Skyrim: A decade long legacy.

By Sam Coles: 

A decade these days tend to be expendable, especially when you are in adulthood as 10 years ago seem like yesterday. Skyrim is not a game I think when I think 10 years ago, but here we are in 2021 and we are a decade removed from the initial release of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and there is still no sequel in sight. All we have is a logo for the next Elder Scrolls game and that was nearly three years ago, don’t mind me Bethesda human existence is fragile but you take your time but I digress. Anyway, I want to take a look back at the popular RPG and why people still talk fondly about it today.  

The gaming industry was a different space back in the 2000’s and early 2010’s, as game reveals were still in that kind of transition of being a business meeting instead of the hype train we know today. Skyrim is one of the first examples in my lifetime were there was so much hype surrounded around a video game release; you have to remember it was five years after the release of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion so the wait was a long one. Especially or me which saw me go from a 13-year-old to an adult at the age of 18, which back then felt like an eternity.  

When the announcement trailer for Skyrim first dropped in early 2011, I remember being instantly excited as the main theme Dragonborn kicks in with the booming choir sending chills down my spine. To find out that it was coming out the same year of it being announced had me more excited, people find that games take forever to come out these days, but back in those days a lot of games more often than not became vaporware or would be announced and stay radio silence for years, looking at you Max Payne 3. I remember the presentation that they did at E3 in 2011 showing off the game, where they talked about how you can explore anything you can see on the horizon. Now this all sounded like hyperbolic PR speak, but they weren’t wrong and when I experienced the game for the first time on the date of 11.11.11 I was enamored with the game.  

My first experience with Skyrim was beautiful, after the usual the Bethesda shenanigans where they throw tutorial after tutorial at you in a patronising manner, they finally set you free. The first time I stepped out of those caves, my mind was in awe as I see the protentional adventures I could embark on because in most Elder Scrolls games you can do anything you want from the word go. I love the calm and serene forest as you trudge towards the little village of Riverwood, as you hear the gentle sound of the flowing river near the saw mill. It’s this main aspect that Skyrim gets right and its design still holds up, as it is the true definition of freedom within video games.  

There are times in Skyrim where I would have no particular goal in mind and I would just walk around, with the HUD turned off and just explore. I highly recommend doing this because it is very immersive as there is no clutter on the screen.  It’s ultimately this level of freedom with the exploration in Skyrim of what makes it so appealing, but this freedom also falls into the gameplay. 

Now I know there are some traditionalists who are not a fan of the direction of the gameplay within Skyrim, this is mostly due to Bethesda scrapping classes all together and you are basically a jack of all trades. However, I think this is a good move as you are not a generic nobody, no you are a mythical chosen one known as the Dragonborn so it kind of makes sense that you are skilled in most aspects in the world. This also adds variety to the game, so if you get bored of being a melee-based combatant and want to shoot lightning out of your hands like Emperor Palpatine, you can do that. This no class base system just makes exploration and combat more flexible, and yes it does somewhat take the role out of the Role-Playing Game but it makes for a more fun experience.  

Visually Skyrim is still wonderful to look at, although before the game came out, I had a bit of trepidation as I was expecting mostly snow, as the game is set in the northern region of Tamriel. However, the landscapes are more varied than one would think with rich vegetation within the forest, the ancient stone ruins and the expected tundra wastelands. Not only that the music and ambience accompanying the exploration is beautiful, the soothing tones of Jermy Soule are relaxing, but sometimes they can be haunting as you explore a dungeon. The soundtrack is fantastic and I often listen to it in my spare time, the calming tracks as you walk through a city as you hear a waterfall get louder as you edge closer to it makes me feel safe.  

Now I know it has become comical with the number of times that Bethesda have re-released this game, but there is a reason for that and that is because the game is timeless. There is a reason why 10 years later people are still playing and talking about Skyrim, it’s because it is a really flexible game with its gameplay and endless supply of mods. It’s a game that I hope we remember for another 10 years, and it is a game that I hold very close to my heart. 

My first experience with the Nintendo Switch.

 

By Sam Coles:

Nintendo since the N64 have had a rather steady decline with sales and direction with their hardware and games, especially during the Wii era where decided not to compete anymore. The Wii U was the final nail for Nintendo’s crucifixion where it sold abysmally, but it was a proof of concept for their next console. The Nintendo Switch was met with meh reception when it was first announced in early 2017, but when it finally released it was a resounding success and slowly became the best-selling video game device for Nintendo.

Fast forward to 2021 I want to give my first thoughts of the portable system; I was kindly gifted one for a sponsorship on Instagram from the lovely folks at Bristol PC Repairs. I’m going to go over how the console feels to hold, control and my overall user experience. I have been sent various games to try out from the lovely folks at 2K Games, Koch Media, Voidpoint and Techland. So, thank you very much to them, and let’s get into this.

Let’s start off with the design of the console, I was gifted the Lite model of the Switch and I have to say I was sceptical about the design of it. However, when I finally picked the device up and held it in my hands it felt wonderful, the feel of the Switch Lite feels so natural where it is nice and light but doesn’t feel too light. It feels like a premium portable device, and it is a joy to play for hours. Coupled with that it has a decent set of speakers, if you crank up the volume to the max it has a decent amount of bass on the speakers especially when playing first person shooters. The screen is also fantastic with its vibrant and crystal-clear display, games look beautiful on the system and are very clear to see even for those with compromised sight.

Now let’s get onto the games I tested out for the little yellow portable, I tested out a few different genres from first person shooters (a lot of them), platformers and strategy games. Let’s start off with first person shooters, as it was the genre, I have spent the most time with as I have been given lots of FPS games to play.

I tested out several shooters Call of Juarez: Gunsliger, Bioshock 1,2 and Infinite and Borderlands 1,2 and The Pre-sequel (still a stupid name Gearbox). I played Borderlands first which I had some trepidation of how FPS games would handle, but those worries and fears were quickly quashed as Borderlands performs and controls really well. Yes they did crank up the auto aiming system up a bit to compensate for the control scheme, but this system works really well and it is more or less like I am playing it on the PS4 although at 30 fps instead of 60 which is not a deal breaker.

Bioshock was the next game on the list to test out, which was mostly good Infinite was the game I wanted to test the most as that game really pushed the Xbox 360 and PS3 to their limits back in 2013. Fortunately the game runs smoothly on the Nintendo Switch, but I don’t think they got the memo of upscaling the resolution of the user interface as it is very small and hard to read on the Switch Lite in some places. Despite that oversight with the U.I resolution everything else is fine, it’s Bioshock but on the go.

Enough the first person shooters, let’s move on to something that doesn’t involve redecorating the room with someone’s brain matter. Super Mario Odyssey is one of the main reasons I wanted a Nintendo Switch, and it is amazing. The game really pops out of the screen, with its beautiful and vibrant visuals coupled with the smooth framerate.

In terms of graphics across the board I am impressed, especially with the third party games. I was fully expecting the visuals to be compromised in a big way with the third party offering, however if you are playing on a smaller screen you really don’t notice the corners that were cut to squeeze these massive and expansive games on the little machine. Games look beautiful, from the deep depths of Rapture, the post apocalyptic wastelands of Pandora to the dusty roads of Texas as you gun down your latest bounty. All the games look fantastic, and I am genuinely impressed with the visual fidelity.

Overall I am really pleased with the Switch and my first experiences with it, it is the perfect companion console. It’s great to sit back and relax all cosied in the corner of your living room playing triple A experiences, as well as lying in bed on Sunday mornings do the same said thing. Great console and I can’t wait to have more experiences with it!