'Enderal': The Game-Sized 'Skyrim' Mod You Should Be Playing

[Jan_26]

Thanks for the tip, I'll definitely try this one out. Always prefered more story filled environments compared to vast open space with few content, this could make much more interesting game for me.

 

[Roger Wilco]

Don't care how awesome it seems, this is unacceptable and makes me highly doubt the entire review isn't a commercial...

While it is installed, Skyrim will not work.

 

[mmaatt747]

Glad you chose to write about Enderal Joe. It DEFINITELY deserves more publicity!

 

[king3pj]

Don't care how awesome it seems, this is unacceptable and makes me highly doubt the entire review isn't a commercial...

While it is installed, Skyrim will not work.

Nearly every positive video game review I read has at least one person claiming the reviewer was paid off. Negative reviews often have people claim a competitor paid the reviewer to give them a low score. Average reviews (around 8/10 scores) sometimes have some people claiming they were paid for a high score and some people claiming they were paid for a low score in the comments of the same review.

In this case you aren't looking at a review for a AAA game with a big publisher's money behind it. It's a review of a free mod. Who exactly would be paying for this commercial? Comments like this one always silly to me but in this case it seems ridiculous considering what is being reviewed.

 

[Anarkie13]

So now that I have Skyrim Special edition, I can simply re-install my original Skyrim and run this "mod" over that and keep both games, right?

If so, I have a feeling I'll be using up some bandwidth tonight on large downloads.

 

[shrapnel_indie]

While it is installed, Skyrim will not work.

IF you bothered to read the comments, you'd have noticed that that issue was already addressed with potential work-arounds mentioned. Is this total conversion a perfect production? No. It has some issues, but for a free game, it is something beyond what a few true amateurs could accomplish.

 

[mmaatt747]

Don't care how awesome it seems, this is unacceptable and makes me highly doubt the entire review isn't a commercial...

While it is installed, Skyrim will not work.

... mod is FREE. It doesn't SEEM awesome, it IS

 

[Jeff Fx]

While it is installed, Skyrim will not work.

IF you bothered to read the comments, you'd have noticed that that issue was already addressed with potential work-arounds mentioned. Is this total conversion a perfect production? No. It has some issues, but for a free game, it is something beyond what a few true amateurs could accomplish.

It's way beyond what amateurs can do, and better than a lot of professional devs can do. Too many people are quick to complain, when they're contributing nothing to a project at all, not even cash.

 

[Jeff Fx]

So now that I have Skyrim Special edition, I can simply re-install my original Skyrim and run this "mod" over that and keep both games, right?

If so, I have a feeling I'll be using up some bandwidth tonight on large downloads.

Right. You can even stream this mod over Steam by picking the old Skyrim, because it completely takes over the old Skyrim install, which I view as a big plus. I just had to buy the one piece of Skyrim DLC I was missing to qualify for the special edition.

 

[Jarmo]

Played it for a bit (just into the first dungeon) and started to get a strong feel this was made by people who loved Morrowind but Skyrim not so much, for players of like mind. Would I be off with that? Impressive beginning though.

 

[Kungpaoshizzi]

Haha. This is dumb, install the mod and can't use the game.

 

[mmaatt747]

Haha. This is dumb, install the mod and can't use the game.

Don't think of it as a mod. It really is an entire game. Because of that, I just created a 2nd installation of Skyrim for Enderal. I can still play Skyrim with my normal mods.

 

[jaged]

I am really looking forward to playing this. I play Skyrim through Steam. I have the game installed on a 2nd drive in my PC. Can I back up my "save"/CFG file so when I'm done with Enderal I can just put Skyrim back to the way it was?

 

[mmaatt747]

I am really looking forward to playing this. I play Skyrim through Steam. I have the game installed on a 2nd drive in my PC. Can I back up my "save"/CFG file so when I'm done with Enderal I can just put Skyrim back to the way it was?

