Open World

I have a lot to say about The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, and indeed I've already said some of it. Some of it has been said for me, for instance in Shamus Young's takedown of the Thieves' Guild quests, which after a promising start became too intolerable for me to bother completing. Uneven writing quality is almost a certainty in a game this large, though, and perhaps it was the Thieves' Guild's time, after being one of the best sidequests in Oblivion.

Away from Home on the Range

HIGH Chatting with Follows-Chalk.

LOW Joshua's reaction when I told him Caesar was dead.

WTF Getting high and hunting bears.

Nose First into the Dirt

HIGH The moment I decided never to touch the Desmond missions again.

LOW Losing a race to someone who isn't actually going through the checkpoints.

WTF Spawning, losing my contract, and getting stabbed in the face within the span of about ten seconds. Doesn't this sound familiar?

Don't Lose Your Head

HIGH Realizing who Christine was.

LOW Can't... find... forceps...

WTF Why was the story's climactic encounter so confusing?

So, it's been a while since I've posted anything. Honestly, I blame Fallout: New Vegas. In fact, I blame it for anything else I haven't gotten done over the last couple of weeks. It's a pretty fantastic title.

They Rolled the Dice and it Came Up Seven

HIGH My personal balls-out resolution to the Ultra-Luxe Casino quest.

LOW Getting confused and stuck in Vault 22—twice.

WTF Even after the last patch, several big bugs and glitches remain.

Here's the final piece of our interview with Kellee Santiago of thatgamecompany, creators of Flower and the upcoming Journey!

In this episode, we discuss not only their forthcoming and beautiful new game, but also the workings of their unique company and their relationship with Sony.

Thanks again for watching! We've a new blog up at stateofplayshow.com; and come back in January for our interview with Jonathan Blow!

Beautifully Boring

HIGH Climbing to the top of a mountain, seeing a location far off in the distance, and being able to travel to it.

LOW The endless series of repetitive filler quests that do nothing but pad the game's running time.

WTF Why is it okay that the main quest is so boring that people brag about not completing it?

It's the Journey, not the Destination

HIGH The culmination of the Dark Brotherhood questline.

LOW Being spoken to as a Nord, even though I'm an Argonian.

WTF *Shoots child in the face with an arrow* Stop! You're under arrest! *pays 1500 gold* Okay, you're free to go.

Brad's back with a vengeance, smacking down accusations that he's playing The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim incorrectly. Also: The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, Corpse Party, Fate/Extra, and, at last, our semi-epic fight over Batman: Arkham City. Plus: Details on how you can win BIG in our BIG holiday contest. With Brad Gallaway, Mike Bracken, Richard Naik, and Tim "BIG" Spaeth.

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Links:

• Batman: Arkham City Review
• Corpse Party Review
• Fate/Extra Review
• The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Review
• The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Second Opinion

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