D.I.C.E. 2012 is happening.  While we don’t always hear news that gets the drool flowing but Skyrim fans should be on the edge of their seats.  Todd Howard gave the opening keynote speech at this years summit and among the slides shown were a few videos of Skyrim. Howard explained that after a development cycle, the team spends a week creating anything they want in the game.  The week is dubbed Game Jam.

In the video he shared, minor things that never made it into the game were seen.  New weapons, favorite menus for followers, seasonal weather and a few other graphics upgrades that make the game look even better.  Then there was the crazy stuff.  All of this is shown on a video: dragon mounts, flaming horse mounts, the ability to build your own house (complete with a skeletal butler), the ability to become a vampire lord, a werewolf perk tree, Microsoft Kinect voice shouts and a few other surprises worth watching for.  Howard  has stated that any of this can come to the game in the future through downloadable content or free updates.

[Source GamesBeat]

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• Bethesda Blog Promises Skyrim PS3 Lag Remedy In 1.4 Update
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• Bethesda’s Todd Howard says Skyrim is “More Like Fallout 3″ than Oblivion
• This is What Skyrim Could (and Should) Look Like With Next Gen Tech
• The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Full Achievement List Uncovered

Below is the full list of changes courtesy of the Bethblog.

Bethesda also claims to be putting the final touches on the Creation Kit and Skyrim Workshop and will let everyone know as soon as they’re up.

NEW FEATURES

• Skyrim launcher support for Skyrim Workshop (PC)

BUG FIXES

• General optimizations for memory and performance
• Fixed occasional issue with armor and clothing not displaying properly when placed on mannequins in player’s house (PS3)
• Long term play optimizations for memory and performance (PS3)
• Improved compiler optimization settings (PC)
• Memory optimizations related to scripting
• Fixed issue with dangling scripts not properly clearing from memory
• Fixed crashes related to pathing and AI
• Fixed crash in “Haemar’s Shame” if player had already completed “A Daedra’s Best Friend”
• Fixed rare crash with loading saved games
• Fixed issue with accented characters not displaying properly at the end of a line
• Fixed issue where dragon priest masks would not render correctly
• Fixed issue where quests would incorrectly progress after reloading a save
• Fixed issues with placing and removing books from bookshelves in the player’s home
• Optimized bookshelf script in player-owned houses that would occasionally block other scripts from properly firing off
• Fixed issue where weapon racks and plaques would not work correctly in player’s house if player immediately visits their house before purchasing any upgrades
• Fixed issue where the player house in Windhelm would not clean up properly
• Fixed crash related to giant attacks and absorb spells
• Fixed issue with ash piles not cleaning up properly
• Fixed occasional issue where overwriting an existing save would fail
• Fixed memory crash with container menu
• Fixed infinite loop with bookshelves
• Fixed issue where transforming back to human from werewolf would occasionally fail
• Bows and daggers will display properly when placed on weapon racks
• Fixed occasional audio issue that would play sound effects louder than intended
• Fixed bug related to hitching between cell boundaries
• Master Criminal achievement/trophy unlocks properly in French, German, Spanish and Italian
• Fixed issue where traps in Shalidor’s Maze would not work properly in French, German, Spanish and Italian versions

