Preview - Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

The long awaited next addition to the Elder Scrolls saga is almost here! Elder Scrolls: Oblivion was a huge success in the gaming world, it provided a fresh take on the RPG genre by giving a new game engine that provided a huge world to explore and quest in.  This engine was also used in Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas with much success.  Bethesda is hoping to achieve the same accomplishment by giving Skyrim a fresh graphics and gameplay engine as well.  It will offer a new world to explore and deal with your own way following the style of RPG they are known for.  Click the post for pic's and the full trailer!

Here is a quick overview of the story. The Empire of Tamriel has lost its king to murder and various alliances are making claims to the throne.  While this threat tears apart the kingdom a far greater evil awakens, The Dragons have returned.  With the empire in great peril their only hope is a age old prophecy of the Dragonborn.  A hero born with the power of The Voice, able to stand among dragons and live to see another day.

Skyrim is said to feature hundreds of weapons and spells for your choosing, it will also bring back the return of dragons! If you have seen any pictures or videos of these bad boys you already know these dragons aren't going to be common enemies you just breeze through and continue on your way.  Also as a Dragonborn you will be able to harness their power and learn all there dragony secrets.

Looking at some of these pictures and videos this game looks breathtaking to say the least.  The monsters look very impressive and it's hard not to be a fan of the free world RPG games that let you be evil, good, or some mixture of "what the #$%@ are you doing?!".  Its also exciting to see the new character creation system.  While the old engine provided good customization, the characters and NPC's always seemed a little deformed to me which resulted in using player made mods or characters.  These pictures provide a good look at how much further character creation has come in terms of realism and beauty.  Each race is greatly improved upon from its predecessor and all look really outstanding.

Here's a list of the collectors edition contents.

• 30.5cm tall statue (see pic) from IP Factory.  The statue is modeled from actual in-game 3D files to be as close to what you would see in the game as possible.
• A collectible art book.  The art book is 200 pages of full color illustrations, sketches, and models.  It is a 23.8cm x 30.8cm coffee table book that will feature creatures, weapons, and environments.  The DVD will feature behind-the-scenes footage straight from Bethesda studios about the creature and development of Skyrim.   Looking at the picture it will also include a large map of the world to use in your adventures. 
• A behind-the-scenes DVD of the making of Skyrim.  This will feature footage straight from Bethesda studios about the development and creation of Skyrim.

“We always say that we make the games we want to play. We can also say we create the collector’s editions we’d want to own,” said Pete Hines, VP of PR and Marketing for Bethesda Softworks.  “We all want one of these!”

Skyrim will be available on the PC, Xbox 360, and Playstation 3 platforms on 11/11/2011. 

Overall this is a game that has a lot of hype and excitement around it and in my opinion it doesn't look like its going to disappoint.  Look below for more pictures and the trailer.