» Thu Dec 15, 2011 7:51 am
I think he missed the point. It isn't up to the game to have a soul, it's the player. It reflects your own personality back at you.
There could have easily been no NPC there at all. In fact, most forts and dungeons I've been in have been entirely hostile. Placing that NPC there gave the player a chance to challenge their own ideas of what they were doing. Obviously it was important enough to write a lengthy article about. I think that speaks volumes about its power. Sure, there was no follow-up quest. But there was also no need. That was her home, and no amount of possession changes or carnage would change that. Not every conflict needs a resolution. Not every NPC needs to be "fixed" and ushered off to a nearby village where they can remind you of how awesome you are.
Skyrim is more of an anthology of smaller stories than one over-arcing quest. In fact, I'm not even sure the main quest is even the longest or most rewarding. The "soul" of the game lies in the details. It's in the tiny things you see that almost no one else will see. Those breathe life into the world.
For example, I was out and about, and I found the ruins of a house. I rummaged through the smouldering remains. I found the typical stuff, a barrel full of tomatoes, 6 gold in a burial urn, a book. Then in the far corner was a ritual circle with the burned body of a mage nearby. That's it. No quests. No NPCs to talk to. But a simple, interesting story told with two tiny details. A mage got careless and burned his house down.
Another thing that interested me. There's a quest where you help a girl deal with two suitors. She left one for the other. You can choose to help either, etc. The detail that I loved, when I took a peak at his inventory, the new lover had the old lover's house key in his pocket. What a great, easily overlooked detail. It changed my whole perspective on the story. Had the new guy somehow sabotaged the relationship? Was there something more between the suitors? I never found any more evidence or related information, but it was fun finding that out.