'If you want us to stop releasing it, stop buying it'

At E3 this year, Bethesda poked fun at the joke that The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is available on basically everything. They did this not only with a funny trailer but by releasing an actual working version of the game for Alexa devices (even if it was hardly a game). Skyrim is one of the most successful video games released in the past few years, but surely people have? had their fill. The title originally launched seven years ago, so there can't still be people playing it...right?

At Gamelab this past week, Geoff Keighley sat down with Bethesda's Todd Howard and talked about the success of Skyrim and its many re-releases. As Howard put it, "Even now, the amount of people who play Skyrim seven years lat?er; millions of people every month are playing that game. That's why we keep releasing it. If y??ou want us to stop releasing it, stop buying it." It's hard to argue with that logic.

Howard went on to elaborate that he wants the worlds that Bethesda creates to be sustainable for longer periods. Instead of plopping out yearly sequels or contrived spin-offs, Howard likes the idea of a single setting being sustainable for longer dur?ations. "Every year there's a new idea we can't do, and a new technology for something th??at excites us," Howard states. "I'd say I want it to be sustainable. Eventually, there will come a day where I'm not making games at Bethesda...But I want to make sure that who we are...that's sustainable far beyond me."

"Millions of people" are still playing Skyrim every month [GamesIndustry.biz]

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'it's not something we're actively doing'

At last year's E3, Bethesda unveiled the "Creation Club" for Skyrim and Fallout 4. Available on PC, PS4 and Xbox One, it was a way for Bethesda is (essentially) monetize mods from the community. More importantly, it was bringing more content to the console versions of the games without having to be 100% official. When it was later announced that Skyrim would be heading to Switch, the Creation Club was ??curiously absent.

In the seven or so months since that Switch version hit store shelves, we still haven't heard anything about mods coming to Nintendo's platform. Speaking with Eurogamer at Gameslab last week, Bethesda's Todd Howard confirmed that the studio is not currently working on modding capabilities for Skyrim Switch.

When questioned about future support for the Switch version, Howard said, "Skyrim Switch has a big community that we haven't supported the way we'd like." When pressed about how Bethesda intends to change that, Howard continued, "Right now, we're doing nothing. People, they're on other things. Our Switch group did Fallout Shelter... and that's done really we??ll. I'm surprised at how well it's done...We would love to see it happen but it's not somethin??g we're actively doing."

While this doesn't completely rule out mods ever hitting the platform, Bethesda is simply not working on it at the moment. That sucks to hear, but I'm honestly not surprised. It would be amazing to have mods available in every version of the game, but this is likely an issue with Nintendo more than Bethesda. As we all famously know, Sony has far stricter policies on modding than Microsoft, so Skyrim on PS4 ends up getting shafted on user creations. Likely, Nintendo is being? cautious about what can be on the platform, so Bethesda probably has its hands tied.

Eithe?r way, don't hold out hope for mods to land on th?e Switch anytime soon.

Don't get your hopes up for mods in Skyrim Switch [Eurogamer]

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Buy Skyrim for the fourth time

Praise be to Todd, now the last 5% of the population who didn't already own Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim will be able to play the Special Edition of it for the weekend thanks to a Steam promotion. Also available to play for free this weekend is Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Wildlands which just received new DLC this week that paid tribute to Splinter Cell.

As it is with other free weekend promotions there are sales running on both games should you like what you played enough to keep playing past 1:00 PM PDT on Sunday. Ghost Recon's discount is 67%, while you can get Skyrim: Special Edition for 50% off the regular price.

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Primarily 4K support

Bethesda recently broke down its plans for Xbox One X support across a number of its games, including Wolfenstein II, The Evil Within 2, and Dishonored 2. One of the mild annoyances of owning the X (or the PlayStation 4 Pro) is knowing the exact benefits you're getting in these sorts of ??updates since that information isn't always available in one easy-to-glean spot. In this case, I appreciated the effort.

Today, two of the company's bigger releases -- Skyrim Special Edition and Fallout 4 -- were updated.

For Skyrim, there's 4K resolution support, which, simple enough. For Fallout 4, it's 4K support and an enhanced draw distance for trees, grass, objects, and NPCs, as well as enhanced God Ray effects. (Worth mentioning: both?? of these games employ dynamic resolution scaling.)

If you're curious, you can see a high-res image for the two titles here and here, respectively.

Bethesda Game Studios [Twitter]

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FUS-RO-last 30 seconds!

If you thought Bethesda's open-world adventure game would be ripe for the Switch's built-in video capture feature, then you're in for a treat. With a day-one patch, the game now supports the very limited functionality that the Switch offers. You'll be able to record the last 30 seconds of gameplay and potentially share some hilarious physics hi-jinks or a badass moment of strength. Maybe you can also chronicle how many people took arrows to the knee for the wh??ole world?

While I enjoy having some form of video capture, Nintendo's solution is kind of bare bones. At least you can edit the clip, but with the ability to have expandable ?storage via a micro SD card, there isn't any real reason why we should be limited to 30 seconds. That being said, maybe it is meant solely for those instances where you do something incredible and just want to remember it. I just wish it could do more.

Skyrim’s Day One patch adds video capture support [Vooks]

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It's random, but this should give you an idea

Owning every amiibo has its perks. Mainly,?? when i?t comes time to cover anything toy related in a Nintendo game, I'm there.

