Elder Scrolls Release Date Drawing Near

Imagine mastering spell-casting, defensive maneuvers and both one and two-handed combat, all in the hopes of defeating a dragon. You travel to a city called Whiterun to investigate claims of a dragon nearby. There are burning bodies and debris everywhere, you confirm the rumors. A guard warns you about the dragon, but you ignore his advice and proceed anyway.

The dragon finally lands and shows you why you shouldn’t have been looking for him. Two huge slams of his tail are all it takes to knock you out. You restart and fight the dragon, in vain, a few more times. You finally wise up and notice the nearby watchtower, where you head with an array of spells and long-range weapons in tow. As the soldiers on the ground distract the dragon, you see your opening.

The above scenario is one that players can expect from the upcoming Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. Hardcore gamers will certainly be familiar with the title’s predecessors, and this game looks to exceed expectation. The media recently had a chance to check out the game’s 2 ½ hour demo, and we’ve heard very good things.

Starting Off

Players start off by picking a character. There are several different races to choose from, and each brings its own unique quality to the battlefield.

Players can then tweak and enhance any features that they choose, from various scarring and war paint to minute details on the character’s face and body. After the character completion phase is over, players can begin exploring.

One major improvement to the game is the interaction with non-player characters (NPC). In other games, they just stopped everything to talk to you, while in this one they are usually performing daily tasks.

More On the Game

Skyrim brings the Elder Scrolls series to Radiant Story, a system that throws random encounters into the mix. This could be anything from a random thief demanding your money, to a dragon swooping down to attack nearby creatures.

The character menu is broken down into four categories: Skills, Items, Map and Magic. Items are organized into types, and players have a limit to how much weight they can carry at any given time. When leveling up, players choose whether they want to upgrade their Health, Magic or Stamina, and then select one of their skills to boost.

Abilities range from blocking, one or two handed combat, to destruction or conjuration spells. When it’s time for battle, players can use any combination of items in their left and right hands, from using two daggers to boasting a sword and shield.

We can only speculate, but from the screenshots and trailers that have been released thus far, we think the game will be awesome. There are some elements that die-hard Elder Scrolls players will remember, while there are also new elements that make this game truly unique. Be sure to keep an eye out for it.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim will officially launch on Nov 11 on the PC, Playstation 3 and Xbox 360.

Photo by : Elder Scrolls