The Game of the Year has now shipped 10 million units. Everyone is in love with slaying dragons in Elder Scrolls Skyrim. The mature game of the year has made over $650 million in sales.

“We are gratified that Skyrim continues to garner high review scores and accolades around the world,” said Robert Altman, Chairman and CEO of ZeniMax Media. “We are most grateful to our fans for their support and enthusiasm for the game, and their love of the hundreds of hours of gameplay it offers. We continue to strive to deliver the highest quality entertainment experience for everyone. 2012 will be another huge year for our fans, with the release of the Creation Kit, as well as exciting DLC which will add to the richness of this epic adventure.”

Can’t wait for the DLC…oh wait, I still have tons of areas to explore in Skyrim. I better get back to playing!

Like we said in our E3 Skyrim preview the graphics are stunning. There are moments where I would just stand on top of the mountain and look around. It never re-rendered as I was looking around, it was a smooth look at the vast territory of Skyrim. I even found some perched areas that almost seemed meant for the player to pause and take it all in.

We spoke about the weather system a little bit at E3, but it was quite breathtaking while playing it. The land changed from daytime to night without awkward transition. One area I was in, a snowstorm started and you could really tell that the snowflakes seemed to have a life of their own. This is also where I have to talk about the audio. During the snow storm it also sounded like a snowstorm. Visually when it picked up, so did the audio. Maybe that was partially the Turtle Beach headsets we used (I don’t ever use headsets when I play), but they did a great job of making sure the audio completely surrounded you. I think there was one moment where I jumped because all of a sudden I heard a wolf barking at me, but I couldn’t see him (he was behind me). Of course I tried to play that off.

The character customization is very detailed. I decided to not spend too long in this area because I wanted to dive into the game. I created a character that wielded an one handed ax and in the other hand was a fire spell. Our characters were placed about 45 minutes into the game, which means I have no idea how it actually starts. I basically went out into the world and started exploring.

I tend to be anti-open world game because of my a)lack of direction and b) it makes it difficult to stick to the story line. In this demo, I spent at least an hour wandering and discovering, completely going the opposite direction of some quests. Nice PR person from event came over and suggested I go to a certain town (after I got my butt kicked by a bear in a cave). I was informed that getting your butt kicked typically means that you are in an area you aren’t ready for. But in open world games, there is no other indication you should not be there. Thankfully the Giants I ran into just looked at me as I ran by.

My lack of direction issues were slightly solved by the fact that you can mark a territory and have it guide you there. I did not get verification if this actually was a guide or maybe just a spooky time of night, but a headless horseman lead me to the town I was looking for. I guess we’ll find out when the game comes out if that is a guide or a ghost.

Elder Scrolls Skyrim makes it super easy to go between first person and third person view. Once I found the way to go to third person view, I never left it. The third person views help me with my targeting as well as sense of direction. In first person view, I feel out of control and lost. But this may not be true for you. The best part is that Bethesda has made it really fluid and easy to pick which view is more suited to your needs.

Bethesda surprised me sometimes with their attention to detail. In one of the quests, I found a book lying there. I picked it up and before I took it with me, was given the opportunity to read it. I started to read it and then flipped a page. The story continued and I became very curious about how long the book would be. Usually in RPGs the book is a page or two if you get more than a paragraph. Unfortunately I did not count the number of pages, but I flipped for quite a while until I got to a proper end of the book. It definitely contained a full story that probably adds to the overall storyline.

Working skills are easy to level up. In the one town I got my quests, blacksmithing was simple to try out. I didn’t get too involved with the skills though due to lack of time, but for any gamer that enjoys the leveling up system for skills will find it easy and entertaining to do so. Selecting weapons, items, skills, and the map is made incredibly easy by pressing the “B” button on the controller. Elder Scrolls has the whole weight system which I had to keep dropping items to make sure I could move easily. Although in a short demo, there probably was no need for me to hold onto things to sell. The Skills menu is quite beautiful in a celestial look. Each skill has it’s own “star” design and when selected you work your way up the skill tree that way. When you level up, you get a point to place in a skill. I did activate a skill, but could not figure out how to subsequently grow that skill to the other nodes once I earned more points.

