Skyrim fanboys, chill out. . .

[EzraPound]

I'm not trying to instigate a flame war here--rather, I think this is a valid point to raise in an ongoing discussion--but Skyrim fanboys really need to stop with their consensus GOTY proclamations. Because the fact is, right now it has around 95 on Metacritic, on all three platforms. Like Portal 2 (which is smarter). And Arkham City (which is more streamlined). And Uncharted 3 (which is more cinematic). Heck, Skyward Sword could easily top Skyrim's metascore--anyone with a firm grasp of gaming history shouldn't count Nintendo out, even if Skyrim has become to an increasingly isolated demographic of 'hardcore' taste-makers what MW3 is to the frat crowd.

I use Metacritic simply as a communicable benchmark, though, in illustrating a broader point--2011 has been a fertile year for blockbuster, AAA games, and without an Ocarina of Time-like critical smash there's no single title that's likely to unify the press and gamers at large in unanimous GOTY praise. What's ironic about this is that the hype for Skyrim has been so deafening that it's likely to tarnish the critical perception of the game--perversely, anything less than roundabout 10.0 scores for Skyrim (which it has its fair share of, to be fair) almost seems like a bit of a letdown; unlikely as its current reception is to automatically catapult it to the leading position of this year's releases. Instead, we seem to be getting a game on par with Arkham City. Bigger isn't better, folks--in 2002, Morrowind's approach was truly novel. A decade on, Skyrim's size still commands a level of interest, but it's unlikely to reshape the game industry as we know it.

I'll probably pick up Skyrim in December--seems apropos, with the snow and all--and I hope to enjoy it. Even if I'll have to combat the notion, while playing it, that the game is a disappointment if it can't cure malaria and make me a goddamn sandwich.

P.S. No pun intended with the title.

 

[ChupathingyX]

Peole were declaring Skyrim as GOTY before it was released, now that it has, it will escalate even further.

I can't imagine myself visiting the forums here very often until all of this dies down, just ignore it.

 

[Vault101]

its ok...it will die down..eventually

though I may in fact join the darkside..I palyed some of it in the store...it looked really good

 

[KeyMaster45]

Why does GOTY really matter at all? Everyone has their own personal GOTY and I've yet to see an official consensus on which games earn that title each year. Granted I'm not getting Skyrim in the near future, but what harm does it do for fans of the game to declare it GOTY?

Still, it's fun to imagine with all the hype surrounding the game that somewhere this song is playing out in someone's head as they wait to pick up their copy.

 

[EzraPound]

its ok...it will die down..eventually

though I may in fact join the darkside..I palyed some of it in the store...it looked really good

I don't begrudge anyone for buying and enjoying Skyrim--I likely will--but goddamn it, the hype has been suffocating, especially in a year with so much else to talk about.

 

[YawningAngel]

I'm not trying to instigate a flame war here--rather, I think this is a valid point to raise in an ongoing discussion--but Skyrim fanboys really need to stop with their consensus GOTY proclamations. Because the fact is, right now it has around 95 on Metacritic, on all three platforms. Like Portal 2 (which is smarter). And Arkham City (which is more streamlined). And Uncharted 3 (which is more cinematic). Heck, Skyward Sword could easily top Skyrim's metascore--anyone with a firm grasp of gaming history shouldn't count Nintendo out, even if Skyrim has become to an increasingly isolated demographic of 'hardcore' taste-makers what MW3 is to the frat crowd.

I use Metacritic simply as a communicable benchmark, though, in illustrating a broader point--2011 has been a fertile year for blockbuster, AAA games, and without an Ocarina of Time-like critical smash there's no single title that's likely to unify the press and gamers at large in unanimous GOTY praise. What's ironic about this is that the hype for Skyrim has been so deafening that it's likely to tarnish the critical perception of the game--perversely, anything less than roundabout 10.0 scores for Skyrim (which it has its fair share of, to be fair) almost seems like a bit of a letdown; unlikely as its current reception is to automatically catapult it to the leading position of this year's releases. Instead, we seem to be getting a game on par with Arkham City. Bigger isn't better, folks--in 2002, Morrowind's approach was truly novel. A decade on, Skyrim's size still commands a level of interest, but it's unlikely to reshape the game industry as we know it.

I'll probably pick up Skyrim in December--seems apropos, with the snow and all--and I hope to enjoy it. Even if I'll have to combat the notion, while playing it, that the game is a disappointment if it can't cure malaria and make me a goddamn sandwich.

P.S. No pun intended with the title.

You're failing to consider the fact that Skyrim has far more gameplay than any of these titles. Even without mods, people have spent literally hundreds of hours on its predecessors. You can't do that on Arkham City or Portal 2, even if you do all the achievements.

 

[Vault101]

its ok...it will die down..eventually

though I may in fact join the darkside..I palyed some of it in the store...it looked really good

I don't begrudge anyone for buying and enjoying Skyrim--I likely will--but goddamn it, the hype has been suffocating, especially in a year with so much else to talk about.

