'Skyrim' is an amazing, immersive experience

Skyrim is the best game ever. No, I’m serious. It is Half-Life 2 good. It is like Ocarina of Time’s older brother who was addicted to steroids but then went to India to cleanse himself with gurus. After he found his peace, he came to Cambridge to read European and Scandanavian History. He might have skipped a programming class or two.
There are jitters in the game. Sometimes characters look like they are standing on glass. They may shake uncontrollably. This game has numerous tech glitches. Technical flaws aside, this game is flawless. With an endless landscape, an incredible graphics engine, and the game's existential approach to storywriting, Skyrim creates a fully immersive experience. The game stars as-per-usual with the Elder Scrolls series; your character begins as an unknown prisoner. You effectively have no past. After you are (SPOILERS) freed as a prisoner in the first three minutes of the game (/SPOILERS) you are free to roam an area so vast, I can only compare it to hoofing it from one side of Metro-Atlanta to the other.

There are no backdrops. Ever. If you see a mountain in the distance you can climb to the top of that mountain. As I hear whispers around campus from all the buzz surrounding Modern Warfare 98, I must say, don’t buy that crap. Don’t buy any of that crap. Buy Skyrim. If you don’t have a computer that can run it, then buy it and play it on a friend’s console . I’m serious. Even if you have never played an RPG before. Even if your only game is NBA 2K9 and all you do is play as LeBron James. Even if you already bought it (kidding). If you haven’t heard of this game, then you either don’t play video games (read: you have a life) or you have been living under one big rock. This is the closest that modern Americans will come to fighting trolls, slaying dragons and drinking mead by the flagon. I suggest drinking mead and playing Skyrim.

Word of Caution: you will not be able to put it down. It might be prudent to wait until you are finished with your finals for Skyrim. Some intrepid gamers (read: neckbeards) logged in 100 play hours in the long weekend following the games release. This is especially impressive considering most three day periods only last 72 hours.

Skyrim goes deep. Like Mines of Moria deep. In the beginning of my game, some virtual schmuck made the mistake of trash talking my character, who of course pummeled him. This guy was a significant figure in the game. Later on I was randomly attacked by three marauders. It seemed especially unusual because they were uniformed and organized. They were contract killers. After dispatching them, I looted their possessions. I found a note. It was a hit. It was issued by the guy I roughed up at the start of the game. If I stumble upon a non-player character who I interacted with before, they will remember me. It is weird. Creepy, even. Whatever, I’m going to go play again. I can see that my normal life isn't going to happen over the next few days. Until I finish this game, my life is going to be slaying dragons. I have no problem with that. This game gets 4.5 out of 5 Septims.