I enjoyed the new lockpicking system. It’s very similar to Fallout’s lockpicking with the combination of the lockpick and screwdriver (I think that’s what it is). I opened every chest I came across because it was fun. I also loved stealing a horse. The horse’s owners had died and so I didn’t feel conflicted about stealing it. The interesting thing about stealing a horse, is when you get off of it to fight or talk to someone, the horse goes off on it’s own. I did run back into the horse twice, but it definitely does not stay in the same area to wait for you. A little frustrating if you are trying to keep the horse because you cannot tie it up, but it does seem like you’ll be able to find it again.

The time I spent with Elder Scrolls Skyrim ended too soon. I loved just about every aspect of this game. There are things like the skill tree that I have to figure out, and this is obviously not enough of an impression for a full review. For me personally, I cannot wait until Skyrim comes out. I rarely get time to play games, and my three hour demo went so quickly that I wanted to beg for more (or steal the dev box). Very few games get that time commitment from me in one sitting (I’m always multi-tasking or doing other things). Personally, I am excited about my pre-order for Skyrim. 11-11-11 cannot come soon enough. Funny thing is….when I came home, I started to play Oblivion. ^_^

Christopher Plummer (who you’ll see next in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) plays Arngeir, who is a Greybeard elder living atop Skyrim’s tallest mountain. Max von Sydow plays Esbern, an agent of the Blades. Joan Allen will play Delphine, also part of the Blades, who is attempting to figure out why the dragons are back.

Lynda Carter (you know her best as Wonder Woman) voices Gormlaith Golden-Hilt, who has already had her turn with the dragons. Battlestar Galactica’s Michael Hogan plays Imperial General Tullius, and Vladimir Kulich portrays his enemy, Ulfric Stormcloak. Claudia Christian, from Babylon 5, plays Legate Rikke, and Diane Louise Salinger, George Coe (Woodhouse, if you watch Archer) and Renee Victor all play as-yet unnamed characters.

“It’s been incredible to have all these actors together,” said Todd Howard, Game Director. “When you start a project, you always make your wish-list of actors, and to actually hear them in the game, it’s amazing. We can’t wait for everyone to experience it.”

If you’ve got $150 burning in your pocket by the time The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is released on November 11, the Collector’s Edition of the game might just be for you.

It includes everything you see above, which is:

• A large, hardback coffee table book featuring art from the game
• A 12″ statue of Alduin
• A special “Making Of” DVD
• A cloth map

But, once again, this is $150. So you’d better really like it, I guess.

There are lots of dragons, and some of them seem to have an affinity for eating people. Very unfortunate for the people in question.

We also see a little bit of combat and conversations with people. Not too shabby, I think.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim releases 11/11/11.

The Graphics don’t make the game, but in this case, it is required to mention the incredible amount of detail found in the vast lands that Skyrim has to offer. Even the leaves are detailed, on the little plant that you happen to pass by on the road; it’s these small details within the game that are like little unexpected treasures.  I am certain that many of us will stop and smell the flowers many at time during our play through of this game. Skyrim comes out November 11^th of this year.  This attention to detail has been made possible do to a brand new engine that has not been used for previous Elder Scrolls titles.   The shadows, the lighting, the particles, the wind, the rocks, everything looks amazing; so amazing Gaming Angels Trina and Game Dame Leala were both convinced that it was running on a PS3.  Trina said, “It has to be on the PS3!” But this Gaming Angel heard the game controller disconnect from the system, and the unmistakable sound of the Xbox complaint filled the loud room.  I can pick that sound out a mile away I’m just sensitive to it.

The whole demo ran on an Xbox, to which was later confirmed by none other than Todd Howard, the Game director at Bethesda.  I don’t know about you, but this is a huge thing for Xbox 360 owners; that the graphic capabilities of the Xbox can be pushed to such limits, and that Bethesda chose to show it to us at E3 on the Xbox system.

It’s not all pretty graphics that we get to look at though. The vast and luscious mountains in the game can be climbed as well! Your character wants to do a little hiking and enjoy the sites, why not?  You can go right up to the summit of the mountain and view the vast landscape as far as your eyes video card can see render. Also different viewing modes are available; changing from first-person to third-person seemed painless and fast.