QUEST FIXES

• The Unusual Gem that was inside the Thalmor Embassy is now accessible after finishing “Diplomatic Immunity”
• In “Breaching Security”, the quest token is no longer required to receive a fortune reading from Olava the Feeble
• Fixed issue where Galmar would not complete Joining the Stormcloaks properly if “Season Unending” was an active quest
• Fixed issue where starting “Season Unending” after finishing “Joining the Stormcloaks” would prevent “The Jagged Crown” from starting properly
• Fixed issue where progressing through “Message to Whiterun” while “Season Unending” was still open would block progression for both quests
• In “Arniel’s Endeavor”, fixed issue where a quest journal would trigger multiple times
• In “Forbidden Legend”, the amulet fragment can no longer disappear after player leaves a dungeon without taking it
• Fixed rare issue in “Forbidden Legend” where killing Mikrul Gauldurson while sneaking would make his corpse unaccessible
• In “The White Phial”, the phial can no longer disappear if player leaves dungeon without taking it
• “The White Phial” will now start properly if player already has a briar heart in their inventory
• Player can no longer get stuck in Misty Grove after completing “A Night to Remember”
• Fixed issue where leaving Riften during “A Chance Arrangement” would prevent quest from progressing
• In “Darkness Returns”, a door in Twilight Sepulcher will properly open if the player leaves the dungeon for an extended period of time before completing the quest
• In “Revealing the Unseen”, if the player leaves the Oculory for an extended period of time after placing the focusing crystal and returns, the quest will proceed correctly
• “Onmund’s Request” will now start properly if player has already found Enthir’s staff before receiving this quest
• Fixed instance where Tonilia would stop buying stolen items and also would not give Guild Leader Armor
• “Repairing the Phial” will start properly if player already has unmelting snow or mammoth tusk in their inventory
• Finding Pantea’s Flute before speaking with Pantea no longer prevents her quest from updating
• In “The Break of Dawn”, fixed rare instance where a quest object would spawn incorrectly on the Katariah during Hail Sithis
• Fixed rare issue in “The Mind of Madness” where player is unable to equip the Wabbajack
• Fixed issue in “Pieces of the Past” where Mehrunes Dagon’s Razor will not trigger properly if player leaves the cell for extended period of time before activating it
• “Blood’s Honor” will start properly if you visited and completed Driftshade and an extended period of time passes before starting the quest.
• Fixed rare issue where “Dampened Spirits” would not start properly
• Fixed issue where player would be unable to become Thane of Riften if they purchased a home first
• Fixed issue where killing guards in Cidhna Mine would block progression for “No One Escapes Cidhna Mine”
• Fixed numerous issues with “Blood on the Ice” not triggering properly
• In “Blood on the Ice”, Calixto can now be killed if player owns a house in Windhelm
• In “The Cure for Madness”, killing Cicero then resurrecting him no longer impedes quest progress
• Fixed rare issue in “To Kill an Empire” where an NPC would fail to die properly
• Clearing Knifepoint Ridge before starting “Boethiah’s Champion” no longer prevents quest from starting.

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Redditor screamingheebijeebis is a lucky, lucky man.

Rather than blowing the 50% off coupon for any Bethesda game he received during the Steam Great Holiday Gift Pile immediately on Skyrim, he waited…

And waited.

Eventually, his patience paid off. Skyrim‘s currently on Steam’s Midweek Madness sale for -33% off. Throwing in the additional 50% off coupon, screamingheebijeebis managed to get Skyrim for $20.

Sure, he’s a little late to the Skyrim hype. The “arrow to the knee” memes have slowly died out, but since Bethesda’s recently released the Skryim Creation Kit, there’s no doubt going to be a resurgence of people playing Skyrim (on PC, anyway) for the high-res texture pack.

My hats off to you, screamingheebijeebs, for being able to contain your Skyrim-boner until now. I’ll see you in a month.

• Skyrim Creation Kit Coming Tomorrow
• Bethesda Releases an Impressive Creation Kit & Skyrim Workshop Preview Video
• Mod Tools Coming for Skyrim Next Week
• Skyrim Creation Kit Coming in January
• Bethesda Confirms Mod Tools for Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
• Howard’s D.I.C.E. 2012 Keynote Hints At Skyrim’s Future

Ever want to mod Skyrim? Now you can, because the Skyrim Creation kit we reported on yesterday lives on Steam today!

Thanks to Bethesda, all the weird stuff you’ve wanted to do in Skyrim is possible. Modders are a creative bunch, and it’ll be exciting to see what they’re able to come up with in such a vast world as Skyrim. If you’re interested in modding yourself, check out mods.elderscrolls.com.

There were some hints of a surprise included with the release of the Creation Kit; that surprise is a high resolution texture pack that’s available today as well. If you thought the game looked good before, wait until you install the new texture pack – It makes a huge difference, as long as you’ve got the hardware to support it. Bethesda recommends these specs:

• Windows Vista or 7 operating system
• Minimum of 4GB of system RAM
• DirectX 9.0c compatible NVIDIA or AMD ATI video card with at least 1 GB of RAM

Both the mod kit and the high resolution texture pack are available via Steam for free.

• Skyrim Creation Kit Coming Tomorrow
• Mod Tools Coming for Skyrim Next Week
• Skyrim Creation Kit Coming in January
• Bethesda Confirms Mod Tools for Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
• Howard’s D.I.C.E. 2012 Keynote Hints At Skyrim’s Future
• Skyrim Update 1.4 is Live on Xbox, PS3 Later Today – Full List of Changes

If you’re like me, you’ve been anxiously awaiting the release of the Creation Kit for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim since the game’s release back in November.  Also, if you’re like me, you’ll be excited to know that it’s coming out tomorrow.

