Skyrim is Soulless

Post » Thu Dec 15, 2011 3:46 pm

Spoiler
You can heal the Gildergreen in Whiterun, and people will keep thanking you for it.
You can help the Forsworn insurrection in Markath, and they'll stop being hostile to you.
You can clear forts for the Empire or Stormcloaks, and they'll become garrisoned with soldiers.
The Jarls who supported the losing side are replaced by loyal influential people of their city when you end the civil war.


There's a bunch of quests and things you can do that have repercussions in the game, but coding ripples for every single NPC and action is impossible.
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Jeffrey Lawson
 
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Post » Thu Dec 15, 2011 1:29 pm

You do realise editors decide what kind of articles are published. Editors are the gatekeepers, allowing in only that which suits them. Ergo, this 'independent' review was published by The Escapist because the editor okayed its contents. Ergo, it's a biased website.

(I don't know how things work over at Rock Paper Shotgun. I have to assume things there are similar. However, they've proved time and again that they're a responsible, intelligent, 'legit' gaming website.)


You make no sense. You are claiming Escapist is somehow 'corrupt' or biased, which they always will be but Rock Paper Shotgun enjoys a better standing for featuring likewise article and news?.

I can prove you how Escapist proved multiple times they had thoughtful articles, shows and weekly distributed articles from all walks of life, each giving you a different perspective on gaming and topics around it. So please, assumptions like that don't really work as you imagined. Escapist gave Skyrim a good score, so it wouldn't make any sense by approving an 'anti-skyrim' article, now would it?

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SexyPimpAss
 
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Post » Thu Dec 15, 2011 8:02 am

Wow. I completely agree with the overall point here. He states the game is soulless, something I'd normally disbelieve and disregard, and details clear reasoning as to why it is so. After reading, my mind is changed: I agree. As great as Skyrim is, as detailed, expansive, and unique it is, it still feels very much like a world that doesn't care for my accomplishments within it.

It's strange, because previous Bethesda titles have all had a world that changed around the decisions you make. I'm still going to enjoy playing the game, but it feels uncomfortably akin to The Elder Scrolls series as what Dragon Age 2 was to Dragon Age: Origins.



?

What changed in Morrowind after you completed the main quest and became...you know? People were still asking me to kill rats in their basemant. I was head of the mage's guild and couldn't give out quests or order people around. Some people had different verbal reactions to me, but that's happening all over the place in Skyrim- "So it's true, you're the dragonborn" "You just absorbed its SOUL!"

Oblivion? Same thing.

I think you have a nostalgic view of the TES series. Nothing changes that much. The same quests you neglected to do before the main quest are still there after the main quest. Skyrim is scripted (and flawed) like every other TES game.
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Georgia Fullalove
 
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Post » Wed Dec 14, 2011 11:36 pm

I hardly think the writer was talking about one single NPC in Skyrim...he was talking about the majority, if not all of the NPC's in Skyrim....do you assume they're all nuts? Bit of a stretch for the imagination.

WMG: The game is set in the Shivering Isles and the PC is insane and just thinks they're the Dragonborn and that that is Skyrim. In reality "Crossing the border" is an expression for "going mad".
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N3T4
 
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Post » Wed Dec 14, 2011 11:31 pm

?

What changed in Morrowind after you completed the main quest and became...you know? People were still asking me to kill rats in their basemant. I was head of the mage's guild and couldn't give out quests or order people around. Some people had different verbal reactions to me, but that's happening all over the place in Skyrim- "So it's true, you're the dragonborn" "You just absorbed its SOUL!"

Oblivion? Same thing.

I think you have a nostalgic view of the TES series. Nothing changes that much. The same quests you neglected to do before the main quest are still there after the main quest. Skyrim is scripted (and flawed) like every other TES game.


I love this post. I shed my rose tinted glasses for Morrowind a long time ago and enjoy what Skyrim is, with it's flaws and bounderies. A well articulated post and keep it up!
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Beat freak
 
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Post » Thu Dec 15, 2011 7:02 am

I disagree with the article. I'd say the author is just trying to stand out from the crowd.
I have helped people in dungeons and had them show up and acknowledge me in towns. I've had people and guards comment on my actions. The world feels alive to me.
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Facebook me
 
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Post » Thu Dec 15, 2011 6:27 am

You make no sense. You are claiming Escapist is somehow 'corrupt' or biased, which they always will be but Rock Paper Shotgun enjoys a better standing for featuring likewise article and news?.

