Bethesda has finally revealed “The Elder Scrolls V; Skyrim“. For the occasion, Game Informer set up a “Skyrim Hub” full of screenshots, videos and interviews.
On the menu this time : vast and frozen landscapes, a dual hands combat system, a streamlined interface, a redesigned game engine, new AI behaviors and atmospheric lighting. Even the game editor and mods are coming back.
The coverage so far reminds me a lot of the anticipation around Oblivion. Looking at what we ended up with, there is a lot of room for caution around this game.
The release date of 11/11/11 seems very aggressive for such an ambitious program. It looks more like a marketing target than anything else. For all their creativity and ambition, Bethesda does not have a stellar record in releasing bug free, solid games. I would rather see not have to feel like a beta tester just so marketers can hit a fancy release date.
The news is still very exciting though. If previous Bethesda open games are any indication, this means that roughly a year after the game is released, we will have a healthy ecosystem of mods, bug fixes, interface and gameplay improvements.
It is going to be an exercise of patience but definitely worth the wait (unless the mods system is still as prone to slow down and crashes as it has been so far).