A friend of mine recently told me that his girlfriend asked him "What's so great about TES V Skyrim?" when he told her of how happy he was at the announcement. If you were in his position, how would you answer her?

This is a thread to reflect upon what Skyrim means for you, and what The Elder Scrolls series means to you. Please be articulate. I am planning on putting together a collage of some of the answers--if all goes well--so it will be to your best interest to write clearly.

Dunno, it's not out yet.

Simply put, the Elder Scrolls series is among the greatest game franchises of this generation. The games are quintessential examples of Western RPGs, and they appeal to hardcoe gaming nerds and casual gamers alike. I know people who hardly ever play video games, yet have managed to sink dozens of hours into a single Elder Scrolls game. Since they aren't MMO's, they won't take over your life, but they still do a fantastic job of svcking the player into a believable fantasy world. They set a brilliant stage with awesome ingame atmospheres, including a wide variety of different peoples, each with a strong historical and cultural background. There is so much to do and see in the Elder Scrolls games, and they allow you to truly leave your impact on the game world in whatever manner you desire.

Like fighting with swords? Got it. Like sneaking around and stealing/spying? Got it. Like observing the interactions of other characters? Got it. Like creating your own unique character and interacting with those characters yourself? Got it. Like hunting, living off the land, exploring, building a legacy, becoming a legend? Got it. Like nothing more than to live in a hovel and scavenge cheese from a nearby farm? Got that too. And much, much more. Personally, I've spent hundreds of hours with both Oblivion and Morrowind, and I still find myself coming back to experience more. All this, for the same retail price as any other video game out there, is simply remarkable. We're very lucky to have the ES series, and to have the opportunity to experience each new game as it is released.

[This isn't so much about Skyrim itself but rather the series as a whole... Skyrim stands out compared to other upcoming games because of its ties to the ES series, so I guess it still applies.]

Well, I live a rather stressful life, so the Elder Scrolls is what I play to get away from the world, live the life of another person and shape him how I like.

It's the long awaited 5th game in one of the greatest WRPG series, with a history of games spanning nearly two decades. To think this isn't Awesome, means I buried the lead, We're breaking up once TES V is released.

We know almost nothing about TES V at the moment, but we do know one thing: it exists. There are very few concrete details yet, but it's the newest Elder Scrolls game in close to 5 years. And that's what makes it great. A new TES game after so long would make any TES fan excited.

Its being made by one of the greatest developers or the greatest developers every known

The fact that it's the sequel to 2006s Game of the Year.

It'll still look good 20 years from now? Ah no, we don't buy games for their looks, do we?

What I have always loved most about The Elder Scrolls is how complex and immersive the games are. They are RPG's that leave you in control to do whatever you want, starting with a blank slate of a character that you create and develop throughout the course of the game. Everything from dungeon delving to simply reading an in-game book is rich with lore. You can go into a cave and slaughter a necromancer and his minions, then read his notes to find out what he was up to in that cave and even uncover secrets using this information. Granted, these secrets are also usually easily uncovered via exploration, but it's that the detail is there that makes it so special.

As for why I'm excited about Skyrim: Morrowind was my favorite of the franchise so far because it detailed a land that had alien features and a unique culture, as opposed to the other games which had more of a cliche western culture feel to them. Because Morrowind really exposed an alternate culture and landscape, I am hoping to see the same in Skyrim, especially since the Nords are my preferred race. Simply put, I cannot wait to jump into a world of Nordic culture and lore as detailed as Morrowind. At least, this is my hope.

I have been playing games since I was a child - almost 20 years ago. A few of them were good, most of them were a waste of time and there was this - the one and only true masterpiece - TES. To me it's not just a game. It's so much more. We know nothing about Skyrim yet but honestly I don't care. I'm buying the game no matter what. It's TES and that's all that matters. No other game has been able to produce such an immersion, story and the feeling of the world around you. Not even close. LONG LIVE TES!

bethesda is the tolkien of our day, a hundred years from now people are going to go back and play these games because of how great the world they create is, i want to embrace it head on because i know im part of a large community of people just as svckedinto that world as i am

What's so great about a new TES?
What's so great about breathing?

To me, the answers are very similar.

I would go into a long and detailed explanation of how The Elder Scrolls universe has allowed me to keep what little sanity I have by escaping from the real world into a world where I can be someone completely different. And cast fireballs.

But before that, my immediate reaction would be something similar to: :ahhh:

Graphics and combat are the least important TES things for me.

"What's so great about TES V Skyrim?"

Yeah, I've heard that...

Well, let's say morrowind and oblivion (and I have no need for a million "oblivion was lame" comments, I bldy loved it!) were like the two best games ever. No game lit me like they did, no game ever gave me that awesome feeling of freedom.

I've been waiting two years for an announcement bout TES V.

So, what's not so great about TES V Skyrim?

It's like living in Tolkien book.

It's an Elder Scrolls game made by Bethesda Game Studios. For me, that is already enough, I've been in love with TES ever since Morrowind fulfilled my dream of a perfect fantasy RPG. :thumbsup:

If Skyrim is anything like the other Elder Scrolls, or hopefully even better, it would mean that I get to "live another life, in another world", enjoy great scenery, and feel immersed in the world like no other RPG could do.

"What's so great is the fact that when I play it I'll be completely oblivious of your utter ignorance."

:lol:

No, that's not what I really would have said, something more like; "It's a really awesome game. You know how you got all excited when Twilight: Eclipse came out? Same thing.."

I hope it's a NEW AND UNIQUE experience and in no way influenced or changed to be more like FO, OB or MW
A man can dream!

It's been half a decade, that's why I'm happy, and I have wait another year, that's why I'm a lil' bitter.

That's what I would say to her. Don't get me wrong, i want them to iron all the wrinkles out and spray it with starch, that's just what i would tell her, in a Bill Nighy accent. There is plenty to satiate my desire TES bosom till then. I will not make a list because next year is full of epic netflix level releases, compared to this years blockbuster level.

Well, I'm sure everyone else is going to make some dramatic, but very true statements about why TES series is so important to us, so I'm not going to get into that. But why would one try explaining to a girlfriend the importance of an Elder Scrolls game, especially a sequel in the works? "Outsiders" are baffled by our obsession. They think it's just another "elves and wizards" thing. :pinch:

There are no "wizard or witches" in Tamriel. This isn't Harry Potter we're talking about. There are only "majestic mages" in Tamriel. They're like Jedi, 'cept with big sticks.

I'm not bashing Harry Potter in that statement. In fact I quit enjoy Harry Potter, I grew up with it.

I'll tell her it'll probably give us more to do than just killing necromancers and goblins, and then killing some more =P . She didn't really warm up to the setup of the new story though, with the dragons and the Chosen One stuff and all... Ah well, we didn't play Oblivion for the Main Quest anyways =) . Shivering Isles, on the other hand...

My word, words cannot how describe how great the Elder Scrolls are. Just the excitement that another addition is coming to this intricate tapastrey is going to be avaliable soon is something to be very happy about.