I can prove you how Escapist proved multiple times they had thoughtful articles, shows and weekly distributed articles from all walks of life, each giving you a different perspective on gaming and topics around it. So please, assumptions like that don't really work as you imagined. Escapist gave Skyrim a good score, so it wouldn't make any sense by approving an 'anti-skyrim' article, now would it?



It's not an assumption. It's based on my knowledge of their reviews ... The only reviewer who does (or used to do, anyway) proper reviews of games over there is Yahtzee. He is/was inflammatory, but he is/was fair.
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Pants
 
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Post » Thu Dec 15, 2011 12:57 pm

I love this post. I shed my rose tinted glasses for Morrowind a long time ago and enjoy what Skyrim is, with it's flaws and bounderies. A well articulated post and keep it up!


So he basically wants it to be a JRPG then.

What would svck would be if you were unable to do a neglected rat killing quest, merely because you completed the main story. There would be literally nothing to do afterwards.
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Michael Korkia
 
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Post » Thu Dec 15, 2011 1:56 pm

?

What changed in Morrowind after you completed the main quest and became...you know? People were still asking me to kill rats in their basemant. I was head of the mage's guild and couldn't give out quests or order people around. Some people had different verbal reactions to me, but that's happening all over the place in Skyrim- "So it's true, you're the dragonborn" "You just absorbed its SOUL!"

Oblivion? Same thing.

I think you have a nostalgic view of the TES series. Nothing changes that much. The same quests you neglected to do before the main quest are still there after the main quest. Skyrim is scripted (and flawed) like every other TES game.

I guess you may be right. It's easier (for me, at least, and seemingly most people) to criticize a product for its faults than it is to appreciate it for its successes. I had high expectations. I expected these things to improve with Skyrim. I expected everything to improve, which isn't realistic. It improved in a lot of ways, but because it didn't improve in every way, many of my expectations were left unfulfilled.

Viewing my stance from this perspective points out the obvious fallacy of such expectation.
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Jessie
 
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Post » Thu Dec 15, 2011 12:51 am

is the people on this site even elder scrolls fans?...I joined this site becouse i love elder scrolls and thaught this community was different from the other "whine,complain communities...


Unfortunately no, haters gon' hate everywhere.
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Alan Cutler
 
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Post » Thu Dec 15, 2011 3:28 pm

It's not an assumption. It's based on my knowledge of their reviews ... The only reviewer who does (or used to do, anyway) proper reviews of games over there is Yahtzee. He is/was inflammatory, but he is/was fair.


Oh please. Your assumptions are still unfounded. I asked you to show the correlation between the good scores/praise from the Escapist towards Skyrim and somehow the editors as you claimed to be, gatekeepers, didn't block this Anti-Skyrim article, which for all intents and purposes, they SHOULD if I had to conform to your train of thought of corruption and the like.

Doesn't compute. Doesn't make sense and is counter-productive. Escapist never was a proper review site in my eyes, but merely a collection of interesting articles to dig into.

Not trying to be a jerk, but don't quote me anymore since your point is going nowhere.

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Kelly John
 
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Post » Thu Dec 15, 2011 4:37 am

I guess you may be right. It's easier (for me, at least, and seemingly most people) to criticize a product for its faults than it is to appreciate it for its successes.


I think that at the time Morrowind changed gaming in a way completely unforeseen by both the industry and its customers. And it was the gateway into the TES world for a lot of us, so the impact of that particular entry is undeniable.

But what we have to keep in mind is Morrowind had game breaking bugs, was repetitive and slow, had similar script issues (I just stole all your stuff and you want to buy it BACK?).

But over the years with the AMAZING expansions, mods, and community, it's STILL one of the greatest gaming experiences I've ever had. There's a reason people are still playing/modding it.

I truly believe this will happen for Skyrim as well. It's been less than a month, the creation kit isn't even out yet, DLC hasn't even been announced.

Skyrim will not be complete until these things happen. In a year, the experience will be incredible. Just give it time :)
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Emma louise Wendelk
 
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Post » Thu Dec 15, 2011 10:12 am

Sadly I agree, compared to New Vegas at least it does seem pretty lifeless and so far I haven't come across any decisions or even multiple ways to end a quest besides "Kill this guy or don't kill him.".

