Skyrimjob sells 10M units, also the best PC seller

[Raapys]

Yah, marketing and hype. And dumbing down. The more they dumb down their games, the more they sell.

Yeah, this is why DA2 was so incredibly successful and recieved such positive user feedback.

Didn't dumb it down enough. It's still incredibly complex, having attributes, several party members and whatnot. Skyrim doesn't have to deal with all that stuff.

 

[Jaesun]

Makes me wonder what the EA Execs/Marketing Department think when they see this kind of news, and then look at BioWare...

 

[Jaesun]

Incline of what exactly?

IMHO the game IS better than Oblivion. The atmosphere is great, exploring is fun, the game is challenging on Expert & Master, and the issues people point out the most like buckets on heads or dragon fights are just things you read about and can avoid (apart from horribad UI).

Yes, dragon fights are easy if you place a big rock between you and the dragon, I know. But that's a cheap exploit, and not always possible. If you are crossing a plain and a dragon attacks, you can run like a "l33t gamer" until you find a big rock and kill him easily "cause Skyrim is shit, lol", or you can actually fight it where you stand and have a quite nice fight. Is the same as getting Immunity to Magic in Daggerfall, you can choose between playing the game and having fun or just powergame it and call it broken...

So basically a Shit Sandwich with cheese, is better than a plain Shit Sandwich?

Got ya.

 

[torpid]

It was obvious Skyrim was something big when you saw how ubiquitous the internet memes it spawned had become. Almost makes me regret the mudcrabs I saw the other day. And I don't really see it as either an incline or a decline -- the game is another variation on the post-Decline action RPG, without even the skill checks of a New Vegas. And it being an open-world game is also neither incline or decline: it's just a subtype. Now if the next game improves things beyond just making the game a better LARPing platform, that will be

 

[Infinitron]

It was obvious Skyrim was something big when you saw how ubiquitous the internet memes it spawned had become. Almost makes me regret the mudcrabs I saw the other day. And I don't really see it as either an incline or a decline -- the game is another variation on the post-Decline action RPG, without even the skill checks of a New Vegas. And it being an open-world game is also neither incline or decline: it's just a subtype. Now if the next game improves things beyond just making the game a better LARPing platform, that will be

I agree with this. But the thing is that games like Skyrim take a long time to make. They aren't rushed and linear, and they also aren't based on cut-scenes and set-pieces dictated at the beginning of the project.
That means that if the team making the game has a good writer/designer onboard (which I'll admit is a pretty big "if") then he can add in some serious . Good writing, good quests, with the time to implement them, and a big open world that can hold them.

Skyrim isn't a major incline, but it holds the potential for incline.

 

[felipepepe]

So basically a Shit Sandwich with cheese, is better than a plain Shit Sandwich?

Hey, it's a step on the right direction. After what BioWare did on DA2 and ME2, is nice to see an AAA RPG sequel that it's an actual improvement.

 

[Raapys]

Problem is, it's an even further decline from Oblivion in the character development and customization part, which is easily one of the most important areas of open-world games.

Nah, give me Daggerfall character creation, give me spell creation and all the spell effects back(and many more), give me levitation, M&R and transit points and lose the fast travel, give me Daggerfall item enchantment back, give me character attributes back and a proper skill system, place non-scaled and interesting unique items in special locations, give me open-world cities again, lose the goddamned quest compass and give proper quest dialog, give me large buildings and abandoned castles to explore, etc. At that point we can start talking about incline.

As it is, Skyrim's just an even more dumbed down TES game which manages to slightly surpass Oblivion solely because of better art direction, fancier-looking combat and less obvious level scaling. But those were just a few of the problems with Oblivion, the rest of the game also sucked and that still hasn't changed.

 

[likaq]

Problem is, it's an even further decline from Oblivion in the character development and customization part, which is easily one of the most important areas of open-world games.

Nah, give me Daggerfall character creation, give me spell creation and all the spell effects back(and many more), give me levitation, M&R and transit points and lose the fast travel, give me Daggerfall item enchantment back, give me character attributes back and a proper skill system, place non-scaled and interesting unique items in special locations, give me open-world cities again, lose the goddamned quest compass and give proper quest dialog, give me large buildings and abandoned castles to explore, etc. At that point we can start talking about incline.

As it is, Skyrim's just an even more dumbed down TES game which manages to slightly surpass Oblivion solely because of better art direction, fancier-looking combat and less obvious level scaling. But those were just a few of the problems with Oblivion, the rest of the game also sucked and that still hasn't changed.

