I have played the Elder Scrolls games for years. Over a decade actually. So to be able to beta test is a pretty big thing for me. And not only am I getting to play ESO this weekend, but my boys are too. There’s nothing like gaming as a group.

As always, I’ve been impressed with the world. The scenery is magical and you can almost imagine you’re there. The only downside I’ve found so far is the need to complete a quest to move onto the next land, but for those of us who love questing that’s not a downside at all. I know everyone won’t agree. Yes, I’m looking at you, General. Not everything is about the battle. Although the battle is fun too.

I have to say that once again ESO certainly hasn’t disappointed me. I love this game and every time an Elder Scrolls game has come out I’ve complained that I wished it was co-op. I guess I can quit complaining now and get back to exploring and battling a few more enemies.

When you get distracted by the scenery and your group leaves without you, don’t panic. There’s arrows that will lead you back to them.

There’s still heaps to do and plenty to explore even when the rest of your group goes offline.

More screenshots to come later.

Update:

Even the loading screens are amazing and have awesome detail. It’s not often that I think a loading screen is replaced by the game too quickly, but there were times when the picture was so interesting that I wanted to look at it longer.

It was nice to see there is still mudcrabs to train on. It wouldn’t have been Elder Scrolls without them.

There was so much to explore that it would probably take months to see the entire world. I spent a lot of time checking out unusual areas and wandering off into the wilderness to discover interesting places.

One of the most frequent questions I’m asked is, ‘How do you manage to write in so many different genres?’ To me it’s as natural as reading in numerous genres. Picking out the next story idea I write, or the next genre I write in, is like choosing a new book to read. You browse through the books wondering what you’re in the mood for. What makes you go, ‘Yes! This is it.”

Something with a happy ending? Maybe a romance. Or maybe something that will keep you awake at night wondering what’s really living under your bed and if you should risk putting your foot on the floor once the light is out. A book, that before you ever reach the last page, makes you decide that nothing is ever going to make you step on the floor again because there is definitely something living under the bed the moment the lights go out. You don’t know how it gets there, and you really don’t care because all you need to know is that it isn’t safe to put any limb past the edge of your bed.

Or maybe, you feel in the mood for reading a comedy or you need a bit of adventure. A book where you desperately want the hero to reach their goal and you’re cheering when the bad guy fails. Or you might want to delve into another world, a fantasy or sci-fi. A world that is completely different from ours, but still has some of the same problems. A world with creatures that have hopes and dreams that they strive to achieve in their alien world.

Writing so many different types of genres prevents me from becoming bored. I look forward to spending time with each new world and character I create. It makes me jump out of bed in the morning so I can write the next scene. And has me staying awake late at night as I write just one more sentence that turns into pages and pages until the sun rises and I realise I missed out on sleep once again.

I write the genres I enjoy reading, the ones that keep me entertained. I just happen to like a lot of different genres and sub-genres. What genres do you like?