Still absolutely love the game to bits though.
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Roberto Gaeta
 
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Post » Thu Dec 15, 2011 6:40 am

It this guys opinion so I can't knock him.

But he says "Everyone is so impressed with Skyrim, but I can't help thinking about another open-world role-playing game published by Bethesda last year, Fallout: New Vegas. By the time I had logged as many hours into New Vegas as I have in Skyrim, I felt like I had big decisions to make that were really going to change the world of New Vegas."

Let me start by saying I LOVE NV......I am a Beth Fan-Boy but anyway



NV is not as open world as Skyrim, and NV only gives you a feeling like that but you don't see the end result anyway. He should try playing the main quest ( I happen to like it even though some have called it junk) to see if that makes him feel if "He has big decisions to make that were really going to change the world of Skyrim, an or Tamriel "

Cut the guy a break it's just his opinion, no matter how wrong he maybe :biggrin: ....JK , we all will have differing points of opinion on any game even Skyrim, no matter how great it is (for me)

just my .02 caps
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NIloufar Emporio
 
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Post » Thu Dec 15, 2011 1:18 pm

But what we have to keep in mind is Morrowind had game breaking bugs, was repetitive and slow, had similar script issues (I just stole all your stuff and you want to buy it BACK?).
)


Just wanted to point this out to you:

Morrowind had a crime system that made sense. Don't get caught stealing, items aren't flagged as stolen as far I knew. I could rob a merchant blind and sell the loot to an adjacent one but NEVER to the same merchant who owned the items beforehand. It made absolutely sense.

Skyrim on the other hand, suffers from that ANNOYING stolen mark, whilst you looted a cabin in the middle of the wilderness. The guards can somehow smell and distinguish potions of the exact same kind, between a barrow and a house. Not to mention, you can literally take some items of some merchants and sell them back, think there was even a comic on that note.

Still a great game but a large step backwards regarding thievery and crime.

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Jhenna lee Lizama
 
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Post » Thu Dec 15, 2011 2:16 am

Giving the player the chance to change the world certainly makes the game have a big impact- but what if you don't want the world to change? What if you want to continue playing, exploring, building and creating in that world, with the same character?

You may then say "Then have a bit of an impact, make changes in one town, or how certain people perceive you". Then the question becomes: what to change? Who to change? Every player is having a completely different experience- some people stick to Whiterun, others made their home in Solitude, Riften, etc. Which town gets affected by these changes? Which NPC's?

Changing the game world changes the player experience and you can't make everyone happy that way. So Bethesda instead leaves the world open to us, to play on as much as we'd like after our main quest is complete. It may feel like you've made less of an impact, but the alternative is to make the world in some way smaller afterwards.
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elliot mudd
 
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Post » Thu Dec 15, 2011 3:35 am

Oh please. Your assumptions are still unfounded. I asked you to show the correlation between the good scores/praise from the Escapist towards Skyrim and somehow the editors as you claimed to be, gatekeepers, didn't block this Anti-Skyrim article, which for all intents and purposes, they SHOULD if I had to conform to your train of thought of corruption and the like.

Doesn't compute. Doesn't make sense and is counter-productive. Escapist never was a proper review site in my eyes, but merely a collection of interesting articles to dig into.

Not trying to be a jerk, but don't quote me anymore since your point is going nowhere.



No grasp of the English language ... :spotted owl:

You didn't 'ask' me anything. :shakehead:

Firstly, a question contains a qu-

Why bother?

Here, have a flamethrower to the face: :flamethrower:
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Christine
 
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Post » Wed Dec 14, 2011 11:33 pm

Just wanted to point this out to you:

Morrowind had a crime system that made sense. Don't get caught stealing, items aren't flagged as stolen as far I knew. I could rob a merchant blind and sell the loot to an adjacent one but NEVER to the same merchant who owned the items beforehand. It made absolutely sense.

Skyrim on the other hand, suffers from that ANNOYING stolen mark, whilst you looted a cabin in the middle of the wilderness. The guards can somehow smell and distinguish potions of the exact same kind, between a barrow and a house. Not to mention, you can literally take some items of some merchants and sell them back, think there was even a comic on that note.

Still a great game but a large step backwards regarding thievery and crime.



It made sense...until you tried to sell that merchant the same item, only one that isn't stolen. Steal the diamond in Balmora for the quest? Don't EVER forget and offer her an honest one because she'll claim it was hers. Even 5 years later, that witch has a memory carved in stone!

