Some of you might think Skyrim is lackluster. Some of you might compare a video game to a tapletop one where you roll dices. Some might also prefer linear-ish open world games like Dragon Age and The Witcher. How is Skyrim lackluster? You can do what you want (within reason..), and for some things you can't do in vanilla, there are usually mods covering it.

While some things are laid out for you (Like you being the Dragonborn and the Helgen start), that can be remedied by using alternate start mods and the rest is up to you to RP if you want. If you play on a console, you can still RP away for example the Helgen start and go your own way (I believe Michaelpk would be the expert on this matter since he spent several thousand hours playing Skyrim on a console)

My opinion is that in Skyrim, the sky's the limit (well, unless you favor the sky and remove all sorts of boundaries, that is..).

Not that it is a lackluster game to me, just some questionable things got axed which makes a RPG a RPG IMHO. For example, something like jobs such as blacksmithing was added in which is a huge plus for me but later on we find out that weapon and armor degrading is no more.

I still think Skyrim as an RPG, I just don't want people to think all RPGs are like Skyrim.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is boring for me to play because of these features that were added and removed.

Features removed that should of been kept in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.

#1. Removal of attributes, birthsings (I want to choose birthsigns in a menu like The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind and The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion not Guardian Stones like in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim), and classes.

#2. Removal of armor and weapons degradation and repair hammers.

#3. Removal of spellmaking.

Features added that should never be in The Elder Scrolls video games.

#1. Regenerative health.

#2. Level scaling of loot and NPC's. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim made me get bored of it so badly. Heck I even wish The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind and The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion never had it as well.

This is why I find The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim a bad RPG video game compared to The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind and The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. Other than being open world, with being able to customize your own character in any way you want, there being perks and perk trees, dragons and shouts. Those are the only good features that The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim has.

They aren't, and it's exactly what separates Skyrim from the bunch.

To all people who "hate on" Skyrim, please link a popular open world RPG that can go up against Skyrim, is single player, is mod friendly, has a developer console for quick input of commands, and isn't made by Bethesda.

Do you play on console or PC? I'm fairly certain there are mods for pretty much everything you stated. The regenerative health thing can easily be toggled off with two simple console commands to set the healrate and combathealthregenmult to 0

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. It will be singleplayer only, the PC version of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt will be mod friendly (Well it will have more complex mod tools but still let PC gamers create their own mods CD Projekt RED is working on developing more complex mod tools but also easy to use for average PC gamers), open world just like The Elder Scrolls video games, might get a developer console for quick input of commands, and is developed by CD Projekt RED.

Dark Souls

Dragon Age

Kingdoms of Amalur

The Witcher

Grand Theft Auto

Just those come to mind at the moment, I am sure I missed a few.

It can't go up against Skyrim right now because it's not out.

Which tells me everything I need to know.

Yes I play the PC version of The Elder Scrolls :V Skyrim on PC. I have a mod that permanently removes regenerative health you have to rest or sleep to get your health to regenerate, eat food or use healing potions and healing spells. I also have a mod that brings back armor and weapons degradation and lets you use repair hammers at the blacksmith forge there is even a animation for the swords when they break the blade actually breaks. I made my own mod that removes level scaling permanently, and I also downloaded a mod brings back attributes, birthsigns in menu as well as being able to choose them from the Guardian Stones, and classes in the menu and is extremely balanced with the perks and perk trees.

It never felt like a RPG for me, more like a sandbox with rpg elements. Not like that's a bad thing, there's plenty of freedom and things to do in the game, but they axed way to many things.

Dragon's Dogma. Not sure I would put Dragon Age there, it's a bit too linear for the open world aspect that Skyrim has. Grand theft Auto is sandbox, but more than half of the buildings are closed off.

Drem lok jor, greetings mortals.

I normally would not, and this old dov's heart breaks when replying to this kind of thread. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Two_Worlds_II

They have things on Nexus, jor. And I believe they are still making expansions for it jor. Though the only expansion that did come out was 2011, though the company never admitted or denied they would not make more jor.

I feel more or less that Bethseda gave up and was done with Skyrim to soon. I will say nothing else on the matter.

True about Dragon Age, from what I heard. As for GTA, I was thinking more of San Andreas

Ah! Then there's a difference, I was thinking V, San Adreas has a huge modding community. So does Dragon Age Origins, they added so many quest!

Then how is Skyrim too boring to play for you when you've added back what was removed?

