Top 5 Features: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

With the biggest releases of the year fast approaching, I decided to come up with my own personal top features list for each of the big titles releasing later this year, starting with Skyrim. While there is a slew of new features in Skyrim to talk about, I have narrowed it down to the 5 I believe are the most important additions to the title to help it in the gameplay department. So without further ado, here is what I believe to be the top 5 features in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.

1. Improved Menu System

This category covers the new and improved menu system that includes the map, stats menu, inventory and hot key system. The first one worth mentioning is the inventory system which greatly decreases the clutter in the menus and makes them easier to navigate. On top of that if you feel like examining items all you have to do is select it until you reach the item viewer where you can see a fully fleshed out 3D detailed model of the item you chose to examine. It has been stated that this will come into play for things such as puzzles and clues. Elven armor never looked more beautiful…

The stats menu has you looking to the stars and viewing the multiple different aspects of your character that you have been working on as well as the perks associated with them. Gone are the specializations of yesterday that had you picking several main strengths among the crowd, replaced with a new system that has all stats starting even and letting you work on any skill at any time and improving that one. As you progress in a certain skill or skills you will be able to purchase perks to enhance your abilities in that certain area. Archers may get a slow time option while people using a sword and a shield may get a shield bash that disarms your opponent. Started out as an archer but want to dip into swordplay or hand to hand? Go ahead and punch a dragon in the face with your bare fists and level up that new skill you want to work on.

The map is set to the down button and has your character looking to the Earth where the map will zoom out and give you a 3D model view of the world of Skyrim allowing you to set waypoints and fast travel to various locations. The new hot key system has you going into a side menu in game and going through a list of your favorite weapons allowing you to choose them on the go without having to contort your fingers awkwardly to hit the the corner hot key weapons you have set. All of these will make for a more streamlined Elder Scrolls game and help improve the experience through simplicity and attention to detail.

2. Dragons

You can’t make a top features list for Skyrim and not include dragons in it. They are probably going to be the smartest and most interesting enemy you face in the game. With the new A.I. system and the behavior patterns set for dragons, every encounter you have with them will likely play out differently than the one before. They are well aware of their environment, they have aggressive tactics and their sole purpose is to hunt and kill anything that moves…ESPECIALLY the Dragonborn. That means every dragon in the Skyrim province wants to make you a toasty chunk of meat for its next meal. You. Are. A. Delicacy. It has already been shown through the multiple videos released that they will react differently to what is around them. Guards are snatched up and eaten and they will change their tactics depending on whether combat is taking place on the ground or in the air. It will definitely make for some awesome and intense engagements. You can always amp up the danger and go fisticuffs on the dragons face if your feeling ballsy.

3. Job/Economy System

Being able to go to one of the many cities or villages in Skyrim and get a job in one of the various professions there has the potential to add quite a few hours onto the games lifespan. The ability to invade one of the many villages and cities in the game and destroy their main source of income also adds a slew of possibilities into the gameplay and open up opportunities for quests related to destroying a towns income. Possibly for the Dark Brotherhood or a new unannounced faction? What happens when a dragon comes along and decimates a town and its population? I for one look forward to some answers and seeing the multiple possibilities the job and economy systems will bring into the game world.

4. Improved Character Models

I think I speak for everyone when I say that the worst part of Oblivion was the character models. They looked more like primal goblin-monkeys rather than actual people. I always played my game in first person just so I wouldn’t have to look at the hideous character I had to make. Now I can enjoy Skyrim in the third person perspective thanks to the improvements made to the character models. This goes hand in hand with the new animation system used for the third persona perspective to add more realism to the movement and various animations so it doesn’t look like your character is doing some sort of weird floaty run. This all leads into my final top feature in the game which is…

5. The Creation Engine

None of this would have been possible if Bethesda had not taken time to create an entirely new engine for the game. Now that we have seen in various videos the power that the engine is capable of, fans such as myself are already thinking of what this engine could bring into the Fallout series. But back on topi for now. The Creation Engine is what fuels the A.I. of the various inhabitants of the game world. It is what causes animals to react to your presence, it gives dragons their personality, it gives you a dynamic weather system, it is the life blood of the game. None of these new features and improvements would have been possible unless the team at Bethesda put all of their hard work into creating what will surely be one of the best games seen by this generation of gamers.