skyrim, like some of the more powerful dragons, and some rare extra-large giants and such.

Nice, when I read the thread topic... I thought, "I can point to this one blog post where everyone stated they loved the game" -- but you beat me to it.

With our previous games, there have been references to other games (and movies, books, and tvs showsetc) -- so it's not out of the realm of possibility. At this point I wouldn't know one way or another.

One interesting thing when you have a team this big -- there's also instances where not everyone gets the reference that's in the movie. I can't remember the example off hand, but I explained one to Emil not too long ago, and he mentioned he had no idea about it. That's what you call a developer easter egg

I would love it. And a few of the concept art looks very Shadow of the Colossusy.