The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

I got married recently, so when I had my stag do, it was inevitable talk would turn to Skyrim. Put a bunch of guys together for long enough and talk will turn to Skyrim. What was notable was how different our experiences were; as I rent games, I blasted through the campaign in around 18-20 hours reaching level 14. Another friend was at level 40, with having spent about 100 hours in the game and minimal headway into the quest.

Grand Theft Auto is usually cited as the prime example of a sandbox game; a game where you're free to shun the trappings of a main mission and truly explore a new world, but it feels like Elder Scrolls is the franchise to truly deliver this experience. Although I was the only person to finish the main story line, I was the person at my stag do who had probably done the least to complete the game- completing Skyrim isn't about getting 50 achievement points for killing the games biggest enemy, it's about discovering a quest you can genuinely feel like  you're the only person to have found.

I'm going to buy this, so inbetween rentals I'll have a game I can be happy to keep coming back to and keep finding it fresh.

9.5/10