YannisSpirou101
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.
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.
2023
I've never played Dungeons & Dragons, Baldur's Gate or any CRPG ever in my life, but I'm just gonna say it straight away; this game is fucking nuts! From the nearly endless amount of gameplay options, to the absolute freedom of choice, constant decisions that matter and different outcomes, unparalleled depth, variety and content, Baldur's Gate 3 is without a doubt, the ultimate RPG of all time, hands down.
The story of the game, however, is divided into 3 Acts.
Act 1 is probably the best and most well-designed videogame experience I've ever had, 40 hours worth of content.
Act 2 is half the lenght of the other 2 acts and more linear, but it's a refreshing change of pace and a great continuation of the first act.
Act 3 is the culmination of the entire story and it's very similar to the first act, albeit slightly less polished, but it's incredible nonetheless.
Overall, the story is very interesting and well-written, although it relies heavily on side-stories like many other RPGs.
The characters are some of the best I've seen in an RPG, period.
The visuals and the music are amazing as well, even though the visuals didn't particularly impress me.
Unfortunately, the game suffers from some minor technical issues at times, like pop-ins and input lag, but it's not a big deal at all.
Pros:
+ Excellent gameplay
+ RPG elements and depth
+ Variety and content
+ Intriguing story
+ Wonderful characters
+ Beautiful music and visuals
Cons:
- Minor technical issues
Narrative: 9/10
Gameplay: 10/10
Content: 10/10
Characters: 10/10
Music: 9/10
Graphics/Audio: 9/10
Final Rating: 10/10
- Masterpiece -
At the end of the day, I'm thankful at Larian Studios for dedicating mind and soul to create such a passionately crafted work of art in every single way. The developers really cared about this game and it shows; Baldur's Gate 3 is the kind of videogame other studios should look up to, and it also managed to do the impossible; I can't even believe that I'm saying this... but it might even be my new favorite videogame of all time at this point.
Do I recommend it?:
Must-play for RPG fans and highly recommended for everyone else too.
The story of the game, however, is divided into 3 Acts.
Act 1 is probably the best and most well-designed videogame experience I've ever had, 40 hours worth of content.
Act 2 is half the lenght of the other 2 acts and more linear, but it's a refreshing change of pace and a great continuation of the first act.
Act 3 is the culmination of the entire story and it's very similar to the first act, albeit slightly less polished, but it's incredible nonetheless.
Overall, the story is very interesting and well-written, although it relies heavily on side-stories like many other RPGs.
The characters are some of the best I've seen in an RPG, period.
The visuals and the music are amazing as well, even though the visuals didn't particularly impress me.
Unfortunately, the game suffers from some minor technical issues at times, like pop-ins and input lag, but it's not a big deal at all.
Pros:
+ Excellent gameplay
+ RPG elements and depth
+ Variety and content
+ Intriguing story
+ Wonderful characters
+ Beautiful music and visuals
Cons:
- Minor technical issues
Narrative: 9/10
Gameplay: 10/10
Content: 10/10
Characters: 10/10
Music: 9/10
Graphics/Audio: 9/10
Final Rating: 10/10
- Masterpiece -
At the end of the day, I'm thankful at Larian Studios for dedicating mind and soul to create such a passionately crafted work of art in every single way. The developers really cared about this game and it shows; Baldur's Gate 3 is the kind of videogame other studios should look up to, and it also managed to do the impossible; I can't even believe that I'm saying this... but it might even be my new favorite videogame of all time at this point.
Do I recommend it?:
Must-play for RPG fans and highly recommended for everyone else too.