I have Skyrim on various platforms. It’s my favorite game ever and I will never not recommend it. However one issues I have with the Switch version is there is this terrible scratching/sudden static sound that happens every ones in a while when playing. This issue made it hard for me to decide between 4 starts or 5 since it doesn’t affect the game itself but rather it’s just an annoyance. It comes and goes but it can be a real damper on the game play. It’s quite annoying but since it doesn’t last long and you can usually make it stop by saving and restarting the application, it’s not a huge miss for me. Other than that the game is as fantastic as ever. Still good old Skyrim. :)

Lets get a few things out of the way... Yes, this is a six year old game. Yes, the graphics are a bit dated by current standards. Yes, you probably purchased this on one or more platforms in the past. All that being said, this is Skyrim on a handheld system. That is a testament to how fast technology has advanced in just six short years. It runs remarkably well. It looks great on the handheld screen at 720, and looks fine docked at 1080p. As good as a current PC, PS4 or Xbox? No. Does that matter? No. I know everyone likes to compare specs these days. But if specs are your top priority, you probably shouldn't own a Switch. You can now play a game that just 5-6 years ago required a high end gaming PC. A remarkable achievement. Overall, this review isn't about the specifics of the game. There are hundreds of reviews going back years if you want those. This version doesn't have mods but that is ok. This is to introduce those who never took the time to play Skyrim and enjoy it in portable form. Highly Recommended. Lets hope Morrowind and Oblivion are not far behind.

I have somewhere around 40hrs in this game and I quite like it. It's not my usual cup of tea, but I have fun being a menace in the simulated society. My dad however, is a completely different kind of player. He was curious about it one night when he saw me playing for a bit. I set him up on my guest account creating a character and I basically lost my Switch for an entire month after that!! So, I bought him this physical copy and we transferred his save data over (fairly easy process btw, thanks Nintendo). He's now somewhere in the 50s with his orc werewolf and has nearly completed the entire map! He's an OG WOW player from back in the day, so I'm not surprised about his ability to grind and the bizarre little exploits he's managed to find embedded within the game. If you haven't played Skyrim yet though, it's a real treat. Something special for sure.

Game has a unique start in that you do not create your character right away, but have to watch a starting scene play out first. Then after you create one, you are thrown straight into the fire. Once you are allowed to go off on your own, it calms down a little. Even though this game has been out for a while, this port to the Switch platform adds to the game play. It is best to use the Joycons individually and not with any joining grips. The reason for this is the game takes advantage to the motion control of each Joycon separately. The ability to switch between first and third person perspective while playing give you a chance to look around more easily if you lose sight of objective. This is the first game I have played that has this ability. It is sightly problematic when you perspective changes while you are mashing away in a battle.

Ok, let me start by saying that I am completely new to the world of Skyrim but after playing for several hours let me just say that I can see why this game had earned the all the kudos and accolades it did waay back in 2011. This marks the sixth console on which this game has appeared on, and while some aspects are beginning to show its age, its still every bit the awesome game that it was all those years ago. Graphically this stands toe to toe with the PS3 or XBOX 360 versions, albeit with some sacrifices on draw distance and things popping up far away. The framerate is solid and while I haven't got to the big action pieces yet, what I have seen is impressive. Even more so given that until now, this game has never been on a portable system. The DLC that came out after the games' release, Dawnguard, Hearthfire, and Dragonborn, is all there too making this package even more worthwhile. There are no 'mods' (adjustments to the game made by fans) on it, so you can only play the game proper (sorry Thomas the Tank Engine fans), but again it is an absolute revelation that it plays and looks as well as it does on the not-as-powerful Nintendo Switch. New to the Switch version is motion controls and amiibo functionality. The motion controls you may or may not like but they are done fairly well-especially if you go the archer route. The amiibos give you treasure chests, but only once every 24 hours. A cool addition is that you can get Zelda exclusives, including the Hylian Shield, BOTW Tunic, and...The Master Sword!!!-when you use zelda based amiibo. Its random but they occur fairly often. Don't worry if you don't have Zelda amiibo, these Switch exclusives occur in game at some point as well. Playing this I realize that Breath of the Wild got a lot of inspiration from the gameplay of Skyrim. The bottom line: If you have never played Skyrim this is a must buy! If you have never experienced Skyrim before think Breath of the Wild meets Game of Thrones. There is alot to learn and not a lot of hand holding but its a 5 star game. If you owned this and played it already then I cant say this version justifies revisiting Skyrim once again as $60 is a lot for a 6 year old game. That it is portable now may entice those who played to shell out another $60 for the ability to drop in on the inhabitants of Tamriel once again.