HOORAY!!! Ahem…

All this is according to a tweet by Pete Hines, the VP of PR and Marketing for Bethesda.  In addition to announcing the Creation Kit, Hines also hinted at a surprise that will be included.  Horse Armor, maybe?  Dragon Riding?  MMORPG?  My answer is, “probably.”  But in all reality, we will just have to wait and see tomorrow.  The Creation Kit will be available through Steam in the Tools section. Be sure to jump in there and grab it as soon as it gets released, and get started putting chests of Daedric armor in Riverwood.  You deserve it.

Only a few more hours, guys!

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• Bethesda Releases an Impressive Creation Kit & Skyrim Workshop Preview Video

Bethesda has released a new video preview to show off their upcoming Creation Kit and Workshop for the PC version of Skyrim. The video shows many of the Creation Kit’s features including an ability to build archives.

Check out the video below and read the accompanying message from Bethesda Softworks.

Watch our preview video for the Creation Kit and Skyrim Workshop!

The Creation Kit offers the same suite of tools that Bethesda Game Studios used to create The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and will be a free download via Steam. The Creation Kit has lots of new features, including the ability to build archives. Plus you’ll want to check out the Creation Kit Wiki, our online documentation and help file, for more details.

With Skyrim Workshop, you can browse and search for the latest or highest rated mods, subscribe to any that interest you, rate your favorites and post feedback. Once you’ve subscribed to some mods, start the Skyrim launcher and you’ll see your subscribed mods automatically download. The launcher will even check if a mod has been updated and grab the latest version.

• The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Full Achievement List Uncovered
• Howard’s D.I.C.E. 2012 Keynote Hints At Skyrim’s Future
• Skyrim Update 1.4 is Live on Xbox, PS3 Later Today – Full List of Changes
• Savvy Shopper Buys Skyrim on Steam for $20
• Skyrim Creation Kit Coming Tomorrow
• Mod Tools Coming for Skyrim Next Week

You’re wandering around Skyrim at night, herp derping across the plains near Whiterun, the bogs near Dawnstar, and the hills near RipTen (oops I mean Riften, my mistake). In all honesty, pretty much everywhere you go in Skyrim is subject to the same kind of behavior. It’s okay. It happens to the best of us. But this time, when that angry giant punts you into orbit, you actually look up at the sky.

Holy shit. It’s beautiful.

If you thought Skyrim was the only place you could ever see the aurora borealis, and if that realization disappointed you to the point of tears, well… dry those tears, little Dovahkiin, that’s not the case. Today is your lucky day.

This was taken in Norway, Europe’s own Skyrim. In real life, there’s been a lot of solar activity lately, and it’s been causing the Northern Lights to pop up all over Alaska, Canada, the UK, and Norway, after the biggest solar storm since 2005. According to NASA, the sun belched out a solar storm late on Sunday evening. Of course, the storm also poured a bunch of radiation down onto our heads, so maybe we should start talking about a different Bethesda game instead.

It seems the best location to watch the Aurora Borealis is Iceland, but for those of us stateside, there’s a good view in both Anchorage and Fairbanks, Alaska. You could also pop on over the northern border and check out either Calgary or Ontario in Canada. For our European readers, you might want to try Dunnet Head, the northernmost point of Scotland, or basically anywhere on the Scandinavian Peninsula.

But whether you’re watching the Aurora Borealis in person or just looking at the pictures online, the stunning colors and shimmering lights are just what we need to perk up from a case of the Thursdays. Enjoy, the aurora borealis from both the world of Skyrim and the world of Earth.

[Source: Reddit]

• Yes, This is a ‘Live Action’ Skyrim Trailer
• Howard’s D.I.C.E. 2012 Keynote Hints At Skyrim’s Future
• Skyrim Update 1.4 is Live on Xbox, PS3 Later Today – Full List of Changes
• Savvy Shopper Buys Skyrim on Steam for $20
• Skyrim Creation Kit Now Available on Steam, Modding Madness to Follow
• Skyrim Creation Kit Coming Tomorrow

The official mod tools for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim will be released next week, as well as the 1.4 patch.

The patch notes, which can be found here, detail numerous bug and quest fixes, as well as “Skyrim launcher support for Steam Workshop.”

The interesting bit of course is the new mod tools- while modders have been hard at work already, the tools will allow proper creations to be built- new quests, new buildings and new landscapes. This is going to be good, guys. Really good.

