Heh heh heh...you all knew this would come along at some point. I realise nearly everyone on this site and their brother has played this game. I just thought I would share why it is my third favorite game off all time. With its large world, decent story, and huge amount of content and freedom, you cannot miss this title. Judging by the site you are on, you probably haven't.

Gameplay: Allow me to start by saying that this is what the sandbox style is all about. The world is moderately large, probably taking a half an hour to walk from one end to the other. Of course, once you visit an area, you can fast travel there any time, so don't worry about tediousness. There are hundreds of different quests you can access, and you will find yourself recieving new quests faster than you can complete them. Don't even worry about running out; this game randomly generates quests. Yes, you read that correctly. IT ENDLESSLY GIVES YOU QUESTS. This means the game has nearly unlimited replay value. You may have noticed I haven't talked about the combat. That's because there isn't much to it. You hit a creature with your sword, and it does damage. There isn't a complex math system involved, and there isn't a wide variety of sword attacks. While this is a very simple combat system, it fits with the open world feel well, as it allows for seamless transitions between combat and exploring.

Art Style: The land of Skyrim is in the north, so it makes sense that the enviornments are similar to what you would find in Canada or Scandinavia. In the northern area of the map, you have tundra and arctic areas. In the south, you have forests. While the game goes for a realistic approach, I cannot deny that the game can look very beautiful at times.

Story: You are about to be executed for being in the wrong place at the wrong time, when a dragon attacks. You escape, and alert the countryside about the dragon attack. The Jarl, a sort of mayor, of the nearby city of Whiterun pairs you up with some soldiers to investigate another dragon attack site. When you get there and kill the dragon, you absorb its soul, and you realise that you are the Dragonborn. You are called by a group called the Greybeards, and they take you in and tell you of your destiny: To defeat Alduin, the World-Eater. On top of this, there is a civil war taking place in Skyrim that is sure to get in your way. Can the chosen one overcome all odds and save the world once and for all?

Lasting Appeal: This game has a huge amout of content. When I finished the main story, I went and participated in the civil war. After that, I finished every guild quest. After that, I collected all of the Daedric Artifacts. Even then, there was still more stuff to do, and that isn't even counting the randomly generated quests. If you run out of quests, just explore. You'll find something worth doing. You will get tired of the game before you do everything, though. It doesn't stay fresh forever.

Gameplay: 9/10 This game has one strength, and that is its open world structure. However, it's done so well that to give anything less than a 9 would be insulting. The first time you play the game, your mind will be racing with the possibilities.

Art Style: 8/10 It's nice, but it's nothing we haven't seen before. Unlike games like Dragon Age: Origins, the game's atmosphere isn't very dark, and therefore doesn't need a realistic approach. Some of the enviornments can be very pretty, though. Expect to look around a lot when wandering from place to place.

Story: 7/10 The story is okay and will keep you playing, but it's nothing special. Considering this is an RPG, a deep story should be taken for granted, and this game just barely delivers in that department.

Lasting Appeal: 9.5/10 Where do I start? There is so much content in this game that can keep you entertained for a long time. With the endlessly generating quests, the content is limitless. You can make choices, which warrents other playthroughs. The only thing holding this back is the combat. I like the combat, and it fits with the game, but it can get repetitive after a while. With combat being the bread and butter of video games as a whole, this is what will get you to move on to another game.

Overall: 9/10 You may have noticed that my top three favorite games all have the same review score. That's because they are so close in quality. This is my third favorite title of all time. If you have even ounce of RPG blood in you, you will probably love this title, and should buy it. Oh, what am I saying? You probably already have.