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Wanted: Buckets, accomplices to theft and murder in Skyrim
Whether it's post-Oblivion or post-apocalypse, the humble bucket remains an insidious tool for the despicable. Be on the lookout for the voluminous accomplice to all manner of crimes, and remember that no ill deed is truly beyond the pail!
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim review: Paths of desire
"Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail" – Ralph Waldo Emerson We live in a world of pre-blazed trails, of Google Maps and endless shelves of travel books detailing every motel, every restaurant. The most amazing discovery most of us are likely to make is a great new burrito place, and even that we would have heard about if we checked Yelp more often. Whether or not you know it, that same wanderlust that whispered into the ears of your ancestors and led them into the forests, into the oceans, still calls out to you. In those moments when all seems at peace, all seems safe, it's that persistent, ceaseless call of "Yes, but what else?" The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is the answer to that call. %Gallery-139026%
New Skyrim toon by Harry Partridge
Harry Partridge has produced a new Skyrim ballad, likely to be appreciated most by those watching the clock, waiting for the sun to set Thursday and seeking to obtain the new Elder Scrolls game shortly thereafter.
Skyrim behind the scenes animation vid
The latest trailer for Skyrim is supposed to have our eyes focus on the animation, but we can't help but notice all the visceral monster mashing going on. How are we supposed to appreciate the subtle work of the animators when watching a sword glide through a giant's head?
Howard: Skyrim offers infinite procedurally generated quests
You've already been assured that you'll never run out of slayable dragons in Skyrim. In an interview with Wired, director Todd Howard revealed that the game features an inexhaustible supply of quest content, as well. Using the "Radiant" quest system, the game randomly generates missions for each of the in-game guilds, as well as tasks offered by other NPCs. Examples cited by Wired include collecting flowers for an alchemist or hunting for bandits. This likely comes as bittersweet news for people who have experienced Bethesda games in the past. Sure, you'll never run out of content, but how long before you have to defeat a monster who's embedded in a tree, or go on a quest for the dagger of ^^^^^^ARTIFACTNAME?
Skyrim is getting a day one patch, more DLC than you can shake a giant sword at
For those of us currently slaying dragons in the frigid realm of Skyrim, pushing ever towards the review embargo this Thursday and launch thereafter, a game patch was spotted upon initial startup. Bethesda reps tell reviewers that the patch "fixes some minor stability and quest progression issues," and that it will be received automatically by players on day one. If fixes to "minor stability and quest progression issues" don't get you excited, perhaps the prospect of "bigger and more substantial" downloadable content will, as teased by Bethesda creative lead Todd Howard earlier this week. "We're not going to do be doing a lot of it. Our high-level thinking is that there'll be not as many," he told Wired, before he explained the company's Fallout-esque approach to Skyrim's DLC. "We'll start hitting on everything after vacation," Howard added. Looks like we'll just have to busy ourselves with infinite dragons in the meantime. Darn.
Watch the sounds of Skyrim get made, pre-order the four-disc soundtrack
We appreciate all the work that went into the sounds of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, as seen in the developer diary posted above. It seems a bit excessive though -- the only sounds and music we need are ones to accompany us breaking into every house, and stealing every pair of pants. Regardless, if you want the powerful hymns of a barbarian choir to make your working day that much more enthralling, you can pre-order the four-disc Skyrim soundtrack through DirectSong right now, for $29.99. That's a lot to pay for a soundtrack, but just imagine how great you'll feel as you fold your laundry as ninety dudes shout "DOVAHKIIN! DOVAHKIIN! DOVAHKIIIIIIN!" at you.
Skyrim teases 'making of' video
Want the "making of" Skyrim documentary? Better have the cash for the $150 Skyrim Collector's Edition. If that's not good enough, the Ultra Edition at $250 has The Making of the Making of Skyrim documentary.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Collector's Edition unboxing (or: Here, there be dragons)
$150 is a lot of scratch, there's no two ways about it. But if you've got the coin, the Skyrim Collector's Edition is a fancy piece of gear. The massive box opens to reveal a 200-page soft-feel art book, that's as heavy as it looks; a cardboard DVD sleeve, which always irks us; and the main attraction which is, of course, a 12" plastic dragon that's sure to upset your significant other and/or co-workers. The DVD case also packs a cloth-like map of Skyrim, as well as a making-of DVD. Is that enough to command a $90 premium over the regular edition? That really depends on both your financial security and your fondness for plastic dragons, doesn't it? Hopefully our photo gallery below will help you with this most difficult of decisions. %Gallery-138017%
Skyrim trailer transitions concept art to in-game footage
From artistic fantasy to digital reality, the latest trailer for Skyrim shows the transition from concept to in-game. There's also a gallery if you're looking for a shiny new wallpaper to hold you over until 11/11/11.
Skyrim PC system requirements delivered via internet parchment
Will your PC be ready to render all those Skyrim dragons being torn asunder? Head on past the break for Bethesda's recommended (i.e. "real") PC requirements and minimum specs.
Cower in terror or stand tall against Skyrim's totally real dragon
We read about "infinite" dragons, and we think it's more than enough. But Bethesda says, "Let's go get one more dragon to promote our upcoming game, Skyrim! And let's make it a real one."
