I just finished getting in about 4 hours of gameplay, according to Steam, in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and im already yearning for more. But that's no different than any other Elder Scrolls game i've played. What is different is the level of polish and sheer magnitude that I feel exhuming from Bethesda's latest product, and in an effort to understand this cavalcade of emotions I need to get something off my chest before it completely wears off.

Skyrim is majestic, it is the sum of Bethesda's nearly 20 years of producing Elder Scrolls games and their dedication to loyal fans that play these games year after year, while silently yearning for the next big release. I know this because i've been with the Elder Scrolls games since Daggerfall, and with each subsequent release i've seen Bethesda's effort and dedication. I fought against Daggerfall's buggy nature every step of the way, because the game world was expansive and nearly unlimited in scope. And when Morrowind came out I relished in that too, hours and days melted into electronics that produced one of the finest gameplay experiences I'd ever had in my life. Buggy yet still, I forgave the small short-comings for an inspired game world with incredible variety and unique locales that excited the imagination. The fourth Elder Scrolls title, Oblivion, was just as quickly absorbed and consumed like its brethren, even though I felt it was a step back in terms of creativity and overall fun factor that Morrowind offered. And so I continued to make a variety of characters in Oblivion, and Morrowind, exploring to my hearts content and never looking back.

So here I am with Skyrim, and I feel as if it is Bethesda's magnum opus. A game that defies everything that came before it in an effort to create something unique not only in game world, but also in gameplay. It is hard to consolidate each small portion of Skyrim and say that this is what makes the game great, when everything in total sets it above everything i've played this year. Maybe it's the few hiccups i've experienced, but I feel a certain elation I haven't felt in a long time from any video game. It is highly reminiscent of how I felt when I was only 10 years old, sitting in front of my TV, and playing Sonic the Hedgehog for the first time. I can still remember the sheer joy the game elicited, and the amazing variety in levels that encouraged you to keep moving forward.

Perhaps that is what Skyrim makes me feel, the urge to continue moving forward. To experience everything the game has to offer, and soak it all up like a sponge deprived of the water it is meant to hold. The Elder Scrolls games have always meant a sprawling game world with nooks and crannies for me to discover, and then finding something I never expected to find. Perhaps one of the best examples of this was in Oblivion when I found the underground home of a daedra, where large versions of mundane items like tables and chairs were in rooms, and a black void urged you to continue to explore rickety wooden bridges. It felt fresh, it felt amazing, and it really made me want to turn every corner to see what was waiting for me.

Skyrim has done this not only on a exploratory level, but in a certain sense that it makes the entire game feel like you are constantly uncovering something that will drive you forward. Be it something as simple as the intuitive interface, or just the extremely quick load times. Bethesda is notorious for making game of the year games, but I think Bethesda has made a game of the decade. A game that will appeal to not only casual and hardcore gamers, but those interested in the most primal of human desires, discovery.