The Elder Scrolls Online is a massively-multiplayer role-playing game based on the long-running Bethesda franchise. The online game will feature entire regions of previous games, including Skyrim, and offers a new battle system, replayable dungeons and Player Vs Player opportunities.
A central philosophy for Elder Scrolls Online is accessibility and freedom. Players can join up with friends or tackle every quest and dungeon completely on their own, and true to the main franchise, players can go anywhere at any time, letting them decide between quests or to be distracted by the many spoils or crafting opportunities there are in the world.
Soul searching as Tamerial goes to war
Soul searching as Tamerial goes to war
Set 1,000 years before the events of Skyrim, The Elder Scrolls Online will cover the many regions and peoples that have littered the franchise's lengthy history, as three factions composed of Tamerial's various races compete to crown an emperor.
As for the player itself, the malevolent Molag Bal has stolen their soul, and it's down to the player to claim it back and do a spot of world-saving somewhere along the way.
More action-oriented than other online RPGs
While combat is similar to other MMOs, complete with number key commands, cooldowns and a third perspective, steps have been made to make it more action-based and reactive. For example, blocking is an ability, not a spell, so it can be performed every time. Meanwhile, all players can crouch, sneak and sprint, meaning core abilities aren't confined to a single race.
On-screen elements have been removed so users can keep better track of enemy tells and strategies - a key part of combat - and the better the player performs in battle, the higher the rewards.
The Elder Scrolls Online will be available on PC and Mac from 2013.
Spec Ops: The Line is desert warfare as you've never
seen it before. It's an ambitious co-op shooter set against an
alternative version of Dubai, where a sandstorm of biblical proportions
has ravaged the city and swallowed up sections of it.
Rest assured, this isn't another one of those patriotic gun-fests fuelled only by testosterone. Yager Development
has crafted an emotive story highlighting the horrors of war and the
toll it takes on the individual, with some bold gameplay mechanics
thrown in for good measure.
Spec Ops: The Line opens up with a vehicular segment in which
the player is required to man a drone gun in the back of an airborne
helicopter. The aircraft is set upon by a swarm of enemy choppers as it
zips between towering skyscrapers, some of which have been battered by
sand. It's a high-intensity sequence that ends with the player's vehicle
swallowed up by a standsorm, but the rest of the game promises to be
entirely different.
Yager is keen to stress the level of emotional depth on offer and the
fundamental role of the game's narrative. In keeping with this, players
will be thrown curve balls in the shape of karma moments, with
far-reaching consequences for both story and character. We were shown an
example involving two men strung up from a bridge, still alive and
kicking. The player is under orders to kill one of these individuals,
but can follow the alternate paths of taking out both, or harming
neither. Decisions like this make the game a deeply personal experience
with scope for replay value.
Crysis 2 has to live up to a high standard.Not only did the original Crysis pack a lot of high-quality action into its good-sized campaign, but its stunningly authentic rendering of lush jungle vistas set the graphical standard by which all modern shooters are judged.Fortunately, this sequel does an admirable job of living up to the original's reputation of sheer technical prowess.It doesn't feature all the visual bells and whistles you might expect in a game from a developer known for pushing the limits of modern hardware.But, this sequel still looks amazing, and it plays that way too.The jungle is now of the urban variety--New York City to be precise.You make your way through office buildings, across crumbling bridges, and around broad city squares, where robotic aliens infest hallways and swarm across rooftops.Large environments give you room to maneuver and grant you freedom to approach battle in a number of ways, which makes Crysis 2 a great alternative to the plethora of first-person shooters that usher you down corridors on your way to the next action movie set piece.
Crysis 2 does an excellent job of portraying a city under siege without indulging in constant action-film cutaways.There is still plenty of cinematic excess here, though it's delivered organically.Yes, there are a few scripted moments in which you are more of an observer than a participant; and, yes, you might be able to hold a key to peer at the imposing alien structure towering in the distance.But rather than wrest control away from you to highlight every falling skyscraper, collapsing passageway, and hovering alien ship, Crysis 2 allows these events to simply happen.And, because they are often so momentous, your attention is drawn to them.The few occasions when the game stops to consider how the average citizen might be affected by an alien invasion lend humanity to your militaristic actions.Familiar landmarks are defaced, lay in ruin, or explode as you watch.There's an eerie contrast between the untouched trees of Central Park swaying in the wind and the rubble stretching behind them.The visual design eschews artistic flair in favor of authenticity, and it mostly succeeds at providing a frightening real-world backdrop for large-scale shoot-outs.
