In reality the base game isn't crazy, especially because of the recurring bugs, the graphics are of the time. The story is cheat tier, like I don't care, I just want to stealth a soldier from the Imperial Legion and reboot the save until I succeed. And after dragging his body then hiding it because damn he's bugged so I killed him to borrow his 43 golds...
But when we start to get into the modding spiral...
Damn damn damn!!!
The impossible is possible, the bugs go away, the graphics improve, the feet are no longer bricks. You are walking in Skyrim, your horse is cheating, the view is beautiful, still funny ragdoll, your shout has never been so powerful.
So thank you modding and the game for allowing great things, except that the base game is great but outdated

Skyrim feels like a digital lobotomy

All the melee weapons feel like pool noodles and all the magic is different colored beams. All the junk you pick up is ultimately to sell, and for what? More pool noodles? A different flavor of magic beam?

I don't think this is a bad game exactly, it just makes me acutely aware that every breath I take is a countdown to my death.

Before diving into my review, I wanted to say that The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim was my favorite videogame for a long time; it's the most important videogame of my life, I spent thousands of hours playing it for many years, it's basically my childhood and it feels like coming back home everytime I play it. With that being said, I decided to play the special edition now and I'm gonna review it based on how it aged.
While the plot isn't anything special, the rich lore really makes up for a decent story overall.
The gameplay is still good; the combat system hasn't aged very well, but the game is very addictive thanks to its variety and open world design.
The RPG elements are well executed, the world feels massive even to this day and there's so much side-content to do.
The visuals don't look as impressive as they did back then but the world is still beautiful.
The expansions - Dawnguard and Dragonborn - are great; they add 2 of the best quest-lines in the game, plus some very cool additions into the game.
Also, Skyrim's soundtrack is one of my favorite - if not my favorite - in a videogame, ever.
Unfortunately though, the voice acting didn't age well at all, and same goes for the dungeon design too; many dungeons are similar to each other and they get repetitive after a while.
Lastly, I think Special Edition could've done much better job at updating the game's visuals than it did, and maybe update the combat system as well.

Pros:
+ Rich lore
+ Addictive gameplay
+ Excellent world design
+ Huge world filled with of content
+ 2 very good DLCs
+ Incredible soundtrack

Cons:
- Repetitive dungeon design
- Dated voice acting

Narrative: 6/10
Gameplay: 7/10
Content: 10/10
Characters: ?/10
Music: 10/10
Graphics/Audio: ?/10

Final Rating: 9/10
- Amazing -
It's been over a decade since The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim's first release and this game still manages to offer a very solid RPG experience that holds a special place in my heart.

Do I recommend it?:
Yes, it'll always be a must-play for everyone in my opinion, even for those who don't enjoy playing RPGs.