… So you were super disappointed that the very old game which was incredibly complex for its time (and still is in many ways) didn’t get more complicated since, what was it, 2012?
I sometimes play Quake 1, released 1996, from the lens of 1996. I mean I can see the graphics are bad by today’s standards. And it was simple in most ways by today’s standards. But the game was still a huge game changer in every way and looks great if you remember the games that came before it.
Is this supposed to mean that I secretly liked it or else I wouldn’t have played it as long as I did? Would you rather I stopped after 10 minutes so you can say I didn’t give it a fair chance?
If the idea is that Skyrim isn’t good because it’s not your idea of a specific kind of rpg game, I got nothing for ya. It was a great game for so many of us.
What’s good about it then? I don’t mean that as an insult to you or your taste, I am genuinely asking because I’m the sort of person that likes to think about games. I’ve spent hours listening to GDC talks on game design, hours looking at map viewers for some of my favorite games. When I play a new game I take screenshots and make notes about my thoughts while playing it.
From what I saw playing Skyrim there’s basically nothing there in terms of NPC dialogue, very little in terms of environmental storytelling, world design, and worldbuilding, and usually not very much atmosphere or sound design. And that’s on top of the completely vacuous gameplay. If the game did even a single one of these things well I would have considered it to be good, but for me there’s just nothing there.
I am aware that the Elder Scrolls series in general has interesting lore and metaphysics based on Hindu mythology. But it’s my understanding that the person who came up with most of that no longer works at Bethesda. And while I was playing Skyrim even googling some of the things I encountered (such as “why do the draugr attack you”) failed to elicit feelings of intrigue.
I did like the amount of verticality you experience ascending the main mountain though. That was cool map design IMO.
EDIT:
Skyrim isn’t good because it’s not your idea of a specific kind of rpg game
Most of the games that I listed are pretty vastly different from each other, but they all do at least one thing that’s interesting. Skyrim not being “a specific kind” of RPG has nothing to do with it.
… So you were super disappointed that the very old game which was incredibly complex for its time (and still is in many ways) didn’t get more complicated since, what was it, 2012?
I sometimes play Quake 1, released 1996, from the lens of 1996. I mean I can see the graphics are bad by today’s standards. And it was simple in most ways by today’s standards. But the game was still a huge game changer in every way and looks great if you remember the games that came before it.
Skyrim released in 2011.
New Vegas released in 2010.
Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines released in 2004
Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magic Obscura released in 2000
Plainscape: Torment released in 1999
Fallout 1 and 2 released in 97 and 98 respectively.
The concept of a good RPG wasn’t invented in the last few years.
Th concept of good gameplay and encounter design wasn’t invented in the last few years either.
Also, I laughed at this:
You make it sound like torture but you kept going for hours lol
Is this supposed to mean that I secretly liked it or else I wouldn’t have played it as long as I did? Would you rather I stopped after 10 minutes so you can say I didn’t give it a fair chance?
I mean you’re clearly exaggerating the fuck out of how unenjoyable you found it
If the idea is that Skyrim isn’t good because it’s not your idea of a specific kind of rpg game, I got nothing for ya. It was a great game for so many of us.
What’s good about it then? I don’t mean that as an insult to you or your taste, I am genuinely asking because I’m the sort of person that likes to think about games. I’ve spent hours listening to GDC talks on game design, hours looking at map viewers for some of my favorite games. When I play a new game I take screenshots and make notes about my thoughts while playing it.
From what I saw playing Skyrim there’s basically nothing there in terms of NPC dialogue, very little in terms of environmental storytelling, world design, and worldbuilding, and usually not very much atmosphere or sound design. And that’s on top of the completely vacuous gameplay. If the game did even a single one of these things well I would have considered it to be good, but for me there’s just nothing there.
I am aware that the Elder Scrolls series in general has interesting lore and metaphysics based on Hindu mythology. But it’s my understanding that the person who came up with most of that no longer works at Bethesda. And while I was playing Skyrim even googling some of the things I encountered (such as “why do the draugr attack you”) failed to elicit feelings of intrigue.
I did like the amount of verticality you experience ascending the main mountain though. That was cool map design IMO.
EDIT:
Most of the games that I listed are pretty vastly different from each other, but they all do at least one thing that’s interesting. Skyrim not being “a specific kind” of RPG has nothing to do with it.