Preview Avowed early build impressions at Windows Central

[Roguey]

Skyrim isn't some unique video game done never before or later. I could just as well say Skyrim is a clone of Oblivion, only much worse.

Doom wasn't the first FPS, and yet what we had were Doom clones.

 

[Roguey]

Doom clones

Doom was Wolfenstein 3D's clone.

They're all Wolf3D's clones.

No one called it that since it brought more to the table (z-axis gameplay). Avowed comes across as totally derivative, and it's up to Obsidian to successfully explain how it's not.

 

[Azdul]

Skyrim is popular in general terms because it indulges the attention deficit disorder that became rampant after the widespread use of the Internet and especially mobile Internet devices. People who work 8-hour days can come home, fire up the Xbox, and just wander around and have adventures. Neither the systems or the combat require any critical thought (but succeed at making you like a fighter or a wizard at the most superficial level), and you are bound to encounter adventure sooner or later no matter what (thanks to random event generation) so it's a cool way to zone out and have some LOTR-style fun.

One of the most popular mods for Bethesda games allow players to skip 'extended tutorial' part - where narrative is carefully controlled, and players are not allowed to create their own fun in fantasy world simulation.

In many other games 'carefully controlled narrative' part extends from the beginning to the end credits. If you don't care about the story - designers will make you care: 'You cannot leave this area until you'll either join Abecedeans or Efgeans faction'. At this point average Joe chooses third option - turning off the game and turning on Netflix.

It may seem easy to make a game that will be 'like Skyrim, but good', but most designers cannot fathom the idea that many people would prefer to decide for themselves how to have fun.

 

[Crescent Hawk]

One of the most popular mods for Bethesda games allow players to skip 'extended tutorial' part - where narrative is carefully controlled, and players are not allowed to create their own fun in fantasy world simulation.

All you said has value but that mod also exists mostly for people that are sick of the intro and have restarted the game with multiple character hundreds of times. But I agree if you are going sandbox give the players a background of story and let people do what they want.