NEW FEATURES

• Skyrim launcher support for Steam Workshop (PC)

BUG FIXES

• General optimizations for memory and performance
• Fixed occasional issue with armor and clothing not displaying properly when placed on mannequin’s in player’s house. (PS3)
• Improved compiler optimization settings (PC)
• Long term play optimizations for memory and performance (PS3)
• Memory optimizations related to scripting
• Fixed crashes related to pathing and AI
• Fixed crash in Haemar’s Shame if player had already completed “A Daedra’s Best Friend”
• Fixed rare crash with loading saved games
• Fixed issue with accented characters not displaying properly at the end of a line
• Master Criminal achievement/trophy unlocks properly in French, German, Spanish and Italian
• Fixed issue where dragon priest masks would not render correctly
• Fixed issue where quests would incorrectly progress after reloading a save
• Fixed issues with placing and removing books from bookshelves in the player’s home
• Fixed issue where weapon racks and plaques would not work correctly in player’s house if player immediately visits their house before purchasing any furnishing.
• Fixed issue where the player house in Windhelm would not clean up properly
• Fixed crash related to giant attacks and absorb spells
• Fixed issue with ash piles not cleaning up properly
• Fixed occasional issue where overwriting an existing save would fail
• Fixed memory crash with container menu
• Fixed infinite loop with bookshelves
• Fixed issue where traps in Shalidor’s Maze would not work properly in French, German, Spanish and Italian versions
• Fixed issue where transforming back to human from werewolf would occasionally not fail
• Bows and daggers will display properly when placed on weapon racks

QUEST FIXES

• The Unusual Gem inside the Thalmor Embassy is now accessible after finishing “Diplomatic Immunity”
• In “Breaching Security”, the quest token is no longer required to receive a fortune reading from Olava the Feeble
• Fixed issue where Galmar would not complete Joining the Stormcloaks properly if “Season Unending” was an active quest
• Fixed issue where starting “Season Unending” after finishing “Joining the Stormcloaks” would prevent “The Jagged Crown” from starting properly.
• Fixed issue progressing through “Message to Whiterun” while “Season Unending” was still open would block progression for both quests.
• In “Arniel’s Endeavor”, fixed issue where a quest journal would trigger multiple times
• In “Forbidden Legend”, the amulet fragment can no longer disappear after player leaves a dungeon without taking it
• Fixed rare issue in “Forbidden Legend” where killing Mikrul Gauldurson while sneaking would make his corpose unaccessible
• In “The White Phial”, the phial can no longer disappear if player leaves dungeon without taking it
• “The White Phial” will now start properly if player already has a briar heart in their inventory
• Player can no longer get stuck in Misty Grove after completing “A Night to Remember”
• Fixed issue where leaving Riften during “A Chance Arrangement” would prevent quest from progressing
• In “Darkness Returns”, a door in Twilight Sepulcher will properly open if the player leaves the dungeon for an extended period of time before completing the quest
• In “Under New Management”, if the player leaves the Oculory for an extended period of time after placing the focusing crystal and returns, the quest will proceed correctly
• “Onmund’s Request” will now start properly if player has already found Enthir’s staff before receiving this quest
• Fixed instance where Tonilia would stop buying stolen items and also would not give Guild Leader Armor
• “Repairing the Phial” will start properly if player already has unmelting snow or mammoth tusk in their inventory
• Finding Pantea’s Flute before speaking with Pantea no longer prevents her quest from updating
• In “The Coming of the Dawn”, fixed rare instance where a quest object would spawn incorrectly on the Katariah during Hail Sithis
• Fixed rare issue in “The Mind of Madness” where player is unable to equip the Wabbajack
• Fixed issue in “Pieces of the Past” where Mehrunes Dagon’s Razor will not trigger properly if player leaves the cell for extended period of time before activating it
• “Blood’s Honor” will start properly if you visited and completed Driftshade and an extended period of time passes before starting the quest.
• Fixed rare issue where “Dampened Spirits” would not start properly
• Fixed issue where player would be unable to become Thane of Riften if they purchased a home first
• Fixed issue where killing guards in Cidhna Mine woud block progression for “No One Escapes Cidhna Mine”
• Fixed numerous issues with “Blood on the Ice” not triggering properly
• In “Blood on the Ice”, Calixto can now be killed if player owns a house in Windhelm
• In “The Cure for Madness”, killing Cicero then resurrecting him no longer impedes quest progress
• Fixed rare issue in “To Kill an Empire” where an NPC would fail to die properly
• Clearing Knifepoint Ridge before starting “Boethiah’s Champion” no longer prevents quest from starting.

• Skyrim Update 1.4 is Coming – This is What Will Change (PC, Xbox 360 and PS3)
• Skyrim Creation Kit Coming in January
• Skyrim Creation Kit Coming Tomorrow
• Skyrim Patch 1.4 Anticipated for PC This Week
• Fan Made Skyrim Trailer Gives Bethesda a Run For Their Money
• The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Update v1.2 – What It Changed

One of the only classroom acceptable ways of breaking the humdrum of high school math classes was gaming on the Heaven-blessed TI graphing calculators. Rather than playing the simplistic, pre-programmed games offered on the calculator like Block Man, no9sniper decided to program his own. Since he liked Skyrim so much, he decided to bring some of it with him to school.