The nonlinear gameplay traditional in the Elder Scrolls series is incorporated in Skyrim. The player can explore the open world of Skyrim on foot or on horse, and fast-travel to cities, towns, and dungeons after they have been discovered. Quests are given to the player by non-player characters (NPCs) in the world, and through the Radiant Story system, the quests can be dynamically altered to accommodate for player actions which may influence the quest's characters and objectives. The Radiant Story then further directs the player's interaction with the world by setting unexplored dungeons as quest locations. When not completing quests, the player can interact with NPCs through conversation, and they may request favors or training in skills from the player. In addition to scripted quests certain ones will be dynamically generated, providing a limitless number to the player.Some NPCs can become companions to the player to aid in combat. The player may choose to join factions, which are organized groups of NPCs such as the Dark Brotherhood, a band of assassins. Each of the factions has a headquarters, and they have their own quest paths which the player can progress through. The economy of cities and towns can be stimulated by completing jobs such as farming and mining, or spending large amounts of gold in the stores. Alternatively, the economy may be harmed by forging business ledgers and robbing the safes of stores.
Cities
Dawnstar
A garrison town on the northern coast of Skyrim. Capital City of The Pale It was after the destruction of a fortress in Dawnstar during 2E 283 that Potentate Versidue-Shaie declared martial law, leading to one of the most brutal and bloody periods in the history of Tamriel. Dawnstar is one of the northern most cities in Skyrim along with Solitude and Winterhold.
Falkreath
A city in south-western Skyrim, Capital of Falkreath Hold. Close to the border with both and Hammerfell. Just across the border in Hammerfell lies the town of Elinhir. Falkreath is known for its cemetery, which dominates the southern part of the town.
Markarth A city in west-central Skyrim, the capital city of The Reach. Notable for possessing the Imperial College of the Voice, which was founded by Tiber Septim to restore the Voice to the art of warfare. Half of the town is controlled by a wealth family known as the Silver-Bloods, and violence runs rampant throughout most of the city because of the Forsworn.
Morthal
A town in west-central Skyrim, capital city of Hjaalmarch, close to both Dragon Bridge, and Solitude. The mage, Falion, who can cure Vampirism, is located there. The current Jarl in Morthal is Jarl Idgrod Ravencrone.
Riften Also known as Rifton, Capital of The Rift this town is located in south-eastern Skyrim, close to the province's borders with both Cyrodiil and Morrowind. Home to the Skyrim Thieves' Guild, it was in Riften that Barenziah joined the Guild during her return to Morrowind from exile in Skyrim. Maven Black-Briar is the most influential person in Riften, and has both the Riften Guard and the Jarl in her pocket, as well as connections in both the Thieves Guild and The Dark Brotherhood.
Solitude
Solitude is the center of Imperial influence within Skyrim and capital city of Haafingar . Castle Dour is located there, from which General Tullius runs the Imperial Legion. The royalty are housed within the Blue Palace. Solitude is located far northwest of the center of the map. The home of the famous Bards' College, Haafingar is also one of Skyrim's few natural harbors and chief ports; ships from up and down the coast can be found at her crowded quays loading timber and salted cod for the markets of Wayrest, Anvil, and Senchal. Founded during Skyrim's long Alessian flirtation, the Bards' College continues to flaunt a heretical streak, and its students are famous carousers, fittingly enough for their chosen trade. Students yearly invade the marketplace for a week of revelry, the climax of which is the burning of "King Olaf" in effigy, possibly a now-forgotten contender in the War of Succession. Graduates have no trouble finding employment in noble households across Tamriel, including the restored Imperial Court in Cyrodiil, but many still choose to follow in the wandering footsteps of illustrious alumni such as Callisos and Morachellis.
Whiterun
A city in central Skyrim and capital of Whiterun Hold. It is the trade hub of Skyrim. The young Barenziah, during her escape, took shelter here for a week with a young lover during her return to Mournhold. This hold contains Whiterun and High Hrothgar and was once referred to as the "Imperial City of Skyrim" before it underwent several acts of chaos including a dynastic feud, attacks by Hörme bandits and frost trolls and a series of annihilating winters of alternating floods, droughts, and fires. A self-proclaimed priestess of Lorkhan, Jsashe the Witch-Queen, controls the county and the local witches' coven. It is interesting to note that the local giant population seems to use the tundra outside Whiterun as a pasture of sorts for their mammoth herds, and a place to set camp, like Bleakwind Basin.
Winterhold The capital city of Winterhold Once a wealthy and influential city and county in north-eastern Skyrim, Winterhold is heavily affected by Dunmer ways and ideas, being close to the border. It contains the Ysmir Collective and the well known College of Winterhold. Winterhold's current Jarl is Jarl Korir. Due to the Great Collapse, most of the historic city sank into the ocean two hundred years prior to the dragon attacks. It is arguably the smallest hold capitol, with only a tavern, the Jarl's Longhouse and the College of Winterhold.
Windhelm Once the capital of the First Empire, current capital city of Eastmarch. The palace of the Ysgramor dynasty still dominates the center of the Old City. Windhelm was sacked during the War of Succession,[4] and again by the Akaviri army of Ada'Soon Dir-Kamal;[4] the Palace of the Kings is one of the few First Empire buildings that remain. Today, Windhelm remains the only sizable city in the otherwise determinedly rural Hold of Eastmarch, and serves as a base for Imperial troops guarding the Dunmeth Pass into Morrowind.