Skyrim: I fought the dragon and the dragon (mostly) won
Ever since Skyrim was announced, I've had one thing on my mind: dragons. You see, I need to kill them. I need to kill an infinite number of dragons. I don't know what it is that is fueling this need within me, but there it is: I'm a genocidal maniac and every last dragon must die. Turns out, it's way easier said than done. %Gallery-136691%
Skyrim can be beaten in just over two hours (if you're a developer)
It's true: in two hours and change, Sam Bernstein, a member of Bethesda's QA team, managed to reach the end of the main campaign in Skyrim. Sam's time was 2:16:10, a mere 20 seconds faster than his competition, level designer Jeff Browne. The two are actually no stranger to the Bethesda speed run circuit, having participated in a similar event a few years ago in Fallout 3, in which Sam was also victorious. So what does Sam win, aside from immortal glory on a video game blog? Well, he gets a pumpkin pie from Todd Howard and he also gets the trophy you see above. What's Dragon-speak for "winner?"
Skyrim manual leaks, reveals details about the game
If you see every rotation of this heavenly body we inhabit as one more step in a dance leading to the release of Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, you're probably hungry for every info-morsel you can dredge up. Here's a relatively big one: Someone has uploaded the entire instruction manual for the game onto Imgur, revealing a few details about how integral game mechanics will function in the final product. Which is to say, how does cooking work? There are also some salient details about the new follower command system, as well as some explanations of Skyrim's unique UI. Check it out now, because come November 11 you're not going to waste any time on reading.
Gaze ye upon the map of Skyrim and tremble
We know how you roll. November 11 and, thus, Skyrim, is coming up fast. You've been planning for weeks with Griswoldian fervor, deciding exactly how you will tour the vast countryside offered up by the latest Elder Scrolls. Something, however, was missing ... ... until now, that is! Bethesda has revealed the game's expansive map by way of the Igromir expo in Russia. Lucky attendees walked away from the event with a copy of said map and, fortunately for the rest of the world, a member of ElderScrolls.net was kind enough to post an image online. Said image was even subsequently translated into English. Now, gaze upon it. Gaze upon it and dream.
Skyrim voice cast announced: Max Von Sydow, Christopher Plummer, Joan Allen, et al
And when the truth finally dawns, it dawns in fire. But there's one they fear. In their tongue, he's Dovahkiin: Dragonborn! If you're anything like us, you can hear Swedish thespian Max Von Sydow reciting those lines in your head. Renowned for his roles in films like The Seventh Seal (just one of eleven films made with director Ingmar Bergman!), The Excorcist, and Strange Brew, Von Sydow famously lent his voice to the trailer for Bethesda's upcoming epic, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. But his role doesn't start and stop at the trailer; Von Sydow plays "Esbern, a chronicler and agent of the Blades who has survived in hiding." Our guess: Von Sydow, like Liam Neeson and Patrick Stewart before him, will duck out quickly. Even if Von Sydow's role is short-lived, Bethesda brings word of several other high-profile actors appearing in Skyrim. Christopher Plummer, best known as Captain Georg von Trapp in The Sound of Music, plays "Arngeir, a powerful Greybeard elder" and part of "an order of philosopher monks." Considering it says here that the Greybeards "live in silent isolation atop Skyrim's largest mountain," we're unsure how much actual speaking is involved in Plummer's role. Also, making her video game debut is Joan Allen, perhaps best known as CIA Deputy Director Pamela Landy in the Bourne films. Allen plays "Delphine, one of the last remaining members of the Blades – an ancient warrior society once sworn to protect the Emperor." Other cast members include "Wonder Woman" Lynda Carter (who is married to Zenimax chairman and CEO Robert A. Altman), Michael Hogan, Vladimir Kulich, Claudia Christian, Diane Louise Salinger, Renee Victor, and George Coe. But if you want to know more about them, you'll have to Google 'em yourselves.
Bethesda: Wii U Skyrim 'definitely a possibility'
Now, we don't want you to get your adorable little hopes up, so keep the indefinite nature of the universe in mind when we say that Bethesda's VP of Marketing Pete Hines has told Official Nintendo Magazine UK that a Wii U port of The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim is "definitely a possibility." Hines said that Bethesda will "look at any platform" that can support the studio's games as they are designed, meaning that Nintendo's latest would have to be able to support the weight of a full port, rather than a system-exclusive approximation. In related news, the world record for simultaneous Skyrim boners was shattered 24 seconds ago as the entire Wii U community joined the tally.
Fan-made trailer pays tribute to Skyrim using Team Fortress 2
If you thought footage of Skyrim up until now has been epic, then you should check out this fan-made homage made with Team Fortress 2. The only thing it's missing is an infinite number of dragons!
Come, watch 20 minutes of Skyrim gameplay
So much Skyrim-ing! Lap up part one above and circle around past the break for the rest of the 20-minute experience with Game Director/Executive Producer Todd Howard. What's that? Dragons? Hmm, not sure if it has those. Guess you'll have to watch. (P.S.: Don't be stupid. It's got all the dragons.)
