The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (often referred to as Skyrim) is a single-player role-playing video game developed by Bethesda Game Studios and published by Bethesda Softworks. It is the fifth installment in The Elder Scrolls action fantasy video game series, following The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. The game was announced on December 11, 2010 at the Spike Video Game Awards with a release date of November 11, 2011. Skyrim will use a brand new engine built by Bethesda not used in any previous releases.

The primary antagonist in this installment of Elder Scrolls is the great dragon Alduin. New enemies to the series include mountain giants, frost trolls, frost spiders, ice wraiths, were-yetis and the modified undead who are no longer mere skeletons but decomposing undead warriors. Skyrim is the northernmost region in all of Tamriel, and its geology consists of mountainous and snowy regions. The architecture and atmosphere is very similar to the town of Bruma in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. It is the least populated of all regions in Tamriel, featuring less lush forests and grassy areas than Cyrodiil. There will be changes in your interaction with NPCs, specifically the camera will no longer zoom in on their face, but the NPC will continue to interact with the environment, so they may turn back to their work (chopping wood, serving alcohol) while talking to you. The combat has undergone some changes as well, as it is now possible to dual-wield weapons and spells. Therefore you could have multiple combinations, such as a dagger and a longsword, or two of the same spell that will amplify its power. Another feature named 'Dragon Shouts' will be introduced, and the player is possibly one of the last of the Dragonborn. Dragon Shouts can go from simply flinging an enemy against a wall, to actually calling on a dragon with its true name to aid you in battle. Dragon Shouts can be obtained by finding them along the walls of dungeons. The option to choose from one of the 10 races of Tamriel is still available. There are no longer classes, but you will level up with each level you ascend to in blade, block, destruction and so on. Mysticism is no longer present as a skill but its spells are distributed between the other schools of magic.

References GameInformer magazine