To make good on this madness, here's a rundown of what happens when you scan every Link amiibo released to date into The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim on Switch.

First, a quick overview of how it works.

In Skyrim Switch, the amiibo power is a spell -- you get it as soon as you have control of your character no matter what race or loadout you pick. To use an amiibo simply select the spell, press R (R1 for most controllers), and cast it on the ground -- a treasure chest will appear when you scan the figure to the NFC touchpoint. In other words, it's very similar to Breath of the Wild's functionali?ty. Each figure can be scanned once per 24 real life hours.

There's a 20% chance you'll unlock a special "Zelda" themed item like the Champion's Tunic or the Master Sword each time you scan a Link amiibo. Read: all the below items are not specific to any figure, they are random. For all other figures, random items can appear (special/unique items are italicized). For those of you who don't have amiibo you can still get a chest in-game with the Zelda items at the Throat of the World.

Twilight Princess Link

• Carrot (3)
• Gold (8)
• Juniper Berries
• Champion's Tunic

Smash Link

• Hide Shield
• Steel Arrow (4)
• Steel Greatsword
• Juniper Berries

Toon Link

• Master Sword
• Steel Arrow (5)
• Steel Warhammer
• Iron Greatsword

8-bit Link

• Iron Shield
• Iron Arrow (4)
• Honey Nut Treat
• Iron War Axe

Ocarina of Time Link

• Iron Arrow (5)
• River Betty
• Salmon Meat

Archer Link

• Iron Arrow (4)
• Slaughterfish Egg
• Hunting Bow

Skyward Sword Link

• Hylian Shield
• Juniper Berries
• Tomato (5)

Wind Waker Link

• Steel Arrow (6)
• Iron Sword (2)

Majora's Mask Link

• Carrot (5)
• Gold (4)
• Lavender

Rider Link

• Steel Arrow (6)
• Iron Battleaxe
• Blisterwart

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Get it before October 10

In late August, Bethesda's paid mod system (Creation Club) went into beta for Fallout 4. Even though the publisher gave people $1 worth of ?credits to play around with, the program was largely met with derision. Most of the mods were overpriced and underwhelming.

Today, the Creation Club comes to the Special Edition of Skyrim. Bethesda has a more considerable offering for this launch. Until October 10, Skyrim's "official" Survival mode is free.

Bethesda has gone to great lengths to detail Survival mode on its site, but it's pretty much what we've come to expect from this type of?? thing. Eat to stay alive, keep warm in freezing environments, sleep to fend off fatigue, no health regeneration, no fast ?travel -- that sort of stuff. 

After October 10, Survival reverts to its original price of 800 Creation Points, which equates to about $8. However, the two s??mallest points packs come in quantities of 750 and 1,500. That means that securing 800 points necessitates spending $15 and being saddled with an extra 700 points.

There are two ways to circumvent this gouging. The first and easiest method is to simply download this before October 10; it's available on PC, PS4, and Xbox One. The other (which Bethesda still encourages but doesn't put its official stamp on) is to download a free mod. Skyrim certainly isn't lacking in either survival modes or interesting third-party content. Here's a list of the n?early 11,500? mods across all platforms.

Skyrim Creation Club Now Live [Bethesda]

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And it's a paid mod

Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is the game that just won't go away. Whether or not you actually enjoyed the title, it has remained popular over the last s??ix years and Bethesda is gunning to keep it that way. We've seen a special edition remaster, the odd (and off-putting) "Creation Club", and now a brand new game mode!

Launching next week (although currently in beta on PC), "Survival Mode" will add a bunch of parameters to the main game such as hunger, fatigue and temperature meters as well as disabling automatic health regeneration and fast traveling. Leveling up also requires you to sleep in beds, similar to how Final Fantasy XV worked. It sounds a lot like the Frostfall mod that was available for the original game.

This new mode will only be available through th??e "Creation Club" for owners of the special edition and will be free for just one week. You read that right; in two weeks, you'll have to pay to experience Bethesda's vision of survival. Never change, Bethesda.

Skyrim Special Edition's All-New Survival Mode Coming Soon [Bethesda]

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Classic head-caving action, now in hand-held form!

The anticipated Switch port of the classic fantasy RPG Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim: Special Edition, will be landing on? the Nintendo device this November.

The beloved Bethesda title will be released on November 17. That's almost six years to the day the game was origin??ally launched on PS3, PC and Xbox 360, way back in 2011.

The Switch port has some interesting new tricks for the old dog, including Joy Con-exclusive mechanics for lock-picking, bow-firing and other chicanery. The port also features?? Zelda-themed items which can be unlocked via amiibo functionality.

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Who is this for?

[Update: It slipped through my ever vigilant eyes, but you'll be able to enjoy adventuring in Skyrim on Steam as well as Xbox One this weekend.]

If you've just learned what video games are this morning there's a chance you don't own a copy of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.

If you fit into this incredibly small group of people I have good news, you can play Skyrim for free on Xbox One this weekend.

This weekend #Xbox One users can return to Skyrim - for FREE - w/ our first ever free weekend for #SkyrimSpecialEdition pic.twitter.com/HCDjwkeSEg

— Bethesda (@bethesda) September 7, 2017

I'm not really sure who Beth??esda thinks this will persuade to buy the game at this point, but when everyone owns twelve copies of your game there really isn't a whole lot to lose?.

