This game, simply put? My childhood in a nutshell. I was psyched to see that it was on Steam, after my obnoxiously long playthrough of the Xbox version. I didn't know what to think of the game when I first started, to be perfectly honest. That day my brother threw it to me and said he didn't like it, I took it upon myself to learn about this game and see what it was about.

Boy, was I in for an adventure.

I don't think I had ever heard of the Elder Scrolls series before I picked up this game. I took it as one of those silly, few hour adventure games that I could simply blow through and not care what was going on. The moment I stepped off that boat at Seyda Neen...yeah, I was DEAD wrong. I immediately jumped into the story with a hybrid thief/warrior build Argonian that I took it upon myself to name 'Trogdor,' due to my at-the-time obsession with Homestar Runner, and the plot literally sucked me in. I could play this game for HOURS and never get bored. Just exploring the environment and doing the main questline was enough to keep me interested. The characters were definitely memorable than I thought they would be, and the story really made me wonder why my brother had tossed it aside so quickly.

One of the points I have to make is about the combat system. Since this game was the prequel to Oblivion, it's to be expected. Back then, I really didn't care about weapon accuracy being based on your weapon proficiency, but when you're constantly exchanging blows with your opponent, you can't help but rage when you only hit about 10% of the time. That is, until you've got about 70-80 in your preferred weapon type. Jumping back from Skyrim or Oblivion...it may be a bit difficult to adjust from being able to land every hit on your opponent at level 1. Enemy movement is also a little bit clunky, but it just takes a bit of time to get used to.

The endgame had to have been one of my most favorite parts of the game, especially when you're mowing down enemies with more powerful enchanted weapons and spells. It may become a bit unbalanced, but, come on, you're the Nerevarine. Does it really matter? The extra content and locations provided by the DLC also add to the experience, especially scaling the enemies to a more comfortable and somewhat challenging level.

All in all though, I'd definitely recommend this game for anybody looking to get into an engrossing RPG with branching questlines and a memorable world. For those of you that prefer a more...streamlined experience, you can't go wrong with the many graphics and combat system overhaul mods that are out there. Give it a try, see if you like it.

This game, simply put? My childhood in a nutshell. I was psyched to see that it was on Steam, after my obnoxiously long playthrough of the Xbox version. I didn't know what to think of the game when I first started, to be perfectly honest. That day my brother threw it to me and said he didn't like it, I took it upon myself to learn about this game and see what it was about. Boy, was I in for an adventure. I don't think I had ever heard of the Elder Scrolls series before I picked up this game. I took it as one of those silly, few hour adventure games that I could simply blow through and not care what was going on. The moment I stepped off that boat at Seyda Neen...yeah, I was DEAD wrong. I immediately jumped into the story with a hybrid thief/warrior build Argonian that I took it upon myself to name 'Trogdor,' due to my at-the-time obsession with Homestar Runner, and the plot literally sucked me in. I could play this game for HOURS and never get bored. Just exploring the environment and doing the main questline was enough to keep me interested. The characters were definitely memorable than I thought they would be, and the story really made me wonder why my brother had tossed it aside so quickly. One of the points I have to make is about the combat system. Since this game was the prequel to Oblivion, it's to be expected. Back then, I really didn't care about weapon accuracy being based on your weapon proficiency, but when you're constantly exchanging blows with your opponent, you can't help but rage when you only hit about 10% of the time. That is, until you've got about 70-80 in your preferred weapon type. Jumping back from Skyrim or Oblivion...it may be a bit difficult to adjust from being able to land every hit on your opponent at level 1. Enemy movement is also a little bit clunky, but it just takes a bit of time to get used to. The endgame had to have been one of my most favorite parts of the game, especially when you're mowing down enemies with more powerful enchanted weapons and spells. It may become a bit unbalanced, but, come on, you're the Nerevarine. Does it really matter? The extra content and locations provided by the DLC also add to the experience, especially scaling the enemies to a more comfortable and somewhat challenging level. All in all though, I'd definitely recommend this game for anybody looking to get into an engrossing RPG with branching questlines and a memorable world. For those of you that prefer a more...streamlined experience, you can't go wrong with the many graphics and combat system overhaul mods that are out there. Give it a try, see if you like it.