Skyrim is not a very good video game – Reader’s Feature

Let me start by saying I have nothing against the general concept. I’m really into action role-players and The Witcher 3 is one of my all-time favorite games, so it’s not the concept I have a problem with. My problem is that while it all seems like a good idea in theory, none of the individual parts that make up the game are very good.

The story, I think, is also the controversial rent complaint… well, what’s the story for Skyrim? Something about dragons coming back I think, but I can’t remember if all dragons are evil or what their similarity is. Thing is I’m pretty sure the vast majority of players have no idea either because if there’s one thing fans will tell you it’s that they just go out and do their own thing and it ignore story. That’s cool that the game lets you do that, but I think it’s pretty obvious why no one is drawn to the story.

The open world is definitely the best thing about Skyrim and was quite unique at the time, which I think is where a lot of the love comes from. Although my lasting memory of exploring the rather small map is the joke that so many people just seem to ignore in a Bethesda game. Getting stuck in landscapes, weird animations, just generally not very good graphics… Can’t say I ever really enjoyed exploring it. My boyfriend was a huge fan of Oblivion (I’ve never played it) and I remember the first thing he felt sad when he saw Skyrim was that he thought the graphics would be better.

My biggest problem with the game is the combat, which is just awful. First-person combat often is, but Skyrim is the perfect example of why you shouldn’t. It’s simplistic, it’s hard to estimate the distance, and there’s no point in making a connection. It’s also the only real gameplay mechanic in the entire game, so that’s a bit of a problem.

There are no real puzzles, the role-playing elements are basically limited to choosing new skills from the skill tree, and the crafting is absolutely standard. The game world and lore is also incredibly generic. There is nothing distinctive or unique about the world of The Elder Scrolls. It’s just a fantasy world with all the monsters and spells you’d normally expect from such a game, and it adds nothing to the usual tropes at all.

It’s not even very consistent about its own characteristics, with the cat people and lizard people seeming totally out of step with everything else and no one in the rest of the world seems to think it’s strange that they’re wandering. It’s just a random collection of fantasy clichés that don’t really add up, but because it happened to be the first to take advantage of new technology, it was labeled a classic.

Or at least that’s how I see it. I know, I know… I must be wrong. But that’s okay. I don’t hate Skyrim I just don’t like it so please don’t hate me. And for the record, I love Resident Evil 4!

By reader Garnett

The reader post does not necessarily represent the views of GameCentral or Metro.

You can submit your own 500 to 600 word reading at any time, which if used will be published in the next suitable weekend slot. Just contact us at gamecentral@metro.co.uk or use our Submit Stuff page and no need to email.

MORE: The best table games for Christmas 2022 – from Skyrim: The Board Game to Star Wars Pandemic

MORE: Skyrim grandma wants to play Elder Scrolls 6 before she dies

MORE: The Elder Scrolls 6 still in pre-production – might as well play Skyrim again