Yes, no9sniper programmed a simplistic version of Skyrim on his TI. Although the game’s primarily text-based since the TI graphing calculators isn’t capable of visually-pleasing graphics, it’s still pretty epic. Perhaps the most impressive part is that he decided to program this all on his calculator, and sure, programming in TI-Basic is easier on the calculator than on the PC, but that still shows dedication. no9sniper must’ve had his head down in class, clicking away at the TI’s buttons for weeks trying to put this together. And admit it, the title screen’s pretty impressive:

• Skyrim Update 1.4 is Coming – This is What Will Change (PC, Xbox 360 and PS3)
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• A Bard’s Ode to Skyrim: Malukah Returns with “Age of Aggression”

You should have acted, they’re already here.  Well, almost.  This is the list of changes Bethesda is bringing to The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim in version 1.4.

NEW FEATURES

• Skyrim launcher support for Steam Workshop (PC)

BUG FIXES

• General optimizations for memory and performance
• Fixed occasional issue with armor and clothing not displaying properly when placed on mannequin’s in player’s house. (PS3)
• Improved compiler optimization settings (PC)
• Long term play optimizations for memory and performance (PS3)
• Memory optimizations related to scripting
• Fixed crashes related to pathing and AI
• Fixed crash in Haemar’s Shame if player had already completed “A Daedra’s Best Friend”
• Fixed rare crash with loading saved games
• Fixed issue with accented characters not displaying properly at the end of a line
• Master Criminal achievement/trophy unlocks properly in French, German, Spanish and Italian
• Fixed issue where dragon priest masks would not render correctly
• Fixed issue where quests would incorrectly progress after reloading a save
• Fixed issues with placing and removing books from bookshelves in the player’s home
• Fixed issue where weapon racks and plaques would not work correctly in player’s house if player immediately visits their house before purchasing any furnishing.
• Fixed issue where the player house in Windhelm would not clean up properly
• Fixed crash related to giant attacks and absorb spells
• Fixed issue with ash piles not cleaning up properly
• Fixed occasional issue where overwriting an existing save would fail
• Fixed memory crash with container menu
• Fixed infinite loop with bookshelves
• Fixed issue where traps in Shalidor’s Maze would not work properly in French, German, Spanish and Italian versions
• Fixed issue where transforming back to human from werewolf would occasionally not fail
• Bows and daggers will display properly when placed on weapon racks

QUEST FIXES

• The Unusual Gem inside the Thalmor Embassy is now accessible after finishing “Diplomatic Immunity”
• In “Breaching Security”, the quest token is no longer required to receive a fortune reading from Olava the Feeble
• Fixed issue where Galmar would not complete Joining the Stormcloaks properly if “Season Unending” was an active quest
• Fixed issue where starting “Season Unending” after finishing “Joining the Stormcloaks” would prevent “The Jagged Crown” from starting properly.
• Fixed issue progressing through “Message to Whiterun” while “Season Unending” was still open would block progression for both quests.
• In “Arniel’s Endeavor”, fixed issue where a quest journal would trigger multiple times
• In “Forbidden Legend”, the amulet fragment can no longer disappear after player leaves a dungeon without taking it
• Fixed rare issue in “Forbidden Legend” where killing Mikrul Gauldurson while sneaking would make his corpose unaccessible
• In “The White Phial”, the phial can no longer disappear if player leaves dungeon without taking it
• “The White Phial” will now start properly if player already has a briar heart in their inventory
• Player can no longer get stuck in Misty Grove after completing “A Night to Remember”
• Fixed issue where leaving Riften during “A Chance Arrangement” would prevent quest from progressing
• In “Darkness Returns”, a door in Twilight Sepulcher will properly open if the player leaves the dungeon for an extended period of time before completing the quest
• In “Under New Management”, if the player leaves the Oculory for an extended period of time after placing the focusing crystal and returns, the quest will proceed correctly
• “Onmund’s Request” will now start properly if player has already found Enthir’s staff before receiving this quest
• Fixed instance where Tonilia would stop buying stolen items and also would not give Guild Leader Armor
• “Repairing the Phial” will start properly if player already has unmelting snow or mammoth tusk in their inventory
• Finding Pantea’s Flute before speaking with Pantea no longer prevents her quest from updating
• In “The Coming of the Dawn”, fixed rare instance where a quest object would spawn incorrectly on the Katariah during Hail Sithis
• Fixed rare issue in “The Mind of Madness” where player is unable to equip the Wabbajack
• Fixed issue in “Pieces of the Past” where Mehrunes Dagon’s Razor will not trigger properly if player leaves the cell for extended period of time before activating it
• “Blood’s Honor” will start properly if you visited and completed Driftshade and an extended period of time passes before starting the quest.
• Fixed rare issue where “Dampened Spirits” would not start properly
• Fixed issue where player would be unable to become Thane of Riften if they purchased a home first
• Fixed issue where killing guards in Cidhna Mine woud block progression for “No One Escapes Cidhna Mine”
• Fixed numerous issues with “Blood on the Ice” not triggering properly
• In “Blood on the Ice”, Calixto can now be killed if player owns a house in Windhelm
• In “The Cure for Madness”, killing Cicero then resurrecting him no longer impedes quest progress
• Fixed rare issue in “To Kill an Empire” where an NPC would fail to die properly
• Clearing Knifepoint Ridge before starting “Boethiah’s Champion” no longer prevents quest from starting.