Xbox One Skyrim free weekend [Bethesda Twitter]

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One more time

We've seen trailers and even off-screen footage for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim on Nintendo Switch, but there's s??till plenty we don't know about this ?version. Bethesda hasn't exactly been forthcoming.

Digital Foundry briefly went hands-on with Skyrim this week?? at gamescom, sharing both footage of the game in handheld mode and their thoughts about how the port is shaping up technically.

If you're just generally on board with "portable Skyrim," th?ings are looking good. Otherwise, if you've had your fill of the game with prior versions, yo??u'll likely want to sit this one out.

"It's the consistency in performance that's really impressive, especially compared to the last-gen versions of the game," notes Digital Foundry. "The wobbly frame-rates with hitching and stuttering during traversal and combat simply aren't an issue on Switch: that 30 frames per second is as close to locked as you're going to get. [...] To what extent Bethesda is tapping into the full range of Special Edition fea??tures for the Switch version remains unclear, but certainly the consistency in performance is very much like the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 releases we saw last year."

And, for an off-screen look at Skyrim running in docked mode, GameXplain has us covered.

Aside from portability, which will be enough of a draw for some, this port will have Zelda-inspired gear earned from amiibo? and optional motion controls for combat and lockpicking. I'm good, thanks.

Digital Foundry: Hands-on with Skyrim on Switch [Eurogamer]

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Legendary RPG now (kinda) pocket size

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim was announced for the Nintendo Switch way back at the st??art of the year. But now, footage of the game in action has sur??faced out of San Diego Comic-Con.

The dude responsible for the clip is Youtuber FILIP, who shot the footage off-screen due to The Big N's "No direct captu??re" rule. FILIP's video also contains his impressions of the game, and he seems pleased?? with the quality of the port.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, which also features exclusive content and features, such as optional motion controls, a lockpicking mechanic, Zelda costumes and amiibo co??mpatibility, is expected for release later this year.

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Trick weapons and stylish leather

There aren't too many similarities between Bloodborne and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. They play wildly different from one another. The dimly lit gothic architecture of Yharnam is a far cry from Skyrim's snow-capped mountains. One has a thing for aliens and menst??rual blood. The other, well, it'??s more concerned with arrows and knees.

But a talented modder by the name of Vicn managed to blend both worlds together. Vicn's transported Bloodborne's hunters, trick weapons and all, to Skyrim in the Glenmoril mod.

Glenmoril adds some of Bloodborne's iconic weapons and outfits to Skyrim, effectively allowing players to live out their own version of the Hunt. It's a trip to see the Hunte?r Pistol fir??ed at Draugr, especially from a first-person perspective.

Vicn's work is more than just a few new pieces of equipment, too. Glenmoril's current form contains an episodic questline, Little Red Riding Hood, for players to complete. More episodes are planned for future updates, according to PC Gamer.

Though it's unlikely that Bloodborne will ever see a full PC release, Glenmoril gives players a cha?nce to experience a taste of Yharnam from their computer. 

This Skyrim mod brings Bloodborne to Tamriel [PC Gamer]

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Dialog not confirmed to be limited to HYAH!

While not much was shown off of Skyrim for the Switch, Bethesda dropped a bomb shell that amiibo support will be included. While we're not sure of the full extent of which amiibo will be supported, at least the archer Link from Breath of the Wild will unlock a costume, weapons and even a Zelda themed chest. The Switch port will also include? motion controls and comes with all of the expansions?? for the game.

I'm not sure if I care enough about Skyrim to buy another version of it, but putting in some Nintendo themed extras is a nice way to show that Bethesda finally cares about the Big N. Hopefully we'll learn more about whether this is the Special Edition (which included mod support) o??r not from the show floor.

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From Bethesda itself as well as third parties

Bethesda is breathing life into some old classics in the form of Creation Club, a "collection of new game content for Skyrim and Fallout 4" that includes new weapons, armor, accessories and other things made by both Bethesda employees and outside creators.  It's all totally sanctioned by Bethesda so it will definitely work with your game -- whereas mods can cause some problems with existing save data and things like that.&nb?sp;

Creation Club is coming this s?ummer to PS4, Xbox One, and PC.

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You're now limited to 150 mods on Xbox One, 100 on PS4

The issue of mod support in the console versions of Fallout 4 and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim: Special Edition has always been a little strange.

Back in 2015, it was announced that the then-upcoming Fallout 4 would support user-created mods on both the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. While the game did get post-launch mod support within about seven months after its launch on the Xbox One side?? of thi??ngs, the situation significantly more complex for PS4 users.

Firstly, the patch that would enable mod support for Fallout 4 on the PS4 was hit with numerous delays, before eventually being cancelled outright. Bethesda then confirmed at a later date that yes, both it and the port of Skyrim for the PS4 would include the feature, albeit with some heavy restrictions. Notably, Fallout 4 and Skyrim were unable to dedicate as much disk space to mods on the PS4 as they could on Microsoft's home console. Alongside that, mods wer??en't able to utilise any form of external assets.

Well, it seems as if this entire ordeal is not yet over, as Bethesda has now placed even more restrictions on mods for both the Xbox One and PS4 versions of Fallout 4 and Skyrim.

