Here's a look at Dawnguard, the upcoming expansion to The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, which looks like a whole chain of events somewhat similar to the Companions quest line, except focusing on vampires rather than werewolves. Also, horseback combat and giant fucking frost trolls. You know, Game Jam shit!
Vampirism was a total pain in the ass in Oblivion, and I didn't think it was worth the trade off of not being able to travel in daylight without taking damage. And if you wanted to reverse the curse, you had to spend hours upon hours toiling through a quest that you may or may not have enough focus to complete. As that was a throw-in and this is an actual entire mass of downloadable content, I'm hoping it's a little better implemented and runs deeper than just faster regeneration and shit. From the looks of it, transforming into a true beast of the night is an option, which is a step in the right direction.
Bethesda has today announced the availability of Skyrim update 1.5 on Steam, as an opt-in beta. What does 1.5 include, you ask? Game Jam features including ranged and magic kill cams, new melee finishing moves, and a host of bug fixes which I can't be bothered to list. Bug fixes don't get trailers, son!
For a detailed list of the bug fixes, and exact instructions on how to opt-in to the beta on Steam, check out The Elder Scrolls communty site. The update is currently not available on consoles, but will be soon.
While we're talking Skyrim, I want to take this time to share something written by OBG contributer Eric Blackwood over on his space:
So, I was doing the quest In My Time Of Need:
The barmaid at the Bannered Mare in Whiterun is apparently a fugitive noble from Hammerfell. She claims that she is on the run from assassins sent by rival houses in her homeland and needs someone to stop them before they find her.
I weighed the options of either surrendering Saadia, or saving her. I chose to save her, which led me to speaking with a Whiterun prisoner, a member the Alik'r assassin clan aiming to kill the barmaid. I go to the dungeon in Whiterun, thinking that I would have to break this guy out. I locate him and pick-pocket a key off of one of the guards. But before I decide to open the assassin's cell, I speak to him through the gate. The prisoner tells me that he will reveal his clan leader's location in exchange for my posting his bail. I figure it's less of a hassle than breaking him out so I pay the fine. I tell him he's free and he tells me where Kematu, his clan's leader, is hiding. As I'm walking away, I hear the prisoner call the guard over to explain that I had paid his fine. The guard reluctantly acknowledges but then tells him that he can't free him because he can't find his key.
I just kept walking.
The guard must have figured it out because a short time later, three hired thugs were sent to teach me a lesson. And I found a note on one of them.
I can't think of a better way to sum up Skyrim. Random perfection in its finest form. If you haven't played it yet, what the hell are you waiting for? If you have, 1.5 is a perfect excuse to get back into it and cook yourself up a new character to take advantage of the new features. I'm finally going to get around to rolling that Mage I've always wanted to disintegrate people with.
Hey you there! I know you, and odds are you should probably be doing something productive as opposed to browsing lesser known games journalism sites (but we thank you for your hits). What should have been a quick bit of peruse is about to go right down the drain, and with it, any notion of accomplishing something at this point of the day, whenever it may be. So fair warning, if you have a deadline to meet, a date to be at, or some other time sensitive matter, turn back now. Otherwise, enjoy the next 20 minutes of pure bliss, courtesy of Skyrim.
I tend to take screenshots with a grain of salt. It's easier to make a game look amazing than it is to create an immersive world with a memorable cast and addicting action. Luckily, the Elder Scrolls series has a pedigree of quality releases.
The latest entry in the series, Skyrim, is looking pretty damn sweet. The screens we've seen so far display a huge leap in the eye candy department. This is good. If Skyrim can retain its ridiculous amount of immersion and depth of content, we're going to have a real winner on our hands. But let me not jump ahead of myself here, we still need to learn more and see more of this thing in motion. In the mean time, have some lovely screenshots!
Friday, June 1, 2012 at 12:28PM ;)