• Skyrim Update 1.4 is Live on Xbox, PS3 Later Today – Full List of Changes
• Mod Tools Coming for Skyrim Next Week
• Behold The Breathtaking Concept Art of Skyrim
• Skyrim PC Patch 1.4 Releases on Steam, Bug Fixes Detailed
• Geeked Out: Bored in Math Class? Play Skyrim on Your TI-84
• The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Update v1.2 – What It Changed

The Fallout: New Vegas Ultimate Edition is coming to retail stores in the US on February 7th and Europe on February 10th. It will include all the DLC for the low low price of …. TELL EM HOW TO ORDER BILLY!!

For more information head on over to the Fallout website, and tell em Billy Mays sent you!

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In case you missed her debut into the wonderful world of Skyrim, Malukah is an incredibly gifted singer who occasionally blesses YouTube with an acoustic cover of a well-known song. In December, the internet’s collective jaw fell to the floor as she sang “The Dragonborn Comes” to the bleary-eyed masses, who’d crossed the thresholds of their Skyrim caves to hear this beautiful arrangement. If Bethesda doesn’t know who she is by now, then they’re doing themselves a great disservice, as fans have already replaced the “Sons of Skyrim” menu theme with Malukah’s rendition.

Now, she returns to us from Winterhold, which is where I assume she lives, to sate us with another helping of talent and geekery. Kick back, relax, crank up the volume, and bask in the echo of “Age of Aggression.” Be ready, for something magical happens at 1:30.

What’s perhaps the best news of all is that her MP3s are free an available for download. Prepare thy iPods, world. Malukah is a’comin’.

• Fan Made Skyrim Trailer Gives Bethesda a Run For Their Money
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• Yes, This is a ‘Live Action’ Skyrim Trailer
• Addicted to Skyrim? You Need An Intervention (Video)
• Mod Tools Coming for Skyrim Next Week

If you are one of the many Skyrim PlayStation 3 gamers out there experiencing lag issues, it would seem that Bethesda is prepared to answer your cry for help.

In a recent response tweet by the official Bethesda Blog twitter account to a well phrased question asking “What about PS3 Lag ?????”, the company promptly replied letting the individual know that they are “addressing that in the 1.4 update planned for this month.”

• Howard’s D.I.C.E. 2012 Keynote Hints At Skyrim’s Future
• Bethesda Releases an Impressive Creation Kit & Skyrim Workshop Preview Video
• Skyrim Patch 1.4 Anticipated for PC This Week
• Mod Tools Coming for Skyrim Next Week
• Skyrim Update 1.4 is Coming – This is What Will Change (PC, Xbox 360 and PS3)
• The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Update v1.2 – What It Changed

Bethesda and Interplay have finally reached a settlement regarding their dispute over the Fallout IP, mainly regarding the Fallout MMO Interplay announced five years ago. Regarding the MMO, Bethesda now owns it. As part of the settlement, the license “granted to Interplay to develop the Fallout MMO is null and void, and all rights granted to Interplay to develop a Fallout MMO revert back to Bethesda, effective immediately.”

The hits just keep on coming. Interplay has no ongoing right to the Fallout brand or any Fallout IP. They’ve also got until December 2013 before their rights to sell the original Fallout, along with the sequels Fallout 2 and Fallout Tactics, along with any merchandising rights associated with the properties. Here’s what Bethesda had to say regarding the lawsuit:

“The lawsuit against Interplay arose after Bethesda Softworks acquired all Fallout intellectual property rights from Interplay in April 2007, and conditionally licensed back to Interplay certain trademark rights to make a Fallout MMO, provided Interplay secured $30 million in financing for the MMO and commenced full scale development of the game by April 2009. Bethesda alleged in its complaint that Interplay failed to meet either condition of the license back agreement but refused to relinquish its license and insisted it would develop a Fallout MMO.