As of the most recent updates for the console versions of both Fallout 4 and the current-gen port of Skyrim, a new limit has been imposed on the number of mods that a player can have active at any one time. This is to go alongside the storage constraints that were previously thrust upon console mods for Bethesda's open-world sandboxes, and?? the vari??ous limitations to this feature that were mandated by Sony for it to be compatible with the PS4 in the first place.

Essentially, on the Xbox One, players of either Fallout 4 or Skyrim are now only able to run the games with up to 150 mods active at any time. You will be able to install more mods, however, and you can enable or disable them at your leisure. This number is even smaller on the?? PS4, which only allows for 100 mods to be active at any given moment.

While these figures may seem somewhat restrictive, a representative from Bethesda has pointed out on the company's forums that this mod cap may change in the future, and was added due ?to concerns about the overall stability of these titles.

"The mod limits implemented this week to Fallout 4 and Skyrim Special Edition has been put in place based on our internal testing for stability to the game. With the new caps, some players will not be able to reach the full storage limit for mods, but the additional storage capacity will allow for you to have larger mods within the 150/100 cap. This is a st?arting point, and it may be adjusted."

Of course, this does further increase the disparity between the Xbox One and PS4 versions of Bethesda's games as far as mod support is concerned. After all, not only do the games have fewer installable mods on Sony's home console, but due to their inability to utilise external assets, they also lack ones that should be deemed as absolute necessities, such as the brilliant "Macho Dragon Mod" for Skyrim.

Considering that a recent Best Buy listing for the Nintendo Switch port of Skyrim has indicated that th??is version of the game?? will also feature mod support, I do have to wonder wha??t kind of restrictions will be imposed on the feature in the event that it does make it to the upcoming handheld/home console hybrid. This is provided that the listing itself is accurate, however.

Either way, if you hold the opinion that mod support is a significant selling point for these games, you may just want to stick to the PC ports, as they lack these the arbitrary restrictions placed upon the console versions of Bethesda's titles. Then again, it's always possible that Bethesda and Valve may attempt to monetise them on PC again.

Recent Fa??llout 4, Skyrim Updates Put A New Cap On PS4/Xbox One Mods [GameSpot]

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Is it in the cards?

Bethesda must be bound by one hell of an NDA, as they barely even confirmed Skyrim for the Switch over the past few weeks, even though we saw footage of it during the Switch reveal! It's a weird situation, and at this point, we still don't have a?ny real details. That includes mod support.

While all signs point to Nintendo being even more stringent than Sony, given that they have little to no experience with mods on their platforms, a recent Best Buy listing indicates that "PC-like mod support" is confirmed for the Switch version. Now, the rest of the details are specific to the Special Edition of the game on PS4 and Xbox One, so it could be a misnomer, and we've reached out to Bethesda for clarification. Is this a full-on Special Edition port with ??all the bells and whistles? O??r is it its own thing?

We don't expect to hear anything back though, because outside of a "fall" wind?ow, which was practically forced out of them, we simply don't have any real facts about this port.

Skyrim [Best Buy] Thanks Corey!

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Praise Talos

Whenever an update comes along for just about anything on PC, it breaks shit. It can be as minor as a small graphical upgrade for World of Warcraft making certain add-ons obselete, or as big as say, Skyrim: Special Edition completely overhauling the game and making hundreds, if n??ot thousands of mods inoperable.

But naturally modders work tirelessly to get their stuff up to date to counter the publisher's code, and that's just what the Script Extender team is doing now. They're aiming for a March release for their new version, which is now being identified as "SKSE64" -- in short, it's a valuable script of sorts that allows other mods to exist by adding more functionality to Skyrim beyond what Bethesda gave us.

It's crazy how far mods have come since simple maphacks t?hat I used to work on as a kid, and because of people like this, PC gami??ng will never die.

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Watch the sky

There’s something breathtaking about the sky at night. When the sun slinks away, the sky becomes a black canvas for constellations and alien planets. A clear night is a perfect night for ?stargazing, especially when the moon is your only companion.

Speaking of moons, this morning was the closest that the little rock has come to Earth in over fifty years. Smart people call this astronomical event a supermoon. I call it a good time to post about silly Skyrim: Special Edition mods.

Even less than a month after its release, Skyrim: Special Edition has fostered hundreds of mods for players to install. Hard-working mod?ders have made it possible for players to tweak, ?improve, and alter just about every facet of the open-world game. 

In celebration of the supermoon, I decided it was high time to see what kind of moon mods I could find. Within a few minutes of searching, I was able to turn tranquil Skyrim evenings into strange abominations. 

The Harambe Moon mod is pretty much the low-hanging fruit of Skyrim moon replacements. Installing the mod puts the late gorilla's fa?ce up among the stars, where he can watch over all of Skyrim's citizens with a blank expression. Harambe deserved better than this.

"RIP my one true friend," writes the mod's author on its download page. So maybe this mod was an act of grieving?. Either way, it's kind of strange to see an animal's head f??loating in the sky.

Another animal/moon mashup. T?his time, we've got a corgi guarding the night sky. I love corgis, so this mod is more than okay in my ??book.

Corgis have big personalities, but really small legs. It's only fitting that this mod allows corgis to be seen as ?they see themselves. Goofy little dudes who illuminate the lives of everyone they meet.

