The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Started by Inkidu, January 11, 2011, 09:06:12 PM

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Slywyn

That looks like a really fat teletubby.
What Makes A Shark Tick ( o/o's )

"True friendship is when you walk into their house and your WiFi automatically connects." - The Internet, Probably

I'm just the silliest, friendliest little shark that ever did. Sure, I have all these teeth but I don't bite... much.

consortium11

Skyrim's just the messenger here, but I think we have a near perfect example of why I distrust and dislike most major gaming sites reviews.

IGN, who are normally fairly respected:

Their review of Skyrim (on November 14th) for PS3: 9.5, "Amazing", editors choice (and in addition they gave it a 10 out of 10 for lasting appeal; "A game of staggering size and filled with content, so there's always a reason to return.") I do note however that this is the UK review; the US one may have been slightly different.

Quotes from the article:

Quote. Featuring the same kind of thrilling freedom of choice The Elder Scrolls series is known for along with beautiful visuals and a stirring soundtrack, playing Skyrim is a rare kind of intensely personal, deeply rewarding experience, and one of the best role-playing games yet produced.

QuoteThis is a world that rewards the obsessive and the adventurous, one where creative quest designs are the standard across primary and secondary storylines, not the exception

December 5th they publish this article about the PS3 issues. The tag line:

QuoteBethesda must explain how and why the company shipped a game that is broken.

Broken?

Broken?

You gave the game 9.5 out of 10, you heaped praise upon it, you said it was "one of the best roleplaying games yet produced".

And now you say it's broken? Did you actually play the game for any length of time? 60 hours is what, a week's solid gameplay? You couldn't spare one of your staff to play one of the biggest AAA titles of the year on the PS3 for a week?

You praise the replayability and depth of the game (saying it's perfect, 10/10) and say it rewards the adventurous and obsessive... and then three weeks later write an article saying that actually if you're adventurous and obsessive the game becomes unplayable.

Worse, in the later article they note that while they got reviewer copies of the XBox and PC versions they were forced to go out and buy a retail copy of the PS3 game... something that is generally the reserve of woeful games that want to avoid negative reviews. Is there a mention of this on the PS3 review? Did they put a note there saying it? No, none at all.

This is a problem they should have known to look for. New Vegas had the same issue (although Beth are denying for the same reason). When a game using a similar engine and a similar game style has these problems (and note of course that Beth handled the QA for New Vegas which is why I feel it's slightly unfair that Obsidian caught the flack it did) but you don't think to check in your review?

Whatever the reason there is a major bug within Skyrim on the PS3 which is virtually gamebreaking for a huge number of players and a bug that affects one of the most important parts of the game (an aspect IGN gave 10/10 in their review remember)... yet IGN didn't notice.

I despair at modern major reviews... especially of AAA titles by big developers.

To be fair to IGN, they also gave New Vegas a high review score and didn't make a big deal out of the bugs. Compare that to Gamespot (who we all know are basically shifty with their reviews already).

In their review of New Vegas they specifically point out the multiple bugs and put a big emphasis on it for their score of 7.5 (which in today's inflated world is a pretty poor score). A quote:

QuoteUnfortunately, Fallout: New Vegas isn't technically capable of supporting these high ambitions. Simply put, it frequently breaks in some of the most phenomenal ways. You can't mention any given aspect of its design without also mentioning a related bug--and the more you explore and the more you do, the more the game buckles under its own weight.

Their review of Skyrim (which got 9.0) also mentions bugs:

QuoteIt's a pity that Skyrim often breaks the immersion it tries so hard to create, in ways both minor and major. Some bizarre details are simply annoying. A character might initiate conversation through the ceiling. The chatter of nearby characters could drown out important story exposition. Two shopkeepers standing next to each other may be voiced by the same actor and repeat the same lines. A dragon skeleton might disappear and then later drop out of the sky in a new location. A dragon could get stuck in place, flailing about in the geometry in a mess of wings and tail. For that matter, you could get stuck in the environment, maybe just by walking into a corner, which forces you to either quick-travel to a different location (if you're lucky enough to be outdoors) or load a save game. And on the PlayStation 3, frame rate jitters and occasional pauses can disrupt the moment-to-moment flow. The question isn't whether you will experience anomalies--it's a given. The question is: which ones and how many?