Back when the MMO was theirs, Interplay also subcontracted Masthead Studios to help with the project. That’s no longer the case. Masthead no longer has rights to the Fallout MMO, and they received no payments. Interplay, on the other hand, is receiving $2 million from Bethesda’s parent company Zenimax.

via Joystiq

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• Bethesda: “The license is ours. Fallout belongs to us.” Interplay: “ORLY!?”
• Skyrim Creation Kit Coming Tomorrow
• Skyrim Ships 10 Million, Is Fastest Selling Game in Steam History
• Fallout: New Vegas Graphic Novel “All Roads” Now Available For Digital Download

When it comes to beating dead horses, I know a thing or two.  Hell, I kept that dicktits joke going from Bulletstorm for months, and that was never really that funny to begin with.

However, this arrow to the knee thing has got to stop.  From Paula Deen cooking videos to videos of Justin Bieber singing Christmas songs, people still seem to think it’s cool to talk about how they used to be funny, then they took an arrow to the goddamn knee.  Luckily, Dovahkiin himself has stepped in to do something about it:

Anyone else get a real John K. (Ren & Stimpy) vibe from that video?

• Fan Made Skyrim Trailer Gives Bethesda a Run For Their Money
• This Skyrim Rap Literally Spits Hot Fire
• Behold The Making of Skyrim in This New Trailer
• These Are The Skyrim PC System Requirements
• Yes, This is a ‘Live Action’ Skyrim Trailer
• New Skyrim Screens Show off an Assassin Finisher, Draugr Lord and Aurora Borealis

Joshua Sawyer, the lead designer for Fallout: New Vegas, has created his personal mod called “JSawyer.” It both fixes bugs and tweaks the difficulty for New Vegas to make it a mite bit more difficult for hardcore fans. When asked why this mod wasn’t a part of an official release, Sawyer responded on his Formspring,

The short technical reason is “.esm inter-dependencies” and “load order errors”. Sorry.

In addition to technical reasons, some of the mechanics changes make the game significantly more difficult (base health / stim changes) or at least more of a hassle (carry weight, stims having weight, H2O/SLP/FOD rate increase). I’d rather have people opt-in to those changes than make them the default in a patch.

Finally, the game’s over. The ship has sailed. No one is working on it anymore. No testers, nothing. This mod is just me working in my free time. If I horribly botch something, you can just un-check the mod and go on your way.

However, do note that if you plan on installing this mod, it requires all of New Vegas‘s official DLCs. Also, have no fears about losing anything. “JSawyer” doesn’t delete any quests that aren’t already there.

You can download the mod from here. (Direct link.)

Via [Fallout Wiki]

• New Vegas: Honest Hearts DLC Brings Out The Burned Man (Trailer)
• Final Fallout: New Vegas DLC “Lonesome Road” Gets a Lonesome Trailer
• Geeked-Out: Fallout Fan Creates Fully Working Pip-Boy 3000
• Fallout: New Vegas Lonesome Road Dated, Plus Two Additional DLC Packs
• Fallout: New Vegas Third DLC “Old World Blues” Now Available
• Fallout New Vegas Patch Adds Optimization, Stability and Balance

Yep.  10 million physical copies shipped and the fastest selling game in the history of Steam.  Wow.

Here’s what Bethesda had to say:

December 15, 2011 (Rockville, MD) – ZeniMax® Media Inc. today announced that 10 million units of Bethesda Softworks’® The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim have been shipped for the Xbox 360® video game entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system, and PC, representing approximately $650 million in retail sales since its release on November 11. The PC version of Skyrim in North America outsold all other PC games by a factor of over three to one in the month of its release. Large retail reorders across all platforms and record-breaking digital sales reflect the ongoing global demand by consumers excited to explore this extraordinary fantasy epic.

Bethesda Softworks’® Skyrim has already garnered over two dozen ‘Game of the Year’ awards from major outlets worldwide, including winning the top honor of Game of the Year at the 2011 Video Game Awards which are voted on by a panel of editors from the industry’s most respected magazines and websites. In addition, Skyrim has received ‘Game of the Year’ awards from numerous other game critics, which, to date include such respected media outlets as G4TV, Official Xbox Magazine and Machinima.com. Skyrim was named ‘Most -Played Game of 2011’ by Raptr, based on research data which confirms its highly popular gameplay experience.

