The province of Skyrim is in the middle of a civil war, as prophesied in The Elder Scrolls - which also tell of the return of Alduin, the Nordic god of destruction. Along with his servants the Jills, a race of black dragons, Alduin will consume the Earth, unless the hero - the last of the dragon hunters - can fend off the threat of Alduin.
And so begins Skyrim, the latest epic role playing game from the makers of Oblivion, Bethesda. A fantasy infused, medievally inspired open world game, Skyrim plonks you in the middle of a sprawling fantasy land, with the ability to go anywhere, and do whatever you want - buy a house, stalk people, or explore on horseback and see what you find. Should you ever get bored, there's also the minor hook of a hundred plus hour story to sink your teeth into, and of course, there be dragons waiting.
As something of an event in the gaming calendar, it seems only right that the release of Skyrim should be marked in some sort of way. And so Bethesda, the brains behind The Elder Scrolls series, have announced that they'll be releasing a Skyrim Collector's Edition when the game goes on sale, in a fancy box-set that's exclusive to Game and Gamestation. And it better be good, seeing as the going rate for it is £129.99.
Fancy.
For your money, you'll get:
Alduin Statue
This 30.5 cm tall, PVC model is of Alduin, the World Eater - that's a chuffing great dragon to me and you - and stands perched on top of one of the game's many dragon walls, which teach the player the lethal language of the dragons in the game.
'The Art of Skyrim' Official Art Book
Having over 200 pages of full-colour illustrations, sketches and models from the game, showcasing all the characters, creatures, environments and weaponry from Skyrim, this is a coffee table artbook for the biggest Skyrim fans. It also features a foreword by the game's director Todd Howard, and comments from various Bethesda Game Studios artists.
'The Making of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim' DVD
A documentary DVD featuring exclusive, behind the scenes footage of the game's development, along with interviews with the Skyrim team as they take you through the game's concept and creation, providing insights into the story, setting, legacy of the Elder Scrolls franchise and much more.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is due out on 11th November this year - and we'll be getting a go on it at Gamescom in Cologne next week, so stay tuned for our preview. In the mean time, if you fancy plonking down a cool £129.99, you can find it at GAME here on Xbox 360, here on PS3, and here on PC.
