So as not to be accused with clickbait, I want to address the title at the beginning – something about either my copy of Skyrim or my Xbox 360 prevents the game from working. And it’s a shame – I’ve put several hundred hours into the game, and I could probably put a hundred more in.
But what I’m encountering now is a frustrating glitch that causes the game to crash and shut down when entering certain locations. I’ll go into a dungeon, or a certain town, and then, BAM, the game shuts down. It’s frustrating. The only solution that the internet provided for me was to clear the system cache – I did, but this didn’t solve anything.
Basically, trying to do just about anything crashes Skyrim on my console. I know this is something that people who play it on PC encounter frequently, but they can usually fix it easily – but if anyone has any recommendations of how to fix this, PLEASE help me get back to this game I love.
The glitch doesn’t entirely prevent me from playing – I can still walk through much of the overworld and into certain cities – but that’s barely playing the game. I can encounter dragons or travel through the countryside, but I can’t go on quests, I can’t dive into dungeons, I can’t find new treasures. That’s half of what makes the game what it is.
I’m rather bummed about this, but there doesn’t seem to be much else to do. Until someone explains what’s happening or the problem magically fixes itself, I suppose all I can do is think back on this game and what I’ve loved about it.
Basically, it ends up being one-player Dungeons and Dragons – albeit with a smaller number of potential outcomes for any given action. If there is one criticism I have about the game, it’s that it doesn’t quite lean enough into the roleplaying aspect. Certain quests prompt you to make decisions, but the decisions you make rarely have any impact on the end result of the story.
But the game’s true depth isn’t found in the story, but in the setting. Skyrim perfected the open-world ARPG setting and format to the point where it even challenged Legend of Zelda to switch up its format, giving us Breath of the Wild, a welcome departure from a standard Zelda formula.
The map is so large, and the landscapes are so scenic, it feels like the only appropriate location for a story about the return of ancient dragons against the backdrop of a civil war. The story feels proportionately epic compared to the backdrop its set against – I might feel that way because I have explored every nook and cranny in this game, but nonetheless I find it to be true.
One thing I loved was that particularly challenging battles eventually became something of a math equation. If I was on the road, and encountered a dragon, I could see if me and my sidekick were able to well-equipped enough to beat it; do I have the right weapons and spells, can I heal myself? And then I would interact with the environment, to see how I could work that to my advantage – could I run to a town or city that could provide reinforcements? Were there spots where I could hide for cover? Is there a way to escape, if necessary? Are there any glitches I can use to m advantage? There are a lot of variables in each encounter, and trying to manipulate them to my advantage until I win.
I remember in one instance where I was being pursued by a dragon and slightly outside of Dawnstar, and managed to get within the town limits before it really attacked me. Because of this, the town guards and citizens would help fight it. But upon arriving in Dawnstar, I found a dragon approaching from the other direction – two dragons in such proximity doesn’t often happen, but is possible. So it was me and the town against two dragons; but, since this was after I had beaten the main storyline, I had the ability to summon a dragon to fight on my behalf – so I did. So then it was two dragons versus my character, a dragon, and maybe a dozen town guards and citizens. Plus, this was in Dawnstar, where the town is laid out in such a way that you can jump from rooftop to rooftop like you’re Batman. I ended up losing that battle and I tried to do everything I could to recreate those exact circumstances and wasn’t able to – but that remains one of the best experiences I’ve had in any video game.
Also worth mentioning is the time I collected 100 bulbs of garlic. For no particular reason. I just thought it’d be fun. And funny. And it was – if only to me.
And like, it’s worth noting, collecting 100 bulbs of garlic is neither easy nor particularly useful. I hunted for a long while, and ran up a bounty for theft in a few cities. I mostly did it for my own amusement, and boy howdy, was I amused.
At a certain point, Skyrim began to feel like comfort food for me. I’d come home from a long day at work and exorcise any negative feelings by playing through a dungeon. Sure, there were days where I felt the Allure that I heard people talk about relative to the game when it first came out – turning it on with the intention to only play for a few minutes, and then finding you’d spent several hours.
So, I suppose I’m done playing Skyrim on 360. I had been planning to get a Nintendo Switch in the next few months, and I suppose when I’m done playing games like Breath of the Wild or Mario Odyssey, then I might get Skyrim for Switch… maybe…
But again, if anyone can properly address the glitch I mentioned above, I would greatly appreciate it. I can’t understate my love for this game.
What’s a game you love, and why?