2 THE ELDER SCROLLS V: SKYRIM

Release year 2012 Last position 1

Ben Skyrim has the best mods. There are epic mods that add new armor, new followers, new monsters and entirely new lands. There are tweaks that clean up the UI and remove loading doors from cities. My favorite is Fus Roh Dance, which makes anyone you shout at spontaneously boogie. It’s the game that keeps on giving.

Tom I always have a modded-up copy of Skyrim on my hard drive because I sometimes still get sudden, overwhelming urge to go back there again. Loaded up with script-extenders and advanced shaders, it looks gorgeous, but still retains a sense of mystery. One day I’ll have raided every dungeon and had every conversation, but that day is still years away.

Andy A game I still come back to, despite having played it for close to 300 hours. Pick a direction and walk and you’re bound to come across something interesting in this colossal, detailed world. After the fairly generic fantasy of green, pleasant Cyrodiil, the frozen north of Skyrim was a welcome change, where pseudo-Norse mythology created a place that felt ancient and storied.

Ian I almost always avoid playing as a wizard in fantasy games, but the Mage’s College storyline in Skyrim sucked me right in. Unlike the sometimes-janky melee combat, wielding the elements always feels smooth and powerful. It’s my favorite evil-sorcerer experience.