DA is not open-world, it's linear. GTA is not an RPG, it's a sandbox action game.

Another game came to mind is Fallout: New Vegas. It wasn't made by Bethesda but I like it as an RPG.

Love Skyrim, big fan, but I'm almost tempted to put it as an adventure game because I have trouble role-playing freely. It has a few roles that it knows people like and they funnel all of the activities into that. There are a few side activities that provide some surface-level fun, but there isn't enough depth to the non-combat/magic/stealth side of things for me. I would have been extremely happy to own a lumber mill or an actual smithy in a village or have a non-combat profession in the game, but it's not as encouraged. The game seems right on the edge of being perfect for role-playing however you want, but they were just a few concepts too short of it. After having your own stronghold in Morrowind, being the lead authority of a colony in Bloodmoon, and the success of mods like Kvatch Rebuilt, I wish they had put time into allowing you to take positions of authorities in settlements or even a quest line of developing one (pre-determined, like Raven Rock in Bloodmoon).

It's not lackluster, but there was room for improvement.

It's not boring when I play with the mods it's boring when I play the vanilla version of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. Also I hate to download mods that add back those features and remove the features when Bethesda Game Studios should of developed The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim that way so I can download a bunch of other random mods instead and not have to make those types of mods so I can focus on making my own armor and weapons mods as well as mods that add new NPC's and quests. Making a mod that permanently removes level scaling from The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim took me like over a month since I am very busy in real life lol. But now that that's done I can focus on making random mods.

Mods should never be an excuse for developers. It's appreciated for a game to be mod friendly, but still no excuse for a game's flaws or lacking in content.

^ This. I hate having to make mods for a video game that should of had the features the old sequels to those video games have.

I don't think that Skyrim is lackluster. But it does feel rushed. So many things that would make an RPG an RPG were taken out and it was dumbed down.

Of course not, but when there ARE mods to patch such holes, why moan about it? No amount of moaning will change anything. Beth will do as they please.

Dragon Age Linear? Witcher, Linear? So you haven't played those games have you? Skyrim is extremely linear. Check out the Thieves guild and bask in the numerous dialogue option it has. In fact, most of the questlines have only one dialogue option. ONE. It's a cutscene with a quicktime event for dialogue.

How is Golf a lackluster sport? There are some things you can't do in vanilla Golf, but add some volleyballs a couple of girls in bikini and Golf is an awesome sport. Although not really Golf anymore is it? http://youtu.be/Z5-lRq-0uM8?t=8m31s

Roleplay is not the same as pretending. In everything Sky is the limit if you pretend. Get a broomstick and pretend it's a sword. Sky's the limit.

For me it lacks some classic rpg mechanics like character stats and disposition, rich dialogue trees with rp options and skill checks, real consequences for choices and impact to the world. It also lacks compelling stories for the factions, fleshed out companions with memorable personalities and disposition you can influence.

That's not much of an argument in favor of Bethesda as a developer. "Sorry the developer is too incompetent and lazy to develop their own game. Deal with it."

Mod support isn't going to be the solution that makes everyone slap a smile on their face and claim this game is perfect. Much rather would it point out what the developers were incapable of doing and what they're at fault for. As for console players, their delusional imagination isn't an excuse either.

People aren't going to stop "moaning" about the game, ignore the issues, and look at it blindly as a good game, they're going to point out its flaws and lack of content that the developers themselves couldn't find a solution to.

the game feels rushed but it's still amazing and playable with no mods.

birthsigns shouldn't have been removed. I hate the way we can go "ooh! steed stone.... ooh! lord stone.... ooh! warrior stone.... and so on. those stones are great for jack of all trades characters but jack of all trades characters are not fun.

Major and minor skills should have stayed but be IMPROVED. They should all count to player level but Minor shoud not get perks.

Attributes..... in some ways I'm glad they're gone because I didn't like the way they where in Oblivion, but they shouldn't have been removed either. they are needed for it to be closer to being a proper RPG.

I love the game. It is an RPG and it is a great one, but it is not what some call a "true RPG." too many things are too "casual" friendly.

I just hope now that Bethesda has got millions of new fans that they focus on making a "true RPG" to keep the fans.

TOGGLES! Toggles are needed. Keep the quest markers and the compass for the new gamers but GIVE US toggles and have things explained by quest givers properly so we can actually know where we are going without ever checking google nirn. Google Nirn has got to go.