A lot different than I expected, this game is worth playing just for how wacky it is and how much love obviously went into its creation.

Raise the ultimate mayhem while simultaneously taking control of the city. There's a ton of stuff to do, and it's all a lot of fun...

Game of the year. In fact, one of the greatest games of the decade. Bethesda have nearly perfected the art of the open-world RPG. That a game can be both incredibly dynamic and captivatingly cinematic is a crowning achievement, and it somehow makes every other RPG feel just a little bit smaller.

The story is very interesting--I was more interested in listening to backgrounds and trying every single thing I could than with any previous Elder Scrolls game. I learned more about the Elder Scrolls lore and universe in my short time so far with Skyrim (and from reading online to find out more about the things I've been seeing) than with any previous title, which is saying a lot considering the amount of lore on display in those games.

For better or worse, Bethesda have continued streamlining the interface. Every spoken word is voice-acted (quite well). The interface has limited sorting options, and the HUD is very minimalistic, but I find I spend less time managing and more time playing.