For those who live under a rock, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim was released ten days ago. I'm already nearly 70 hours into this game, and there's still a ton of stuff I haven't done. That said, I figured I'd post a few quick thoughts about this game. In short, this is easily one of the best games I've ever played.

There is simply too much to do in this game. You could spend all day making potions, crafting items, enchanting items, or simply exploring the world, all without ever starting a single quest. I found myself completing many of the "miscellaneous" quests long before I joined any particular faction, or started along the main quest line. There are still giant chunks of the map that I have yet to visit, which is incredible given that I'm so far in.

The game's graphics are outstanding; head and shoulders above Oblivion's engine. I'm really impressed with the draw distance, and every dungeon, cave, and mine has a unique feel (fixing one of Oblivion's few failings). It's also silky smooth on my system, running on the "High" detail level. Story lines have been interesting so far (though the Thieves' Guild seemed a little weak), and I'm loving the Dragon Shout abilities. Blasting an enemy off the top of a mountain is so incredibly fun.

I do have a few complaints. The user interface on the PC is pretty terrible, though I'm hopeful that a mod will come along soon to fix that. Voice acting is good, but some of the voices are reused way too much for my liking. Perk points (a new way of leveling your character) are too rare. Give me 2 or 3 points per level, not just 1! Finally, as is usual with this type of game, there are still quite a few bugs. Another patch is coming after Thanksgiving, which should hopefully smooth out some of the rough spots.

If you like role playing games, and you enjoyed the previous Elder Scrolls titles, you'll like this title. It's an instant classic in my opinion, and has taken its rightful place in my "best games of all time" list.