Happy Birthday, Daggerfall!

It's hard to believe how quickly time flies, but 15 years ago today, Bethesda Softworks released the second installment of its RPG series. While the end result of all that hard work was a more stellar experience than TES: Arena, it was still a bit buggy in spots. That said, Daggerfall was still impressive for its amazing visuals, scope and gameplay. Ah, memories. I still have my copy of the original game minus the interior box and the cool letter opener thanks to a really stupid roommate years back when I was living in NYC. At the time, I was recycling some cardboard boxes for mailing and I kept a small stack of folded boxes near my games collection, as I was using the boxes to ship out games I sold or traded. One day as I was going out to work, my roommate asked if he could use a box to ship a gift out for his mother's birthday and I recall saying something like "Sure, take anything near the stack of games" before heading out the door. Little did I know that my invitation was a call for some major stupidity and minor theft...

Gallery: TES V: Skyrim Character Portraits

Want to see which races you can play as in Bethesda's upcoming time-eating epic RPG? Here are a few possible combinations (out of millions or variations) thanks to the excellent character editor. As longtime Elder Scrolls fans know, a good chunk of the fun at the beginning of a new adventure is choosing just who you want to play as. I'm thinking about ditching my usual first play-through choice of an Argonian battlemage who dips into archery from time to time, especially given the more flexible skills system Skyrim offers. Decisions, decisions...

TES V: Skyrim Collector's Edition Announced At QuakeCon

Yeah, yeah - if you know me, you also know I have a love/hate thing about these big Limited Editions. However, as I'm supremely excited for Skyrim, that automatically translates to a few smooches directed toward this nifty CE, now available for pre-order at selected retailers. Details and pricing below the jump. Sure, It's not cheap and I'll probably just end up with a copy of the standard edition (if you saw my games library, you'd understand why), but if I get hit on the head with a bag o' cash, I'll be buying one of these right away and making space for it.

Gallery/Impressions: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

What else can be said about what's truly going to be one of the biggest games (in terms of scope and hype) to hit consoles and PC's to date? TES V: Skyrim will no doubt be generously rewarded with huge sales and critical accolades from press and gamers alike, so I'm just pouring more gasoline on the bonfire of praise with these words. Seeing that E3 presentation on TV and the internet is one thing. Seeing it in person id like discovering sunlight for the first time. Bethsoft's proprietary Creation Engine brings the game world to stunning life without any need for 3D glasses or tacked on motion control schemes. The team behind the game has crafted one of the best-looking games to date and you'll see this in many, many fine details such as items that can be rotated in your inventory (helpful when solving some puzzles) and the way the weather changes as you ascend a mountain from the sunny plains below to the freezing summit. Everyone at the presentation was silent, most likely from being in sheer awe at what was on screen...