its definately not the greatest game ever made, but really, compare it to any other game ever made and its more than solid.
I can see that there has been good ammount of effort put into the graphics, but that is it. The main problem is, that they went once again with modified gamebryo. Gamebryo was fucking outdated after fallout 3 came out, let alone 2011. It is the same as it was with Dragon age origins, that used neverwinter nights engine (simplistic dungeons and dragons engine). But Dragon age made up for it with outstanding story telling, lenght and lore.
This game has awful story presentation (maybe the lore is solid). Sure it may be fun to some to run around huge landscape, exploring for caves and hideouts, bagging everything you can. But it quickly becomes repetitive, especially with combat in such state it is as of now.
You cant really name a lot of open world games that are better than Skyrim. You cant really blame anyone for it being simple either. Cant throw sophisticated complex games like "Dwarf fortress" in the market and expect a gigantic profit or even a small handshake. Even Morrowind is too much for most people's patience.
Two worlds series, risen, gothic series, assasins creed series...
I have played many open world games, and most of them kept me going.
And lol Nightmare. You played Skyrim now? And you are shitmouthing about combat? The combat was same shit back in Oblivion so that was no suprise to noone. Man you really live in a cave dont you.
Combat in oblivion was shit, and it was shit too in morrowind (I liked the equipment system in morrowind though, it was awesome). I did not say that I particluarly enjoyed any game in the Elder scrolls series, but this game was the GOTY, the supposedly uber awesome game. The game that nobody dared to give 9/10 or less, for the fear that rabid fanboys would burn down their house and kill their family. Unfortunatelly, I cant really say that I approve most of the review scores games get nowadays.
Difference in this game and any earlier elder scrolls installment is, that none of them were supposedly the best game of the year they were released.