anyway i genuinely can't tell if this is a hot take or not but Skyrim is mediocre and I will die on this hill. it tries to be both open world sandbox and linear narrative and in doing so accomplishes neither particularly well

You aren't wrong at all, but I will say no other game has the same draw that Skyrim does for me in particular (and many others). No other game has had me beat it at least half a dozen times and still want to replay. Mods help a lot in that regard. Skyrim is the best game Bethesda has made imo.

Truth… Skyrim was trying to be what Elden ring is, and doing it in the blandest possible way

youre completely correct. some individual stories are fun but the greater plot is ass as are most of the major quests and the open world is only slightly more interesting than say breath of the wild which is to say very uninteresting

After playing Fallout 4, I didn't feel a need to play Skyrim. Seemed to me it was basically the same game in a different setting.

What no mods does to a mf

I enjoyed it when it came out but I haven't felt the need to go back. The memes from it were great though.

yeah mid is pretty apt. It's not outright *bad* so I've played it a bunch, but every time I've wished for more depth. The main thing I like about it is the music and overall ambience

Was just realizing the other day how amazingly BOTW and TOTK thread this needle and how no other games came close for me except maybe RDR.

YES. THANK YOU

Never was able to get into it. Dull graphics, dull combat, dull NPCs, dull grindy crafty system.