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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!
Bethesda tempted by A Game of Thrones adaptation
If you're a lover of fantasy books, fantasy video games or -- God help you -- both, you're going to want to sit down for this one. According to a report from EGM (relayed by VG247) Bethesda was in talks to adapt George R.R. Martin's supremely popular Game of Thrones book series into a video game. That's right: The Elder Scrolls people almost brought the Song of Ice and Fire to your favorite video game console. We'll give you a minute to go grab your inhaler. What ruined this dream collabo? Skyrim. Stupid. Terrible. Skyrim.
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.)
Vampirism infects Skyrim
Skyrim will offer the option to play as a vampire via a communicable disease, just as in previous Elder Scrolls titles, Bethesda game director Todd Howard confirmed to G4. These aren't your little sister's vampires -- being a bloodsucker will completely transform how the game is played, and features progressive vampiric levels, damage taken from sunlight and the ability to feed on unsuspecting, sleeping victims. No word yet on if sparkles will be a part of the Skyrim vampires' arsenal, but we'll make sure to tell Tiger Beat as soon as we find out.
Skyrim's promotional army of Dragonborn coming for you
The most important part of any transaction is the close, when the salesperson in question has to be just a little bit aggressive and really "ask" for the sale. But we worry Bethesda might have overdone the aggressive thing just a tad with these bronzed Dragonborn statues headed to a retailer near you. Good luck buying any game not called Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim after November 11, what with Dovahkiin glowering over you, the smell of mutton and mead still thick on his breath. "Uncharted 3, peon? That's what you're buying? Well, I hope you're not split on the decision!" ... Oh, sorry, he cuts you in half with a battle axe when he says the "split" part. Forgot to mention.
Bethesda's Todd Howard not interested in an Elder Scrolls MMO
Whenever the subject of untapped RPG franchises that could make the jump to MMOs comes up, Bethesda's Elder Scrolls series is almost always mentioned. After all, if Blizzard and BioWare made the jump, why not the folks behind Oblivion? In talking with our sister site Joystiq at PAX, Bethesda's Todd Howard fields the question with blunt honesty. "I like this kind of game better," he said. "You know, it's what most of us are into. I'm not really an MMO guy. I respect them, I look at them, but I don't play them. It feels more real to me when I'm the hero and it's crafted for that. A community aspect to it, I recognize a lot of people would want that in a game like this, but it changes the flavor for me. Of course, one man's feelings toward the genre aren't always enough to stave off corporate demands, but Howard says that isn't the case: "We can just do our thing, and it's kind of grown with each game. So there was no pressure from anybody above me to say 'Hey, you need to change this.'" That doesn't mean Bethesda will forever abstain from MMOs, however. Bethesda's parent company, ZeniMax Media, built an MMO customer support facility in Ireland earlier this year, an indication that online gaming may very well be in the company's future.
Todd Howard on Skyrim's worthwhile glitches, MMOs and when big is big enough
November 11 is fast approaching and that means that Bethesda Game Director/Executive Producer Todd Howard and company are putting the finishing touches on The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. But with a game this massive, is there really such a thing as "finished"? How do you know? "I guess we just kind of know," Howard told us at PAX. "Content wise, we want to have a lot, and we want it to work well together. Mainly we're looking for a saturation of activity -- is there always something to do, without being overwhelmed. As the project goes on, we're finding areas where there isn't enough to do, and we keep adding. So the game always ends up a lot bigger than we anticipated.%Gallery-120207%
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim preview: Dovahkiind of wonderful
"Oh that? That's old man McElroy's house. People say he hasn't left since Nov. 11, 2011. I guess a video game came out that day -- it was on a disc, if you remember those -- called The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and he just never, ever left after he started playing it. It's very sad. But they say he warned everyone in a preview he wrote at PAX Prime 2011. They say he played an hour and knew right then that his time as part of human society was limited." %Gallery-131028%
First two Skyrim DLC packs heading to Xbox 360 first
When The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim arrives in stores this November (likely by way of carrier dragon), it'll assuredly feature many, many hours of content. Nevertheless, gamers will want more, and Bethesda has promised post-launch content to be of the "substantial" variety. The first two pieces of that content will arrive exclusively on Xbox Live Marketplace at least "30 days before it's available anywhere else." Bethesda revealed the news this morning via press release, which also indicated we'll see more than two "add-on content drops" for Skyrim after the game launches. Given the kind of expansions we've seen for the Fallout titles and Oblivion, we expect the folks at Bethesda have some serious plans in mind for DLC support.
Skyrim allows same-sex marriages
Rest assured, your planned Khajit/Khajit marriage in Skyrim is a total possibility, even if you're both the same gender. Pete Hines, VP of PR and marketing at Bethesda confirmed as much via his Twitter account while responding to questions from fans. Initially he said, "You can marry anyone," and he clarified later that he meant "Not any NPC, just mean any male or female. Doesn't matter what you're playing." While we'd like to say being free to marry the life form of your choosing is super awesome, we'd rather suggest you exercise caution. You can't just fall for the first Dunmer that comes along. Get out there, steal some peoples' pants, fist-fight a few dragons. Then maybe settle down.%Gallery-131613%
