"The Elder Scrolls V: Syrim" Switch Review

In its first year of the Switch's release, Nintendo has flooded the zone on exemplary first-party releases. Third-party offerings, as always with Nintendo consoles, had been weak to non-existent, but that has changed in recent months, with a wave of games, such as "L.A Noire," "Doom" and "NBA 2K18" having busted down the door.

"The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim" joins that group, and despite having been played to, well, oblivion by every serious gamer on several systems over the past six years, its appearance on the Switch is a full-scale rebirth rather than a redundancy.

Like the Xbox One and PS4 HD remasters, this one includes all the DLC and remastered graphics and sound. The Switch version may not maintain the graphical fidelity or frame rate of its big brothers, the portability more than makes up for any minor shortcomings.

It's a true technological marvel to see a game of the "Skyrim" caliber running free and proud on a portable console, and the effect is not only even more breathtaking than seeing a majestic first-party title such as "The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild" run on the Switch, it feels like a sign of things to come. Nintendo's console seems truly capable of handling even the most demanding of modern games, and Microsoft and Sony -- let alone tablet and smartphone game publishers -- can't hope to compete with the new world order if this is the direction things are headed.

The Switch-focused adjustments, such as motion-controlled inventory cycling, spell casting and hotkey favorites, are beneficial but unobtrusive, meant for playing the game on TV, which is the least interesting way to play it. The game truly comes to stunning life in portable mode, with its rich colors and textures popping on the gorgeous screen that's just inches from your face.

Even if you have bought this game before multiple times, you're due for yet another go-round if you're a Switch owner with 14GB to spare on your SD card to handle the sizable download. The game is as majestic and impressive in its new form than the dragons that soar through its skies.
Publisher provided review code.