I agree...espeiclaly on other sites (OMG skyrim best EVA!!! Bioware sucks!) god...

I mean what I saw I think was the first part (dragon atticking your village) and first part is always the bit that draws you in....but it looked good

and a fallout game with that kind of polish..NERDGASM

 

[EzraPound]

I'm not trying to instigate a flame war here--rather, I think this is a valid point to raise in an ongoing discussion--but Skyrim fanboys really need to stop with their consensus GOTY proclamations. Because the fact is, right now it has around 95 on Metacritic, on all three platforms. Like Portal 2 (which is smarter). And Arkham City (which is more streamlined). And Uncharted 3 (which is more cinematic). Heck, Skyward Sword could easily top Skyrim's metascore--anyone with a firm grasp of gaming history shouldn't count Nintendo out, even if Skyrim has become to an increasingly isolated demographic of 'hardcore' taste-makers what MW3 is to the frat crowd.

I use Metacritic simply as a communicable benchmark, though, in illustrating a broader point--2011 has been a fertile year for blockbuster, AAA games, and without an Ocarina of Time-like critical smash there's no single title that's likely to unify the press and gamers at large in unanimous GOTY praise. What's ironic about this is that the hype for Skyrim has been so deafening that it's likely to tarnish the critical perception of the game--perversely, anything less than roundabout 10.0 scores for Skyrim (which it has its fair share of, to be fair) almost seems like a bit of a letdown; unlikely as its current reception is to automatically catapult it to the leading position of this year's releases. Instead, we seem to be getting a game on par with Arkham City. Bigger isn't better, folks--in 2002, Morrowind's approach was truly novel. A decade on, Skyrim's size still commands a level of interest, but it's unlikely to reshape the game industry as we know it.

I'll probably pick up Skyrim in December--seems apropos, with the snow and all--and I hope to enjoy it. Even if I'll have to combat the notion, while playing it, that the game is a disappointment if it can't cure malaria and make me a goddamn sandwich.

P.S. No pun intended with the title.

You're failing to consider the fact that Skyrim has far more gameplay than any of these titles. Even without mods, people have spent literally hundreds of hours on its predecessors. You can't do that on Arkham City or Portal 2, even if you do all the achievements.

On the flipside, this just means that 'hardcore' gamers for the next few months are likely to be more myopic than they usually are; a challenging feat given how isolated The Escapist and other discussion sites are from the developments on Facebook, iOS, etc. that affect the bulk of people who play games.

 

[ChupathingyX]

You're failing to consider the fact that Skyrim has far more gameplay than any of these titles. Even without mods, people have spent literally hundreds of hours on its predecessors. You can't do that on Arkham City or Portal 2, even if you do all the achievements.

Uhhh, yes you can.

A game doesn't have to be a massive, open world sandbox game to have heaps of replay value. I still replay my PS1 games every now and then, and they aren't open sandboxes.

 

[Lyri]

You're failing to consider the fact that Skyrim has far more gameplay than any of these titles. Even without mods, people have spent literally hundreds of hours on its predecessors. You can't do that on Arkham City or Portal 2, even if you do all the achievements.

I think you're placing too much importance on that aspect of the game without considering what GOTY is actually about.
Whilst that is surely an aspect it is not the sole reason it should win the coveted title.
Whilst Skyrim has a couple of new features the formula across the Elder Scrolls series is mostly the same.

I'll be honest and say I'd much rather see a Zelda title take game of the year, Arkham won one with Arkham Asylum and Elder Scrolls has two GOTY awards under it's belt.

 

[Hal10k]

Why does everybody talk about game of the Year awards as if there's only one? Did we replace every game review source with a single, Orwellian system of merit? Or does the game that wins the most GOTYs just have them fuse together like some sort of awards Voltron?

 

[Elementary - Dear Watson]

I know exactly what you mean. I am a fan of Oblivion, and thats the only one of the series I have played, and I was looking forward to Skyrim. Unfortunatly due to circumstances I cannot play it until April, so it has been quite easy for me to remain objective, and to watch the hype unfold, and wow! What hype it has been, but not just from the fanboys... Alot of the unneeded hype around the bazzars has been caused by trolls and non-fans, who in there efforts to disrupt the positive spin have drawn more and more attention to the series and the upcoming classic!
I saw a 15 min vid of a guy on the net saying why he thinks Skyrim will be bad, one of many of these type videos from 'haters'. They all have the same recipe, they take any part of the game that has been released, the leveling system/ or the news on the quest formatting, even down to trivial things like the design of the dragons... they then just moan about it, or liken it to another game, and say its not been done before, therefore isn't original, but they don't have any solid arguement due to the fact that they haven't played it and are only speculating. These videos just get thousands of hits, mostly from fans who want to hear what the guy/girl says and then argue with it, and all that happens is the game gets more free advertising, and it attracts more atention to the game and its features. I can't imagine those videos actually change anybodies minds, it just makes me chuckle thay they are probably doing the opposite of what they intended!

