elder-scrolls posts

The Elder Scrolls V Skyrim made a huge surprise splash when it was first announced back in December and since then we have learned more aboth the fantasy RPG sequel from Betheda Game Studios. While we have seen screenshots from the game there hasn't been any in-game video footage yet.

That will change on Thursday as publisher Bethesda Softworks now has a countdown clock on its official web site that, when it reaches zero, will reveal the first in-game trailer footage from The Elder Scrolls V Skyrim. Hopefully the video will showcase the game's new Creation Engine and its graphical improvements over previous games from the developer.

The Elder Scrolls V Skyrim is looking sharp, thanks to the game's all new in-house Creation Engine. Today the Bethblog web site released a pack of screenshots from the upcoming RPG. Some of the shots have been seen before in Game Informer's online articles but many are all new. We especially like the looks of the skelton-zombie soldiers in the above shot.

The Bethblog site also has some new concept art pieces from the Bethesda Game Studios-developed title to check out. We will surely be getting a lot more visuals and info from the game before its scheduled release on November 11.

We have a lot of news to catch you up on tonight so let's not dilly dally:

• Steam has new automatic updates available to download for Magicka and Monday Night Combat.
• AMD has released new Catalyst graphics drivers (version 11.1) for its Radeon graphics cards.
• Speaking of Radeon graphics cards, want to see the massive and upcoming Radeon HD 6990 card? Here you go.
• Direct2Drive has added all of the previously released Postal games from developer Running With Scissors to its line-up.
• Game Informer has a new video that takes a look at the art design and direction for The Elder Scrolls V Skyrim.
• Finally the creator of Minecraft is going on a much deserved vacation.

On Monday Game Informer revealed the first details behind the Creation Engine, the new graphics engine that was made in-house by Bethesda Game Studios to power its next project, the fantasy RPG The Elder Scrolls V Skyrim. But would the PC port of this engine be as mod friendly as previous Elder Scrolls games have been from the studio?

The answer, as it turns out is, "Yes." In a post on the game's official message board forums a Betheda community manager confirmed, "Like the Elder Scrolls Construction Set for Morrowind and Oblivion, we plan to release Creation Kit so you guys can mod Skyrim." It's likely that the mod tools will be made available as a free download shortly after the game is released in November 2011.

We know a bunch of you reading this are currently trapped indoors as a result of snow. We sympathize deeply but look at it this way: you get to have more quality time with your PC killing Zerg swarms or starting new wager matches. That isn't half bad, is it?

• Steam has a new automatic update available for Swarm Arena (with a new online mode)
• Steam also has a new patch update available for Making History II with improved support for mods and more.
• Game Informer has a look back at the previous Elder Scrolls games ahead of next month's cover story for Elder Scrolls V Skyrim.
• Watch the StarCraft II GOM-TV English commentator have to say some wild and weird forum names.

Bethesda has blown plenty of people away with their new Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim announcement, and for good reason: this trailer is ridiculously cool. A dragon emerging from a stone mural to breathe a fiery stone breath at a representation of its greatest enemy is baffling from a story perspective, but it's one of the most interesting cinematics we've seen. We especially love the fire effect, as its almost creepy how it works. Not much information besides the player character (Dragonborn), release window (around November 2011), and game engine (not Gamebyro, thank goodness) has been released., so now we play the waiting game.

Download HD The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Teaser Trailer
Check out all The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim downloads

Saturday night's surprise announcement of The Elder Scrolls V Skyrim by developer Bethesda Game Studios and publisher Bethesda Softworks has gotten perhaps the most buzz out of all the reveals at the Video Game Awards. Since then the game's official teaser site and Facebook page have launched. Today a little more info on the game came to light as Bethesda' Nick Breckon posted word on his Twitter page, "We can now confirm that the TES V: Skyrim engine is all-new. And it looks fantastic." That means the new game is abandoning the engine that has been used for Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion as well as the developer's last game Fallout 3.

While some have already speculated that the new engine being used is id Tech 5, the same engine that id Software (owned by Bethesda Softworks) is using for its upcoming shooter Rage, Breckon would only say in a following "tweet", "It's a new graphics/gameplay engine built internally. We'll have more details down the road."

In a surprise announcement at tonight's Video Game Awards, Bethesda Game Studios head Todd Howard game on stage and introduced a teaser trailer for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, the next game in the popular single player fantasy RPG series. The announcement also came with a release date: November 11, 2011.

This means that 2011 will be a banner year for publisher Betheda Softworks with no less than four major games due out next year. the sci-fi first person shooter Brink, the fantasy action-RPG Hunted:The Demon's Forge, id Software's post apocalypse shooter Rage and now the fifth Elder Scrolls game. You can check out the teaser trailer after the jump:

So how many kills did you rack up in Black Ops multiplayer today? We are looking forward to killing some zombies as Tricky Dick.

• Steam has added two DLC packs for Rhythm Zone: the DJ Table visualizer for $1.99 and the Tornado visualizer for 99 cents.
• Steam has also added a new Front Mission Evolved Weapons Pack with three new weapons for $2.99.
• Steam also has new patches for Puzzle Dimension and Counter-Strike Source Beta.
• Someone wants a new Elder Scrolls game so badly he made a rap video about it.
• Postal 3 is reportedly close to being done. We can't wait.

The development team at Bethesda Game Studios is usually known to work on just one game at a time, which is why there's usually a big gap between its game releases (Elder Scrolls IV Oblivion was released in March 2006 while its last game Fallout 3 came out in October 2008). However, as revealed in a new interview at Eurogamer, the development team's head man Todd Howard revealed that there are actually two games currently in the works at the studio.

As he states, " ... we're in production on the new game, and we have a design going for the one after that." Usually there's a long time between when a Bethesda-made game is announced and when it actually ships out but Howard says that with the current game that won't be the case, saying. "... when you first hear about it to when it's out will be the shortest it's been for us."