The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, the fifth installment of the popular open-world series Elder Scrolls, went on sale at midnight on Friday for $59.99 for PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360.
PCMag's Matthew Murray called Skyrim the best installment to date. "Bethesda Game Studios has outdone even its superlative work in Oblivion to create a hyper-realistic gaming environment where nature itself becomes magical," he wrote in his review, in which he gave it an Editor's Choice award. "You honestly never know what lies beyond that bend in the road up ahead, or what you'll see when you reach the crest of that hill you're climbing."
Skyrim takes place 200 years after The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, this time in the land of Skyrim, far north of the universe of Tamriel. The High King has been assassinated and Skyrim is being torn apart by an ongoing battle between the two leaders who want to fill the power gap: Tullius, the imperial military governor of the province, and Ulfric Stormcloak, who heads up the rebel faction determines to secede from the Empire at any cost. As with the preceding Elder Scrolls game, you begin as a prisoner, only to be saved by a dragon.
From there you choose your allegiances and, well, live. The Elder Scrolls series is open-ended, in that you can move at your own pace and explore details as much as you want. For instance, you can set yourself up as a warrior, a wizard, or a pickpocketing miscreant—of either gender and of any of 10 species. After that you can hunt for food, buy real estate, find a job, and perhaps pick up spellcraft and alchemy.
For more, see PCMag's full review and the slideshow below.