However, exact details on the $10 discount have now been revealed and we have to say that the discount is now rather misleading for those of you who initially thought you only had to buy Oblivion to get the $10 off Skyrim.

We have now learned that gamers will have to not only buy Oblivion, but you’ll also need to purchase the official strategy guide for Skyrim as well as pre-order your copy of Skyrim at the same time, with the total price coming to $115. It doesn’t stop there either, as your Skyrim and strategy guide purchases need to come on the same receipt and users will then have to cut the barcode off from this receipt, as well as the code contained on your copy of Oblivion and then mail all three off to Bethesda.

Only when you have completed this ordeal will you then receive a $10 VISA gift card from Bethesda in return, a few weeks later according to Ripten. It sounds like a painful experience to go through just to get $10 off Skyrim, and a platform which is probably going to be met with severe criticism throughout the gaming community. Why couldn’t Bethesda just do the right thing and give customers a $10 discount off Skyrim directly when they purchase Oblivion, without making users mail-in these extras and create chaos in the process.

Making Elder Scrolls fans pay for the strategy guide as well is a pretty harsh move by Bethesda we feel, as it serves as a direct kick in the teeth to loyal gamers who have already paid for and played Oblivion countless times, and supported it by buying the countless DLC packs i.e Knights of the Nine and Shivering Isles. Bethesda are effectively forcing experienced fans of the franchise to buy the strategy guide even though a lot of gamers will feel they don’t need it.

Strange tactics indeed Bethesda, one which is definitely mind boggling from a personal point of view. This information is only just starting to trickle out now, so it will be interesting to see how the community react once it gets out to the masses. This move is unlikely to affect sales of Skyrim since most gamers will still be buying it anyway, but Bethesda could have thought of a better way to offer this $10 discount in our opinion.

What are your thoughts on this? Are you disappointed by Bethesda’s tactics here, and will you still be picking up the game this November?

More About: Bethesda, Elder Scrolls V

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You can view the listing on the Marketplace website here if you’re interested, and it confirms that the download will weigh in at 137MB so it won’t take long at all for those of you with speedy internet connections.

The trailer itself is pretty breathtaking, not just for graphics, but the soundtrack as well. It may even bring a few goosebumps as well when the familiar Elder Scrolls theme kicks in after the long narration build-up – I’m not saying it happened to me by the way!

The video gives you a first look at character models, towns, a few landscapes and also the introduction of dragons into the game. Hopefully Bethesda will give a proper reveal of Skyrim at E3, as it now looks likely that we won’t get another reveal during GDC 2011 which is ongoing as we speak.

Are you looking forward to the release of Skyrim? Let us know what your expectations of the game are, following on from the excellent Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion.

More About: Elder Scrolls 5, Elder Scrolls V, Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

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Well, we’re pleased to say that the timer has now reached 0, and the first trailer is available to view over at the official website here. We must say that we had problems getting into the Elder Scrolls website, obviously due to fact that everyone else around the world is trying to do the exact same thing at the exact same moment – ah, you have to smile at a good old website crash don’t you?

As for the trailer – wow. We knew that Skyrim was going to be something special, and Bethesda certainly haven’t disappointed. There is plenty of gameplay action to see here – dragon slaying, landscape views, town environments, a wonderful flashback from Oblivion crossed my mind when I saw this.

The trailer is accompanied by an epic soundtrack, with the same theme that most of you have probably heard online. The clip is just under 3 minutes in length and certainly leaves you wanting more. We’re praying that Bethesda has some sort of reveal planned for GDC which starts soon – they cant’ just leave us hanging until 11.11.11.

We’ve found the trailer on YouTube as well, so you can watch it below if you have trouble getting into the official site. Let us know your reaction to the gameplay, and your thoughts on the visuals. Obviously the graphics are nothing mindblowing, but it’s all about gameplay with Bethesda – and there are few in the business better than them.

More About: Bethesda, Elder Scrolls 5, Elder Scrolls V

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If you head over to GamesAbyss, you’ll see them mention that Bethesda has already announced a new game engine, with reports suggesting that this engine has been tailored for use in ‘large open worlds’, which would obviously suit the likes of Elder Scrolls V perfectly – assuming that the game will be as big as Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion.

Here is a passage from their article: ”With the announcement of a new secret game engine, it seems that a new Elder Scrolls is on its way. According to sources, this new game engine works best for large, open worlds, which only further confirms Elder Scrolls imminence.”

GamesAbyss has also added some gameplay elements which they would like to see revamped for the new game, which includes information on the combat system, character models, menu User Interface, and Weapon Degradation.

Hopefully Elder Scrolls V will be released sometime next year. I was definitely a fan of Oblivion, and I have total faith in Bethesda that they will deliver a game as good, if not better than ES IV. If you are a fan of the series, let us know your thoughts on the news.

More About: Bethesda, Elder Scrolls 5, Elder Scrolls V

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