Yes you can. In fact, Enderal creates it's own save folder so it won't mess with your normal Skyrim save files

 

[jpishgar]

It has been several weeks since I've finished Enderal.

In retrospect, I hate the game. It was one of the most splendid, fantastic, wonderful games I have ever played in my life, and I could not hate it more for that fact. I've been unable to muster up the conviction and willpower to double-click the Enderal icon that still leers at me from my desktop. It remains installed, because I can't bring myself to uninstall it. I envision myself double-clicking that icon, getting to the main menu, and being paralyzed between the cathartic choice of creating a new character or reviewing the exhaustive compilation of my save game files - which I can only imagine would evoke emotions similar to flipping through the diary of a tragically killed former lover.

I hate Enderal, because I am confident that I will not get to experience the type of game that Enderal was for a very, very long time to come. As a gamer, I feel like Enderal spoiled me in ways that were unhealthy. Something akin to the miserable spiral of someone of modest means who wins the lottery and is immediately thrust into a world of immense wealth and uncertainty. It is a curse that fulfills the promise - "May you get everything you want." The borders of experience are pushed back, and not so elastic as to satisfy with run-of-the-mill games that scrape by on the most minimalist of content and narrative.

I feel a small sense of guilt having reviewed the game, now. Inflicting this on others, and fully well-aware that anyone who gets deep enough will be fundamentally changed and somewhat ruined for other games for a significant amount of time. Guilt and sadistic glee both, I should amend. Suffer, as I suffer, and witness Enderal.

-JP

 

[jaged]

It has been several weeks since I've finished Enderal.

In retrospect, I hate the game. It was one of the most splendid, fantastic, wonderful games I have ever played in my life, and I could not hate it more for that fact. I've been unable to muster up the conviction and willpower to double-click the Enderal icon that still leers at me from my desktop. It remains installed, because I can't bring myself to uninstall it. I envision myself double-clicking that icon, getting to the main menu, and being paralyzed between the cathartic choice of creating a new character or reviewing the exhaustive compilation of my save game files - which I can only imagine would evoke emotions similar to flipping through the diary of a tragically killed former lover.

I hate Enderal, because I am confident that I will not get to experience the type of game that Enderal was for a very, very long time to come. As a gamer, I feel like Enderal spoiled me in ways that were unhealthy. Something akin to the miserable spiral of someone of modest means who wins the lottery and is immediately thrust into a world of immense wealth and uncertainty. It is a curse that fulfills the promise - "May you get everything you want." The borders of experience are pushed back, and not so elastic as to satisfy with run-of-the-mill games that scrape by on the most minimalist of content and narrative.

I feel a small sense of guilt having reviewed the game, now. Inflicting this on others, and fully well-aware that anyone who gets deep enough will be fundamentally changed and somewhat ruined for other games for a significant amount of time. Guilt and sadistic glee both, I should amend. Suffer, as I suffer, and witness Enderal.

-JP

Man I am SO conflicted. I want to play this badly but i also want to start a new playthrough of Fallout 4. I can't do both or risk divorce LOL

I look forward to eventually doing both though.

 

[bit_user]

The borders of experience are pushed back, and not so elastic as to satisfy with run-of-the-mill games that scrape by on the most minimalist of content and narrative.

Dude, get over it. There's a lot more to life than gaming. Maybe this would be a good opportunity to take a break from gaming and learn a new skill, take up a new hobby or sport, or plan a trip somewhere (even if it's somewhere nearby).

After I finish a good game or a good TV series, I like to savor it and reflect on it for a little bit. I also share a sense of wanting to give something back (usually in the form of a review), when I experience something really enjoyable. Sometimes, it even helps deepen ones appreciation of the experience, as you try to structure your thoughts and emotions into words and paragraphs.

Later on, something will remind me of it, and I'll indulge in small hit of nostalgia. But life is short, so mix it up and live a little. No matter how good they are, games are fabricated experiences that someone else created. Ever since I realized this, the sense of accomplishment I felt from completing a game was never quite the same.