The game contains many classes; but you can play as a warrior then switch to a mage. You can duel-hand your spells for a more powerful spell if you use both hands at the same time. Shield and sword? No problem.  Think shields are for N00bs and you’d rather double wield one-handed weapons? Bethesda is not stopping you; you can do that as well! The way you play is left up to the player.  Around the world, you’ll find “Blessing Stones” for a faster level up of your powers.  Only one “Blessing” can be used at a time, balancing the game play.  While in battle, the game has a kill cam, giving you the full slow-motion animation of your kill(s), which quickly become epic after defeating a huge dragon.

This game has so much in it that I wonder how daunting it will be to get all the items out; and how many button combinations and menus I would have to go through in order to select an item, replenish health or simply see what I’ve picked up.  With just hitting your “B” button, you’ll see a screen that contains four items: (top) Skills, (right) Items, (bottom) Map, (left) Magic.  You’ll then find a full 3D inventory, where you can inspect almost anything and look at the detail and passion that was put into crafting each and every single item.  The in-game food looks amazingly realistic, to the point of making me hungry.  They showed us a piece of tuna that would have gone oh so well on a sushi roll. But then, they showed it cooked and I wanted it on a bed of rice with a nice salad.  Yes…in game food looks that real, so much so that my cereal bar filled stomach protested, rather loudly at my lack of sustenance.

Books found in the game can be read, even though they did not cover much of it in the demo; it seemed that they would reveal much of the lore and story of the game and the period of time in this world’s history.  So how is this different than other games you might ask, and the answer is that the books seem to have more than just a few pages.  I’m talking about full book reading for in the game.  How many pages available, was not revealed and not much of it was explained besides the words “You can fully read the books,” and a couple of pages were flipped during this section of the demo.

The Skills menu looks celestial, Milky Way like, where each thing you select will open more options and gives you more options for the Perks Tree.  Choosing the Map, will open a NASA like view of the world, complete with clouds and weather, letting you know where you are, what have you seen, nearby towns and more. When you visit a town, you can sharpen your weapons or get a job.  Working still looks awkward in this game; and I hope that actually playing it is not as awkward as it looked in the demo.  You can also build new weapons by taking pieces and combining them.  If you decide to “rage” on the local business this will greatly affect the economy in the town.  Or you can get a job chopping wood and earn money for your character.

Parting is such a sweet sorrow, but leaving a town on a horse in Skyrim is not.  Riding is much faster than walking and running around; also the game seems to have random horses parked around the town that you can take for an adventure.

If all of that hasn’t not knocked your socks off, than this will: One the entire weather system in the game is dynamic.  Which means, every raindrop, every piece of snow, every weather pattern happens randomly and is not scripted in any way.  On top of that, every snowflake you see in the game, have not, I repeat, have not been stamped or painted.  That is natural snowfall you see, allowing for the look of the game to be unique for every player.  The physics of the snow falling, I dare to say, are as close to real it can be.

Two, not every dragon in Skyrim is scripted. When watching the demo, a random dragon appeared. The person playing the demo had to run away since he didn’t know if he would be able to fight the dragon in time, before the demo was over.  That, I thought, is fantastic!  So if you down one of the dragons, your character can absorb the soul of it to increase your powers as well.  Nothing seems to have been left out where you aren’t working: leveling is automatic by killing animals, going through your skill trees, getting a job to increase money, or rampaging through a town and hurting the local economy.  Picking up flowers to work in your alchemy; or catching food, to either eat raw or cooked.  Giving the player absolute control and vast options on how the game can be played, a guaranteed unique experience every time.

*Co-edited by Reven

This special edition for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC, which will retail for $29.99, includes a copy of the game as well as the “Knights of the Nine” and “Shivering Isles” expansions.

In addition, North American consumers will also get a special Steelbook for storage, a behind-the-scenes documentary on the making of the game and a full-color map. And oh yeah — that $10 Skyrim coupon. (Looks like you also have to get the strategy guide to get that deal, but based on this “300 hours” number I keep hearing bandied about…you might need it. Perhaps not such a good deal after all, though.)

This package will become available on July 12.

Hi! I’m Megan Sawyer, an environment artist for Bethesda Softworks. I create various environment pieces from shrubs to small clutter items, and in the past have done everything from tapestries that hang on the walls to tires that sit in the dirt, to houses and their interiors. I’d like to think that’s why they’ve let me stay for so long without calling security.

000000;">GA: When did you start gaming and can you recall your first game/gaming system?

MS: I believe I was 3 or 4 – my dad bought me and my twin sister a PC Jr., and he loaded up King’s Quest for us. The King’s Quest and Space Quest series were my first games, and remain some of my favorite games today.