Yet it gets a 9? Skyrim has at least as many graphical glitches, game breakers and flat out broken quests (a quick look at the the wikia will reveal that virtually every quest has to have a "bugs" section underneath so you know what to do when it inevitably breaks) as New Vegas... yet one seems to escape relatively unharmed.

Hell, the Gamespot PS3 review actually mentions frame rate jitters and pauses... the first signs of the game starting to become unplayable... and it still gets a 9.

Slywyn

What Makes A Shark Tick ( o/o's )

"True friendship is when you walk into their house and your WiFi automatically connects." - The Internet, Probably

I'm just the silliest, friendliest little shark that ever did. Sure, I have all these teeth but I don't bite... much.

Cold Heritage

If they don't give good reviews then they won't get advance copies or in on the news releases from the big companies. A lot of game review places now seem like part of game companies' PR wing.
Thank you, fellow Elliquiyan, and have a wonderful day.

Samael

Quote from: consortium11 on December 14, 2011, 02:41:28 PM
IGN, who are normally fairly respected:

Hell, the Gamespot PS3 review actually mentions frame rate jitters and pauses... the first signs of the game starting to become unplayable... and it still gets a 9.

Trust me there, they are not.
Both IGN and Gamespot (after the Gerstman scandal, which actually was about companies 'paying' for good reviews), are considered a joke in the gaming scene.
On & Offs | My Games | Apologies & Absences | Tumblr
Et comme des fleurs de glace, on grandit dans la nuit
La lumière nous efface, dans la noirceur on vit
Comme des fleurs de glace, on rêve et on reste unis
Des fleurs au cœur de l'insomnie

"Eisblume - Fleurs De Glace"

consortium11

Oh, I've talked about the issues with regards to mainstream reviewers here and elsewhere (and while we're at it we may as well bring up the 2k Games blacklist... one of the first times everything came out in the open) previously but I think this is perhaps the perfect example of it for all to see. This is one of the few cases where I'd actually like to be in a position to quiz the respective reviewers and editorial teams just to see quite what excuses they could possibly come up with for why they wrote what they did.

Braioch

I'd also like to point out that the amount of bugs I have run into after several, several hours of gameplay on my 360 are minimal and have not affected my game play in any significant way. Also any bugs are bound to happen in a game where there are multiple variables that could and will often times conflict and cause some issues along the way. Seeing as how none of them have caused the game to not work, as it did with Oblivion for me (never did fix the problem with the bloody Thieves Guild, thanks for that >.>) so I see little problem.
I'm also on Discord (like, all the time), so feel free to ask about that if you want

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Cold Heritage

Quote from: Braioch on December 14, 2011, 06:47:25 PM
I'd also like to point out that the amount of bugs I have run into after several, several hours of gameplay on my 360 are minimal and have not affected my game play in any significant way. Also any bugs are bound to happen in a game where there are multiple variables that could and will often times conflict and cause some issues along the way. Seeing as how none of them have caused the game to not work, as it did with Oblivion for me (never did fix the problem with the bloody Thieves Guild, thanks for that >.>) so I see little problem.

Yeah, same here. PC master race*, though.

* this is tongue in cheek
Thank you, fellow Elliquiyan, and have a wonderful day.

Flower

I adore this game. So pleased I have more time to play now that I'm done with this semester of school. Is it just me or does the game get scary at certain points. Maybe I'm just easily scared. ^.^

I found it so hilarious when I was playing today that someone hired thugs to attack me for being a thief. I still haven't learned my lesson since I find it too much temptation not to steal when no one's watching. I don't understand how they figured out I stole from them since I was hidden. Oh wells  >:)

Shjade

Quote from: Dancing flower on December 15, 2011, 11:40:36 PM
I found it so hilarious when I was playing today that someone hired thugs to attack me for being a thief. I still haven't learned my lesson since I find it too much temptation not to steal when no one's watching. I don't understand how they figured out I stole from them since I was hidden. Oh wells  >:)

It's just a coded thing. You can actually have thugs sent out to teach you a lesson for stealing by people you killed before you stole their stuff. So they apparently came back from the dead just to hire someone to attack me for stealing their gold. Not for murdering them - that's totally okay. H~uh. >.>
Theme: Make Me Feel - Janelle Monáe
◕/◕'s
Conversation is more useful than conversion.


