Hi. I’m Nikki. You may know me from articles obsessing about Dragon Age Origins, Dead Island and Mass Effect. Or maybe you’ve read the notorious 10 Reasons Why You Should Date a Gamer. /endTroyMcClure
I was tasked by the big boss to talk about my GOTY which I think is pretty obvious already. So many other people have already given valid reasons why Skyrim deserves all the GOTY titles in the world but oh well, if you want to look at how this geeky girlfriend sees things, then read on.
So how does one become GOTY material for me?
Let me count the ways:
1. It’s a sucker.
… a soul sucker, that is. A really really good game fit for the GOTY title has to be able to suck my soul harder than I would suck a tootsie pop. And mind you, I can get to the chewy center in less than 3 minutes.
The game has to pull me into its world in such a way that nothing else matters. You see Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs?
With an awesome game in my hands, the hierarchy should pretty much look like this:
Did Skyrim deliver?
Well… yes. Yes indeed. This year, Skyrim was the only game able to take me back to eating crackers the whole day for sustenance because it’s the only type of food with minimum concentration required. (I can eat it without using my hands so I don’t have to put down my controller)
For a whole month I cared little about anything else other than my light armor and choosing between the Stormcloaks and the Imperials.
To drive the point home, my boyfriend even forced himself inside my room just so he could spend some time with me. Was he able to spend time with me? Yes, he sat there watching me play Skyrim.
That bad. Or that good, actually, depends on how you look at this.
2. Feels good, man.
The game has to feel good. A pretty face just won’t cut it. I can name a really pretty game that felt like a fishbone stuck in between your GUMS. (Hello Magna Carta? Don’t shoot me please)
It has to mesh with your brain perfectly. It has to be intuitive. A good game lets me play with its curves and its features until I memorize every single slope on my own; without going through a tedious, tacky tutorial. Likewise, the tutorial shouldn’t also feel like a damn punishment.
The process has to feel natural. I should be able to learn the ropes without getting frustrated and at the same time, play normally without feeling like an idiot.
Did Skyrim deliver?
Oh hell yes. One of the things that surprised me about the game is how I never had to ask, “wait, what do I do now?†I’m not sure if it’s because I grew up playing Bethesda games but I never had to ask anything at least until after a long way into the game.
I did have a little issue as I always have with Bethesda games about the lack of inventory categories and sorting. Especially now that I’m supposed to put a lot of effort in every single part of my armor. There’s just so many things to wear and the arrangement in my inventory is a hassle.
Super long scrolling can be a bit annoying but other than that, the game feels just right. Yes, it was buggy in its release, but I’m sorry, I’m a fangirl. I can forgive the bugs. So long as they patch it please, dear god.
But my point here is that the game makes a home in your brain so naturally that you do not need someone to tell you to “press A to jump”
Even with its grand world and the vast expanse of land, Skyrim never made me ask the question, “So, what now?â€
3. Sexy as hell.
A sexy game lets you look at it and makes you WANT IT. Ever looked at a game trailer and then sat back, creamed your pants and then whispered ever so softly, “Shit, I want that. I WANT THAT.â€
The GOTY should provide you with enough avenues to feel awesome. It should allow you to use clever maneuvers, grandiose spells and eye-candy superpowers to your heart’s content. This is not a criteria solely for RPGs mind you, other genres can be sexy as well. Sometimes a game’s sex appeal can be found with the way you can traverse through walls and skillfully snipe out a Russian.
Did Skyrim deliver?
Dragons. That’s enough of a reason for me. But okay, okay how about this: you are a goddamn dragonborn. You have the soul of a dragon within you and you get to do verbal debate with all your dragon friends. And by verbal debate, Skyrim means breathe fire in each other’s faces.
The world is massive and in this massive space, Skyrim throws in dragon after dragon. I don’t know about you but there is something special about chasing after a dragon through an open field. It doesn’t feel like the traditional final stage boss thing that dragons are usually put in. It made me feel big.
So in effect, slaying dragons made me feel goddamn awesome. Like it’s just a normal day for me to be taking down these mythical creatures of legend. And the people that gather around after I’ve slain the damn thing makes me feel even more badass. “Yep, that’s right bitches. I took it down. Now you may grovel at my feet.â€
The thing that’s also nice about Skyrim is that you can virtually be everything, provided that you have the patience and perseverance to be so. In my playthrough, I was a thief, an assassin, a sword n’ shield warrior and a mage. Some may be turned off by this but I wasn’t. Basically the game lets you have your cake and heaven help you if you can’t eat it too.
I know, I know, I didn’t really go into detail about the gameplay mechanics and the story and everything else that makes RPGs my genre of choice. But come on, do I really have to? The popularity of Skyrim is so incredible that these days you can’t take a piss without accidentally taking an arrow to the knee.
Don’t kill me. The meme is getting old for me too.