Back in 2011 I declared that The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim should be the game of the year. I felt like the depth it provided, the girth of the world it created and the amazing longevity it built, much like its predecessor, Oblivion, made it difficult to dislike from day one to day 300. The original release had everything, sans the DLC that followed its release periodically.
Five years later, a multitude of mods, including a most beautiful use of Thomas the Train, and console generations later, Skyrim has reared its head on the PlayStation 4 and it brings with it for the first time the ability for console owners to feel like PC owners.
That’s not a feeling that console owners get quite often.
The crux of the game hasn’t changed since the first time it hit store shelves on the last generation consoles. While you get the DLC (Dawnguard, Dragonborn and Heathfire), which was on the last generation systems. Telling you about how great the adventure is and how you can go on what seems like endless side quests would be a giant waste of your reading time, as you already know this. The game is still damn magnificent, even after all these years. I still find myself getting lost in the wilderness, saving a bunch of times in case I do something wrong or want to try something daring and still find hunting dragons as addictive as it was the first go around. A very long go around.
Having said that, if you don’t know how great this game is, then it’s probably a nice time to jump into this world and experience it the best way you can find it on a current generation console through this special edition release. This is the game that last generation consoles wanted to deliver and the game that PC owners were harping on us console owners about having.
The things that everyone who doesn’t own the special edition of the game should know are as follows.
First and foremost, the presentation has been dramatically improved, mainly on environments rather than the characters. While there are some textures here and there that still fall flat in comparison to the Battlefields and the Titanfalls of the world in this generation, the entire visual package has been incredibly upgraded. You’ll find moments where clouds will roll through mountains, fog will hang over water, stuck between the snowy plains of one section of Skyrim and the hot lands it breaks off into, and the character models look…well, they look somewhat better than last generation, but not too much. The skin of the residents in Skyrim are far more defined than they were in 2011, meaning you’ll see bulging veins and dissatisfied looks perfectly, but you will still find a bit more lumpiness in the details (see hair for examples).
Characters aside, back to the environments, they have sustained a considerable upgrade from last generation. The most notable difference, at least to this guy with bifocals, is the draw distance is amazing in this edition of Skyrim, especially noticeable when you see snow-capped mountains in the distance and how beautifully detailed they are from far away. If you look up in the night sky, it will feel like the night sky. If you stop and enjoy the sky during the day, you’ll find the clouds moving seamlessly through it. The world is a visual wonder to enjoy and fall in love with (again), so you’ll find more moments of awe than otherwise. There aren’t many renders going in the textures, nor are there pop-in graphics happening as you travel, well not nearly as much as you would find on last generation hardware. There’s a lot to love visually about the environments, especially compared to the likes of the PlayStation 3.
As for the rest of the presentation that is not visual, the music and dialogue are still intact. No noticeable upgrades in those areas, as they’re still quite beautiful (well, at least the music is) as they were last go around.
A big feature that might help sell this special edition is the ability to mod. While Sony certainly pitched a fit trying to hinder Bethesda’s progress in offering up the very reason for Skyrim’s PC longevity, SCEA thankfully came to their senses. It would be ridiculous for the Xbox One to only offer this and not the PS4. The exclusion of such a thing would not have made sense, nor would it have sold the game on the system. Such a situation is comparable to Nintendo’s choice to add green blood in the original Mortal Kombat on the Super Nintendo. It severely hurt the game, regardless of its superiority to the Sega Genesis version.
Anyway, Sony allowed mods on the PS4 version of Skyrim Special Edition and it adds quite a bit too the experience. For example, I added the ability to have better looking rain and snow to my game. That mod took 10 seconds to install, add and launch. It was quick, easy and enhanced my visual experience of the game. I know, not a very exciting mod route to go, but it was my first time modding on a console and I wanted to take it easy. The next mod improved my experience dramatically, though.
As I was scrolling through the mods, I found one that would allow me to level up quickly. The warning that came with the mod said it might cause the game to become unstable, while also giving me instructions to get rid of it. Thankfully, the mod worked like a charm and I leveled up five spots (10-15) within an hour of playing the game. Want to sneak around? Level up! Want to hit random objects with your bow and arrow? Level up! Want to pick pocket people for a living? LEVEL UP! Everything I did in the game helped me to progress quickly through five levels in 60 minutes. This simple mod gave me an entirely new and entertaining experience with Skyrim. That’s what you have to look forward to with the mods and why mods are so important to the title. Yes, some of them are cheat-y, but man is it fun to cheat sometimes. Game Genie’d the shit out of this experience.
Anyway, all of the new things above are something to look forward to in the special edition of the title. Should you purchase this game again if you already own it in your library? That’s up to you. For me, the added elements of the above and quicker/smoother gameplay is enough to warrant another purchase for this title. Again, it’s up to you. You’re still getting the same great game, but the added upgrades and new additions to the title really make it a bit more entertaining. Modding alone might sell the game.
Onto the summary!
