The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Previews

No end in sight for previews of the Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, after Bethesda showed off a hands-off demo of the open-world RPG at E3.

Sarcastic Gamer predicts “a buggy mess” based on a bad demo shown in a warm room.

Yes, you can wield a sword in one hand and magic in the other. That is the new feature that they touted in the game. FOR 35 MINUTES. To make matters worse, when the Dragons finally showed up at the end of the demo, the fight was such a bore, with the minor exception of a dragon crashing into the round after taking some damage, that I couldn’t muster enough energy to care.

The worst part was that the room was so warm, coupled with the painfully dull demo, I literally was fighting to keep my eyes open. I must have nodded out on three separate occasions despite my best efforts to stay awake. I didn’t nod off during the Witcher 2 on 360, or Prey 2, or Saints Row the Third, and I saw Prey 2 and Saints Row the Third AFTER I saw Skyrim, so I couldn’t have been that tired.

GameZone.

The biggest (literally) moments happened when we were brought face-to-face with a giant dragon. We were told that they are completely unscripted and that their behavior patterns are random. Though the fights didn’t seem as dangerous, thanks to the main character’s nigh invincibility (for demo purposes), they were still absolutely epic and will definitely require strategy. Aside from a standard sword and shield combo, you’ll be able to mix and match weapons and spells as you please. Whether you want to dual wield or wield a dwarven axe in one hand and a fireball spell in the other, the choice is yours. Playing as a Dragon Born, you are able to learn special abilities called shouts, which are three words put together and spoken in the language of dragons. While they are mostly used as offensive abilities, we were shown one ability that helped the player do a quick speed dash through some environmental hazards that would have otherwise done a lot of damage.

Strategy Informer.

Another aspect of the visuals have have been improved is the player’s character themself. For one, Bethesda’s team vastly improved the third person view for those gamers who enjoy that perspective. In previous games like Oblivion, the third person animation looked roughly like a corpse shuffling legs forward. Even the inventory has been revamped – every single item, from swords to shields to food items like carrots and monster meat to spells are rendered completely in 3D and detailed. Some quest items must be examined in this view to solve puzzles, even. If that weren’t enough, the world map is in 3D, and is beautiful in its own way as well. (A side note: one of the items that was in the inventory of the PC was a weak soul gem, so that gameplay mechanic of stealing essences from monsters with be in Skyrim.)

SideQuesting concludes “so many boners, you guys. So many!”

After walking out of the dungeon, we come across something that blows my mind: giant mammoths being herded by giant giants with giant feet! OMG GIANTS! THERE ARE SO MANY! AND THEY’RE HERDING MAMMOTHS! They take up the entire screen, and the level of detail is astonishing. Docile at first, they quickly panic and attack as Todd nips one of the mammoths in the foot. He polished them off quickly, which is a bummer because they were great to watch.

New Game Network.

Upon exiting the dungeon, a vast valley unraveled before us. It was populated with various creatures, such as giants and mammoths, thought it as noted that these creatures aren’t immediately hostile to the player, allowing for free passage if desired. Moments later however, a dragon has appeared, and began attacking. The dragons in the game are completely unique, in a way that the AI isn’t scripted, thus allowing for completely randomized battles and strategies required to win. Their attacks can range from a fireball airstirke to strong wind blasts, and you never quite know what they will attempt to do. Knowing this to be a tough fight, the player rushed to a nearby guard tower, and the AI archers there joined the fight against the beast.

Unfortunately, the poor chaps didn’t stand much chance and most were burned fairly quickly. However, they provided valuable distraction as the player was able to inflict a number of arrows into the beast, as well as some successful fire shout attacks. When the dragon become badly damaged, it crash landed ,and had to continue the fight on the ground. Here, the player switched back to melee attacks and finished off the beast with a few strikes of the sword, as well as a kill cam finisher. Once dead, the player absorbed the soul of the dragon, and gained a new shout power.