So Skyrim came out. Kind of a big deal. Of course, I was too busy to notice, since I was on a plane. Going to Seattle. After I reached said town and pressed my tired body into the extremely comfortable bed at a hotel so fancy I have no idea how we got into, I woke up and realized what I had missed. I had to get it. A digital copy of the game would not suffice. Now that I was in a full fledged city, as opposed to my quaint little fishing town that I called home, there was no reason to get a copy from Steam. I must find it.

My people need me.

My droopy eyes grew wide. As soon as I could, I made my way to Bellevue Square Mall. This was no easy task - the traffic was gridlocked for at least a half a mile around the establishment. The fancy mall map that I stumbled upon had a touch screen that happened to be calibrated for a cross-eyed midget, seeing as how every time I pressed on it, it registered a good two to three inches to the left. I coerced the stupid machine to spit out the information I wanted: the mall did indeed have a GameStop inside. On the second floor. Near the GAP. Oh God. I trudged through the hundreds of people in the mall, wondering why all these people were here on such a random day. Why did it have to be today? Skyrim came out yesterday and none of these people are anywhere near a game store. Instead, they're shopping for clothes. Christmas is next month, people.

I approached the GameStop, and it was only moderately full of people - Good, I thought to myself, A sanctuary. Pushing my way inside, I looked to the left and discovered that the store was not as bare as I had thought it was. There were at least ten people in each line - that's right, each. It was the first GameStop I had seen where there were multiple checkers at the counter. It was also the biggest GameStop I had ever seen. There were two counters, one near the front, and one in the back. To my right, I saw it. A statue, not unlike the one the GiantBomb staff unboxed from Bethesda was standing there, calling me. I walked up to it. No copies of Skyrim. I walked around the entire store. No copies. (Keep in mind I'm looking for the PC version.) I never pegged GameStop for carrying PC games, as they usually had a very small rack dedicated to them. So I walked up to the counter, waited in line, and finally got the chance to ask the worker "Do you have any copies of Skyrim for PC?" He looked up from his terminal at me. He turned around, and reached into a very empty looking box on the counter behind him. I eyeballed the gigantic collectors editions sitting behind the counter, carrying dragon statues and other crazy items. They were at least the size of my car's tires. I glanced over at the worker. I hadn't felt so nervous since I was a little kid, asking if there were any copies of Mega Man Battle Network 3 left in stock, only to turn up empty-handed.

My efforts were not in vain. He pulled out a copy - YES! I gladly handed over my debit card, and he swiped it, and I had never felt so happy to spend sixty dollars. This was it. Skyrim was in my possession. I overheard a tip from the other worker, who seemed much more keen on engaging in conversation with his customers. "Don't kill the chicken outside the first village," he said, "the villagers will go crazy on you and make it difficult to complete the first quest." Even though he wasn't talking to me, I nodded. Duly noted, I thought to myself, and I proudly walked out of the store, feeling like I had won the lottery. My girlfriend (who I forgot to mention was with me) looked at me and noticed that I was smiling like a madman, and it made her smile, too, even though she's not really into video games. The shopping, the pungent stench of nail polish, the crowded, sweaty halls of the mall that I had to endure before and after going to grab Skyrim had all been worth it.

I wouldn't be writing this if I didn't think Skyrim was amazing. Because it is. Everything that made Oblivion feel strange and disconnected is gone here. The music - enthralling. The characters - incredible. The sweeping landscapes and attention to detail - flawless. The lore and immersion - perfect. The combat - awesome.

The dragons. The fucking dragons. You'll just be walking. At random. And them boom. Dragon. Fight it.

I can't say enough good things about Skyrim. I won't say much, though - Brad did a great job on his review.

There's just this feeling that you get when you're walking through the forest, the sun starts to rise, and you realize: I'm the Dovahkiin. Dragonborn. I want to save this world. And I can.

It doesn't matter who you are.

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Phew, that was a long post. Besides Skyrim, I played some Nitronic Rush. That game is also great. The high-speed tracks and tricks were refreshing and make me want to play more video games. It's strange how indie games can do that to you.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have homework I should be doing. Next blog post: Skyward Sword.