Skyrim

Evidently there’s a game called Skyrim out there that’s taking off. A week and change ago I did a little research (it’s really hard not to do research on this game – just going to any nerd blogs or sites I was bombarded by images and stories) and decided that this might be a game for me. I loved Fallout 3, and I liked Dragon Age, so combining the two sounded pretty cool.

This game has been a tremendous ride so far. I jumped in, was lost as to what to do for a little while, went meandering around, happened back upon the main story for a while, and have now spent the last 20+ levels ignoring what the game is telling me to do and just wandering around finding bandits to kill and tombs to rob. Evidently there’s a civil war going on that I can join a side in. And I guess I could find out why all the dragons are back. But I’m having too much fun amassing a massive fortune and exploring the world.

One thing I like about it is how it doesn’t really go easy on you in the early game. When I was level 5 or 6, I spotted a fire off in the distance so I headed that way. I saw wooly mammoths and thought, “that’s awesome!” Then I saw a giant tending them. Sweet! The giant spotted me as I tried to sneak around and see what else was around. He took two huge steps, swung his club, and in one hit, I was flying through the air dead.

Okay, lesson learned. Don’t see the giants. But it gave me a goal – now I can take on the giants without worrying too much, so long as I plan things out right. Can’t take out a pair of giants and their wooly mammoth friends, though.

I had a similar experience the first time I found a troll. I learned quickly how to sneak at that point and managed to bypass him, but it took a few failed fights to figure out that I should try things differently.



Outside the main story, the first time I saw a dragon was hilarious. In the main story you end up fighting one with a large group of soldiers at your side and manage to kill it off. But soon, dragons start appearing elsewhere as you’re wandering around. I remember I was in the mountains by the river near a waterfall when a huge shadow passed over me. I looked up and… “OH SH--!!!! DRAGON!!!!!” It kept flying past me and breathing fire on me. I tried to get to high ground to be able to attack it, but it kept out of reach. I tried to pull out my bow and shoot at it, but I was pretty bad with my bow. Soon, dying, I decided escape was the best route. I dove into the river and followed the rapids, trying to outpace the dragon. I saw white foam ahead a little too late, tried to fight the current, and got swept over the edge of the waterfall, crashing on the ground dead.

I spent the next few levels learning how to shoot a bow.

The next time a dragon came around, I was in Riverwood, heading out from selling off a bunch of loot. The dragon attacked and I dodged from building to building, pulling out my bow and taking shots as I could. Finally the beast was grounded and I charged it with my sword, cutting it down. It was awesome.

The people of Riverwood hauled the skeleton of the dragon out of their village and left it in the road as a warning for other dragons not to mess with Riverwood. It didn’t work. There are now three dragon skeletons out front serving warning. Riverwood is under MY protection, bitches!