Review: Skyrim - Legendary Edition (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PC)

"This is all Dan’s fault. My brother-in-law, who is my best gaming friend and most loyal clan mate got me into role playing games. He was canny – getting me hooked gradually – one day he bought a copy of Mass Effect for me and shoved it in my hand “You have to try it” he said. “But I hate RPGs – I can’t deal with wizards, magic, swordplay and all that” I replied.

“No, no - it’s a sci-fi adventure – you’ll love it...” he said. Grudgingly I gave it a go and duly racked up 188 hours of gameplay on it. For this reason Mass Effect is still my wife’s most hated game of all time, due to my sheer addiction – a singular honour.

Then Fallout 3 came along – which I adored, but found too depressing to stay at for long periods. Then its sequel, Fallout New Vegas arrived and I was hooked again. With its brighter, less crushingly sad environments – I was back in RPG heaven. I currently have 145 hours clocked on that and I’m still not finished with it...

But what they have in common is that, although they are role playing games, they are not fantasy. I dabbled in Dragon Age: Origins but couldn’t get into it. The story didn’t resonate with me – it reminded me why I always used to avoid playing RPGs previously. Using swords instead of guns wasn’t anywhere near as enjoyable in terms of gameplay… It kind of reinforced my prejudices.

All through this, Dan always maintained that Oblivion – the prequel to Skyrim – was one of the finest games ever written and that Skyrim would surely be the best game ever made. He knows how I feel about the whole fantasy, dragons and magic vibe but he kept the pressure on, for my own good. I promised him I would buy Skyrim at launch and try it – purely out of respect for how much the game meant to him.

And he queued up at the midnight launch for the game and bought the uber-limited edition – with a box bigger than the box for his Xbox 360, a huge metal statue of a dragon and a stunning leather-bound art book. It cost over £100. He borrowed a van from his work to transport it home and started playing around 00:30 on 11.11.11.

So with all this in mind, knowing there must be a damn good reason for this level of adoration, I started my own adventure in Skyrim and dipped a toe back in the fantasy RPG waters… I started a new game and a brief intro sequence started. “The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim” was displayed in an mediaeval/elvish looking typeface and I groaned slightly...

But I had no time to think. Quickly I had to escape from an execution ground where I was about to be “sentenced” and flee as a Dragon attacked from above. There was a brief pause where I had to chose the race of my character. After a fair bit of deliberating I chose a Nord warrior – a hardy Viking type that majored on sword and shield skills. There are plenty other races to try – archers, diplomats, thieves, magicians… I just wanted a practical bruiser of a character.

So I fled for my life while being pursued from a dragon above – it was huge, it blotted out the sun when it dove at me. I ended up teaming up with one of my former captors and picking my way through an underground dungeon. I grabbed a worn out old iron sword, a bow and a shield and started fighting through it. And the sword combat is actually enjoyable! There are one-handed swords that can be used with a shield in the other hand, allowing for blocking then striking. Then there are greatswords – huge two-handed weapons that can also be used to block. They are devastating but slow to use – I majored on using these. Obviously there are no guns in this game, so archery is also pretty important. It is genuinely satisfying to draw back a bow, take aim and snipe a target with an arrow.

So this happened for a while, I picked my way through – battling and killing foes, looting their bodies and discovering useful items, sneaking around a sleeping bear, killing a huge spider with arrows – etc etc. Then I broke through to the outside world...

Can you remember the moment in Fallout 3 – when you get to step out of Vault 101 and see the outside world for the first time? The sheer impact of seeing the game world for the first time ever is a gaming memory I will never forget. Your first proper glimpse of the world of Skyrim is even more stunning. Snow-capped mountains tower around the horizon, deciduous trees dot the landscape. Deers and wolves roam around mountain streams… It’s beautiful.

My fast friend who helped me escape execution told me to meet him at the nearest village – instead I ran with him and kept up, while he filled me in on details about the game world. He turned out to be an Imperial Guard – a soldier of the ruling government of Skyrim, ruled from the city of Solitude. Upon hearing this, I pulled up the map in-game – it was the opposite end of the land, a vast, vast distance away. He led me to a sleepy little village – where I was able to book a room in the local inn, craft some weapons with the village blacksmith, trade some goods... etc etc.

