The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - Special Edition Review (ItsBixx)
It deeply saddens me to be writing a negative review about a game I have cherished and played for so long. And, truly, if you want to play the vanilla experience, Skyrim is still one of the greatest games of all time. Sure, it's a little bit wonky around the edges, and has plenty of jank to go around. But, it's a beautiful game set in a world that draws you into it's every last corner and leaves you feeling a profound sense of adventure.
But, unfortunately, Bethesda has consistently shown that not only do they fail support the modding community in the way that it deserves to be supported, they actively antagonize it. For years, I have downloaded, installed, and even developed limited mods for the game. And, I truly believe that it is the modability of Skyrim that allows it to fulfill everything ranging from the most grandiose power fantasy, to the most perverted desire, to the most cinematic and immersive fantasy world and everything in between.
If you stand where I did years ago, at the precipice of a time-consuming but deeply rewarding modding experience, my genuine recommendation is, don't. Back in 2019 or 2020, I might have agreed that the game could only grow better, the community only grow stronger, and the world only more profoundly immersive. Instead, today, due to Bethesda's constant breaking of well-developed mods in favor of egregious monetization which has only escalated year over year, I encourage you to turn back. It's not worth it. Every time the community tries to prevent Bethesda's outrageous and poorly-implemented destructive 'content' additions, Bethesda themselves find ways to further brick the game so many have come to love.
So, honestly, don't play Skyrim if you want to get into modding. If you want to build a list manually, the true hardcore way, it will probably be broken by an update that adds some shitty paid mod system you don't want. If you want to download a massive wabbajack list and get right into a fully-featured modlist, there's no guarantee it will work after Bethesda gets their hands on your game.
I profoundly wish that the Bethesda team can be reminded what makes their games truly good, but it seems they've lost that vision years ago. Starfield has only reinforced that. Until then, I cannot recommend Skyrim.