“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.”

“Skyrim is the fastest selling title in Steam’s history” said Jason Holtman, Director of Business Development at Valve Corporation. “Bethesda’s commitment to and understanding of the PC as a gaming platform shows in the great review scores, spectacular launch, and continued high player numbers that Skyrim has received.  We are delighted that Bethesda chose to use Steamworks to support Skyrim both at retail and digitally.”

Skyrim Is the third consecutive game developed by the team at Bethesda Game Studios® to earn ‘Game of the Year’ honors.  Bethesda Game Studios, which was named ‘Studio of the Year’ at the 2011 Video Game Awards, also created the 2006 ‘Game of the Year’, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion®, and the 2008 ‘Game of the Year’, Fallout® 3.

For more on Skyrim be sure to check out 150 ultra quality screens to die for as well as the RipTen Review.

• Skyrim Creation Kit Coming Tomorrow
• Watch Dovahkiin Put an End to the “Arrow to the Knee” Meme
• Geeked Out: Skyrim Kinect! Your Dreams are Now Reality
• Fan Made Skyrim Trailer Gives Bethesda a Run For Their Money
• Calibur11 Speaks Out On Possible Skyrim 360 Vault & Accessories
• Bethesda Announces Skyrim Has Uber Successful Launch, Ships Way Over 9000 Copies

Somebody give KinectFAAST a trophy, because he just made all my Skyrim dreams come true. Except for the whole Kinect part, because I still don’t own one. Those of you who do should rejoice in the knowledge that this gentleman and scholar has jury-rigged his Kinect to be compatible with the PC version of Skyrim. You know what that means.

You can “FUS RO DAH” the life out of everything, even though he doesn’t for some reason :-\

It’s like he read my review or something, answering my cries for voice support. While this may not be everyone’s ideal style, simply knowing that somewhere out there, a man is literally shouting at dragons to death, is enough for me. I sleep well knowing that ingenuity and creativity live on in the fans, long after the developer has all but abandoned the wayward tech.

I’m looking at you, Microsoft.

Hungry for more hand-made swag? Take a leisurely stroll through our Geeked Out collection.

• Geeked Out: Bored in Math Class? Play Skyrim on Your TI-84
• Skyrim Ships 10 Million, Is Fastest Selling Game in Steam History
• The Top 10 Real Life FUS RO DAH’s
• Calibur11 Speaks Out On Possible Skyrim 360 Vault & Accessories
• RipTen Review: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
• These Life Sized Skyrim Statues Are Heading to a Retailer Near You

Painstakingly compiled by Aaron “The Voice” Alexander and Dave Oshry.

Before Skyrim was even available in stores, the world already knew of the FUS RO DAH thanks to Bethesda’s epic trailer.  Ever since, videos of Unrelenting Force being used in real life have been popping up on the net to incite epic lulz.  What we have here are what we think are the Top Ten Best FUS RO DAH’s in real life, and we hope you enjoy them as much as we did:

Let’s start off with a little compilation, shall we?

Next up we’ve got Judge Dredd, everyone’s second to last favorite Slyvester Stallone movie.  Watch him judge this fool Dovahstyle:

To make up for that, here’s a clip from Scrubs:

Did you know Morgan Freeman was Dragonborn?

Better yet, we’ve got the FUS being used on some unsuspecting Goats and Ducks:

Don’t worry though…

• Unnecessary Censorship in Skyrim is F**king Hilarious
• Addicted to Skyrim? You Need An Intervention (Video)
• Mod Tools Coming for Skyrim Next Week
• Geeked Out: Bored in Math Class? Play Skyrim on Your TI-84
• Skyrim Update 1.4 is Coming – This is What Will Change (PC, Xbox 360 and PS3)
• A Bard’s Ode to Skyrim: Malukah Returns with “Age of Aggression”

Last week we posted a video of of a beautiful bard singing Skyrim’s “The Dragonborn Comes” in real life.

Well, now someone has paired that beautiful rendition with this beautiful footage from Skyrim and created what they’ve taken to calling the “Unofficial Skyrim Trailer”

Enjoy:

For more on Skyrim be sure to check out these 150 screens to die for as well as the RipTen Review.

• One Hour With Skyrim Finally Made Me a True Believer (Hands On)
• Mod Tools Coming for Skyrim Next Week
• A Bard’s Ode to Skyrim: Malukah Returns with “Age of Aggression”
• Watch Dovahkiin Put an End to the “Arrow to the Knee” Meme
• This Skyrim HD Time-Lapse Video Is Magnificent
• The Skyrim Gameplay Trailer With Lyrics Is Hilarious