I'm bored lolz
Ok I got this game because of people saying it's like GTA in some midevil era or such. It's better but a bit harder and very different. The rpg elements are the base instead of a tacked on feature, keeping you playing. The world is huge, much bigger than GTA:SA. You can also go into every house (I don't mind having to load to go into a house, it's only like 1-3 seconds usually, and sometimes it don't even load, just blink). The NPC's are very interactive. I pick pocket them every chance I get (I'm a thf. Thf pwns in this game, sneak attack arrows, sticking to the shadows, running fast all the time, making lots of gold off of breaking into folks homes/dungeon raiding and picking locks). I speak to them to get rumors out of them, and if they don't give me the dirt I either bribe or cast a charm spell on them to make them like me resulting in better intel. It's a very deep game with crafts, and trades and pretty much everything you can imagine. There's unlimited storage and inventory, however you can't move if you pick up too much weight vs your str and depending on what spell you know to lighten the encoumberance. All and all, this game is good to loose yourself in if you have the time.
There are things that makes you wonder if the game had a proper quality assurance phase I swear. The leveling system is so full of holes it's a mess. Ok without sounding complicated I'll make it simple the best I can. You choose what type of job you want at the start. If you pick thief like traits you'll start off with higher thf attributes (agility, speed, personality) and skills (mercantile, security, sneak) which skill up pretty quick. Add to that you'll skill up faster in those abilities, and the other minor skills that you have (intelligence, Strength, willpower) will skill up at a snail's pace. Ok got that? Now in this games attributes like Endurance and Intelligence effect your HP(endurance), and MP(int) and other stats that add to your character. Now about these thf skills that you picked. Each time you skill those up 10 times total (sneak4, mercantile1, speed5) you level up. When you level up, all the mobs around you level up. The more you play as a thf the more gimp you are making yourself for not skilling int, and endurance. Killing mobs net you no exp, your exp is your skill ups. Talked to a mercant for hours to try to drive the price down on that shiny katana? Level up! Breaking into houses to get money for said shiny dagger leveling up sneak and security by picking locks and sneaking around the sleeping NPC's house? Level up! While you're leveling up these none combatant/survival attributes these mobs and npcs (oh yes, they can throw down too) are leveling for optimal performance. What do all this mean? Well you have to start over and pick opposite of your play style. For example this is what a typical thf would want to pick.
Specialization: Stealth (+10 to every skill in this specialization. Security, sneak, agility, etc)
Favored Attributes: Speed, Luck (+5 to these two attributes, and the 3 skills these two govern rank up faster. Luck has no governing skill so it would only add +5 to luck.
Major Skills: Acrobatics, Mercantile, Security, Marksmanship, Speachcraft, Strength, Blade (25 skill at the start. AKA Journeyman. They determine your leveling up, and they skill up faster than the other skills you didn't pick.)
To counter this it's best if you pick the opposite and rather save the skills you'll use through the game as minor skills (start at 5 skill and level up slowly*). So for this game you need a spread sheet and skill up to level up to fight mobs that level with you. This is gay, but the rest of the game makes up for it.
This is a very pick up and play friendly game. It's pretty to look at as you walk, run, ride your horse throughout the vistas. You can speed up time per hour, you can save anywhere, and you can speed warp to any place you have already been (don't need to visit cities to warp to them). This is very nice if you can't really play much and I haven't even mentioned spell crafting, making enchanted weapons/armor etc. Being able to equipt a ring to breath under water, then putting on boots to walk on water is pretty neat, especially if you made the item. I haven't gotten far in this game yet but It's the best rpg I have ever played so far (combined rpg with GTA elements is what hooked me). I only closed one oblivion gate then got pwned after I tried to take back the city. Stuck but having fun.
Oh and one more thing, when you do missions with other NPCs they get in the way a lot. It sux but another thing I can look past. The 3rd person view sucks for playing but is good for when you're on the horse that controls like a stinking tank >.> (Shadow of the Colossus spoiled meh). The first person view was natural to me because I play a lot of FPS games. The special weapons attacks seem useless as the NPC/mob will just block or attack you before you can land it. Magic destruction spells seem weak. Most magic spells aren't explained and I still don't understand some after I buy them. There are other things I'm forgetting but yea, it's a huge game. Oh everything look similar but built different. There are lots of reused assets from voices, same houses but different pictures textures and furniture placements, to character models. But if this is what it took to make it big, so be it.
Edit: I forgot to mention that every item from your body armor, to gold coins have a 3d image that you can drop on the ground, pick up with your cross hairs hand cursor, and trow by flinging it. You can also drop items leave the area for a long time and come back to see the item you dropped a long time ago is still there. It's a nice feature for when you're in a dungeon and come across some heavy loots and want to trade it in for gold asap. Just toss all your armor in a chess/coffer/barrel/on the ground and head out naked with your spoils then return to finish the raid. Best thing ever.
Gah also forgot to mention that unlike in GTA, the NPCs in this game are extremely hard to kill. They can end up killing you. They're just like you, in that they train and study fighting and magic. One dude at the horse stables was a mnk, beat he mess out of me.