This. Absolutely this.

 

[markec]

Problem is, it's an even further decline from Oblivion in the character development and customization part, which is easily one of the most important areas of open-world games.

Nah, give me Daggerfall character creation, give me spell creation and all the spell effects back(and many more), give me levitation, M&R and transit points and lose the fast travel, give me Daggerfall item enchantment back, give me character attributes back and a proper skill system, place non-scaled and interesting unique items in special locations, give me open-world cities again, lose the goddamned quest compass and give proper quest dialog, give me large buildings and abandoned castles to explore, etc. At that point we can start talking about incline.

As it is, Skyrim's just an even more dumbed down TES game which manages to slightly surpass Oblivion solely because of better art direction, fancier-looking combat and less obvious level scaling. But those were just a few of the problems with Oblivion, the rest of the game also sucked and that still hasn't changed.

Not really, Gothic has rather small number of skills and no character customization yet it is considered one of the best open world games. It is world, dungeons and encounter design that is most important in sandbox game, everything else can be put in second place.

Iam not arguing that Skyrim is a good game but those crucial parts of a good sandbox game does far better then Oblivion. Not to mentioned less awful level scaling and npc-s that dont look and feel like mindless clones.

 

[sea]

Yah, marketing and hype. And dumbing down. The more they dumb down their games, the more they sell.

Dumbing down does not itself generate more sales. Skyrim sold on reputation and hype, not because they removed certain features.

 

[Machocruz]

I have to wonder if there was any kind of incline on actual great games, like Fallout, Planescape, or Ultima, in terms of intelligence of writing and depth of quests, if the masses, who think Skyrim is the best thing ever, would actually see it. Would they actually see these modern console RPGs for the shallow, underwhelming efforts they are, when exposed to the true potential of the genre?

 

[villain of the story]

But I thought pirates were ruining video games. How does Ubisoft explain this?

This could only mean that they lost 100M in sales due to privacy, of course. THEY GONNA GO BANKRUPT NOW!

 

[Phelot]

Problem is, it's an even further decline from Oblivion in the character development and customization part, which is easily one of the most important areas of open-world games.

Nah, give me Daggerfall character creation, give me spell creation and all the spell effects back(and many more), give me levitation, M&R and transit points and lose the fast travel, give me Daggerfall item enchantment back, give me character attributes back and a proper skill system, place non-scaled and interesting unique items in special locations, give me open-world cities again, lose the goddamned quest compass and give proper quest dialog, give me large buildings and abandoned castles to explore, etc. At that point we can start talking about incline.

As it is, Skyrim's just an even more dumbed down TES game which manages to slightly surpass Oblivion solely because of better art direction, fancier-looking combat and less obvious level scaling. But those were just a few of the problems with Oblivion, the rest of the game also sucked and that still hasn't changed.

Skyrim is certainly better than Oblivion, but I do agree that I miss those things. I've pretty much stopped playing. I don't really have the time anyway. My character is level 18 I believe, but I've gotten tired of exploring. Maybe I'll pick it up when I'm not so busy since the combat can be a challenge at times.

I really miss the character development. Levels in this game just don't seem to give much other than those perks which are lackluster compared to the old attribute and skill building. Even the skills seem boring, at least I never pay attention to them unless a perk needs a certain level. Things like Speech keep raising for some reason, all I'm doing is selling junk.

As I said, it's definitely a better game than Oblivion, but I need at least Morrowind's character development to keep me coming back for more. It's a shame that houses and marriage seem to have replaced spell and character building.

 

[TripJack]

Yes, dragon fights are easy if you place a big rock between you and the dragon, I know. But that's a cheap exploit

lol yeah come on guise hiding behind a rock is a cheap exploit the game isnt shit

 

[Cassidy]

you don't get the best selling single player RPG in history purely on marketing.

You're putting too much faith in the capability of the near total majority of those 10 millions making purchase decisions based on anything else besides hype.

 

[Roguey]

Sure are a lot of explorationfans out there. Grand Theft Horse: Skyrim.

Yah, marketing and hype. And dumbing down. The more they dumb down their games, the more they sell.

Yeah, this is why DA2 was so incredibly successful and recieved such positive user feedback.

Didn't dumb it down enough. It's still incredibly complex, having attributes, several party members and whatnot. Skyrim doesn't have to deal with all that stuff.