Each TES game has scripting issues of some kind. As for the stolen tag, I RP that in a world filled with magic, people put protection spells on their houses. When I take their items, the spell 'marks' it. Only fences know how to take the magic mark off. Annoying, yeah, but there's always a way to get around stuff :P
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lolly13
 
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Post » Thu Dec 15, 2011 4:28 am

The article writer is what's wrong with gaming today. No imagination.



This.

For me, Skyrim is like the first time I played Dungeons and Dragons, back in 1980, with friends on the playground during lunch. We had a thin rulebook, some paper and pencils, and a handful of dice, and a short module titled "The Village of Hommlet". Just enough information was given so we had an idea of who was where, and what the broadest of their motivations were...and that was it. Everything else was left to our imaginations.

Skyrim is like that. It's this huge world, populated with characters who we're given general guidelines as to how they are going to behave, what they do in the world and where their place is in it, and where they will be and when. Then added to that are some questlines, similar to those D&D modules, that create an event in the world for the player to be involved in. And everything else is left to the players imagination.

Maybe that's why Skyrim succeeds so well for me...because just enough of my own imagination is allowed to come into play.
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Krystina Proietti
 
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Post » Wed Dec 14, 2011 11:47 pm

SNIP


So please, assumptions like that don't really work as you imagined. Escapist gave Skyrim a good score, so it wouldn't make any sense by approving an 'anti-skyrim' article, now would it?


That is pretty clear that I am wondering how you would answer my rhetorical question, but you cannot, which I already was aware of. I have no grasp of the English Language? Seems you should advise yourself on this matter. I clearly showed your train of thought doesn't make sense. You shouldn't indeed bother, because your claim wasn't resting on anything credible or sensible

Good game but from mistakes we learn. Have a wonderful day, sir/madam.

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Lisha Boo
 
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Post » Wed Dec 14, 2011 11:53 pm

I actually agree with the article. Maybe Beth spent so much time designing such a beautiful world that they had to cut down on other things? who knows. Fact of the matter is, npc's rarely acknowledge anything of significance you accomplish. While your "imagination" can help with immersion, it really doesn't do bethesda any credit when you still have npcs telling you about a quest that you already resolved days ago as if its still a current problem, or an npc still treating you like dirt after you've saved his life and his whole organization/guild.
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James Shaw
 
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Post » Thu Dec 15, 2011 6:23 am

Couldn't agree more with the article actually. Nothing in Skyrim responds to you. Nothing you do changes anything. The whole world feels static and hollow. It doesn't hold a candle to NV in the role playing department. It's pretty. I'll give it that.
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Niisha
 
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Post » Thu Dec 15, 2011 4:43 am

That is pretty clear that I am wondering how you would answer my rhetorical question, but you cannot, which I already was aware of. I have no grasp of the English Language? Seems you should advise yourself on this matter. I clearly showed your train of thought doesn't make sense. You shouldn't indeed bother, because your claim wasn't resting on anything credible or sensible

Good game but from mistakes we learn. Have a wonderful day, sir/madam.



You're backtracking.

Official Yawn.™
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Mylizards Dot com
 
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Post » Thu Dec 15, 2011 11:31 am

Yeah, I remember her.. she was meant to be just an interesting tidbit to yet another fort, but instead he's expecting to discuss nuclear proliferation with her.

Skyrim isn't soulless. It contains a bunch of stories

I fondly recall chasing the White Stag without result in the driving snow in the mountains south of Falkreath...I almost passed out from the rush of myth-like story I was living...

I fondly recall entering a bandit lair only to see that it had just been attacked by a nest of Falmer, only to clear them out myself, and then upon exiting, seeing the Bandit leader and two underlings walk through the front door exclaiming "What happened here??", and getting in the toughest fight I'd had up to that point. Me and the bandit leader fought for a full 5 minutes trading blows and trying to get an angle. There was also a bandit locked (himself) in a small room who kept saying he wasn't coming out.....

There is also Blackreach, which if you don't pause for just a moment to soak in the first view of, you aren't human.
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Emily Rose
 
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Post » Thu Dec 15, 2011 11:28 am

You're backtracking.

Official Yawn.™


And I can see you are out of options and resort to cookie cutter responses towards my claims and questions. Well, since you cannot admit you cannot prove jack, take this:

:thumbsdown:

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Allison C
 
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