Goodbye free time…again.
I spent a lot of time in Skyrim. Back when the game launched on 360/PS3 it was the first time I ever became engulfed in one of Bethesda’s open-world fantasy titles. To this day I still stand by the opinion that it is the best the series has ever been, if not the entire genre. It feels weird talking about a game this old as if it is new, but like everything with this generation, what was once old is now new again. Skyrim Remastered basically takes what the modding community has been doing to the PC version, and brings it into the new generation of consoles. Amazingly, I once again found myself lost in this world, even though so much of it I had already conquered.
The world of Skyrim has never looked better…well at least on consoles. The team at Bethesda has added a ton of new visual features to enhance this port. Better lighting, improved textures, increased frame rate and loading times, and of course, that water. The world feels more alive, even with the dated animations and character models. The environments look stunning, and thankfully the addictive nature of the open-world game play remains intact. For those that never played Skyrim, this is the version to get.
MSRP: $59.99
Platforms: XB1 (reviewed), PS4, PC
Price I’d Pay: $59.99
It is a shame however, that Bethesda opted to “pretty-up” the game as opposed to using the extra power to lock in the frame rate at 60fps. While PC owners can have both, console owners are left with a pretty solid 30fps on both versions, which is still head and shoulders above the original versions. It is also nice to see the PS4 version actually working properly, as any PS3 Skyrim player will tell you, that version was a disaster right out of the gate.
It is also worth noting that this remaster comes packed with all of the DLC included in the game over the years. Dawnguard and Hearthfire offer up new quests and additions, but the massive Dragonborn DLC stands out the most, adding even more content to an already overloaded game. It is easy to once again lose hundreds of hours in the world.
Another big addition to consoles is the ability to support mods. While the story is different depending on which console players pick up. Xbox One offers a larger mod storage space, as well as the ability to use assets outside of the core game. This means more ridiculous additions found in the PC version. The PS4 outing does offer mod support, but it feels limited. It is worth noting that adding and enabling mods does disable Achievements/Trophies though, so play at your own risk.
While all of these enhancements and additions are nice, I still don’t feel like it is worth it for a double dip. Skyrim is still a masterpiece of a video game, but for those that spent hundreds of hours already digging through, there really isn’t enough here to recommend jumping back in. I like the mods, the new visuals are lush, but the core game remains the same. However, for those that skipped out the first time around, there has never been a better time to take an arrow to the knee. Please forgive me for that.
Review copy of game provided by publisher.
