EG Expo hands-on: Skyrim is the “RPG of forever”
Besides Battlefield 3, Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim will be one of the biggest games here at the show, as attendees coming here to Earls Court will find out over the next couple of days. Johnny Cullen briefly goes hands-on with RPG.
I have seen Skyrim twice in the past five months, but never hands-on. I walked away from Bethesda's pre-E3 event in Utah back in April absolutely blown aback by what I had seen. The same could be for what I seen from gamescom last month in Cologne behind closed doors. But never hands-on.
Until today. For the first time since I first seen it in Salt Lake back in April, I went hands-on with the RPG of forever. At least that's what it will be come November 11.
Afterwards, you're greeted with the character creation system after you escape from prison at the beginning of the game. I can't honestly remember what race I picked, but it was female. And I called it Leia. I don't know why, but there you go.
Immediately after you finish creating your character, you're immediately thrown into the world of Skyrim itself. And I've said it before, but it's worth saying again: it looks amazing. There will be no two ways about, this is a stonkingly brilliant looking game. Immediately afterwards, a Bethesda rep points me towards a bandit camp if I am interested in some "action."
I then come face-to-face with a bandit in the camp, just on the outskirts of a town called Falkreath, where I bring up the new inventory menu by pressing B to equip my sword and shield, that are useable with both of the trigger buttons. Sword in your right hand is RT and the shield in your left hand is LT. But I have a bit of difficulty defeating the guy, which is why I switch to a fire spell in place of my shield. After using that and my sword, he's dead. Same for the wolf who decided to jump in halfway through the fight and help the guy, it seems.
After trying to take out two bandits from the top of two watch tower with a bow and arrow, I immediately leg it using sprint by pressing LB, knowing this is a losing battle for me. In my running, I came across Falkreath itself. When I enter the town, I equip my sword and fire combo from before - it should be worth nothing the game will remember any weapon and magic combos you currently have on you - before I try to work my magic on two of the NPCs to try the new conversation system I mentioned back in Utah, but both run away on my character because, guess what, some of those bandits hunt me down.
Sadly, as I try to make some sort of a fight out of it between the two or three bandits on my case, one of them kills me and there ends my demo.
The fact I've caused havok already within the game world in just under 15 minutes tells you how much of what you can do in the open world of Skyrim. It's your game, your world. Be good, be bad, just go with what you feel is best.
Nathan will have a more-detailed hands on of the game from PAX due soon, but from what I've played today, this will be, as I said above, the RPG of forever. If it isn't - and I sincerely doubt that will be the case - there is something definitely wrong.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim releases worldwide on November 11 for PS3, 360 and PC.