The 'Doge and Corgi Moon replacer' mod is a must for canine lovers.

Finally, there's 'Bob Ross' Happy Little Moon.' 

Bob Ross knew what a good moon looked like. Plenty of his paintings captu??red tranquil, snowing settings lit by the moon's soft translucent glow. 

This moon mod brings Ross' le??gacy ?full circle. After creating so many wintery wonderlands, Ross himself gets to become part of one. That's about as touching as it gets.

The post Celebrate the supermoon with these Skyrim??: Special Edition mod??s appeared first on Destructoid.

Spend $400, lose performance

While I'm no fan of the recently released PS4 Pro, the idea of having 1080p games run at a consistent 60 frames per second is very enticing. I'd love to experience Bloodborne with better performance (if it ever gets a patch) or have any poorly optimized games (inFamous: Second Son) run nicer. I guess that wasn't to be, at least as far as Eurogamer and Digital Foundry have discovered.

While not every title with Pro enhancements is running worse, a lot of key titles offer downgraded performance for people on 1080p sets. I can definitely understand some dips in framerate in 4K mode, but why should ??a lower resolution suffer for features most users won't notice? For that matter, why is every game with a Pro pat?ch required to run in Pro mode?

The most damning that they talk about is Deus Ex: Mankind Divided and how the very first level runs at an almost constant 10 frame deficit. This comes down to the PS4 Pro being forced to super sample the textures, regardless of whether you want that or not. There are also issues with Skyrim: Special Edition, but I? don't think any Sony fans would be surprised by Bethesda's poor cod??ing skills.

For the moment, if you have a 1080p television and aren't planning on upgrading to 4K, it looks like sticking with the regular PS4 (or the Slim model) is the way to go. I would have figured that even with super sampling, games would run smoother due to the boost in GPU and CPU speeds, but I guess Sony messed up s?omewhere. Either that or developers are getting really lazy with their updates.

Why are some PS4 Pro titles running slowe??r than base hardware? [Eurogamer]

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Coming to you from beyond the veil

As I made my way through the world of Skyrim last week, a familiar feeling set in -- my quest isn't as joyous ??when I'm taking the critical path.

No, like most Bethesda games, the storie??s that you create on your own by doing random dumb act??s is where all the fun is. And if you're going the console route, mods don't hurt either.

So while I wouldn't really run out and tell anyone to get Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim: Special Edition, especially if you've played it already, it speaks to a certain crowd that will want to relive those ?tales all over again.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition (PC, PS4, Xbox One [reviewed])
Developer: Bethesda
Publisher: Bethesda
Released: October 28, 2016
MSRP: $39.99 (PC), $59.99 (PS4, Xbox One)

I'm straight-up unimpressed by the campaign, which was a weird feeling to have since it begged the question of whether or not it was ever justified. There's that honeymoon period with all open-world games where they feel better than they are, partially because you've invested so much into that one playthrough, so I never really rush to judgment with games like this -- especially when it ??comes to Bethesda's wheelhouse, which has a storied history of well...lacklus?ter stories.

A lot of aspects of Skyrim feel dated and glossed over by the special edition sheen, particularly the combat -- and especially on consoles. Selecting options without a mod like SkyUI is a chore, and if you're a caster on a controller, you're going to be fiddling with menus more than actually casting things. But a lot of that melted away over time, as Skyrim's world is a joy to explore in spite of those pratfall?s. One minute I'm spelunking around i?n Skeleton caves that have nothing to do with the main story for five hours, and the next I'm battling a dragon with the help of a town, unscripted.

The DLC also makes slight improvements on some of the core storylines -- but the key word here is slight. Dawnguard, one of two major campaigns, is rife wit?h glitches and mediocre writing, but gets the job done in the sense that it actually feels like a meaty addition. I'm also a sucker for vampires, and the aftermat??h of the DLC and the vampiric options within have a large impact on the duration of your current playthrough, which is a big plus. 

Hearthfire, one of those module-like things that Bethesda went overboard packing into the season pass for Fallout 4, is just as useless as it was years back. It's nice to have the option to build a home built in, but just like my first time with it, I spent five minutes fiddling about before ignoring it and moving on. If you really like the idea of a settlement, just try Fallout 4 or any other world-building game that does?? it better than both.

Dragonborn, the other big add-on, suffers in the sense that it draws too heavily on the ho-hum "dragon" shtick from Skyrim proper, but brings some form of closure to the narrative that the campaign never really does with a showdown with Miraak, the first Dragonborn. Solstheim isn't quite as unique as the Morrowind continent we got two Elder Scrolls ago, but it's a step up from many of the bland zones in Skyrim, and again, it has new items and dragon powers that can be brought back into the open world for more shenan??igans.

I warmed up to all of the visual upgrades the more I played and started to notice them a bit more. Rain doesn't clip through buildings anymore, and lighting, especially in caves, does look markedly improved. But the chief tweak I really enjoyed was the smooth framerate on consoles, and after digging into the mod support on Xbox One, I'm starting to see the light as well. The PS4 situation is much less desirable since you can't use outside assets (I recommend skipping it if you? can for posterity's sake), but the Xbox One already has a few substantial mods under its belt (from UI upgrades to full-on expansions), and it'll only go up from the?re.

