E3 2011: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Preview

Since the announcement of Skyrim at Spike TV’s Game Awards Show, I have been dying to see whatever little bit I could about the game. After hitting the expo center in L.A, I was looking forward to a meeting with Bethesda for a look at the newest installment in the series. After viewing the developer walk-through, presented by none other than Todd Howard, I can say that I am 200% sold on the game. It takes the addicting gameplay of Oblivion and updates it with a slew of new additions and makeovers to make it a strong contender of Game of the Year 2011.

The demo opened up with a view of the lush green scenery followed by a viewing of a fern with detailed shadowing brought to you via the new Creation Engine built to power this game. While walking, Howard switched to the new and improved third person view to show off the smoother animations put into the game. Gone are the stiff running and turning animations, replaced with smoothed out running, walking, turning and weapon usage. Speaking of weapon usage, a small ways up the road we were given a snippet of action as our hero was attacked by two wolves. The shield has been updated with a new bash move that you can use while blocking and pressing the attack button. This causes your opponent to stagger giving you an opportunity to strike.

After all the foes were vanquished, the new interface for the map, items and skills was presented. The map now zooms out from your character and gives you a highly detailed 3D view of the wonderful world of Skyrim. Fast traveling also makes its return. The skills system has you looking to the stars to see where you stand with the various skills in the game. New to each skill is the addition of perks which you can pick out for reaching a certain level with a skill. These perks can range from increasing armor durability to adding paralyzing abilities to your shield bash. The best improvement is the new item management system which eliminates a great deal of clutter and allows the player to view the items in great detail.

After showcasing the new interfaces, we were shown the town of Riverwood, which is one of the first towns you will come across in the game. Walking up to a blacksmith and talking no longer zooms the camera in and stops the world around you. You are now brought into a conversation and the world continues to flow around you keeping you more immersed in the action. There was also mentioning of the ability to work in various oddjobs such as wood cutting and smithing and the potential to cause mischief and ruin a towns economy. A horse outside of the town was then taken into the mountain where the dynamic weather had the snow falling onto objects covering them gradually.

After a close encounter with a dragon outside of a dungeon, we were brought inside of it and shown the improved archery. The bow works a great deal smoother and the animations involved with knocking the arrow and drawing the bow are improved as well. Dual-wielding of weapons works smooth and allows you to double the pain you put on your enemies. After destroying a giant spider, a captured thief was freed and swiftly taken care of to nab the golden claw he had. The claw was a piece in a puzzle that unlocks a door. The solution could be found in the diary or on the claw itself by examining it.After showing a spell that acts as a flamethrower and another that acts as an ice trap, we witnessed a Dragon-Shout that caused enemies to fly backwards from the force and another that slowed down time. After unlocking a word for another Shout, a sorcerer was taken out using a combo of magic and an axe.

After exiting the dungeon and emerging on the tundra of Skyrim, our hero decided it 2would be wise to attack a mammoth and invoke the wrath of it and its fellow troll handler. Shortly after the battle began, a dragon swooped in and picked up the troll and threw it from high up in the air, showing the high unpredictability of the dragons. After dispatching the first one using a combination of Shouts and weapons, it was dead and its soul was absorbed.The souls of dragons can be used to unlock words to progress towards a new dragon shout. There was nothing more than the bones of a fallen dragon. Not long after the first one was disposed of, a more powerful frost dragon joined the fray and was brought down using a new Shout that called in a storm and brought down lightening of the dragon. Soon after its death, its soul was absorbed and the demo ended.

After witnessing the glory that is Skyrim, I have no doubt as to why this game has the potential to steal the title of Game of the Year 2011. It has improved dramatically since the release of Oblivion years ago. I for one definitely look forward to picking this game up when it releases on November 11.