The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Xenoblade Chronicles 2, Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon and more games reviewed!
TECHLIFE TEAM REVIEWS THE LATEST GAMES FOR PC AND CONSOLES, BEGINNING WITH THIS NORD MEAD-DRINKING, DRAGON-KILLING, ARROW-SHOOTING ROMP.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim THE CLASSIC RPG GOES BIG AND SMALL, WITH CONSISTENT RESULTS. $99.95 | Switch, PSVR | www.theelderscrolls.com
BETHESDA’S MISSION TO get Skyrim running on every feasible electronic device is working out quite well. The original game launched in 2011 for PS3, Xbox 360 and PC, but since then, it’s made the leap to PS4, Xbox One and now the Nintendo Switch and PlayStation VR. Unlike those next-gen remasters, these newer re-issues are worth revisiting, if only to see whether Skyrim can work both in handheld mode and in virtual reality.
As far as the Nintendo Switch goes, Skyrim is a perfect fit. Not only does the game’s sprawling, mission-centric design work well for on-the-go gaming, but the graphics aren’t so cutting edge that the Switch struggles. The game carries a consistent 30 frames-persecond framerate and even seems to draw — in terms of visual fidelity — from the recent Enhanced Edition. Not every console and PC game can successfully make the leap to Nintendo’s rather awkward tech specs, but Skyrim is best suited to do so given its six-year vintage. In some ways, this is the best possible way to play it, if you’re time poor.
Virtual reality is a more challenging prospect. Not only is the full game ported over (unlike the recent Doom VFR entry, which is a separate game), but it’s also a PSVR exclusive, so it’s drawing from a far less powerful machine than a HTC Vive or Oculus Rift could. Even then, the performance is impressive. Sony mandate zero frame drops in their VR games, and Bethesda has complied, though naturally draw distances and texture qualities take a dip next to the PS4 Enhanced Edition. Bethesda isn’t the Mage’s College afterall, and the fact that Skyrim is fully playable in VR in a relatively nausea-free environment is very impressive indeed.
Still, one wishes for the ability to transfer saves between the VR version and the core PS4 SKU. Each are sold separately, and given more than half an hour of PSVR at a time can be sickening, it’ll take the average player some time to complete Skyrim in VR.
There are efforts to mitigate nausea — the playable character turns in increments, thus eliminating motion sickness — but no game can entirely avoid the fatigue that comes with prolonged VR use. But for now, it’s about the best we can get if fully-featured open-world gaming is what you want in VR.