If you didn't dig it way back when, Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim: Special Edition won't do much to change your mind. It's still impressively open, but once y?ou actually reach your objective marker, it morphs into a shallow experience with shaky writing. Mod support will? naturally help grease the wheels a bit, but make sure you stick to Xbox One if you're going the console route and stay on the beaten side path.

_{[This review is based on a retail build of the game purchased by the reviewer.]}

The post Review: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special? Editio??n appeared first on Destructoid.

Falskaar

It begins.

Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim: Special Edition has a big 'ol caveat on PS4 -- mods using outside assets are not supported. It's a big leg up for the PC and Xbox One edition, as they can rework some of the biggest adventures for the new version and move them right on over. That includes Falskaar, a gigantic user created adventure with a ne??w zone, characters, dungeons, and a questline -- all in, it's roughly 20 hours for roughly 600 MB of space.

Man, Sony is really screwing up lately. Microsoft had to make some moves because it was so woefully behin?d in the console race, but opening up its network for cross platform play (something that could make more of an impact if Nintendo gets on board with the Switch), flipping the switch for backward compatibility, and now full mod support -- these are great pro-consumer optio??ns.

Falskaar [Bethesda.net] Thanks Jeff!

The post Fus Ruh Roh Dah: One of the biggest Skyrim mods won’t come to PS4 appeared first on Destructoid.

THE MACHO!

One of the more hilarious mods for Skyrim was the "Macho Dragon Mod." While this didn't alter any quests or provide new content, it swapped all of the dragons in the game for some deformed Randy "Macho Man" ??Savage character model and sound clips. It ended up becoming an internet phenomenon

GameSpot had a short talk with the mod's creator, FancyPants, and he mentioned he was happy with the way Microsoft was handling mods for Skyrim. Reportedly having, "very few pro?blems porting," it seems FancyPants is happy to have his work getti??ng out to more gamers.

He also took some time to denounce Sony's limitations on modding. "I have no plans to make any [mods for PS4]. None of the modders I know are planning ?on making anything, either. I think a lot of players are going to be very disappointed."

Those are some pretty damning words for the PS4 version. I haven't heard anything about performance differences between the two console versions of Skyrim: Special Edition, what with Bethesda deeming it necessary to withhold review copies, but it hasn't had the best track record with regards to games on Sony hardware. The mod??ding issue isn't its fault, but it will more than likely further damn its image wit?h Sony fans.

Skyrim's Ma?cho Man Dragon Mod Coming to Xbox One, But No??t PS4 [GameSpot]

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Xbox One more so than PlayStation 4

Bethesda has brought back The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim with a re-release for PC and consoles. It's out today and, unsurprisingly, my feeds are freaking out. I'd say I forgot how big this game was in 2011, but I haven't. Skyrim never left us, thanks in large part to the continued efforts of talented mod make??rs.

While Chris has been chipping away at the main quest and lord knows plenty of side stuff for a full review of Skyrim: Special Edition, I'm o??ver here dealing with an army of sentien??t mannequin men.

Let's talk mods.

This is what you'll see once you head into the mod menu. It's functionally similar to how Bethesda lists out mods for Skyrim and Fallout 4 through Bethesda.net, with options to filter by categories like "user ?interface," "cheats," or ??"graphics." It gets the job done, though it's much faster to sort through listings, find what you're after, and queue the download on the website than it is inside the game.

Speaking of, you will need to create a Bethesda.net account. I know, I know. Thankfully, it only takes a minute, and linking it to your copy of Skyrim is as easy as logging in. Pretty painless.

Individual mod pages let you see pictures of what you're about to get yourself into, gloss ove?r the oftentimes unintentionally funny author description, report ne'er-do-wells, that sort of thing.

Notice that file size? On PlayStation 4, at least, mods tend to be minuscule. KB, not MB. Creators can't upload "external assets," so the ambitious total conversions and more out-there, original mods that we know and love don't have a place on PS4. (Blame Sony.) For that unfortunate reason, your best choice -- assuming you have a choice in platform -- is to play Skyrim: Special Edition on either Xbox One or PC.

O?nce you've loade??d up on mods and begun to play, this is what the in-game mod screen looks like, accessible from the pause menu. It shows a running total of what all you have enabled, and not much else. It's more of a quick reference guide than anything.

If you care about Achievements and Trophies, keep in mind that you won't be able to earn them in save files with mods activated. Per Bethesda, "When you play with Mods, a new character filter is cr??eated with their own set of saves and autosaves. Thes??e saves are marked with an [M] in the title. Your character and saved games pre-mod remain untouched and ready for you to go back to at any time."

How's the selection at launch? Better than expected. There are 128 mods for Xbox One and 50 mods for PlayStation 4 (that asset restriction really weighs this?? port down), about h??alf of which I've activated.

Here's a selection of what I have run?ning (again, these PS4 mods are more rudimen??tary):

Cuddles - A dream come true. "An accident at birth left her horribly disfigured. Teased as a child for her disfigured face and misshapen body, closely resembling that of a Hagraven she has hidden from the world in Riverside Shack. [...] You can also marry her, don't be put off by her appearance she is actually an excellent cook. I am not sure ?how she is with children so the risk is yours on that front. Wedding clothes and several Amulets of Mara ar??e on the table."

Invincible Dogs of Skyrim. "I don't know ?about you??, but when Meeko died I cried for days. I want make all dogs Invincible so other won't go through the pain of losing a loyal a faithful dog."