And that was that – from then on I was hooked, I forgot that it was a fantasy game at all. I was swept up in the grand drama of the plot, the engaging characters, enjoyable combat, myriad quests, plentiful skills to learn etc etc...

And truth be told, I’m still in the middle of playing it. I have had enough time to rack up 40 hours or so, more than enough to complete the main quest – but to play the game in a straight line like that would be to miss the point altogether. This is a game where you can enjoy taking your time wandering from place to place, meeting new friends and enemies along the way, hearing rumours whispered in taverns that lead you on new quests, finding books with passages that give clues to hidden places and treasures – the possibilities are near endless.

So, prejudices overcome. This game is incredible. And I was too hasty in declaring Deus Ex was game of the year, recently - this is. In its own way it represents the art of gaming at its finest. "

Out of all the reviews I have written – to this day, this is my favourite. Apart from the fact that I hurried the ending of the piece and wrapped it up a bit suddenly. So, I am glad to have a chance to revisit this piece and say a little more.

In the months since Skyrim launched on 11.11.11, Bethesda have followed a similar pattern to Oblivion and the Fallout games. Every few months there is an expansion pack released and eventually there is an ultimate edition re-release of the original game, with all of the add-ons included. This is what we have here - Skyrim, plus the three expansion packs that followed - in order - Dawnguard, Hearthfire and Dragonborn.

A few other tweaks have also been made to the main game since release - the latest patches and bug fixes are now on the disc, but also Kinect support is included for the Xbox. To be specific, this means voice commands can be used. A large part of the story involves learning devastating magical shouts (th'uums) that can be used to devastating effect. So you can now shout "FUS RO DAH!" at your TV screen and watch your foes crumble before you.

Two of the expansion packs are great - one of them less so. Dawnguard revolves around vampires, one of the many races in the province of Skyrim. You must decide whether to ally yourself with the Dawnguard - a company of hardy troops dedicated to hunting and eradicating all vampires, or to become a vampire yourself - which has its strengths and weaknesses.

Dragonborn leads you to a new island, off the coast of Skyrim. There is another hefty chunk of campaign here that culminates with you facing off against the deadliest foe of the game - the first Dragonborn (similar to your own character, but older and as hard as nails).

These expansion packs all provide at least 10 extra hours of gameplay each, it you exploit them to the full - explore everywhere, try to complete every side quest etc. As downloads, they each retail for around £12 - they are included here.

The remaining add-on is Hearthfire. This is an entirely different proposition - it merely allows you to build and kit out your own, ultimate house for your character. Buying and equipping houses is a significant part of the main game, but I have to say this is more of a curiosity than a worthwhile expansion. This explains why this costs around £4 as a standalone download - but for completeness' sake it is included here.

So that's the proposition, but 18 months later, how does it still play? I was amazed to see that I hadn't played Skyrim since February 2012 - pure time pressures and other games to review saw to that.

As soon as I started playing again, the wonderful feeling of utter escapism came back. This game truly transports you to another place and another time. Skyrim is a huge, deep intriguing place, with potentially years of exploration and gameplay. I was proud of 180 hours racked up in New Vegas. Dan was proud of 240 hours racked up in Oblivion. There are players on the Skyrim official forums that have played for 1,000 hours and more, since launch.

Don't let this daunt you as a potential player though. The main quest can be completed in around 20 hours in a straight line - your game can be as involved or brief as you like.

Also, don't be daunted by the fact that this game is 18 months old. Dragonborn was not released that long ago. The game's graphics and music are all still as impressive as they were on release. The landscapes are huge, detailed and beautiful. The rugged, frosty landscape of Skyrim is still as charismatic as ever. Every town, castle or tavern is beautifully rendered and packed with detail. The music is an emotive, melodic companion in the background - wonderfully rousing at times and subtle, yet melancholic in others.

The game has been beautifully re-packaged and can also be found for a sensible price online and in stores. The accompanying guide book has also been revised and updated - worth having this vast telephone directory full of info for a game world this big!

It still plays so well. It is still so compelling. I am on record as saying that Mass Effect 1 may just be my favourite game. But as this generation comes to a close, what is the single best game of this gen? What is the one game you must own for your PS3 or 360?

It's this. Skyrim is the game of the generation - I love it.

10/10

Skyrim: Legendary Edition is out now for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC. Xbox 360 version tested.