Its funny how these things work!

 

[predatorpulse7]

its ok...it will die down..eventually

though I may in fact join the darkside..I palyed some of it in the store...it looked really good

I don't begrudge anyone for buying and enjoying Skyrim--I likely will--but goddamn it, the hype has been suffocating, especially in a year with so much else to talk about.

It's the nature of the game industry nowadays, which is hyping everything like crazy. From what I've played so far Skyrim actually deserves its hype. I'll probably play it 2 weeks to see most of the world then I'll do the main quest. What's crazy about this game is that you can play it forever as it randomly generates new quest from what I've heard. You could basically play this game forever. A scary prospect.

I played the hell out of Morrowind and Fallout 3/NV and while I was very excited about the game world for a good 2 weeks or so, I just said to myself after a while "to heck with it, I'm doing the main quest". Certain world really can be too big to explore(if you don't have the time and patience) fully and I think that the sandbox feature of many games is overrated somewhat. Anyway, it can't be any worse than Oblivion.

 

[SovietSecrets]

I can't stop loving this box though. Holy shit this box.

 

[Dirty Hipsters]

I can't wait until people start saying that Skyrim is crap and that Morrowind was better in every way, which is what will inevitably happen in a month or two, since it's what happens with ALL sequel games.

 

[Marmooset]

GOTY or not, they will eventually put out a copy that is a "GOTY edition". Just about every game that doesn't outright suck does this, as well as a few games that do.

 

[Ruwrak]

Snipped by the UltraSnip (c) For all your Snipping purposes.

HOMGIMGONNAFANBOYOUTONYOUNOW!
YOUNEEDTOCHILLOUTOMGICANTBELIEVEYOU!

Hang on.. That's a rather pleasent post and not a flamestarter..
Redireting arguments...
....done!


Okay in all seriousness, I did expect something else. But let me tell you my personal experience with Metacritic (blah) and Skyrim (yay with a minor 'aw' added)

Sure Skyrim has it's pro's and con's. People claim the graphics suck (playing on an xbox 360 set to 1080p and I am not noticing anything not pretty to the eye.), the combat is dodgy (probably playing it wrong, I myself see no issues with the combat, except that the animation from the 1st perspective is a bit odd.. ho well.) The ai is not the brightest (but let's say that if they were self thinking Skyrim would take over our consoles and PC's and make a new master race with us as slaves.)

Besides. Who the F gives a bleeding Carper about Metacritic anyway. Seriously. If you need to look at something like that to decide of a game suits your taste, you're doing it wrong. People need to stop listening to 'professionals' (and I say it like that because everyone with a computer is a professional these days.) who tell them what game to play. Do some research for yourself. I bought Skyrim (okay so I have the previous installments in several copies...) based on a rationalised choice. I looked into the information that was there, did not get all hyped up for it, and I bought it for a legit reason.

I wanted to have fun in an open world that did not sacrifice story for gameplay and graphics. The result was that Skyrim did not have moving tree's or every leaf was animated, but it had an unlimited drawing distance. The story so far is entertaining and I am happy with it. I really am. Sure the NPC's stand around a bit passive while talking but come on... 'It's Bethesda" what did you expect?

Hrm. Got carried away there, sorry didn't mean to come off as offensive or nagging or annoying but.. Erf, you probably get my point. I'm not a fanboi who will defend the title against all costs (even though I have morrowind + all addons in hard copy, digital download and xbox original. Oblivion as hard copy + expansions on digital download and Xbox 360GOTY.. I guess that does name make me a fanboi?)

It'll probably be a GoTY anyway. And I do agree. If you love a game alot, you also need to be able to critisize it. If you can't you're just lying to yourself telling it's better then it is.

I.e. the things that frustrate me (well it's a big word. More a nagging of some sort)
- The Partner AI is a bit... Durrrrr..
- No more dragging of objects a la Oblivion (or that I have found.)
- The UI... Okay maybe it was the best solution but...

And that's it. Those are the only things that nag me. I can get over them, eventually.
Hope I didn't come off as to nagging or hurtfull. Wasn't really my intention if it happened x.x



EDIT! AND READ BEFORE HITTING THAT QUOTE BUTTON OVER HERE ---->
I already know how to move objects now.

 

[silasbufu]

There's a GOTY term now? When did this happen??

Seriously though, I hate to be blunt , but why would anyone care about stuff like that? I know what MY game of the year is and I'll stick to that.

@ OP : you say there's so many more interesting things to talk about this year. Now that you have our attention, you can share some of that because you can't get anywhere discussing about Skyrim (especially because so many people haven't played it yet and we're just swinging in the dark).