I love TES games. However, there is a flaw in all of them to date, and that is the sense of detachment you feel as you play them. I'm not sure if everyone feels this way, but I have never been attached to any NPC in any Bethesda game except one: Dogmeat from FO3. All of the human/oid companions were interchangable. If one went down, I was more sad about losing what skillset they gave me. If my horse went down in Oblivion, I was more upset about the gold to replace it.

In short, they were tools, and I used them as such. But that one dog, alone wandering the junkyard in the wasteland struck a chord with me that no other NPC in any Bethesda game ever has. Sure, he was pretty useless. Sure, he had no backstory. But that didnt matter. He was my dog, the Lone Wanderers only friend, my constant companion. I fought to the death for that dog, and woe betide the Raider or Super-Mutant that took potshots at him.

This is why I was overjoyed to hear about animal companions in Skyrim. It gives me, the player, someone to care about.

Agreed Skyrim will have NPC companions, dogs and spectral wolves.

And just think. If he dies you can bring him back from the dead.

But yes, I'm pretty excited about this as well.