It was 2011, and the gaming world was busy unloading on zombies in “Black Ops” or building dream teams in “Madden NFL 12.” Forgotten were the glories of high fantasy role-playing, tales of dragons and giants traded for AK-74u’s and play-action passes.

     Then Bethesda unveiled “The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim,” almost six years ago to the day, and the ground shifted on Planet RPG.     
Fast-forward to 23 million units sold and 200-plus Game of the Year awards, and its legacy as one of the most iconic adventures ever remains unchallenged. How did “Skyrim” conquer the land of fantasy gaming?

      First and foremost, the fifth “Elder Scrolls” installment held fast to the spirit of role-playing. “Skyrim” won millions of gamers’ hearts by giving them the creative reins and letting them chart their own epic destinies. There aren’t many games out there that hinge so heavily on character decisions.
Straight out of the gate, players select their name and gender and choose from one of ten major Tamriel races. Magicka-spouting High Elf or frost-born Nord? Raging Orc or shadowy Dark Elf? Lizard or cat?

     That’s just the beginning, folks. “Skyrim” cuts through any lengthy story expositions and puts the main character’s head right on the literal chopping block. It all goes to shit when the dragon god Alduin descends and starts torching the town, inadvertently saving the greatest threat to his own survival, but hey, even in fantasy worlds, karma can strike

     Turns out the protagonist is the Dragonborn, a prophesied warrior whose purpose in life is to slay anything that flies and breathes fire (so a future showdown with Alduin is inevitable). A smashing storyline sends the Dragonborn from one quest to another, the outcomes of which are entirely up to the player.

          Take the fan-favorite Civil War quest. A rebellion is rising against the Imperial Legion in Skyrim, an uprising led by the most patriotic Jarl ever, Ulfric Stormcloak. Ulfric seeks freedom from the Empire’s religious persecution and major reparations for the suffering his fellow Nords have endured under Imperial rule.

        Sounds fine and dandy, except that the Empire’s regulations are the only thing keeping the Thalmor of the Aldmeri Dominion from steamrolling all of Skyrim. Long story short, a treaty between the two parties effectively makes the Empire into a glorified Aldmeri puppet; in exchange, the Thalmor won’t bring war to Skyrim.    

        This presents a legitimate moral dilemma for the Dragonborn and leaves players wrestling with their consciences over the game’s most pivotal decision. Defy the Legion but risk open war with Aldmeri, or crush the insurgents but rob the Nords of their religious freedom? Choices like this (and many, many others) earned “Skyrim” some big points in character development.

       As their custom-made heroes grow in power, players can pick from eighteen unique skills to tailor their characters to their exact liking. One Dragonborn could be a pain-dishing Redguard swordsman with a penchant for potion-making; another, a silver-tongued Breton mage who could strike a deal just as quickly as she could light a fortress on fire.

       For some, even the greatest of games are never good enough. Fortunately, there’s a king’s share of “Skyrim” mods ranging from mundane to massive (kudos to whoever dreamed up the “Lord of the Rings” destinations).

       It wouldn’t be a stretch to say “Skyrim” was designed for marathon gamers, the ten-boxes-of-pizza-and-adult-diapers crowd. Pretty much every major quest leads to one or more sub-quests, side quests or even sub-side quests. No true “Skyrim” fan has ever said “Just one quick quest” and really meant it.

       A trio of expansion packs adds even more depth to the vaunted “Skyrim” mythos. In “Dawnguard,” the hero learns of a dark prophecy nearing its completion and becomes a full-fledged vampire hunter (unless the player chooses to join the ranks of the bloodsuckers themselves). “Dragonborn” pits the protagonist against Miraak, a power-hungry asshole who’s supposedly the first-ever Dragonborn.          

      For those adventurers with a knack for interior design, “Hearthfire” lets players buy land, build homesteads and decorate them to their hearts’ content. Players can even adopt some annoying kids if they want to pass their Dragonborn awesomeness on to the next generation.

       Mix in thousands of weapons, armor sets and random trinkets to find across the enormous open world and the game becomes more addicting than the purest batch of skooma.

       Understandably, players around the world are clamoring for “Elder Scrolls VI,” but the Bethesda developers are in no rush to halt the momentum of their 2011 masterpiece. Why would they? “Skyrim” reigns supreme, and it just keeps getting bigger.
It’ll be coming to the Nintendo Switch and VR devices on Nov. 17, complete with all three DLC packs and exclusive “Zelda” content on the Switch for real über-nerds.