"The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - preview"

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim caused a stir at this year's E3, with many attendees naming Bethesda's fantasy epic as Best in Show, with very good reason, writes Tom Hoggins

Skyrim is the northern most country in the world of Tamriel 

Formats: Xbox 360. PS3. PC
Developer: Bethesda Game Studios
Publisher: Bethesda Softworks
Released: 11 November 2011

If there was a prize for "most gigantic advert" at E3, despite staunch competition from Battlefield 3 and Assassin's Creed Revelations, then Skyrim would have edged it. Just on the periphery of the LA Live complex, no less than three towering buildings were decked head to toe in a growling, Nordic beefcake. His belt buckle measuring roughly twice the size of my entire house.

It wasn't the only thing that fixed Skyrim so permanently to attendees' lips. Anyone who

witnessed the more low-key behind closed doors presentation were quick to name the fifth Elder Scrolls game Best in Show. With good reason.

It's a question of both scale and density. In a presentation lasting roughly twenty minutes, Skyrim's Todd Howard showed a tiny slice of the fantasy RPG. It was time well spent, packing in an extraordinary amount of detail while giving you just a glimpse of how overwhelmingly huge the Nordic lands of Skyrim are.

Skyrim is the northernmost country in the fantasy land of Tamriel, Bethesda's very own Middle Earth. Nine 'holds' (or counties) surround the towering mountain known as "The Throat of the World". As Howard looks up to the snow capped escarpments from hundreds of miles away, he remarks that, one day, you will climb the 7000 steps to the peak in order to meet the Greybeards and learn the language of dragons. It's a spine-tingling thought. Many open world games boast you can go anywhere you see, but this is different somehow. Why? Because Skyrim is so unquestionably, unapologetically epic. And The Throat of the World is a towering symbol of that.

The Elder Scrolls has always been thus, of course. Ask anyone their most abiding memory from Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion and most will reply with the moment they first stepped out from the dank sewers at the beginning of the game, as the blistering sun hit their eyes and the lush, green plains of Tamriel stretched out before them. A world full of possibilities.

That The Elder Scrolls, five years on from Oblivion, still has the capacity to amaze is extremely exciting. A lot of work has gone into reconstructing the Oblivion engine for Skyrim, and it shows. A common complaint for Bethesda RPGs in general is the wooden, almost puppet like appearance of its characters. Skyrim looks to close the book on this, Howard zooms out to third-person from the default first-person view, revealing a heavily equipped Nordic warrior. As he trots through the world, the detailing, animation and sense of connection match some of the best third-person action games. Later, as Howard talks to the blacksmith of the small town of Riverwood, the behaviour of NPCs is far more natural than the creepy, dead eyed mannequins of Oblivion.

It's not just in aesthetics that Skyrim has seen improvements. Combat now allows you to dual wield with almost any two items in your inventory. Each of the two triggers or mouse buttons corresponds to a hand, so you can take to combat with a shield and sword, two blades or one weapon and a spell. Equipped with two similar spells, you can bring your hands together in a crackle of energy to double the effect of the magic.

Switching between items and spells looks a doddle, with hotkeys assignable to the dpad, and a slick menu that layers itself over the screen in a row of neat categories. Each piece of equipment is fully modelled, right down to the salmon steak in your food pouch.

Combat itself is far more violent and tangible. As Howard stalks his enemy with sword and shield, he angles his blade downwards in a vicious slash that shudders back after impact. After he weakens his foe with a blast of frostbite magic, Howard moves in for the finishing blow, which sees him gutting his opponent in a harsh, violent flourish.

As you perform actions in Skyrim, your skills improve accordingly. You don't choose a class at the outset of the game --though you do get to decide on race and gender of your Dragon born hero-- rather you utilise your skills in order to define your playstyle. So if you want to be a battlemage, focus on your weapons an offensive spells. A stealthy sniper? Use the shadows and keep practicing with that bow and arrow. There are also 280 perks to choose from each time you level-up, activated by looking to the heavens at a swirling starscape. Each skill 'tree' is represented as a constellation, and new stars burn bright as you expand your skills.

There's an extraordinary amount of freedom when it comes to honing your character's skills. From the huge list of spells, found in tomes scattered around the world, to the runes that you can use to augment weapons. You can even poison your weapon by dipping it in spiders blood after you have felled one of the giant creepy crawlies. Most spectacular, however, are the "Dragon Shouts".

Shouts are made up of three words from the language of the dragons. As you learn more words --from engravings carved into the earth of Skyrim-- more shouts become available. Some of the shouts are blistering offensive spells such as, yes, breathing fire, while others are more passive, like slowing time or executing a whirlwind burst of speed.

The story of Skyrim will apparently unfold in a dynamic fashion, depending on your actions. While many quests are handcrafted, the main antagonist of a particular mission may change depending on who you have made enemies with on your journey. While you will have to choose who to trust when in a jam. During the demo, Howard comes across a thief in a beautifully designed dungeon. While they initially join forces, the thief turns on Howard, making off with the bounty the pair have collected. He doesn't get far though, with Howard slowing time and placing an arrow between the turncoat's shoulder blades before he can escape.

Then there are the dragons. The giant winged beasts can often soar down from the skies unannounced. According to Howard, the dragons are completely unscripted, and battling them is a case of wit, perseverance and a big sword. Dragons will also attack other creatures in the world, such as the mammoths and giants that roam the tundra. This is shown in the final act of our demo, when a dragon swoops down from the sky and grasps an unsuspecting giant in its claws, catapulting it into the distance before turning on Howard. You can ground a dragon by damaging its wings, which will give you a much needed advantage. Howard manages this, and after a long scuffle, he sends the beast sprawling in the dirt. Howard then walks up to the defeated creature and utters a magical charm, the dragon disappearing in a flash of fiery glitter, as Howard absorbs the monster's soul, his sacred rite as a dragon-born warrior.

Skyrim's lore is the foundation that this remarkable, huge, epic world is built on. According to Howard, there are five main cities in Skyrim, surrounded by countless towns. That we have barely scratched the surface of this landscape yet already unearthed such wonder is a giddying thought. The only concern at this point being is the weight too much to bear? Will the execution match the ambition? Time will tell. The wait to find out and take the first step towards The Throat of the World begins now.

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