Three Things That Would Have Made Skyrim Even Better

Before I begin, I want to state that I’m a huge Skyrim fan. How huge a fan? So huge that I founded the Skyrim Fansite to help celebrate this phenomenal video game and the gamers who play it. In my opinion, Skyrim is as close to perfect as a game can get. The vast world to explore, the impressive graphics and soundtrack, the outstanding RPG skill building and leveling elements — they all add up to make Skyrim a game for the ages; a game well worthy of its over 200 game of the year awards. With that said, no game is perfect, and there can always be room for improvement. As brilliant as Skyrim is, there are three things that would have made the game even better:

  1. Skyrim Even Better Wonder Woman
    Lynda Carter provides the voices for Azura and Gormlaith Golden-Hilt

    More Diverse Voice Acting: A world as big as Skyrim needs a lot of people to populate it. In Skyrim there are literally hundreds of NPCs that gamers can interact with, each with their own dialog (for dialog examples, check out the Fansite’s Skyrim Quotes page). Bethesda Softworks, the game’s creator, did a respectable job hiring talented voice actors to give life to these NPCs, and I have no complaints as far as the talent is concerned. In fact, several big named actors lent their voices to Skyrim including Max Von Sydow as Esbern, Christopher Plummer as Arngeir, and Lynda Carter (Wonder Woman!) as Azura. In total, the Skyrim voice cast consists of more than 70 voice actors delivering over 60,000 lines of dialog. These numbers are impressive, but I’d argue that there simply aren’t enough voice actors speaking in unique voices. Obviously, it’s impractical to have a separate actor for each NPC, but the longer you play, the more the repetitive voices start to wear at you and detract from the wonder of the game. More diverse voice acting would have made Skyrim even better.

  2. skyrim even better martial arts
    Sure, you can brawl in Skyrim, but how about a flying dropkick?

    Martial Arts Skill Tree: This idea originally came from Skyrim Fansite member Kongo Kannibal, and it’s an excellent one. Currently, players can learn Warrior skills in Block, Heavy Armor, One-Handed, Smithing, and Two-Handed. As it stands, you can brawl in Skyrim, but how awesome would it be if you could learn skills in unarmed Martial Arts? Deadly punches, kicks, and MMA-style takedowns would definitely add an element of interest to the game, allowing players to pursue a specialized Monk build. A Martial Arts skill tree would definitely have made Skyrim better.

  3. skyrim even better redguard dlc
    If only it were real…

    More DLC: Those who know me well are groaning right about now — for some reason I just won’t let this go. Yes, Bethesda released three compelling DLC packages (Dawnguard, Hearthfire, and Dragonborn), but I still can’t get over the fact that they should have come out with at least one more addon. I first whined about this back in April in the article Game Over! No More Skyrim DLC. After all this time, you think I’d be satisfied with the DLC packages available, but there just seems to be so much left unfinished in the game’s storyline, specifically in regards to the civil conflict waged across Skyrim. I’m not the only one who thinks so, as evidenced by the Skyrim Redguard DLC rumors. A final DLC addon that tied up loose ends would have made Skyrim even better.

So what are your ideas? Is Skyrim perfect, or are there things that could have made the game even better? Become a member and share your opinions with your fellow gamers in the Speak Your Mind section below.

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Shane Scarbrough
Shane Scarbrough

Shane Scarbrough is the founder of the Skyrim Fansite. He's a business owner, video game journalist, and role playing game aficionado. When he's not working he enjoys reading, writing, and playing video games. He's currently on his third playthrough of Skyrim, and is playing as a Templar in The Elder Scrolls Online. You can find Shane on Google+ and FaceBook.

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Stefan
Stefan
10 years ago

I think that it’s all about the little things for example, there is blocking in the game but how awesome would it be if you could use counterattacks?

Sphinx MacGee
Sphinx MacGee
9 years ago

I personally found that the dialogue in Skyrim amongst NPCs got annoyingly repetitive, really quick. Despite the fact they hired so many voice actors, it still continuously feels like there’s only a dozen or so. Its nowhere near as bad as Oblivion was but it still lacks in make it feel like a living environment. Even if the voice actors had did different tones, accents, and impressions it would have suited better. Here’s hoping the Elder Scrolls VI will greatly improve on the previous shortcomings. I’d love to see a wide diversity in NPC dialogue and the addition of children in different races, i.e. Dunmer, Argonians, etc.

Shane Scarbrough
Shane Scarbrough
Reply to  Sphinx MacGee
9 years ago

Hi Sphinx,

Well said. Despite the number of Skyrim actors the voices are repetitive. If there was a diversity of tones, accents and impressions, the dialogue would have aided immersion.

I’m not sure if you’re playing The Elder Scrolls Online, but so far I’ve found much greater variety as far as voice acting goes. Hopefully this bodes well for Elder Scrolls VI, and we’ll see the same level of diversity in the next great adventure.