Skyrim Kinda Sucks, Actually

I don't assign much weight or value to metascores, but I find it astounding that Skyrim has a metascore of 94. That number is about as close to perfection as a video game can ever achieve, and thirty-one of the [supposedly] most credible, influential critics thought it was deserving of such high praise. There is not a single "mixed" or "negative" review among critics. How can that be, when a majority of Skyrim's content is so obviously shallow, dull, and boring?

It's clear that Bethesda learned a lot of valuable lessons from the blundering mess that was Oblivion, and Skyrim is better for it. But it seems, however, that Bethesda failed to learn the most valuable lesson of them all, and their core design philosophy still remains a matter of "quantity is better than quality." Instead of focusing their efforts on filling their beautiful, sprawling world with unique and interesting content, they just churned out a thousand different fetch-quests and generic, lifeless NPCs, all in an ecosystem where none of your actions really matter.

This leads me to one of three conclusions, in regards to Skyrim's critical reception: 1) that none of those critics knows anything about video games, 2) that all of those critics have low standards, or 3) that all of those reviews were written after only 20-30 hours of gameplay. Skyrim is a grand, breath-taking experience at the start (excluding that terrible, terrible intro/tutorial), and so it's easy to praise in the beginning, but it reaches a point far too early in its incredibly long lifespan, when everything becomes shallow and pointless.

Skyrim is still a competently-designed game that managed to hold my attention for 130 hours, so it must be doing something right. But I can't believe that seemingly everyone overlooks (or excuses) these genuinely crucial problems. How can a game that's noticeably flawed be scored so close to perfection? And so it falls to me to point out the honest criticism, explaining exactly why Skyrim sucks and why it's not worthy of such fanatical praise. My full review awaits after the jump.

Video Games in TV: Life

"Some TV shows just don't get it." Part of a periodical series: Video Games in TV.

I've been writing these articles for several months now, and this is the first show I've come across to use a real, actual video game instead of making something up. I don't know which is worse; inventing a pathetically stupid-looking video game, or disgracing a real game. I can laugh with some sense of pity at the made-up stuff, but seeing the Prince of Persia like this only makes me sad.

The short-lived NBC crime-drama Life aired an episode in its first season called "A Civil War," in which police detectives have to reach "level 10" in Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones to unlock some hacked files. For some reason. Don't ask me, because even though I watched the entire episode, I still don't get it. You can watch the whole scene for yourself and read my commentary after the jump.

Skyrim Screenshots & Wallpapers (Part 2)

This is part 2 in a catalogue of some of my more artistic screenshots from Skyrim, showcasing how beautiful the game can be. Some of these might make for interesting wallpapers, but they're all just nice to look at. Check out part 1 here, or continue reading the full article for the pictures. If I take any more interesting screenshots before I finish the game, I'll add them here. 

Skyrim Screenshots & Wallpapers (Part 1)

Regular readers will have gathered that I've been playing a lot of Skyrim lately. I put two other games on hold that I was already deep into, just because Skyrim is such an engrossing experience. One of the great reasons for its captivating nature, I believe, lies with its visual design. The game is beautiful, simply put. I constantly find myself in awe of the landscapes that lay before me, spamming the F12 key everywhere I go, like some kind of Nordic photographer. 

As I write this article, Steam says I have 790 Skyrim screenshots. And I'm still not through playing the game, so I'll most certainly be adding a few hundred more to my collection. Since I have so many, I figured I'd share some of my more artistic shots that depict some of the more beautiful aspects of the game. All of them are "ruined" by HUD elements, because I was too lazy to bother with disabling it, but I'm going to justify that I like them being there because it adds gameplay context for everything. 

Since I've got so many of these screenshots, I'll be posting them in multiple articles. Click the full article for the screens. 

Let's Talk Skyrim Mods (Part 3)

I originally only planned to post one article on Skyrim mods, but that had to be expanded into two parts because it was a little too long to remain as just one post. And then I figured, since I made "part 2," I may as well go ahead and make a "part 3." So just for the hell of it, "part 3" shall be a list of my favorite absurdly-stupid Skyrim mods. In this article: absurd, ridiculous, hilarious, "wtf," lore-breaking Skyrim mods. Only the best, and only my favorites. (None of that "my little pony" nonsense.)

Be sure also to read the more serious Part 1 and Part 2 of this (apparent) series on Skyrim mods. 

Let's Talk Skyrim Mods (Part 2)

Part 2 of the list of Skyrim mods that I'm currently running, with pictures, links, description, and thoughts on each one.  Also a few mods that I tried and didn't like, as well as some works-in-progress that I'm keeping an eye on. Click the article for the full list, or read part 1 here.

Let's Talk Skyrim Mods (Part 1)

With thousands of Skyrim mods out there, I'm rather selective of what I choose to install. Seems like whenever I look through a list of "recently uploaded" mods, most of them are player homes, extra weapons, or things that just break the balance of the game. None of which really interest me. But I still found 29 mods (and counting) that have noticeably improved my Skyrim experience.

For anyone who's looking for a more personal take on mod recommendations, I'll be listing each one I've chosen to run with a brief description of what they all are and what I like about them. As well as others that I didn't really like and others that I'm currently keeping an eye on. As well as discussing my thoughts on the Steam Workshop versus the Skyrim Nexus. Since the list is rather long, with pictures and links and descriptions, I'll be posting this in two parts.