Hello there, fellow gamers! Hope everyone had an awesome holiday break! I know I did. Why? Well, only because I bought Skyrim for Christmas! Seriously, guys. This game is awesome. I’m sure many of you are already familiar with other games in The Elder Scrolls series. Oblivion and Morrowind may ring a bell for most of you. I, however, will admit that I have never played an Elder Scrolls game in my life. I’ve seen friends play Morrowind, but that’s it. Regardless, I was very very pleased with this game, and I’m more than happy to tell you why.
This game is incredible for many reasons: One is that anyone can enjoy it, no matter what your style of gaming, and another is that there is always something to do. For those of you who haven’t seen the countless commercials of the Dovahkiin slaying a dragon, Skyrim is a single player RPG, and a very detailed one at that. You play as your own custom character, which can be boy, girl or the race of your choosing. Your character turns out to be a Dovahkiin, or a Dragonborn, who’s been given the destiny to kill Alduin and the dragons. Sounds pretty cool, right? Well it gets better.
Throughout the game, you learn skills in a wide variety of categories. There are no specific classes (mage, rogue, etc.) but some skills are used best with others. For example, if you prefer to use melee combat over magic, it helps to use you perks (which you get by leveling up) towards two-handed combat, heavy armor, one-handed combat, etc. There are also other skills which are not used for fighting, like smithing, enchanting and so on. Play your cards right, and you’re character should be able to master—or at least get close to mastering—nearly all skills.
As for the game play and controls, Skyrim has stuck with its roots from the previous games in the series. Most players prefer the first-person camera view, but third-person is an option. One thing I love is that you can interact with nearly anything. If you want to pick up a worthless cup, by all means, pick it up! It’s a great feature in any game, really. Anyway, controls are very easy and weapon switching is a snap with the d-pad. The only issue I’ve had so far is accidentally hurting an innocent villager with the dragonborn shout. I guess that’s what happens when you get used to playing Halo with bumper jumper controls! Just remember folks, Y is to jump.
One thing to love about the wonderful world of Skyrim is that you can never run out of things to do...and if you do, you play too much! Nearly everyone in Skyrim either has a quest for you, or is involved in a quest somehow. Some are extremely difficult, and some can be done in a heartbeat, but no matter what, you’ll always be doing something. I’ll warn you now, however, that there will come several times when you are forced to pick sides. Whatever side you pick may come with consequences, but with every action there is some sort of reward. (In Skyrim, anyway.)
I have only a few tips for you players out there, mostly because everyone has different preferences in their own characters. Work on your smithing skill whenever possible. Crafting iron daggers is a quick and easy way to level your skill. It gets you great armor as you get further into the game, and also makes some great cash, which leads to my other suggestion. Don’t be afraid to put a few perks in your speech skill tree early in the game. The higher your speech skill, the better the prices you’ll get from merchants around the world. It isn’t necessary, of course, but it is a good investment. Oh, and don’t forget to experiment with your ingredients for Alchemy. There will be a point where you’ll need all the health potions you can get!
And there you have it. As a final note, I might add that this game was awarded with best game of 2011, so I mean it when I say that it’s worth the investment of time and money. Now go, be free, Dragonborn! May you have great success in slaying dragons, and I prithee never take an arrow to the knee!

Stay golden, gamers. Until next time!