The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Oblivion (or, what I saw of other people playing it) didn't impress me, nor did Fallout 3. And frankly, I have less respect for Bethesda's development acumen than just about anyone else's. But the noise around Skyrim was getting way too loud for me to ignore.

Having previously been trained by no small number of overhyped, undercooked holiday releases, I found myself quickly preparing for disappointment. And at first, that's exactly what I got: although the landscapes are beautiful, close-up graphical detail and animations get fairly ugly. NPCs never hesitate to interrupt each other mid-conversation, masking dialog which may or may not be important. And, crucially, the melee controls and combat are just terrible -- clumsy movement (whether in first- or third-person), no sense of aim or range, and with frequent shield blocks, no sense of impact.

So I related my impressions to a co-worker, who had already played the game to death, and he vehemently suggested I abandon my melee trifles for spellcasting. Man, what a difference it makes -- the aiming reticle is actually useful, the awkward close-quarters movement is completely mitigated, and the spell effects are awesome to behold. Clearly, magic spells are the real point of this game; with magic, the combat is actually fun.

Once I got over that hurdle, I allowed myself to become engrossed in the world of Skyrim. And here is where Bethesda's talent for creating content really shines. The world is enormous, and although its wilderness is spacious in the way of Red Dead Redemption, the scripted dialog, town construction, and quest log are all quite humbling of Rockstar. I'm being meticulous in exploring towns, examining items, and talking to NPCs, and as a result I don't know when I'll have the time to read, let alone accomplish, all the quests they've given to me.

The graphics are still underwhelming most of the time, and the engine technology is still creaky at best -- not to mention how unpolished the game can feel at times, like when the last autosave was half an hour back. But examined at its highest level, where you have the freedom to sling fire and lightning around a huge open world filled with secrets to uncover, Skyrim is pretty damned compelling.

Progress: Slew my first dragon!