Five Reasons Skyrim is Going to Make You Its Bitch

Yeah, that’s the title of this five-entry list on IGN AU that covers some of the reasons why we’ll likely be locked in a room staring at The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim for hundreds of hours come November. The information is courtesy of lead producer Craig Lafferty, so there are a few interesting tidbits to glean:

The map of Skyrim is said to be roughly the same size as Cyrodiil in Oblivion, but thanks to a complete overhaul of the game engine since then Skyrim is infinitely more detailed and lush in appearance, with an incredible draw distance that doesn’t just extend out into the horizon but upward to the peaks of the towering mountains that loom large over the landscape.

“We made Oblivion and then Fallout 3 on the current gen of consoles, so we’ve learned a lot more about how to bring a lot out of the current systems,” says Lafferty. “So now we have a new UI system, a new animation system, a new renderer, the radiant story and then the world itself, so all these things kind of combine and as a result the world of Skyrim really feels like a solid place you can get lost in.”

Just how much is there to do and see in Skyrim? With 280 perks to unlock, five major cities to explore, over 300 books to find, 150 unique dungeons to loot and some 500 individual activities to indulge in, it would truly appear that the sky is the limit.