While not my first gaming system, I do have to credit the Dreamcast for getting me into console gaming. Jet Grind Radio was some of the most awesome awesomeness.

GA: At what point did you decide that pursuing a career in this industry was the right thing for you?

MS: Oh, I was quite oblivious to the entire idea. My parents were the ones who thought of it – I played games my whole life, and had graduated college with a bachelor of fine arts, specializing in 3D/video art, but it wasn’t until my parents surprised me with an Xbox console for research purposes and said “Go make game art!” that I actually realized it could be a career for me. Go parents!

GA: What inspires you? Who have you learned from and how have they helped you better your career?

MS: I find inspiration in everything, from board games to movies to random photos I come across on flickr. I’ve learned a lot from my coworkers, and people are always sharing new tips and techniques with each other.

GA: For anyone interested in creating gaming environments, are there any programs, study aides or classes that you would recommend they look into?

MS: It can be difficult to find environment specific courses as most seem to be aimed at character artists. In general you can’t go wrong with a combination of fine art classes and technical art classes.

Also, it might sound strange, but if you get the opportunity, theater and film classes can be very useful. Learning to set up a physical stage with props really gives you a feel for setting up scenes in an editor for games. I use more things from my film and theater classes than I do from most other non-art class I took in college.

GA: Females are more common in art departments than most other development roles in game studios. What do you think is the largest obstacle for women trying to break into the creative side of gaming (any of the development departments) instead of going into human resources or public relations?

MS: One of the bigger obstacles is learning that we exist. Knowing is half the battle! Seriously though, I didn’t even know there was such a career as environment artist. The only reason I knew women were even involved with video games was because of Roberta William’s picture on the back of King’s Quest 4. I think it’s important to let young girls know about the entire gamut of careers in entertainment technology, from concept art to programming.

GA: As an environment artist, you get to work on all of the beautiful scenery we see when we play games. How do you decide what items stay or go for the player to see in the final build for a level/area?

MS: I work for both an Art Director and an Environment Lead, as well as our producers, and ultimately it’s up to them to decide what goes in the game, and how it will look. Once that’s decided, it’s handed off to an artist like myself, and I work on creating it, checking in frequently to make sure that my work is what they had in mind.

GA: What do you find is the most challenging aspect of working on gaming environments?

MS: Probably the technical limitations. While the limitations become less restrictive with each iteration of game consoles, we’re always trying to push it to the next level.

GA: Can you share with us what your average day is like?

MS: Get in, grab a cup of coffee or hot chocolate, check my work email, and load up all of the files I’m working on. I work for several hours, and then go and grab lunch with coworkers. I come back and continue whatever project I’m on, checking in frequently with my leads. Once a week we’ll have a meeting to look at our stuff in a group. But, for the most part it’s putting in many hours behind a computer, interspersed with conversations with coworkers.

GA: What would you say is the best part about working at Bethesda?

MS: The people, hands down. We have so many completely amazing people here. There’s something about this industry that seems to attract an inordinate amount of people who can hold entire conversations only using Simpsons quotes. We got to meet a bunch of our new id brethren at our holiday bash and it was like meeting our long lost, hysterically funny and awesome cousins.

GA: Everyone needs a break from gaming once in a while. What do you do that helps you refocus and relax?

MS: I love watching science fiction TV shows with my husband. I also enjoy watching horror movies, and going to concerts. My husband and I go to a ridiculous amount of concerts.

GA: Do you have any advice to share with our readers who are interested in video games as a career?

MS: Don’t give up and don’t get discouraged. It’s not the easiest career path but it can be very rewarding.

Women in Gaming Weekends is an interview series with women working in various positions throughout the video game industry. These interviews are to help answer questions that female gamers interested in pursuing a career in gaming might be looking to have answered, provide helpful information and inspire healthy debate.

Random House has posted information and an excerpt from the first chapter of the Infernal City, a novel based on the Elder Scrolls. The same Elder Scrolls that is the popular game from Bethesda. This is the first of two books that will be based in the Elder Scrolls world.

The book is written by New York Times bestselling author, Greg Keyes. The novel will be available on November 24, 2009 but you can pre-order at various book retail stores now.

A preview excerpt is up here and gives you a slight indication as to how the book will be.