Shjade

I laughed at that far more than it deserved. I blame the 3 AM effect.
Theme: Make Me Feel - Janelle Monáe
◕/◕'s
Conversation is more useful than conversion.

Chris Brady

The commentary is what makes it for me.
My O&Os Peruse at your doom.

So I make a A&A thread but do I put it here?  No.  Of course not.

Also, I now come with Kung-Fu Blog action.  Here:  Where I talk about comics and all sorts of gaming

Shjade

Yes. That plaintive, uncertain, "Uh...hello?" It kills me.
Theme: Make Me Feel - Janelle Monáe
◕/◕'s
Conversation is more useful than conversion.

Braioch

I think it's the, "uhh...okay, you, you go do that...."

That gets me.
I'm also on Discord (like, all the time), so feel free to ask about that if you want

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Lycan Queen

A friend of mine got me Skyrim recently, and it's taken over my life. I have four characters so far.

Valanthe, my wood elf battlemage from Oblivion. Just got her in Dwemer armor with a hood (she's obsessed with learning about the Dwemer) and I'm feeling fine. Her main strategy is switches between poisoned melee weapons with healing and destruction magic. I love how the poisons work now, as they've saved my life a LOT.

Garakki is my two handed orc warrior, and I LOVE her. I got the shout which makes her breath fire, and that combined with her sexy orcish armor and her battle axe and bloodfury makes her a killing machine.

Ofelia is my Khajit mage, and I adore how the kitties look in Skyrim. She's absolutely adorable in her robes.

Lastly is a Dark Elf I forget the name is. I wanna play her as a character who doesn't like to get her hands dirty. Stealth, conjuration, and Illusion makes everyone do her work for her.

I also have an Argonian archer/thief, but I suck at stealth and archery, so I haven't played her past level 2.

Thing is, I haven't run into that many dragons, which is kinda sad. I do want my orc chick to be a werewolf so badly!

Cold Heritage

Everyone post screens of your characters. :D
Thank you, fellow Elliquiyan, and have a wonderful day.

Braioch

Quote from: Cold Heritage on December 16, 2011, 09:14:04 PM
Everyone post screens of your characters. :D

How do you propose quality shots of console characters?

>,>
I'm also on Discord (like, all the time), so feel free to ask about that if you want

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Cold Heritage

SOVNGARDE SONG - by Miracle Of Sound (EXTENDED MIX!) SKYRIM

This is pretty cool.

Quote from: Braioch on December 16, 2011, 09:39:24 PM
How do you propose quality shots of console characters?

>,>

Spend $$$ on equipment and programs to link your television to your computer.
Thank you, fellow Elliquiyan, and have a wonderful day.

Nadir


Cold Heritage

:|

SOVNGARDE SONG - Skyrim music video by Miracle Of Sound

I dunno why he did that, but he put up another version that isn't private.
Thank you, fellow Elliquiyan, and have a wonderful day.

Nadir


Anjasa

http://cloud.steampowered.com/ugc/594703156293716973/0CAEDC02AC7D839463777309CF4B2470D03C644C/ My redguard, heavy armour wearing mage in her Blacksmithing outfit.

http://cloud.steampowered.com/ugc/594703156229761196/42127F2AB0D7CD20D9721EADCE38154775B14C8B/ My redguard in her Daedric armour.

http://cloud.steampowered.com/ugc/595828084870490562/1F02752AC53C5C695B9094BE8B11396F1D921918/ My poor assassin/thief character who has not been played much since I rolled my redguard.

I have over 165 hours played on Skyrim, I've only had one big bug (which I was able to use the console commands to fix) and a couple little ones (missing textures, etc.) I absolutely am loving this game.

Cold Heritage

Thank you, fellow Elliquiyan, and have a wonderful day.

Chris Brady

Quote from: Eden on December 18, 2011, 03:20:53 AM
That's so awesome
I agree, and I have some coin on my iTunes account, once it's out, I'm picking it up.  That's an excellent tune.  I like Miracle of Sound.
My O&Os Peruse at your doom.

So I make a A&A thread but do I put it here?  No.  Of course not.

Also, I now come with Kung-Fu Blog action.  Here:  Where I talk about comics and all sorts of gaming