Ring Of Increased Carry Weight. "A simple mod t?hat adds a one? ring that gives the wearer 1000 points of extra carry weight per ring, and another that adds 1000000 carry weight."

Skyrim Mercenaries. "These NPCs are generated randomly from all Races and Sexes. They start at level 6 and level up as you progress thro?ugh the game. Equipment is from a Levelled List which means it will vary according to the level of the NPC."

YOU DON'T KNOW ME - No NPC Greetings. "NPCs will no longer start spewing their inner-m??onologue at you as soon as you're in earshot."

Less Yellow Filter. "This mod reduces the int??ensity of the godrays during clear / clo??udy / rainy weathers, mostly during dusk and dawn, which is what makes it look like the game has a yellow filter put on top of it."

Lore-Based Loading Screens. "Adds 160+ new loading screens steeped in Tamrielic lore. Become deeper immersed in the Elder Scrolls mythos with tons of quotes from in-game books (from Skyrim and past Elder Scrolls titles?), history, mythology, and little-known facts about the world of ?Tamriel."

Disable Cinematic Kills. "They are really awesome the first dozen or so times, but eventually (for me)?? they tend to cause combat to be oddly paced, or just take? too long to finish for my taste."

Less Aggressive Animals. "Are all animals suicidal or just stupid? You are large and potentially dangerous to them, and they have plenty of other weaker prey around, so they shouldn'??t need to hunt humans."

Haunted Mannequins. "Don't blink."

Whoops. Something must have gone awry.

Whoops.

WHOOPS!

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Coming to you from beyond the veil

Whelp, Bethesda isn't sending out review copies before launch anymore, even though it saw fit to send copies to YouTuber?s. So here we are at the launch of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition, and I'll be taking my time t??o go back through the game.

For now, here's some thoughts.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition (PC, PS4, Xbox One [reviewed])
Developer: Bethesda
Publisher: Bethesda
Released: October 28, 2016
MSRP: $39.99 (PC) $59.99 (PS4, Xbox One)

It's been years since I started a fresh story in Skyrim. I mostly piggybacked off of my insanely overpowered character that I started way back when, jumping back in to check out the latest total conversion mod and the occasional DLC release. But even during that high point I could never shake the fact that the realm of Skyrim itself wasn't as impressive as other areas of Tamriel, an observation that's still true today. The main questline is a lot less satisfying the second?? time around, and begs the question if it was ever good enough to warrant all of the "Fus Ro Dah" memes.

But like most Bethesda games with a mediocre core plot, it's all about the journey. The side quests and role-playing aspects are still phenomenally good. I love the interaction between races, and that while playing as a Dark Elf, folks constantly reference the providence of Morrowind. The lore is deep at this point, and it's wonderful, no matter how many times I've ran through the town of Whiterun. The faction quests (like the Dark Brotherhood) are still some of Bethesda's best work, and randomly fighting (or fleeing) dragons is thrilling. So is the concept of ??practicing a skill to augment it, and that feeling of hitting that first open-world vista while the soundtrack booms after finishing the intro.

Does the Special Edition look all that improved though? Not really. Even doing a side by side comparison with the 360 version, the devil is in the details. The coloring is brighter and stands out more, especially in the menus. The draw distance does look slightly better, and contains less instances of pop-in. I'm also getting less than three seconds of load times on the Xbox One on average, which is a plus. I didn't really notice th?e "volumetric god rays" and "dynamic depth of field" effects, and the character models look hella dated (comically so), but the engine gets the job done.

Where I'm really noticing issues though are (cue the drum roll) the bugs. I'm still encountering nearly all of the same glitches I did 2011, including clipping problems?, getting stuck in walls, and having quest NPCs not always appear where they need to. There doesn't seem to be much effort here on that front from Bethesda, so if you're going in a??ssuming that a magic wand has been waved over its long history of buggy launches, you're going to be disappointed, even with a re-release.

Don't get too excited for mod support on consoles either. Just like Fallout 4 you're mostly going to get ancillary type stuff like costumes and other slight alterations, as everything has to be officially sanctioned by Bethesda anyway. On PC as always you can grab those total conversion packs that people work on for years (and sometimes never finish) like Skywind, so I recommend going that route -- console mods are a bonus, not a system-selling feature. Speaking of mods, I have not tested out the PC edition, but my previously purchased copy did au??tomatically upgrade on Steam, so expect some comparisons as I work my way through both versions in the coming days.

My plan is to complete the main story, all of the DLC, and a number of sidequests as I re-assess Skyrim five years later. Truth be told I'm still a Morrowind fan ?at heart, because while Bethesda managed to successfully move each future iteration into the action realm (and far away from the dice-rolling nature of past titles), it sacrificed a lot of what made the series special.

_{[This review is ?based on a retail build of the game purchased by the rev?iewer.]}

The post Review in Progress: The Elder Scrol?ls V: Skyrim Special Edi?tion appeared first on Destructoid.

The lighting is a noticeable step up

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim has had quite the legacy. Even as someone who stopped playing years ago, its influence continues to be inescapable. The Macho Man and Thomas the Tank Engine mods of the world cannot be contained, and whether you're looking for it or not, Skyrim will find you.