DA2 was successful and likely would have been received a lot better if it didn't have so many parachuting waves and such distinctly ugly colors which I think led to the map recycling being a lot more noticeable. The Witcher and Divinity 2 recycled interior maps ad infintium but you hardly see anyone on their case about it.

 

[Shadenuat]

If you strip Skyrim of pretty graphics and eye catchers like dragons and dragon shouts, it's actually a really down to basics version of a regular TES game. You don't make any hard choices there, usually game makes them for you; there is a first person screen which has your weapon right there, you run forward, push a button, monsters die, skills grow and chests open. Skyrim is really perfect for people who think that "real" RPGs are about "not having a disconnect with a game", that when you stab monster, he should die, gamers who are all about "suspension of disbelief", which is a hit today to talk about and overanalyze games with it.
To me it's like a fantasy FPS which has that kind of shadow of RPG to cast a grand illusion of playing an RPG on everyone. So yes, IMO Bethesda really pushed right strings with Skyrim - they made a perfect Fantasy Call of Duty game. Which means: $$$$$$$$$$$$$
Raychel was the closest to the truth in her review, I think - it a cocaine-game, like Diablo 2 was. I find games like that fascinating as a product which has to make money.

 

[MetalCraze]

Yah, marketing and hype. And dumbing down. The more they dumb down their games, the more they sell.

Yeah, this is why DA2 was so incredibly successful and recieved such positive user feedback.

DA2 wasn't dumbed down enough. Look at Skyrim and learn.

 

[DragoFireheart]

I have to wonder if there was any kind of incline on actual great games, like Fallout, Planescape, or Ultima, in terms of intelligence of writing and depth of quests, if the masses, who think Skyrim is the best thing ever, would actually see it. Would they actually see these modern console RPGs for the shallow, underwhelming efforts they are, when exposed to the true potential of the genre?

This is such a bullshit argument. Maybe if the Internet didn't existed I'd swallow this shit argument but I'm sure PLENTY of people looked up Fallout 1 and Fallout 2 after playing Fallout 3. Just because a market doesn't like a niche game this site proclaims as being amazing doesn't suddenly makes rpg-lite games like Skyrim suddenly bad.

RPGs of the cRPG style like Fallout 1 / PS:T / ToEE are relatively niche. You'll never see games of that style become as popular as mainstream games like Skyrim or MW3. The popularity of a game or lack of doesn't speak of the games quality.

 

[DragoFireheart]

If you strip Skyrim of pretty graphics and eye catchers like dragons and dragon shouts, it's actually a really down to basics version of a regular TES game. You don't make any hard choices there, usually game makes them for you; there is a first person screen which has your weapon right there, you run forward, push a button, monsters die, skills grow and chests open.

ALL of the fucking Elder Scrolls games are like this. Just because Skyrim has less numbers doesn't mean it's suddenly less complex. All it means is it's a series that's finally being hones with you.

Daggerfall is the same shit except it has a broken character creation system and a RNG dungeon. They're all the same fucking thing. It's like bitching that Super Mario Bros. 3 is the same as SMB 1. Yeah, no shit! It has extra bells and whistles but it's still the same shit.

What actually separates these games is the QUALITY of the design and how well it is executed. Daggerfall was good, Morrowind was ok, Oblivion was shit, and Skyrim was good.

 

[Raapys]

Just because Skyrim has less numbers doesn't mean it's suddenly less complex.

That's actually exactly what it means. In their crusade for accessibility and a wider audience, they're removing all the complexity so people won't have to use their fragile little brains when playing. Just follow the arrow.

 

[Shadenuat]

DragoFireheart

I am not bitching, bro. If anything, I am lamenting of those little silly "numbers" which were fun to play with in Morrowind and Daggerfall (for me). I was able to actually play those games in prolongued kind of way, and had a lot of good days discussing various character builds on local forum. With Skyrim, I just finished the game and... that's it, I finished the game.

 

[Turjan]

With Skyrim, I just finished the game and... that's it, I finished the game.

I see Bethesda still hasn't completely learned it. You are ready for the first DLC now. And, where is it? Amateurs!

 

[Azrael the cat]

it teaches publishers that they way to reach Call of Duty level sales is to make a big, big marketing campaign

Fixed.

And DA2 didn't have that? Need to look at the differences, not the similarities.

Plus, need to look at it from the publisher's eye. They can't tell good writing from shit, or good quest design from awful, but they CAN tell the difference between 'one game per year every year' production time versus 'several years between games in a series, long production time and large world'.

 

[Wyrmlord]

Well deserved popularity.