Is Skyrim Actually a Good Game?

[SnowyJess]

I still love the game but refuse to play it after I forgot to eat and sleep last time I played it. Some advice based on this experience: If you start to have dreams about a game then you should probably stop playing it for a bit.

[Garrett]

I have played Skyrim a lot but never seen auto aim, is that something you have to turn on? I always had to lead moving targets to hit. It also always had arrow drop for me.

I distinctly remember missing moving targets due to the autoaim shooting the arrow where the target is, not where the target is going. The last time I played the game I installed a few mods that removed the autoaim and re-aligned the bow so the arrows start out flying straight, not at an upward angle to compensate for the idiocy of the gravitationally challenged. So to reiterate, I did not imply that the arrows don't have drop. They do. The bows simply do not shoot straight ahead, but at a slight upward angle, so that at average shooting distances a moron aiming directly at a target instead of above it will still hit, because the game condescends to you and fixes the mistake that it assumes you will do.

If I recall correctly, you can re-align the vertical firing angle of the bow in the INI files, but the only way to disable the counterproductive autoaiming is to install a mod that disables it. Then again, it's been so many years since I did that, that maybe Bethesda actually patched the game to get rid of it entirely and I never noticed a difference because for me it was already gone.

[Ultimate Goose]

it is a good game me thinks.
lots to do, places to go, mods to load.
it has been out for a long time, so I don't play it much, but I do know I like the game for it's free roaming and being able to do whatever I want, it is the story I don't care for anymore.

[Eggy the Merry]

I played as a hunter on one playthrough. Removed the limit to arrow range that makes them disappear into the aether and modded a bunch of survival mods in. It was fun as hell playiing it as a survival game. Didn't even unlock dragons.

[Eldarion]

It's a game that had the potential to be something truly magnificent. An rpg with terrible story does not make for a good game and the floaty combat doesn't help. The redeeming factor in all of this is that the game at least presents a sandbox for modders to let their imaginations run wild.

Why can a non-mage Berserker be elevated to the rank of Archamage of an entire college of mages? Who cares! Let's go face off against an undead dragon that summons hoards of skeletons at Whiterun.

If you aren't keen on modding this game and are looking for depth then pass on it. You'll only find a shallow experience that leaves much to be desired.

I would love to have actual classes as well, being able to do everything is boring, and yes the combat isn't great, but it's ok. If you haven't played a stealth character that combat is more fun, making it a mini game to get a many stealth attacks as possible especially with a bow. Or if you want a bit more of a challenge play a pure mage, magic is a bit underpowered but it feels real good to not rely on weapons. I usually only ally myself a dagger or an unsmithed bow/crossbow to use poison, I love the alchemy in the game.

[Eldarion]

I think Skyrim is the best game to come out in the last 10 years.

[Blackman]

I've spend more hours getting mods to work properly than playing. XD

Now finally, I'm actually playing the game. Still great imo. Such immersion!

[fenrif]

Bethesda games in general owe a lot of their success to a distinct lack of competition I think.

[Nella_Bolt]

I've been playing Skyrim off and on over the years and I've never bothered to beat it because of how much they crammed into the game. I always enjoy it for about 10 minutes before I start feeling overwhelmed by the amount of questing and breaking the game with max skills or infinite potion power. Now I don't even bother with Bethesda games because they mostly don't impress me.

[Eggy the Merry]

It's a game that had the potential to be something truly magnificent. An rpg with terrible story does not make for a good game and the floaty combat doesn't help. The redeeming factor in all of this is that the game at least presents a sandbox for modders to let their imaginations run wild.

Why can a non-mage Berserker be elevated to the rank of Archamage of an entire college of mages? Who cares! Let's go face off against an undead dragon that summons hoards of skeletons at Whiterun.

If you aren't keen on modding this game and are looking for depth then pass on it. You'll only find a shallow experience that leaves much to be desired.

[Planewalker]

Skyrim is a unique and enjoyable open world experience. If you have not played it at all, it's worth playing vanilla. There are experiences you can wander off to find that are worth your time. Plus, if you like talking about your experiences with friends, it's a game deeply loved by many.

Its combat system has aged poorly and it is likely outclassed by some newer open world RPGs, but it is already a classic. It's still worth playing for the same reason Baldur's Gate is still worth playing -- despite its gray hairs, it is a genre-defining classic.

After playing it for a good long while, you can start adding mods for an enhanced experience. (The game plays very well with modding.)

[zehcoutinho]

-Archery feels like it has more weight now as it should, but the condescending default upward tilt and autoaim actually make it harder to hit targets. They wanted to cater to idiots who don't know that gravity exists and who don't know that you need to lead moving targets. So everyone who knows those things is at a disadvantage, and literally nobody can hit moving targets anymore due to the autoaim not factoring in target movement.

I have played Skyrim a lot but never seen auto aim, is that something you have to turn on? I always had to lead moving targets to hit. It also always had arrow drop for me. I haven´t played in a long time, but you can see what I´m talking about in this video of my gameplay (sorry the quality is shitty):

When I turn to the left in the video, I shoot a moving guy by leading, and after I see he didn´t die, as his red circle is still on the compass, I shot him again with arrow drop, as he had fallen behind a short wall and wasn´t visible anymore.

I do agree with the rest of your list though.

[Verhoven 69]

It's a great time killer (warts and all). You'll forget you've been questing for the last 12 hours or so. (PC version is the boss! Wink wink wink

[StanTheStrongArm]

I find vanilla Skyrim immensely boring nowadays. Modded Skyrim, however, is awesome!

[Aidy]

It's undeniable that Skyrim dumbed down itself in comparison to the previous games significantly.

Thank god. It's the only Elders Scrolls game I've been able to finish, I gave up on both Morrowind and Oblivion.