That's going to be especially true in the coming weeks/months/years, what with Skryim: Special Edition dropping next Friday, October 28. Some of you have noted a distinct lack of footage of the PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One rema??ster leading up to its release, and I've been feeling it too.

This trailer is about what I'd hope for, at least from a publisher-provided video: quick glances at the game running on last-gen hardware versus current consoles, or just enough to go on until the inevitable crazy-in-depth Digital Foundry breakdown happens. And, another reminder for PC players wondering what the point is: Special Edition is a free upgrade if you own th??e original version and its DLC.

There are a couple of recent odds and ends that we haven't yet covered. On PS4 and Xbox One, the game will reserve 1GB and 5GB of space, respectively, for user-made mods (but, again, the mod situation on PS4 leaves a ton to be desired). Also, yesterday's footage of Skyrim on the Nintendo Switch doesn't mean the title is "confirmed" for the system, because that would be too darn straightforward. "We look forward to revealing specific games and details in the future," Bethesda has said.

The post This is how Skyrim: Special Edition looks? in motion appeared first on Destructoid.

But that's to be expected for the remaster

While I tend to think of the console versions of Skyrim Special Edition first and foremost, the enhanced re-release will also appear on PC. As a reminder, Bethesda is going to give it out as a freebie to folks who own the original base game and its Dawnguard, Hearthfire, and Dragonborn DLC on Steam on or before October 28, which is when Special Edition launches worldwide. Always appreciated.

Now that the game has gone gold, the company has come out with its sy?s??tem requirements:

A step above the original Skyrim requirements, certainly, but not too bad. As far as console-storage concerns, that's going to depend on your region and platform of choice. Skyrim Special Edition needs 20GB (NA) ?and 33GB (Europe) on PlayStation 4, and 17GB (NA) and 25GB? (Europe) on Xbox One.

Skyrim Special Edition – Go??ne Gold & System Requirements [Bethesda]

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Mod makers can't upload external assets

Xbox One players began tinkering with mods for Fallout 4 back in May, but the rollout on PlayStation 4 hasn't been so straightforward. After notifying users that the update was being delayed on the console, Bethesda eventually made it clear the holdup wasn't on its end. "Sony has informed us they will not approve user mods the way they should work: where users can do anything they want for either Fallout 4 or Skyrim Special Edition," Beth?esda explained in September. That seemed to be the end of it.

This pushback has been a decidedly bad look for Sony in recent weeks, and it was only going to get worse as people pick up this month's high-profile Skyrim re-release. Thankfully, the companies have reached an agreem?ent to deliver mod support for both titles. Not so thankfully, it's relatively limited.

"Mod support will come to Skyrim first," Bethesda explained today in a blog post. "We and Sony have worked hard to make this possible. Mods on PlayStation 4 will allow you to modify and create your own content by using our Creation Kit available here. You will not be able to upload external assets with your PlayStation 4 mods, but you will be able to use any assets that come with the game, as most mods do. By creating a Bethesda.net account, you'll be able to browse and try mods right from within th??e game."

I will readily admit that this development is far better than nothing, especially considering that's where my expectations were at until now. The current plan is for Skyrim Special Edition to handle mods and, on PlayStation 4 Pro, to support native 4K. Those features will be included at launch on October 28 (though, as a reminder, the PS4 Pro won't release until?? November 10). Hit the?? gallery for a peek.

Once that Skyrim work is wrapped, Fallout 4 will see an update for mods, w??hich Bethesda also "[expects] to take advantage of the PS4 Pro in 4K along with enhanced lighting and graphics?? features."

Mods and 4K Coming to PlayStation 4 f??or Skyrim and Fallout 4 [Bethesda]

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Set to debut in London next month

There's a pretty long lineage of game composers falling out with major companies, but this is a new one. Recently, Bethesda announced a London concert for Skyrim, to celebrate the release of the Special Edition of the game. It'll take p?lace on November 16 at the London Palladium.

All good right? Well, no. Taking to Facebook, original composer Jeremy Soule announced that he wasn't even aware of the concert until it wa??s announced. "This is the first I've heard of it," he claims. "For the record, this concert has nothing to do with me, nor are they using any of my original scores...they had to transcribe whatever notation they are performing by ear from the recordings. This is a flawed pr??ocess as transcriptions are always fraught with errors."

Soule goes on to say that he doesn't endorse th?e concert and to "be wary" of attending it. Since tickets go on sale tomorrow at 10AM UK time, it's a warning worth pondering, at least. We?'ve reached out to Bethesda for comment to see what led to the communication breakdown.

Jeremy Soule [Facebook]

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Fus ro duh!

Those who are picking up Skyrim: Special Edition this fall may be interested in a c???ollector's edition coming to Best Buy. Exclusive to the store, $75 nets you the game in a steelbook case along with a Dovahkiin mask.

The bundle will be available for PS4 and Xbox One and is currently up for pre-order from Best Buy's official website. For an additional $15 over the base game, I honestly don't think this is a bad deal. I don't like Skyrim in the slightest, but you could do worse th??an $75 for a cool case and funny mask.

There was no confirmation on whether or not this would hit PC, but you can get a much better compilation of games that will include the free ??"remaster" upgrade on PC. I guess you'll have to forge your own mask and yell ancient dragon spells at? people.

Skyrim: Special Edition [Best Buy]

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