Skyrim will be filled with moments like this – it’s a more open adventure than previous Elder Scroll games but one with a storyline that promises to be vastly superior.  Bold claims, but ones that seemingly start to fall into place as Todd rounds off the demonstration – the landscape may be vast, but the action is stronger and the way other characters interact with the player and each other is considerably better.  For those reasons alone, excitement is already at fever pitch.
We leave the session feeling like the game has stacks of potential – it’s clear we’ve only seen a tiny portion of the game but it was one with great combat, a truly impressive sense of scale and some brilliant interface decisions.  Skyrim won’t be for everyone, sure, but action RPG fans will, from what we’ve seen, be in heaven.  I mean, dragons, what more do you need?
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Speaking of combat, a great addition is the ability to bookmark a set number skills, items, and equipment that can be selected at any time by hitting a button that opens up a scroll window. This is great for when combat can get pretty hot and heavy and you need that potion or you need that spell that will bind your opponent as you make your escape.

Using the B button to pull up the main menu, Todd showed off the intriguing User Interface that utilizes the look of panels, with white text on a slightly translucent window. Everything looked really clean and rather stunning in its subtlety. First off, we got to take a look at the Item menu. Thousands of items have been rendered for the game, each coming with their own 3D render and description. The food players will find can also be cooked to increase their effects, such as their healing properties. There are also over 300 different books for players to read and become enveloped with the world and its characters.
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We also saw some battles with a couple of different dragons. They’re fearsome beasts for sure—producing huge low-frequency thumps when they land, and breathing fire and whatnot all over the place. Dragons will swoop in and engage (read: destroy) various NPCs, showcasing their might and just generally being jerks. If you’ve any hope of defeating one, you’ll surely need a full understanding of your various abilities; in the demo to which we were treated, the hero used a shout to call a thunderstorm into play to help with the battle.
There are somewhat more involved puzzles at play this time as well, such as a door we witnessed in the demo which required the hero to line up three symbols and then place a golden claw relic in the center once that was finished to open it. Apparently this information can be derived via a quick reading of a journal which was picked up earlier in the quest, too, so it isn’t like you’re completely SOL if you just can’t figure something out. On the same subject, there is a spell—Clairvoyance—which will also reveal to you a breadcrumb path for a few precious seconds if you lose your way as well.
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Finally, the dragons in Skyrim were truly something awesome to behold. They're non-scripted in the game, and according to Bethesda, they're very smart creatures. The dragons we saw did huge attacks from both the air and ground as they flew around, perched on buildings, or landed to get in close. As the dragons fly around, they can be brought to the ground if enough damage is done to them where the player has an easier chance at finishing them off. Once a dragon has been killed, the character can absorb its soul which goes towards leveling up abilities known as Shouts. Shouts are similar to magic, but are more focused on special abilities, such as slowing time, illuminating areas, or even calling down lightning storms.
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