I've played a lot of Elder Scrolls in my day. I've topped over 100 hours in both The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind and The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (yes, dear readers, I know you played more and I'm a noob and I fail and all of that), numbers that undoubtedly would have been higher if my job didn't necessitate pesky actions like "playing other games." I've always loved role-playing games, but the series' blend of high fantasy and first-person action hooked me like no other games before or since.With that said (and as you might expect), I was more than a little excited when Bethesda finally announced the fifth title in the much-ballyhooed series. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim was shown to members of the press for the first time last week at an event held high in the snowy mountains of Utah, the perfect setting to unveil a game that takes place in the world of Tamriel's coldest region. After a nearly-two-hour presentation of the game, I walked away safe in the knowledge that not only was the game on track to be one of the year's best games, but also to be the best Elder Scrolls to date. Why's that, you ask? Well, let me break it down for you, list-style!This might seem like a no-brainer, given the fact that we're now nearly six years into the Xbox 360's lifecycle (note: that was the platform Skyrim was shown on) -- but Skyrim's visuals are very impressive even when you take the system's age into account. Oblivion was a nice-looking game and all, but Skyrim features all of the latest graphical bells and whistles that help to make today's games that much more realistic. If I might get all jargon-y for a minute, I was most impressed by the draw distances, which have been improved to the point that I could see much, much further than I ever could in Oblivion.The Creation engine (as Bethesda calls it) was essentially rebuilt from the ground up for Skyrim, and features greatly improved lighting and a dynamic weather system that's perfect for cranking out blinding snowstorms when you least expect them. You'll definitely be dealing with those from time to time, as Skyrim features a number of different locales (polar tundras, high mountaintops, fall forests, etc.) and a level of verticality never seen in an Elder Scrolls game. Yes, you actually need to crossthose massive mountains, an adventure that will definitely take some time.In the hundred-plus hours I spent playing Oblivion, I spentfive minutes in third-person mode. It's not that I was opposed to that view, as some of my favorite games use that perspective; no, I stuck with the first-person view solely because my character's third-person animations were simply dreadful. That appears to have been fixed in a big way in Skyrim, thanks to an overhauled animation system. The player-character (and everyone you meet during your travels) movesmore fluidly, to the point that I suspect a lot more people will use this as their default view.Skyrim's biggest gameplay change is easily the new right hand/left hand system, which fundamentally alters the combat in some interesting new ways. Essentially, you can put any combination of weapons, magic, or shields in either your right or left hand, making for near-endless possibilities. Yes, you can stick with your trusty sword-and-shield combo if you'd like, but now you can dual-wield one-handed weapons or sport magic in one hand while wielding a sword in the other. Mage players should be very happy to hear that similar spells combine to create a super-spell of sorts, demonstrated during the demo when a fireball spell was equipped in each hand. Being able to control what each hand does could make for a really cool mechanic, although it's tough to say how well it will actually work until I get my hands on the game.Oblivion's inventory system was unwieldy -- especially once you accumulated dozens of similar items. While it doesn't appear to be completely final, inventory management in Skyrim looks much more streamlined. Everything in your main inventory view is grouped by type, allowing for easier item management. What really pushes it in the right direction, however, is the ability to set favorites, almost like creating bookmarks for websites.Putting items, spells, or weapons in your favorites list allows you to quickly cycle between them using the up and down buttons on the d-pad once it's brought up, then equip them to whichever hand you'd like. If youthe type of person that likes to spend a lot of time looking at your loot, rest assured that every item in the inventory menu is fully rendered and can be rotated and ogled to your heart's delight.The inventory system isn't the only thing that's streamlined, though; Skyrim's developers went to great lengths to make everything flow as naturally as possible, while cutting down on the number of menus. Pressing up on the d-pad brings up the beautiful new character menu, which consists of constellations in the night sky. The birth signs from previous Elder Scrolls are gone, in favor of a system that allows you to look to the stars to see who you are. This is where you choose your skills and perks, determining your character type. The leveling system is still a little bit cloudy, but it sounds like you still level up your skills by actually using them (after all, practice makes perfect). As you hit certain levels, you earn perks, each of which has different ranks. And no, you can't level up your Athletics skill and overall level by jumping constantly -- the developers decided to do away with that skill category altogether.