I stand here at the gates of Helgen where only months ago a giant dragon we know only as Alduin destroyed this once peaceful city. While the location of Alduin and his motives remain unknown, we have had reports of several of his kin attacking cities for reasons unknown. Details are bare at best, but rumours of a Dovahkin arising to defeat the dragons have been circulating for quite some time. We are about to head downstream to the town of Riverwood to find out more.
Riverwood. An idealic peaceful town nestled between a sheer valley. To my left, a haunting outline of the Bleak Falls Burrow casts a menicing shadow over the town. To my right, the steep cliffs of the mountain of high Hrothgar watch carefully over Riverwoods inhabitants. It's hard not to fall in love with this town. Salmon whistfully jump upstream as the lake gently passes through the lumber mill. This town may hold the secret to the rise of the Dragonborn, so we decided to ask some of the local inhabitants what they knew. I see a guard over yonder.
"Excuse me?" I tentatively ask the guard.
"Let me guess, someone stole your sweet roll?" he replies dryly.
"Can you shed some light on the recent dragon attacks in Helgen?"
He looks at me with an empty stare and says "I used to be an adventurer like you, then I took an arrow to the knee."
I can see people don't want to talk. As I back away from the guard he has one more thing to add "If you disrespect the law, you disrespect me." Duly noted."
"I spot a blacksmith relentlessly hammering an iron dagger over hot coals. Sweat beads from his forehead as his concentration wavers when I approach. His name is Alvor and I decide to ask a few questions. "Excuse me, what can you tell us about the attack on Helgen?" He looks up at me and says
"By Ysgramor if it's strong I can forge it." I stare blankly and repeat the question.
"Looking to protect yourself, or deal some damage?" He replies."
"It's clear that the people of Riverwood are too frightened to say anything, fearing reprimand from Alduin or the dragon flight. There's not much more we can tell you on the situation, All I can tell you is we need the Dragonborn more than ever, and nobody can say for sure where he is..."
Well gamers, we know where he is. He's enjoying the latest add-on content of this brilliant game. Skyrim was released just over a year ago to critical acclaim, and much has changed since then. The game still looks fantastic compared to new release titles and aside from some annoying bugs, it's as fun to play as ever. New add-on content Dawnguard, Hearthfire and Dragonborn add so much more to the game and are well worth the purchase. Players will find new mounts, quests, locations and weapons with each add-on they install.
Dawnguard was the first pack of DLC released which allowed the Dragonborn to become a vampire lord or join the elite vampire hunters of the Dawnguard. New areas such as the Pitcairn showed us where trapped souls from soulstones go and new shouts that allow the Dragonborn to summon a dragon to fight on their behalf. The highlight for me was the new mount called "Arvark" which is a spell summoned horse so if it dies, you simply cast the spell again.
Hearthfire marked more customization for the game, allowing the Dragonborn to not only purchase land but build a house on it too. The player can also adopt kids and new random quests involve bandits kidnapping your loved ones and seeking ransom. Although it may not sound like much, Hearthfire is a great add-on and is the cheapest of the lot.
Dragonborn is the most ambitious DLC released so far. It adds the island of Solsthiem which was featured in "Morrowind" a previous game in the series. Dragonborn allows the player to craft new items, undertake an epic quest and even ride dragons!
All these packs are now available on all formats. Playstation 3 users will recieve the DLC at half price during this week so load up some PSN credit now!
This gamer has lost countless hours discovering the game again and have no problem giving it a high recommendation.
So What's It Like?
An open world RPG + Immersive experience + Countless hours of fun = The Skyrim Experience.
Back in November 2011 I would give it a 9/10
Now I would still give it a 9/10
Fus-Roh-Duh Gamers!
-Sarge
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